Keyword Research

Digital marketing degree programs will cover keyword research extensively.  Keyword research is the practice of finding search terms that are typed into search engines by internet users.  Search marketers research the exact string of words that are searched and how often they are searched for.  This type of research is extremely powerful.  It can be used to improve search engine rankings.

Keyword research is the first step to every search marketing campaign.  It allows marketers to find exactly what keywords to target, to see how much those keywords are searched for and to get an estimate for the expected CPC.  There are several tools that allow marketers to preform keyword research.  The best is the Google Adwords Keyword Tool.  This tool is easy to use and it will give back quick and accurate results.  It suggests 800 similar keywords as long as you have a Google account.  This makes research quick and easy.  You can also export the data to Microsoft Excel which allows for easy sorting of many keywords.

Using an exact search match type will provide more accurate results for exact search results.  A broad match type will give results for every search that has the keyword in it somewhere where as an exact match type will give results for the exact keyword as it is.  Broad is good for analyzing the size of a market and exact is good for determining which keywords are best to target.

The Adwords Keyword Tool also allows search marketers to search in foreign markets and languages with ease.  Countries and languages can easily be added or removed.

Recent research in long-tail keywords so that they have a much higher conversion rate than short-tail keywords.  A long-tail keyword is any keyword that is more that one word.  For example, the keyword "buy shoes online" is a long-tail keyword that will have a very high conversion rate.  It is specific and shows the searcher is further along the buying cycle.  Someone searching for that is much more likely to buy then someone searching for "shoes".  Long-tail keywords are much more profitable than short-tail keywords and therefore, your marketing strategy should focus mostly on relevant long-tail keywords.