You can’t talk about SEO without mentioning keyword research.
Most SEO marketing campaigns start with keyword research. (Or at least they should).
If you haven’t upped your keyword research game, you could be holding your campaigns back and costing you (and your clients) cash.
Let’s look at 18 keyword research mistakes you might be making – and what to do instead.
1. Ignoring Search Intent
Too many people focus on search volume and forget about the why.
Why are people using a specific keyword?
What does that term tell you about what that person is looking for?
Most importantly, what is the point of ranking No. 1 for a term that doesn’t actually lead to any sales?
Rather than focusing on how many people use a search query, focus on search intent or the reason why someone is searching.
User intent breaks down into two things:
Figuring out what users who come to your pages want to consume.
Making your content the best option for those users.
So, let’s say you sell new Nike shoes.
There’s not much point in targeting [how to clean Nike shoes] because those people likely aren’t ready to buy; they are looking to take care of the shoes they already have.
Screenshot from search for [how to clean Nike shoes], Google, December 2024.Rather, you’d want to focus on [buy Nike shoes near me] because that searcher is clearly ready to buy.
Granted, you could use [how to clean Nike shoes] to build trust and catch those buyers later, but that needs to be done intentionally.
2. Allowing Clients To Choose Keywords
One of the biggest keyword research mistakes of all is failing to do keyword research at all.
We’ve all had that client who wants to “help” by telling you what keywords they want to target. Unfortunately, those terms are often too broad, don’t match search intent, or are too competitive to even bother with.
That client list should be a starting point, not an endpoint.
A lot of business owners (and even SEO marketers) think they know what searchers are looking for, but keywords should be based on data, not vanity or gut instinct.
3. Forgetting To Look At The SERPs
There are plenty of powerful keyword research tools that make keyword research so much easier.
You can dig deep into data, look at historical trends, even see what your competition is ranking for.
It’s solid, useful data.
However, there can be too much of a good thing.
Many marketers spend so much time diving deep into research tools that they forget to look at the one place that really matters – the SERPs.
Don’t let tools take over the entire keyword research process. Take the time to see what type of content is ranking for your top terms and use that to inspire your campaigns.
4. Aiming For One Keyword Per Piece Of Content
Some SEO marketers only target one keyword per piece of content.
Google is getting better at understanding context, which means optimizing for just one keyword per post is a thing of the past.
Rather than targeting a single keyword, look for related terms that support the main term.
For example, a post about keyword research should also target related terms like keyword research tools.
Just keep in mind this shouldn’t be forced – only use related terms that make sense for your content.
5. Targeting High-Volume Keywords Only
What metrics do you look at when considering what keywords to target?
If high-volume keywords are your go-to for finding the right keywords, you could be missing out on better options.
Why?
Because high volume often ignores user intent, which we’ve already talked about.
Plus, high-volume terms are highly competitive. It’s hard to stand out when you go after the same key terms as everyone else.
This is widely recognized as a way not to do SEO:
Ways NOT to do SEO:
❌ turn Rankmath/Yoast “green”
❌ focus only on “easy” keywords
❌ focus only on high volume keywords
❌ plagiarize/copy someone else
❌ never plan your topic clusters
❌ write on multiple content silos at once
❌ never update content
— Nina Clapperton (She Knows SEO) (@NinaClapperton) September 23, 2024
Don’t forget to look for mid-volume keywords that match search intent – they are easier to rank for and cheaper to bid on.
6. Avoiding Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords often have a lower search volume, which turns some marketers away. That’s a mistake you can’t afford to make.
Sometimes, low search volume is a good thing. Lower volume key terms are often further in the sales funnel, meaning the user is much closer to making a purchase.
Using various contextual keywords can also ensure you cover a topic more broadly and are more likely to provide visitors with the content they need to convert.
7. Not Talking To Your Customers
Sometimes, the terms we use to talk about our product or service aren’t the same terms our customers use to talk about our product or the problems they face.
In addition to using keyword research tools, it’s critical to talk (and listen) to what your customers say.
Pay attention to how they describe their challenges, the solutions they find, or what types of products they want.
Look at reviews and social media posts, and listen to customer service calls to find the words and phrases customers use to talk about the challenges they face and the solutions they’ve tried.
For example, you might call your tool a “website visitor tracking tool,” but if your customers don’t know what that means, you won’t gain any traction.
8. Going Back To Insert Keywords
Some SEO marketers seem to think creating content for users means ignoring SEO until the end.
After all, can’t you just go back and add the keywords Google wants once the content is done?
If someone says they do technical SEO after keyword analysis and on-page SEO, it’s a clear signal that they are not SEO.
And look, they take care of matching user intent after writing the content. pic.twitter.com/fMIuUYIR2S
— Mike Blazer (@MikeBlazerX) October 28, 2024
Don’t try to go back and “SEO” a post after the writing is complete.
Instead, keyword research should be done before a topic is even picked, and terms should be added naturally where they make sense.
9. Not Knowing What Channels Your Customers Are Searching
When we talk about SEO, most of the time, we’re talking about Google – and that’s a problem.
Google isn’t the only search engine out there.
I’m not talking about Bing and Yandex – I’m talking about other channels that people use as search engines, like YouTube, Facebook, X (Twitter), and even TikTok.