How do I choose the right keywords for my business?

Choosing the right keywords for your business involves a strategic process that ensures you're targeting terms that align with your audience's search behavior and your business goals. Here’s a guide:
Understand Your Audience
Reasearch & List Relevant Topics
Use Keyword Research Tools
Analyze Competitors
Focus on Long-Tail Keywords
Consider Search Intent
Evaluate Keyword Metrics
Filter and Prioritize
Refine and Prioritize
By following these steps, you can select keywords that not only attract traffic but also drive meaningful engagement and conversions for your business.

Choosing the right keywords for your business involves understanding your target audience and the terms they use when searching for products or services like yours. Start by brainstorming a list of potential keywords related to your business. Then, use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to analyze search volume, competition, and relevance.

Focus on a mix of short-tail keywords (broad terms) and long-tail keywords (more specific phrases) that match the intent of your audience. Consider the competition level—high-volume keywords may be harder to rank for, while niche keywords can offer quicker wins. Finally, regularly review and adjust your keyword strategy based on performance and trends in your industry.

First, you need to know what your business goal is? What are the main reasons for wanting to run marketing campaigns?

• Is it to get more sales?
• To get more leads?
• More brand awareness?

Identify the main goal you want to achieve and then go from there.

I’m a Google Ads account manager specialising in e-commerce and lead generation, so I’ll mostly be speaking from a Google Ads / PPC perspective.

Google Keyword Planner

The best place to start would be to utilise Google Keyword Planner.

You need a Google Ads account to use this, but by adding some ideas, or even a website into the search box, Google will “kick out” tons of keyword ideas, with average monthly searches.

So you know which keywords are searched more than others.

It will also tell you which keywords are more expensive to bid on and what the competition to bid on them looks like.

Understand The Difference Between Informational, Navigational, Commercial and Transactional Searches

Most of the time, understanding the search intent is key to success. 

• Informational - “how much is?”, “where can I?”, “are there any?”

These people are in the research phase, very top of the funnel, just trying to get answers to questions.

You may want to consider a campaign like this, but with a low budget and bid because the chance of conversions is small.

• Navigational - “YouTube”, “LinkedIn”, “Amazon”

This group of people are using Google to get to another website.

Probably the group of people you wouldn’t want to run any form of marketing to, because they already know what they’re looking for and 9/10, it isn’t you!

• Commercial - “Starbucks vs Costa Coffee”, “free pumpkin spiced latte”, “Costa Coffee reviews”

These searches revolve around the step right before a conversion is about to happen.

People are thinking about making a decision, a purchase, or whatever it might be, but just want to do their final due diligence before committing to the sale.

Similar to the Informational segment, this can be a good campaign to run with a small testing budget and low bid.

• Transactional - “buy mens jacket”, “best mens jacket uk”, “mens jackets near me”

Most of the time, these are the types of keywords you want to focus on.

The level of intent is super high, these people are bottom of the funnel, ready to convert.

But also can be extremely competitive and thus expensive to bid on.

3 Or More Words!

Consider the context of these keywords “coffee cup”, “mens jacket”, “dog toy”. 

It’s very difficult to understand what people are actually looking for from these search terms.

This is why we need to focus on context.

By including 3 or more words in a keyword, all of a sudden we have context and more intent behind the search. “Buy reusable coffee cup”, “best mens jackets”, “dog chew toy”.

Now, we can bid on these keywords, or use these keywords in our marketing strategy to target people with context and intent.

Try to avoid one-word, or two-word keywords as contextually, it’s unclear what the person is looking for.

Not Too Many Keywords

Specific to Google Ads, but, a new campaign? 300 keywords? Noooo!

That’s way too many.

Consider Google is an algorithm and it wants to test each of your ad groups, and each of your keywords regularly.

But you have £20 per day to work with.

You’re stretching your budget quite thin.

Instead, having 20-25 high-quality keywords (that hit all the points in this answer) would go further and have more of an impact (and chance of converting) as opposed to throwing 300 keywords out there and seeing what sticks.

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There’s a lot more to consider when choosing the right keywords for your business, but if you follow these points, most of the time, you’ll have a good chance of achieving your business goals.

Good luck!

Choosing the right keywords for your business involves a strategic approach to make sure that your SEO efforts align with your target audience's search behavior and business goals.

Check this step-by-step process that helps you select effective keywords for your business. 

-> Understand Your Audience: Start by identifying what terms your target customers use when searching for products or services like yours. Consider their needs, problems, and preferences. For instance, if you run a bakery, your customers might search for “freshly baked bread,” “gluten-free cakes,” or “custom birthday cakes.”

-> Conduct Keyword Research: Use tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to find keywords relevant to your business. These tools provide data on search volume, competition, and related keywords. For example, Google Keyword Planner might reveal that “gluten-free cakes” has a higher search volume compared to “gluten-free desserts,” indicating it’s a more popular term among users.

-> Analyze Competitors: Check which keywords your competitors are targeting. This will provide insights into what’s working in your industry and help you identify gaps or opportunities. Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush can show you which keywords competitors rank for and their strategy.

-> Consider Search Intent: Keywords should align with the intent behind the search. Are users looking for information (informational), trying to make a purchase (transactional), or looking a local service (local intent)? For example, if you run a local gym, “best gym near me” has local intent and would be crucial for attracting nearby customers.

-> Use Long-Tail Keywords: These are longer phrases that are more specific and less competitive. They often convert better because they target users who are closer to making a purchase decision. For example, instead of targeting “fitness classes,” you might target “beginner fitness classes in London”

-> Evaluate Keyword Metrics: Look at metrics such as search volume, keyword difficulty, and CTR. A balance between high search volume and manageable competition is ideal. For example, “custom wedding cakes” might have high search volume but also high competition, so you might target a more specific phrase like “custom wedding cakes for small weddings.”

Start by understanding your target audience and what they’re searching for. Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to find relevant terms with a good balance of search volume and competition. Focus on keywords that are directly related to your products or services and consider long-tail keywords, which are more specific and often less competitive. Also, think about the intent behind the keywords—whether users are looking to buy, learn, or just browse—and choose ones that align with your business goals. Finally, don’t forget to check out what your competitors are ranking for and consider incorporating those keywords into your strategy.

Choosing the right keywords for your business is one of the most crucial steps in creating an effective SEO strategy, especially during Keyword Research. It might seem complex at first, but I’m here to break it down for you in 6 simple steps to help you select profitable keywords with confidence.

1. Know your audience:
   The first step is to understand who your customers are and what they’re searching for. Think about how people might look for your products or services online. For example, if you run a supplement store, your customers might search for terms like “supplements to gain muscle mass” or “vegan protein.” It’s essential to use words that your customers would actually use, not just technical terms you’re familiar with.
    
2. Use keyword research tools:
   There are several free and paid tools that can help you find relevant keywords. Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, and SEMrush are some examples. These tools allow you to see how many people are searching for specific words and the competition level for those keywords. If you find a keyword with good search volume and low competition, that could be a great choice.
    
3. Focus on long-tail keywords:
   More specific keywords, known as "long-tail keywords," can be an excellent choice, especially if your market is competitive. Instead of using broad terms like “supplements,” which is very broad and competitive, you could focus on something more specific like “natural supplements for rapid weight loss.” These keywords can attract a more qualified audience with a higher chance of conversion.
    
4. Analyze the competition:
   Take a look at your competitors’ websites and see which keywords they’re using. This can give you good ideas and also help you identify opportunities they might have missed.
    
5. Consider search intent:
   Try to understand the intent behind a keyword search. For example, someone searching for “how to choose a good supplement” is likely in the research phase and not ready to buy yet. On the other hand, someone searching for “buy supplement X” is much closer to making a purchase. Aligning your keywords with search intent can significantly increase your chances of conversion.
    
6. Review and adjust constantly:
   SEO is not something you do once and forget. Search trends change, competition changes, and consumer behavior changes as well. It’s essential to review your keywords regularly and make adjustments as needed to keep attracting the right audience.
    

I hope these 6 key points help you uncover the best keyword ideas to boost your online business.

To choose the right keywords for your business, you need to begin from understanding your target market and the kind of words they are likely to use while searching for your products or services. List down keyword suggestions and then input your target keyword into Google Keyword Planner, Semrush or Ahrefs to know the number of average monthly searches, competition level and similar keywords. Concentrate on terms that reflect the user’s purpose, whether it is to gather information or to make a purchase. Mix competitive keywords with less competitive long tail keywords and always make sure that they are relevant to your business. Last but not the least, check your current rankings and if requires, then go for optimizing for similar keywords.