How do you find the most effective keywords?

It all starts with keyword research

I began with an audit, looking at things like navigation and broken links. Content’s important because search engines need words to go to work, so bulking up was a priority. The best way to add fresh content is to start blogging. Aim for 1,000-plus words. You can also use video and infographics; users love case studies and real-life examples. Create an editorial calendar to stay on track. Start brainstorming topics and make a list.

AI has made keyword research more data driven

AI keywords are data-driven, leading to more effective digital marketing strategies. AI-powered tools can analyze vast amounts of data quickly and efficiently, helping us identify the best keywords to target.

AI-driven keyword research apps help identify longtail keywords that traditional methods can miss. These are highly specific and often less competitive keywords that can drive targeted traffic to a website. These are the words that have the potential to significantly boost your organic rankings.

Leveraging AI keyword research tools

AI keyword generators like Semrush and Ahrefs are workhorses and provide a lot of functionality. They come with a fee, but you can also use Google’s free Keyword Planner.

Quantifying keyword research: Look for the sweet spot

I spent a long time doing keyword research. If you’re not familiar with how this all works, keyword research is based on the value of keywords in online advertising. You’re bidding on keywords in an auction format. I was looking for those words and phrases where there was low competition in the bidding, but they were getting a high volume of traffic.

This is the magic formula. If a lot of people are bidding on a keyword, the competition increases. If few people are bidding, the competition can stay low, even if a lot of people are viewing this item. This is the sweet spot we all look for — find these keywords before the competition increases because it definitely will.

Results for my client: Her website now shows up on Google’s first page

I beefed up the content on her landing pages and worked her new AI keywords into the body text, headings, subheads and metadescriptions. I added images and created tags that used her AI keywords. She had a dozen or so blogs, but they really weren’t long enough, so I rewrote and made them longer, adding use cases, data, better images and keywords. Within a few weeks, she was on Google’s first page.

One more thing. Try to put yourself into all of your articles. Share a story, an experience or opinion. It sets you apart.