Keyword research

Keyword research is the basis for SEO/SEA: Only suitable search terms bring traffic and conversions. In the Google Keyword Tool/Planner, you can see search volume, competition, and ideas by topic – exportable, for example, to Excel.

No SEO and AdWords campaign without thorough keyword research. Everyone should be aware of this. After all, you wouldn't get into a car without knowing where you want to go and how to get there. It's the same in the SEA/SEO field. In the worst-case scenario, you invest a lot of time and money in keywords that are completely irrelevant for purchase processes. This not only wastes the resources mentioned but also endangers your own business (poor keywords = too little traffic = too few conversions = too little revenue = not beneficial for the business).

How to do a keyword research

But how does it actually work? How can I specifically find out which search terms also bring traffic to my website or shop, which might not be as heavily contested in the SERPs as others... and most importantly: how do I find keywords that I might not have thought of myself?

Fortunately, there is a free and very good tool with which you can easily tackle keyword research: the Google Keyword Tool. You can reach it via the URL adwords.google.de. If you do not yet have a Google account, this is not a problem, as queries for keyword research can also be conducted without your own Google account. However, you must fill out a captcha each time, and the results are not quite as comprehensive. Better: Create a Google account once. This can be used to, for example, set up an AdWords campaign or a Google+ profile. But also to carry out keyword research without captcha and with complete results. Simply enter the keyword ideas into the search input field as seen in the screenshot below and click on "Search."

One now receives information about the competitive situation as well as the average number of search queries per month (estimated value, not 100% exact). Additionally, Google offers ideas regarding other keywords. These can now also be retrieved grouped by topics. Simply click on the "+" next to the respective category and a list of suggestions will pop up. Here, you can often find very good impulses for keyword research.

This is a quite simple and straightforward way to lay a successful foundation for your business as part of keyword research. Conveniently, the found search terms can be exported as CSV, XML, or text files. Tip: Create an Excel file, insert and group keywords accordingly, and thus continuously expand and improve keyword research.