The right keywords can help you earn more traffic, grow your blog or website's following, and boost your search engine rankings.

Unfortunately, identifying and using the right keywords is a lot harder now than it used to be. Google wants results that are relevant to users' queries, which means you need to find the right keywords not only for your content but also for your SEO strategy as a whole. In this comprehensive guide, we'll show you how to use keyword research tools to identify which keywords are the best for your business, how to use them throughout your content, and how to keep things organized along the way.

What are Keywords?

Keywords are the words users type into search engines when they're looking for information or products.

They drive traffic to blogs and websites because people enter them into Google, Bing, or another search engine in hopes of finding whatever it is that you're writing about. For example, if someone searches the keyword "how to use hashtags on Instagram," they want to find articles or websites that will teach them how to use Instagram's hashtag feature.

Why are Keywords Important?

Keywords are important as a part of your SEO strategy because they help search engines – and users – understand what your content is about.

Google, Bing, and other major search engines rank your website higher if it's relevant to the keywords a user searches for. That means you'll get more traffic from those search terms as long as users find your content helpful. In general, the more specific your keywords are, the better. For example, "SEO" is a popular keyword that gets thousands of searches per month. However, it's much less popular than "how to find long-tail keywords with SEMrush."

The Best Ways to Use Keywords in Your Content

There are many different ways you can use keywords in your content, and it's up to you which you choose.

However, we recommend using them throughout the body of your content as well as including them in:

Your title and headlines: These are what people see in search results when they look for information about the topic you're writing about, so they need to include relevant keywords.

Your subheadings: Just like your title and headlines, subheadings should include keywords so users can easily find your content.

Meta descriptions: These descriptions appear under the clickable headline in search results, so you should write them to include relevant keywords as well.

Image titles and alt-text: People who use screen readers to read web content and those who use images to illustrate their stories or blog posts can click on images and hear them read out loud. Use relevant keywords in your image titles and alt-text, so people will know what they're about.

Your URL: Your URLs should be short and include one keyword or phrase related to your content at the beginning so they'll be more specific to what users are searching for.

Other Tips on How to Make Your Content Even More SEO-Friendly

Keywords aren't the only things you need to consider when optimizing your content for search engines.

There are a few other things you can do, such as:

Include images and videos: Images and videos increase the time users spend on your website. Since search engines look at factors like how many times a page is viewed, your SEO strategy benefits from including images and short videos wherever possible.

Use keywords in file names: File names can include relevant keywords as long as they're descriptive enough to help people identify the content of each file without reading it.

Include links: Linking to credible and well-known sites like government websites, universities, and other trusted sources help increase your website's credibility as a whole. You can use keywords in link text – which is what appears when you click on the link – to give Google more clues about how relevant you are to that particular term.

Use Schema: Schema markup is a type of code you can use on your website to help search engines better understand the information they're finding there. This means more traffic for you!

How to Use Keyword Research Tools Effectively

There are many keyword research tools out there, and it can be tricky to figure out which one will work best for your blog or website. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to make the most of them:

Use more than one tool: Using different keyword research tools is the best way to find out which keywords work best for your blog. This gives you access to more data and insight into the different ways people search for information related to your niche.

Use free tools: You can use both free and paid keyword research tools, but most experts recommend using the free ones first before deciding to upgrade to a paid one. This is because you'll have access to more data with the free ones, which gives you more options for what you might do next.

Find sources of information on keywords: If you're not sure where to start when it comes to using a keyword research tool, look for data and information to see how other people in your niche have used keywords. This means you can learn from others and avoid mistakes, so keep an eye out for useful content like blog posts and videos related to the topic.

Be consistent: Consistency is important in all aspects of your blog, so it's no different when it comes to finding the right keywords for your content. You should look at using similar keywords in terms of their popularity and traffic, so you don't confuse Google about what kind of information they're looking for.

Examples of Some Popular Keyword Research Tools

Here are some of the most popular keyword research tools for bloggers and website owners to use on their own websites:

Google Adwords Keyword Planner: Google's free tool makes it easy to find keyword ideas that you can then use in your blog posts. It takes some time to learn how to use it, but it is a very effective tool once you do.

Ubersuggest: This isn't a free keyword research tool, but it does work well if you're trying to find keywords with high search volumes that match your content well. Additionally, the pricing plans are fairly straightforward to understand, so it's worth checking out if you want something with more features.

Moz Keyword Explorer: This is another paid keyword research tool that produces very detailed results. If you're looking to target a specific geographic area for your blog, Moz can help with that, too, since it's one of the best ways to find long-tail keywords, according to many SEO specialists.

Google Trends: Google Trends is free and easy to use. It allows you to look at the performance of keywords over time and comparisons between different terms. You can also choose to look at search volume in different regions and compare that information with keywords – which is useful if you want to find out if a term is more popular in one place than another.

Google Adwords Traffic Estimator: This tool isn't technically a keyword research tool, but it does show you how many people search for certain terms and phrases every day. It's not as accurate as other tools on this list since its data can be slightly off from time to time, but if nothing else, it will give you an idea of the interest people have in different topics.

Frequently Asked Questions

1: How often should I update my keywords?

It's a good idea to update your keywords every few months or so. You'll want to use the most relevant and up-to-date terms that people are searching for, especially if you notice there is more competition than before. So keep an eye out for blog posts and articles related to your niche to see what else is popular right now.

2: How do I find the best keywords for my niche?

The best way to find the most effective keywords in your niche is by taking a look at what people are searching for, then finding out why they're interested in that information. You can also look at the monthly search volume of different terms to see how many people are looking for certain topics.

3: What's the best keyword research tool?

There is no "best" keyword research tool, but there are tools that work well depending on your needs. If you want to find long-tail keywords or information about geographic regions of interest, Moz Keyword Explorer is one of the most effective tools you can use. If you want something with more features, Ubersuggest is also a very good option to consider.

4: How do I choose the best keywords for my content?

To make sure your blog posts or articles are showing up in search results on Google and other platforms, look at using relevant phrases that people are searching for. You should also make sure to use your keywords naturally in your content, so it doesn't look like you're trying too hard.

5: Do I need to register for a keyword research tool?

Not necessarily, but you must understand how the tool works. If you want something with more features, Ubersuggest offers a free trial period for anyone who wants to test out the software before deciding if it's worth paying for.

6: How do I find out my keywords are working?

If you choose to use a paid keyword research tool, make sure it has analytics or some type of easy-to-read data available so you can see how effective your keywords are in relation to search volume. If you use Google, an easy way to check this is by looking at the search results for your keywords and seeing how high it shows up on certain pages.