Keyword Research

The first step in SEO is keyword research. Keywords are words or phrases that are in one's web content that helps make it possible for people to find one's site via search engines. The best way to get ranked higher on search engines is to have keywords that people tend to search for. Therefore, the best way to understand how keywords work is to try them out. The keywords that people are typing in represent an opportunity and that is a great way to understand keywords. As one works through the overall process of SEO, he/she will become familiar with the keywords and it will help to develop a keyword "mindset".

When doing basic keyword research an excellent website to consider trying out is: https://app.wordtracker.com/. There is a free trial option and then at some point one will have to pay for using the site. This website is helpful because it shows an estimate amount of traffic and competition to sites. However, this tool will also give some suggestions of other keywords that one might like to consider. Some suggestions may be more specific and these types of keywords are considered "long-tail keywords", which is a great opportunity to pick up more traffic. Wordtracker is an overall excellent site to identify keywords, get suggestions, as well as, the site has some great learning material available.