Keyword research for blog writing

Day 17 of 30-day blog challenge. Read day 16: “The shape of a heart”

One thing that I think makes me particularly tuned-in to keyword research as it applies to blog writing is the fact that I earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. More than just having taken (and passed) the classes, the reason I even enjoyed psychology as a discipline involved wanting to know what makes people do the things they do. Though I decided not to pursue an advanced degree in psychology, my love for understanding human nature has switched to applying it to consumer behavior. Sort of.

What is keyword research?

I don’t presume to be an expert on search engine optimization, but I’m interested in learning everything I can to benefit those for whom I write business blogs. I’ve heard the term “keyword research” thrown around, and I know a few places to do such research, but many people probably don’t even know what that means. So, in simple terms the “keyword” is a word (and often a longtail phrase) used by people to search the Internet.

For example, when you search for information about cars because you are going to need a new car sooner or later, you might start by searching “affordable used cars,” but by the time you’ve narrowed down that you want a particular make or model you might search for “Kia Forte reviews 2013” (I’m actually looking at getting a Kia Forte for our next car and I narrowed my search in a similar manner).

What this means is that any used car (and new car) dealer can capitalize on my search by using the keywords that I used in a blog. If I were to write a blog for a local used car dealership, I would recommend they have a weekly blog article reviewing different makes and models. Maybe even feature a car that is available on the lot.

Keyword research for blog writing

So now that keywords make sense, I’ll tell you that conducting keyword research can be done online using tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, but it requires an active Adwords account. That may or may not be something the average blogger wants to dig into. If not, then using common sense to “feel out” keywords is a good way to start. Just put yourself in the shoes of the searcher. Think about what you offer as a blog writer, service provider or product salesperson. What problem do you solve for those who will be finding solutions on your website?

Some guides I recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about keyword research include free resources such as:

1. Copyblogger’s guide to keyword research

2. The Moz Blog

Reading things like the above (and the Moz link is to categories on the website so there are several blogs to read), is how I spend most of my “free time.” I understand that researching how to research isn’t how most business owners and entrepreneurs want to spend their free time. Most people just want instant answers to solve the problem of how much time it takes to market a business. And that’s where my freelance services can come in handy. I not only love writing but also love researching and marketing. So, if you don’t want to think about how your customers think and how best to drive traffic or write a blog, contact me at Ellen [@] EllenEldridge.com and I’d be happy to talk about how I can help you implement a blog.