Keyword research is crucial in boosting an SEO or Digital Marketing campaign mainly because a keyword is what leads a prospect to your site. The equation is simple – users make a search query, which becomes the base to form your keywords and site content.

And that’s how even Google works, right? It ranks sites that satisfy users with relevant content and has a low or no level of pogo-sticking.

But, with Google’s Hummingbird update in 2013 and the unveiling of Google’s RankBrain in 2015, the importance of keywords research has more so gained momentum. Unlike before, generating exact match keywords and content does not work anymore. The users are looking for relevant data, and with the advent of voice search, a more substantial part of the search queries are being shifted to handset searches. 

As per estimates, more than 50% of the searches will be voice searches by 2020. 

There are continuous changes in the Google algorithm. With the introduction of Featured Snippets – Why would a user click through your site when they get all the required information right there on the SERP?

So, how do you keep track and plan a thorough Digital Marketing campaign in such dynamic conditions? How do you ensure a robust digital presence leading towards your brand success?

The answer is quite simple — Keyword Research. Yes, mates, keyword research & Optimization of keyword list is what can help you gain a good SERP ranking, earn you a featured snippet, and boost your digital presence.

Let’s find out why keyword research is important and how it can skyrocket your brand’s success.

It’s the era of Google RankBrain.

With the introduction of Google’s RankBrain in 2015, the meaning of keyword research has drastically changed. RankBrain works on a machine learning algorithm that learns user’s search intent and behavior to show relevant answers that might interest them. It works by understanding the relationship between topics and develops a contextual interpretation to deliver better search results. 

This means that your keywords and content have to be formed in tandem with the user’s search intent or you may digitally perish. 

This is why keyword research is important. You can generate a list of keywords by understanding which keywords best match user search intent and your site content. And then further from another set of keywords from this list by prefixing and suffixing your brand terms.

By developing your content in sync with user intent and such keywords, you can boost your Google ranking and strengthen your digital presence.

A shift towards voice search

Doing a content marketing keyword research has become more critical with the advent of AI-powered search tools. This is because the user search terms differ on different devices. With the majority of users shifting towards voice search, understanding this difference is very significant.

Let’s look at how exactly the search terms differ: –

Laptop search: Coffee shop nearby

Voice Search through handset: Hey Siri, what are the coffee shops near me?

See the difference? If you don’t do thorough keyword research, then you may lose out on the majority of your target users. This is because your site will not show on the SERP if you don’t boost different keywords for both the search platforms. 

Hence, keyword research will help you form keywords that can boost your online presence no matter the device used for search.

Increase the relevance of your website

A content marketing keyword research can help you generate a list of popular search terms. By studying the user’s search queries, you can develop relevant content on your site. By doing so, you can increase the click-through rate and boost your SERP rankings. Additionally, you can also check what the users like to read to develop another set of relevant pages that might interest them.

By doing this, you can also get your website content shown on top of SERP as a featured snippet. Google studies sites that have the most relevant content and displays them as a featured snippet. They give attribution to third party sites from where the content is drawn, which increases the site’s credibility in front of the targeted users. This is why keyword research is important.

Make the most of trends by doing keyword research.

Keyword research can help you make the fullest use of ongoing trends to boost your digital marketing campaign. Trends can play a significant role in increasing site visits. By studying the trending words, you can make your list of keywords by adding brand terms and geotags to boost your site ranking. But don’t forget to update these keywords ones the trend changes to keep alive the relevant webpage on your site.

Helps in formation of high intent long-tail keywords

It’s the era of long-tail keywords that are based on broader topics that revolve around user intent. Google’s RankBrains ranks sites, which are user intent-driven and tracks long-tail keywords to show such results. Using long-tail high intent-driven keywords will not only increase your SERP rankings but also attract more target audience to your site. And doing keyword research will have you discover such keywords to boost your SEO campaign.

Helps in driving more organic traffic to your site

In times when Google search layout and algorithm is dynamically changing, the need for keyword research has become more significant than ever. With the introduction of featured snippets and blended PPC ads at the top of SERP and a drop of 3.3X in the position of organic sites, it has become challenging to increase your site’s visibility.

But, as per studies, users are trained to ignore ADs no matter how well they blend in, and they always look out for organic search results. This is where keyword research will help you in developing relevant keywords and content that can help drive this organic traffic to your site.

The Crux

The success of your SEO campaign is based on how relevant you are to your users. Understanding the user intent and tone has become more significant than ever with the adoption of AI-powered voice search tools. In times when there are dynamic changes in the Google search layout and algorithm, doing keyword research is your only chance at driving organic traffic to your site. Since, digital presence plays a significant role in the success of your brand, not doing keyword research for SEO can impact your SERP rankings very severely.