Keyword Research Guide: How To Find Profitable Keywords for a Winning SEO Strategy

Want to climb the summit of SERP? It all starts with the right keyword research and planning. Keywords are the backbone of any SEO strategy and are essential for optimizing your content to match the audience’s search intent. Hence, by targeting the right terms, you increase the visibility of your content, improve its ranking, and ensure it reaches the right audience.

But the objective of keyword research, especially finding the right profitable keywords, is more than just targeting high volume. The idea here is to find keywords that serve your business's purposes and boost ROI.

Uncovering The Different Keyword Types 

Keywords build the foundation of every successful SEO campaign. Thus, choosing the right ones is crucial to formulate the perfect strategy for your business. So, here are the options you have for the right search term from - 

1. Informational Keywords 

As the name suggests, informational keywords represent search terms that users use to discover information. Here, users are primarily focused on finding solutions to their issues or have a desire to learn something, without any indication of making a transaction. 

For instance, a user searching for 'what is SEO' or 'how to create a social media marketing strategy' is looking for answers. The user here is scrambling through online resources to find knowledge. 

Now, the best way to leverage this keyword type is to establish your brand as a trusted source of knowledge. The content you create surrounding these search terms should educate and engage users, establishing your authority in the niche. Typically, blogs, articles, how-to guides, infographics, and other similar content are used for this purpose. 

Now, for advanced optimization, you can consider answering the questions clearly and concisely. It helps your content to feature on search engines’ AI-overviews. 

2. Transactional Keywords 

Unlike the informational keywords, the transactional keywords are a clear indication of the user’s desire to take action. Now, this action can be - 

• Making a purchase. 
• Subscribing to a newsletter.
• Downloading a PDF .
• Signing up for a service.

These search terms are typically action-oriented and convey a clear commercial intent. 

For instance, a user searching for queries like ‘but LED TV’ or ‘sign up for mutual fund’ is reflective of a user who is ready and willing to convert. Therefore, to aid this journey, your efforts should be to catch the attention and drive the users to his/her goals. 

Therefore, focus on creating a user experience that encourages conversions. Here, you can focus on optimizing the product pages with compelling descriptions, high-quality visuals, and clearly identifiable CTAs. Additionally, the landing pages should also feature persuasive messages, nominal distractions, and clearly placed CTAs. 

Besides the regular content, advanced usage of transactional keywords would include running paid ad campaigns. Here, you can use different keyword combinations and highlight other value propositions to improve conversion rates. These keywords are also ideal for running retargeting campaigns. 

3. Navigational Keywords 

Navigational keywords are unique; they don't inform or facilitate transactions but rather guide users to their destination. Users using these terms are already aware of their destination but cannot seem to find the right path. 

For instance, when someone searches for ‘Facebook login’ or ‘Amazon Prime membership renewal,’ it is clear that the user already knows what they want from this search result. Hence, your efforts should not be focused on informing the individual or helping him/her make a purchase; all you have to do is guide the person. 

Now, to make the most of these search terms, you need to ensure that landing pages, login portals, and contact forms are easily accessible. Also, optimizing your profile across social media platforms, review sites, and business directories helps you be present on all possible touchpoints, which lowers the chances of your competitors hijacking your audience. 

Advanced strategies that further enhance this keyword research effort include improving site mapping and navigation. Also, incorporating structured data, video snippets, and a star rating system helps the listing to stand out. Hence, you see better click-through rates and improved customer satisfaction. 

4. Long-tail Keywords 

Long-tail keywords are specific phrases that represent a narrower search intent. The user can use long-tail keywords to search for information, find products to purchase, or services to avail themselves of. 

For instance, when someone searches for ‘Best shoes under Rs. 2,000’ or ‘How to make biryani at home’, the chances are they can take any road. Resultantly, these keywords typically have a lower search volume, but they have high conversion potential due to their specific nature. 

Now, to make the most of these search terms, you need to tailor your content accordingly to what suits the purpose. So, where informational content is required, you need to deliver facts, and where conversion is the key, you need to encourage the user. 

Long-tail keywords are utilized in PPC, where they are employed for advanced tactics such as personalizing content for a specific audience. 

5. Branded Keywords 

As their name suggests, these keywords are made up of brand names, specific services, or particular products. These search terms are typically used by individuals who are already familiar with your company and its offerings. 

For instance, if someone is searching for ‘Nike Air Jordans’ or ‘Apple Store near me,’ that individual is very likely to know what he/she is looking for and can take a specific action. 

Therefore, by utilizing branded content in the form of promotional pieces, FAQs, tutorials, and user guides, you can effectively address user queries and assist them in making informed decisions. Additionally, it also helps deepen the connection with the audience and earn their trust. 

Now, for further optimization, you can use different misspellings and variations of the brand name. It allows you to cover a larger area on the SERP, answer more user queries, and deliver a better ROI. 

6. Local Keywords 

Local keywords are designed to answer the user’s queries within a specific geographical location. These search terms are particularly beneficial for businesses with physical presence in the location. 

For instance, when someone searches for ‘best salon in West Delhi’ or ‘best ice cream shop in Juhu’, the chances are that person is looking for a solution in that particular region and not anywhere else. 

Now, to make the most of these search terms, businesses must optimize their online business profiles with accurate details, such as a contact number, operational hours, and updated images. Additionally, they should have local landing pages targeting specific areas and neighborhoods to gain more traction. They should also encourage visitors and customers to leave positive reviews, which will further boost their ranking and credibility. 

In terms of advanced optimization of local keywords, you can add phrases like ‘near me’ or ‘open now’ to make them ideal for voice search. Besides aligning the content with local festivities and community initiatives, it can also deliver better outcomes. 

Tools For Keyword Research 

Being aware of the types of keywords is one thing but finding them is another. Therefore, in this quest for how to do keyword research, you need the best tools to streamline the process. These platforms help uncover search trends, analyze competition, and identify high-converting keywords tailored to your niche. 

Here is a quick look at different tools that are streamlining keyword research - 

1.Google Keyword Planner 

Pricing: Free 

Developed by Google, this tool helps you discover new keywords and find their search volume. One of the biggest advantages of this tool is that the data it provides comes directly from the source and is highly useful for running paid ad campaigns. 

A glaring drawback of this Google keyword research tool is that the keyword search volume is presented in ranges rather than exact figures, which makes it harder to determine how a particular search term is performing. 

2. Ubersuggest 

Pricing: Free and premium 

Ubersuggest is one of the most comprehensive keyword research tools in the market. It features a user-friendly interface that offers keyword suggestions, content ideas, and comprehensive competitor analysis. 

When it comes to drawbacks, an obvious one is that certain features are restricted behind the paywall. For instance, with the free version, you can research only 3 times a day, which is pretty limited. However, the premium plan being comparatively cheap, it's easier for marketers to access it. 

3. SEMrush 

Pricing: Free and premium both 

SEMrush is one of the popular tools for keyword research. It probably has the most comprehensive database, which helps identify keyword gaps, track daily rankings, and find content ideas, among other things. It also has a comparatively friendly user interface that presents the data in an organized way. 

However, the struggle with SEMrush is that, if you are new to this domain and still finding answers to the question of what is keyword research, the data may come across as overwhelming. 

4. KWFinder 

Pricing: Free and premium 

KWFinder is another reputable platform for keyword research. Its extensive database and unique information, such as keyword opportunities, competitor weaknesses, and searcher intent, make it easier to find relevant details. Additionally, KWFinder is part of the broader Mangools suite, which offers a range of additional SEO tools that further help with strategy and execution.

The biggest limitation of this tool is the restricted access it offers in the free version. With only five searches per day, you can’t do much. 

5. Ahrefs 

Pricing: Only premium 

Ahrefs is primarily known for its backlink analysis, but it also doubles as a keyword research tool. It features a vast database and provides granular information, including metrics such as click-through rate, traffic potential, keyword difficulty, and competitor insights. 

However, the biggest drawback is its lack of a free version. While the tool is incredibly robust, the premium pricing may not be feasible for small businesses or solo creators just starting. Despite this, its depth of data and accuracy make it a top-tier choice. 

Overview Of Keyword Research Process 

Researching the keywords is the foundation of every successful SEO strategy. While the keyword research planners help, the process is more detailed than simply using a few tools. So, here is a step-by-step guide on how to perform keyword research - 

Step 1: Brainstorming Seed Keywords 

The first step of keyword research is finding the seed keywords. These are typically the broad terms that define your business and its niche. You can think of them as the starting point of your research and find these search terms by considering your products, services, or the topics you want to create content on. 

For instance, if you are a travel blogger focused on India, your seed keywords can be ‘India travel,’ ‘budget travel India,’ or ‘Indian food.’ 

You can also look at competitor websites and customer/visitor queries to find more inspiration. 

Step 2: Expanding Keyword Lists 

Once you have identified the seed keywords, the next step of this process is expanding them into a broader list of related terms. Here, the likes of Google keyword research tool, SEMrush, AnswerThePublic, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest come in handy. These platforms let you find more variations of the seed keywords, related long-tail and LSI keywords. 

Besides, you can also use Google’s autocomplete suggestions, People May Ask boxes, and related searches at the bottom of the results page for more options. 

For instance, against the seed keyword ‘budget travel India’, you can use related keywords like ‘cheap hotels in India,’ ‘India backpacking guide,’ or ‘low-cost travel tips.’ These additional keywords help you target more specific search queries. 

Step 3: Evaluating Keyword Profitability 

Once you have selected the keywords, the next step is evaluating their profitability. It is essential to recognize that not all keywords will generate value for your site and your efforts. While some keywords may bring a lot of traffic but have no conversion potential, others can do the opposite. There are keywords that yield high profitability despite having a lower search volume. 

Thus, to understand keyword profitability, you need to examine key metrics such as search volume, keyword difficulty, and cost-per-click. Besides these, you also need to factor in user intent, which means whether they are planning to buy something, simply looking for information, etc. 

For instance, search terms like ‘India travel tips’ may bring in a lot of traffic, but don't have a lot of conversion potential. Whereas a keyword like ‘best travel insurance for India’ has a lot of conversion potential if you are promoting and selling travel insurance policies. 

Step 4: Organizing Keywords 

The last step of keyword research is organizing them. It helps streamline the SEO and content creation process and makes way for easier keyword implementation. You can start the process by grouping the keywords based on their intent and topic. 

For instance, you can create a group of keywords based on their search intent, like informational, transactional, and navigational. 

This keyword organization helps you create clusters that can be then used for blogs, landing pages, etc. For example, you can use keywords like ‘cheap hotels in India’, ‘affordable car renting in India’ etc., under the category ‘Budget Travel’. 

This keyword organization helps improve SEO as well as make the content user-friendly and easier to navigate. 

To sum up, keyword research is where SEO begins, and it is its most crucial pillar. Although the process may seem straightforward, it has nuances that ultimately determine the outcome. Hence, as a business owner or SEO expert, it is important for you to be aware of the fundamentals of researching the right keywords to attain the desired results. But the process doesn’t stop here; it requires continuous modifications to match the evolving search trends and user behaviors. 

Having said that, researching the right keywords and implementing them requires expertise, which you will find at Viacon. Our team of dedicated SEO experts will utilize their years of experience to identify the optimal keywords and develop a winning SEO strategy that brings you closer to achieving your objectives.