Welcome to Part 3, the finale of my 3-part headline series! Keyword Research is one of the highest-return strategies in the digital marketing field and including it in your headlines is a must.
But a lot of people miss this step in their content creation process because it can seem so confusing and complicated. Most people think they need to spend money on keyword software and have specialized training in search engine optimization (SEO).
If you’re an entrepreneur who shies away from the intimidation of using SEO in your content, you’re in for a treat! There IS an easy way to do basic keyword research that doesn’t take a lot of time, money or training.
Today I’m happily sharing this golden tip with you!
WHY IS KEYWORD RESEARCH IMPORTANT?
Keyword Research is important because it doesn’t just help you rank in the Google search results. It also:
- Puts you in front of people who are searching for your service. This means you’ll be attracting an audience who are in the purchasing “zone”.
- Tells you the pain points of your customers. As you do this keyword research, you’ll see what your potential customers are searching for – their pain points. This can help you create or tailor your services so you can provide the best solution to their problems.
- Shows the topics your competitors are investing in to attract new customers. While I don’t believe in competition (I’m team #CommunityOverCompetition all the way!), I think it’s important to know what similar businesses are targeting, so you can find a way to stand out.
I like to keep things simple when I do keyword research for my daily content, but I recommend using more robust search engine optimization for larger projects such as your website or when you’re planning to launch a campaign.
This easy research process is what I recommend for those who are still starting out in their content creation and optimization.
Step 1: Determine the main topic.
The first step to take when doing keyword research is to determine the main topic you’re writing about. For the purpose of this article, let’s say you’re writing about Instagram stories.
Now, because Instagram stories is a highly popular topic, it would be impossible to rank this keyword without a hefty paid campaign. This is because the more popular a keyword is, the more competition there is for it in rankings.
Instead, you want to search for a longer, more specific phrase called a “long-tail keyword”.
According to Hubspot, a long-tail keyword is a keyword phrase that contains at least three words (though some say two to four words is considered long-tail). These phrases are more specific and often less competitive than generic keyword terms. Because of that, they provide both short-term and long-term benefits.
Step 2: Open Google on your browser using a private window.
To do this in Chrome, press CMD + SHIFT + N on your keyboard. This step requires a private window because you want to make sure that the results you get are the general results and not the ones that are tailored personally for you by Google.
Step 3: Type in your sample topic.
For this example, you would type in “Instagram stories”. That’s it – don’t add any other words and don’t press enter.
Step 4: (Now, here’s the best part!) As you type your main keyword in, you’ll see ‘suggested’ searches by Google.
Here, you will notice a list of phrases pop up under the search bar. You will be getting long-tail keyword suggestions directly from the source of searchers. It kind of amazing! The list that pops up under your main topic is a compilation of common phrases that are most frequently searched in Google. For Instagram searches, here’s what I got:
Step 5: Jot down the results and analyze them.
These phrases show that a lot of people are searching for Instagram Stories hacks. People are likely looking for ways to make their stories more engaging such as effects, design, sound etc.
They’re also searching for things like the suggested file size, ready-to-use templates and for ways to create icons for when they add their Stories to highlights.
By using this information combined with the tips I’ve discussed in my last two articles, you can create a powerful headline that is compelling, click-worthy and will increase your ranking on Google over time. The trifecta of headlines! The holy-trinity of engagement!
Here are a few headline ideas using today’s example, as well as the other tips I’ve given in this series:
“3 Instagram Stories Hacks That Will Convince Your Viewers To Scroll Up”
Keyword: Instagram Stories Hacks
“A Step-By-Step Guide To Create Amazing Instagram Stories Icons”
Keyword: Instagram Stories Icons
“10 Free Instagram Stories Templates To Uplevel Your OOTD Game”
Keyword: Instagram Stories Templates
Tip: For this last example, you can also choose to give away one template as content for your article and then create a free download for 10 free templates as a way to give more free value and build your list.
Wasn’t that the easiest thing ever?!? Not only does this give you long-tail keyword suggestions, but it also gives you a lot of content ideas.
BONUS TIP: Repeat the entire process above using the first round of results you get as the main keyword, to get even more specific search suggestions.
Use these tips to improve your headline building and makes your content creation process easier.
If you want to improve your content even more you can take the Energetic Marketing Type Quiz and learn how to market more easily and effectively using the principles of your unique type.
