If you don?t know how to find keywords for your website, then this post should be helpful to you.
When you build a blog in any niche, you will then want to start creating content in order to rank for different keywords.
This way you hope to bring more visitors to your blog. And you know that with more visitors to your blog, then the higher the chances are that you will be able to monetize it.
So first you try to turn your visitors to subscribers and then to customers.
Many people, however, who start their own websites do not know what keywords to target. They don?t know how to find keywords for their sites and which keywords to include in their posts.
In this article I am going to show you what I do to find keywords for my blog posts and then how I use them in every post I create.
This has been an effective process for me to create a blog that is effectively monetized.
Google Instant Technique
This method involves basically typing a word in the Google search bar just to see what people are looking for online. This technique will let you find many keywords which are relevant to your niche that you can use to create a blog post.
Let’s say I have a blog about bodybuilding and I want to find some keywords in order to create a post around them. I just go to Google and type in: how to biceps
I then just pick a keyword that attracts my attention from the list that is created and go to a keyword tool to check the search volume for the given keyword.
You can use Google Keyword Planner or you can go to Jaaxy – you get 30 searches for free.
Let’s check the keyword “how to stretch your biceps”.
Jaaxy shows me that this keyword receives per month around 120 searches. In my opinion it is a good keyword and I would definitely use it.
Avg stands for “the average number of searches that the keyword receives per month”.
Traffic = visits to your website if you achieve first page rankings in the search engines.
QSR = Quoted Search Results: the number of competing websites ranked in Google for this exact keyword.
KQI = Keyword Quality Indicator: Green is great, Yellow is OK, Red is Poor.
SEO = a score based on traffic and competition; the higher the score, the more likely you will rank for this keyword on the first page (scale of 1-100; the higher the better).
I like it when the Avg and Traffic are at least 100 and QSR is below 100.
If you don’t like the results you received from Google at first attempt, try to type in something different. When I typed in “r biceps training”, the following phrases came up:
Next you just pick your favorite keyword and then go to your chosen keyword tool to check the search volume for it.
You can go through the entire alphabet and see what comes up. For example “biceps b”, “biceps h”, “biceps f”, etc.
Experiment with this technique and I’m sure that sooner or later you will find something that you like.
Look for Keywords on Reddit
There are millions of users on Reddit and thousands of topics that you can search through to find valuable keywords.
Just go over to?reddit.com/search?and search for “bodybuilding”
Next look for the threads where people are asking some questions.?Then go to your chosen keyword tool and check the search volume of the keyword that you’ve found.
I came across a question about good bicep routines
I headed over to Jaaxy and found out that this is a pretty good keyword … so why not use it?
I think the best practice is to look for questions with a lot of comments from Reddit users. This means that it is a popular subject and it makes sense to create content around it.
Yahoo Answers
The next place you can go to find keywords for your website is answers.yahoo.com
At the top of the page you will find a search bar. Let’s type the word “biceps” in there and see what comes up.
Now let’s go to Jaaxy (or Google Keyword Planner) and check the search volume for “how to get huge biceps” keyword.
In my opinion it’s a pretty good keyword (Avg above 100 and QSR below 100) and of course if I had a blog about bodybuilding, I would try to create content around this keyword.
That’s why I love how simple this traffic generation technique happens to be.
Just type in any word relevant to the subject of your blog and see what’s going to show up.
Forums
Forums are popular places where people?discuss different subjects related to the given niche. It’s a lot like online texting or a live group email chain.
So, for example, if you go to a forum about bodybuilding, you will find hundreds of different threads that are actively being discussed. It is in these threads where you can easily find some profitable keywords for your blog.
Type in Google: “keyword” + “forum” and find the most relevant blogs for your niche.
On one of the forums, namely?forum.bodybuilding.com, I’ve found the phrase “peaking biceps”
I then went over to my favorite keyword research tool and searched for “how to peak your biceps”
Ehow?
Another good source where you can go to find some keywords is ehow.com.
Once again let’s use my word “biceps”:
Let’s go to Jaaxy now and check the phrase “how to build stronger biceps”.
The keyword “how to build stronger biceps” is not bad, but I prefer the keyword “how to build better biceps”. The average number of searches is almost twice as big as “how to build stronger biceps” and that means the potential for more traffic.
OK, now that you already know how to find keywords, it’s time to learn how to strategically use these keywords in your content.
How to Use Keywords in Your Article
In the past, writers used to stuff as many keywords into their blog posts as possible to take advantage of the basic keyword ranking mechanisms. This was effective, but it also made the blog posts sound unnatural.
Today it’s different. Keyword stuffing is a bad practice and will get you penalized by Google should it be discovered.
So what are some of the best practices of using keywords in your posts? Let me tell you what I do.
Step 1. Once I find a keyword for my blog post I use it in the title. Remember to put it as close to the beginning of your title as possible.
For example: if your keyword is “make money online” your title should be: “Make Money Online: 10 Tips to Financial Freedom” instead of “Find Out How to Make Money Online” for the best possible outcome.
Step 2: I’m trying to use my keyword within the first 150 words of the article. Of course if it’s not possible because it would sound unnatural – I don’t do it.
In such a case, I use the keyword a bit later, in the first 200-300 words of the article.
The point is that when you write about something that is based on a keyword, such as?how to build a blog in 2 minutes, Google expects you to use this keyword sooner rather than later in your post.
Your keyword is essentially the thesis of your content.
Without this keyword present, it is more difficult to make the case that the content has value to a reader.
Imagine you write a post and somewhere at the end you mention your keyword “how to build a blog in 2 minutes”. In such a case Google may not figure out that this is the most important phrase in your whole post.
Step 3: Remember that people are looking for the same keyword in different ways and for this reason in your post you should use keywords that are closely related to the main keyword. I’m talking about LSI keywords here.
[quote]LSI Keywords are essentially keywords related to the keyword that you search for on search engines such as Google. In a nutshell, they are keywords that are semantically linked to your main keyword. In practical terms, Google has confirmed that by using more LSI keywords, your page will typically rank better.[/quote] Via?lsigraph.com
Instead of repeating the same keyword too often in your article, which may not be beneficial to you at all, you should use keywords that people are actually typing into Google to find the information about the given subject that you’re going to create a post about.
If you’re creating a post about the?best ways of investing your money?and your main keyword is “invest your money”,?then in your post, you should also use such phrases as: “invest your money in business” or “how to invest your money wisely” or “invest your money in gold”.
Here are some other variations: “best way to invest your money”, “invest your money in small business”, “invest your money online”, “invest your money in property”, “invest your money in stocks”, “how to invest your money to make money”, “where should you invest your money now” and “things to invest your money in.”
Where did I take the above phrases from? From Google!
What makes this so great is that you’re getting the value of your primary keyword while including more specific niche keywords at the same time.
In order to find those LSI keywords use Google Instant Technique (you will find it at the top of the post).
For example, when you type into Google: “things invest your money”, you will see:
This way you may find many keywords useful for your post. I would use “top ten things to invest you money in” or “good things to invest your money in” for this example.
Another thing you can do is scroll down the page and use all of the “searches related to” phrases that you will find there.
If you type into Google: “invest your money” and then scroll down the page you will see this:
Use all of these phrases in your post. Of course the keyword has to make sense. So instead of writing “best way invest your money” write “best way to invest your money” and so on.
Remember that you can always use these phrases as subheadings (H2 or H3) – this should help in ranking your post for these keywords. And if you’re afraid that adding too many “invest your money” phrases will make your post sound spammy, then just add the bolded parts.
One more thing about all those LSI keywords. Some people use all of them before publishing the post and some use them a few weeks (4-5 weeks) after the post has been published.
Do whatever you like, but I think it’s better to use some of them before publishing the post and some of them a few weeks later.
Google likes fresh and updated content, so it may definitely help you rank your post higher in Google.
Bonus Tip: Remember that the more competitive the keyword you’re targeting happens to be, the more difficult it will be for you to rank for this keyword on the first page of Google.
That is why if a keyword is competitive, you should create longer, well-themed content. I would say 2000 + words at minimum in high competition areas.
This way you will rank for many different search terms and it will be easier to find your post in Google.
Even if you don’t rank for your main keyword because it may be very competitive, you will still rank for many other secondary keywords.
OK, that’s pretty much it. Do the three steps above and you should see your posts rank higher in Google.
What are your methods of finding keywords for your content and how do you use these keywords in your posts? ?
Hi Luke
Amazing post man!!
I have known the Jaaxy tool, and google alphabet soup method, but the other tips you are providing here are fantastic!
It have never occurred to me to use, yahoo, reddit or even look in forums!
Thanks a lot for your generosity, this is very valuable information!
Best regards
Thanks for the comment, Fito. 🙂
Dear Luke,
Very interesting post on the different ways one may go about finding keywords to rank for within your content on your website. 🙂 Thanks for mentioning ones I have never heard of before. Example, the Reddit one and Ehow. Thanks for defining what Keyword Stuffing was since I have heard anyone mention it clearly as you did in this Blog Post. 🙂 Jaaxy is deemed as the online marketeers Secret Weapon in my opinion because of its current accurate results all the time to help beat out the rest of the competition for best keyword selection to aim for. 🙂
Wishing you all the best with your online success above and beyond the horizon,
~Angel
Hello Luke,
Keyword research is the crucial step in web development. I have seen so many websites not get this right and everything we do depends on this vital step. Your explanation of how to determine your initial keywords is Fantastic! I couldn’t have done it better myself. I’m sure you’ll get many more splendid comments on a job well done!
Cheers,
pj
Hi Luke,
Thanks for this really complete post on finding keywords for a website. I use the Google Instant technique and Jaaxy, which is a great keyword tool, but I really appreciated your other suggestions. I have heard of other people using Reddit, Ehow and Yahoo Answers, but I always forget to do this, so I have bookmarked your page for future reference.
Finding keywords is one thing, however it’s really good that you then show people how to use them in their articles. I try to do most things you suggest except the LSI keywords. That’s another thing I neglect, although I can see it could be very useful. Love the tip of keeping some LSI keywords back for updating the article at a later date. That’s three extra things that I should be doing in my keyword research/article writing.
I always try to write articles over 1000 words, but I see that this may not be enough when the keyword is competitive.
Thanks again for this useful article.
Peter
Yes, 1000 words is the minimum. It has been proved that longer content ranks better.
Hello Luke!
Thanks for sharing multiple methods on how to find keywords. I didn’t know that Reddit can be used too. I am glad to learn new stuff everyday 🙂
As for Jaaxy, this tool has saved me a lot of valuable time. The keyword research is fast and gives accurate data about competition, site ranking and many more. I especially like the brainstorming feature! Highly recommend folks out there to taste it out.
First off, love the name of your site, “Biz for Doers”, might be the right place to do biz with 😉 I like your idea with google instant, I never really considered it for keyword searches, and it’s FREE! awesome. Also, reddit is an awesome idea too, yet another thing I never thought of doing, even though I do post on it!
Thanks for the suggestions!
Matt TheDopestMatrix
Hi Luke,
Really dig that post on this Jaaxy tool. Never had the slightest idea that keywords are such a big deal for bloggers and website owners.
Your indepth description really filled in some blanks and I might actually give it a try.
Would you suggest it for someone just starting with their website?
Hi. Thanks for your comment. Yes, keywords are important, but avoid keyword stuffing, use LSI keywords.
Yes, I recommend Jaaxy especially to beginners, just because it’s very easy to use and you can quickly find valuable long tail keywords.
cheers
Luke,
I really enjoyed your post. I found the content on LSI Keywords especially interesting. what does LSI stand for anyway. No matter based on what you wrote they are at the bottom of each google search and that is enough to get me started. Thanks for the informative post.
I’m happy that you found it useful, Tony. Good luck 🙂
Your post is quit educative, the importance of keywords,how to use them in our posts can not be overemphasized. your article is very thorough and tells the significance of keyword research tools,like jaaxy,and google keyword planner. I have learnt alot from your post, presently am writing an article for my site, this will help in reshaping it.You have put me in the know of what LSI keywords are. Thanks for this great article, all the best, God bless you.
This is a great article. I have just been relying on Jaaxy and the keywords I find through it and Google. I never really considered all of the other places that I could be looking for keywords. Of course sometimes I have to stop myself from constantly looking into keywords for one specific article as I think sometimes I can over think what I am doing. This was really informative and helpful.
Yes, you don’t always have to target any specific keywords in your articles. Just try to write good articles for the people not for the search engines.
Thanks for a very informative, helpful and thorough article covering the essentials of finding and utilizing effective keywords. I use some of the techniques you share, but was reminded of others that I will add to my arsenal in the future. For a less competitive keyword, say with less than 100 competing sites, how long do you think an article needs to be to be effective?
Hey, thanks for the comment
If the keyword is less competitive I think 1500 words should be enough. I usually try to write longer and more in-depth articles (2000 + words) when the keyword is more competitive.
Hi Luke
Thanks for some great ideas on finding keyword ideas, the tools you mentioned are great for seeing how keywords rank but sometimes coming up with the actual words in the first place is the biggest challenge!
I also like Jaaxy it’s an easy to use tool, to be honest I never managed to get Google’s tool to work for me but I see others still using it.
You mentioned about updating articles, but comments are also another opportunity to add in keywords or linked phrases and show google that the content is still fresh. So you don’t always have to update the actual article itself especially if you’re pushed for time.
Thanks again, Marie
Hey Marie
Yes, you’re right about comments, for some reason I haven’t thought about it, so thanks for mentioning this.
Hi Luke,
Thanks for valuable information about finding keywords idea; however, people need tools to get ranking in the Google because it is not easy to find keyword without tools. I have relied Jaaxy to help finding keyword. It is familiar for me. Your article is really informative and open my mind to learn another tools.
Very intresting post for people like myself who are learning all about the world of affiliate marketing! You give clear instructions of many different ways to find keywords. I personally have never heard of using reddit before so I will be giving that a try! Your post is very in depth and helpful I will definitely be returning to your website for more helpful tips in the future!
Great great article! I found SOOOO much awesome information, I am definitely bookmarking and will refer to it later when I am working on my web-site. A quick question: how many keywords do I need to include? I was always confused about it, because I don’t know if I should include 3 keywords, or 20… Also, do you think Jaaxy Enterprise is worth the price? I find it’s monthly subscription a little pricy, especially that I just started my web0site and that I am not making any money on it yet. Thank you!
Hey Katie, I’m happy that I could help.
I usually use one main keyword and several secondary keywords. Just use LSI keywords in your posts. You can use them in subheadings of your articles. Jaaxy is cool, but if you don’t want to pay for it, you can use http://ubersuggest.org – it’s really useful and free.
Wonderful post about using the most important technique and to implement it in our work. Luckly I a doing the same as you advice us to do, so i’m good 🙂
You’r example is really great – It really shows newbies how the whole process goes from the beginning.
Jaaxy – i the most powerful keyword tool I’ve every used and it gives me all the imformation about the keywords that I search.
Thanks,
Alexey.
Thank you, Luke, for clarifying the steps to finding keywords and how the Google ranking system works. I used to get confused by the terms: Quoted Results and the Quality Indicator.The fact that you have used different angles to approach the Keyword search has made it clear and sounds less complicated.
Hey Luke,
Wow this is a magnificent article you’ve put up! Jaaxy is amazing but sometimes I get out of ideas, I totally forgot about eHow and Reddit, those are excellent places to harvest ideas that people are really looking for.
I have a question though, would it be okay if I write a post on that keyword and share the link back to that forum on that particular topic? I don’t want to be banned for spamming though.
Hi Riaz. Yes, from time to time I put a link to my posts on forums but only when it makes sense, for example when someone asks for more information, then instead of writing more on the forum, I just put a link to my post. But if you do it too often, then of course you may be banned.
Hey this is a really informative and professional website. I really like what you are doing here.
I have seen a lot articles on finding keywords and this is one of the best I have ever seen. It’s so detailed and in depth, I really appreciate the work you did. Keywords are probably the most important aspect of content marketing next to creating quality content. This article and the tips here can help any person.
Thank you so much for writing this!
Thanks Dylan. Yes, keywords play an important role although I do not focus on them as much as I used to.
Great keywords article!
Great keywords tricks here. I personally used some of them and Jaaxy is a very useful keyword research tool that you pray that you know about it earlier..
Your life can be much easier where you can quickly knows which keywords to use, just by looking at the “traffic lights”..
Great example on Reddit.. I still don’t quite understand why reddit is so popular ?
Hi Luke,
Such a great post! And i really needed it. I am still pretty new and trying to figure out with the keywords. I got into 2nd and 3rd page of Google with my posts, but i have never been on the 1st page yet. So this information will definitely help me.
I used the keyword planner, alphabet soup, the forums in my niche and Google Trends. Do you ever use Google Trends? The Yahoo, Reddit and Ehow is News to me, and i will definitely have to try that. And really makes sense. I have bookmarked your page, will have to come back. What exactly do you mean by using keywords 4 weeks later? Could you elaborate on that, please.
Hi. What I meant by using keywords later is that you should update your content a few weeks after its publication. You can update your blog posts many times. Google likes updated content and you will eventually rank higher in Google if you do it. So instead of cranking out new posts all the time, you should update the old posts. And when you do it, just add some more LSI keywords to them. The longer your posts are the more keywords you will rank for.
Hey Luke!
Great article!
It’s really crucial for you to target specific keywords in order for you to get ranked well in google, which is helpful for you since it’s FREE traffic.
Thank you for pointing out some locations where you can find new keywords.
A lot of the time there are many things that are obvious, but yet us people don’t know it 😀
Keep it up!
Hi Luke,
What kind of browser are you using? I use the Alphabet Soup Technique all the time but my Chrome only gives me up to 5 keyword ideas. I see that your list has got 10 of them. That’s way lot more than I get. Hope you don’t mind sharing. Thanks
Hi
Most of the time I use Firefox.
You can also use ubersuggest: https://ubersuggest.io/
Hey,
I’ve just started learning about keyword recently so I’m pretty new to it. That being said I’m probably more educated on the topic than most regular folks you’d meet on the street.
I’ve heard of Google keyword tool but I’ve never heard of Jaaxy before. It seems like it might have some advantages over the google one.
I like the fact that it will tell me what the competition of a keyword is because honestly a keyword is not worth targeting if it’s got heavy competition from big brands.
I was wondering…..Does the Jaaxy keyword tool have a way to check the rank of my own keywords as well?
Cheers,
Robert
Yes, Jaaxy can check that for you. Just click on Site Rank at the top of the page.
I have started to create a website and wondered how best and how to find keywords. I like the use of Google to come up with ideas. Very clever. With the Jaaxy tool however how much will a basic package cost if there is one?
The checking forums tip was pretty useful too. I had not thought of that before and will have to try it.
I’m happy that you found my article useful.
Jaaxy Pro costs $19/month
Building a website can be easy and very rewarding but it’s impossible to get traffic to it without keywords. Google planner is a great way to start looking for keywords. I like the Amazon and Google alphabet method of choosing a keyword and then each letter of the alphabet a-z after it to see what is suggested.
But one of the best keyword tools available today is Jaaxy. It gives you all the competition and SEO average number of searches and so much more.
I like Yahoo answers too but Jaaxy is my favorite keyword research tool. You get 30 free searches and then it’s only $19 a month.
Hi
Really enjoyed this article, I also use Jaaxy but the methods you mentioned about uncovering new keywords through forums and search engine ads are new to me.
I do sometimes wish I was blogging pre-Google penguin and panda updates, it seems like ranking was so easy back then through keyword stuffing.
Of course, as you mentioned that will now get you penalised.
By the way, do you use any other keyword tool apart from Jaaxy?
No, I use Jaaxy most of the time.