Key Takeaways

• Keywords are words, phrases or queries people type into search engines to find what they are looking for.
• The primary goal of SEO is to rank pages for terms that a target audience or customers are actively searching for.
• Keyword Research is the process of finding keywords that people are inputting into search engines.
• During the process of choosing keywords or topics to rank organically check its search demand, traffic potential, business potential, ranking difficulty and if it mets the searcher intent.
• Use the 5-point checklist to help in selecting keywords worth targeting.

What are keywords in SEO?

In the context of SEO, Keywords are simply just words, phrases or queries people type into search engines to find what they’re looking for. Keywords are the fundamental building blocks of SEO, as the primary goal of SEO is to rank pages for terms that a target audience or customers are actively searching for.

What is keyword research in SEO?

Keyword Research is the process of finding keywords that people are inputting into search engines.

How to choose keywords for SEO?

I am going to share with you a 5-point checklist for effective keyword selection that I learn from Ahrefs SEO fundamentals free-course on YouTube.

1. Check for Search Demand
2. Check for Traffic Potential
3. Assess the Business Potential of the Keyword or Topic
4. Match Searcher Intent
5. Check for Ranking Difficulty

Check for Search Demand

Search demand represents the volume of monthly searches for a keyword, quantifiable by “search volume” you can see this by using tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or Ahrefs Keyword Explorer.

High search volumen doesn’t always translate to website traffic. For example, gymrats that are lifting weights in Latinoamerica would probably search for “kilos to pounds” before selecting your dumbells. This usually happens in no click searches because Google provides a calculator tool answer in the first position for this query”

Check the traffic potential of the topics

Traffic potential indicates the total search traffic you could get if you were to rank at the top of Google for your keyword. Top ranking pages often rank for hundreds or thousands of other relevant keywords in addition to their main target keyword.

How to determine the traffic potential of a keyword? Analyze the traffic that top-ranking pages for a given keyword are already receiving. Use the SERP Overview in Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, shows the estimated monthly search visits for the top 10 ranking pages.

Asses the Business Potential of the Keyword or Topic

Business potential reflects the value a keyword has to your business, which is dependent on your niche and business model.

Match Searcher Intent

Searcher intent represents the reason behind a searcher’s query. Examine the top-ranking pages for the keyword you want to rank for. Unless you can actually satisfy the intent of the searcher, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to rank high for this query.

Check for Ranking Difficulty

Search volume, traffic potential and business potential mean absolutely nothing if you can’t rank for your keyword in the not so distant future.

Conclusion

Ultimately, choosing keywords worth targeting for your SEO strategy involves finding the balance across these points. Before creating content with the intent to rank, you as a business owner should ask yourself: “Does the topic drive enough traffic and have business value to make it worth the effort?”. This 5-point form the core of effetive keyword selection.