Keyword search volume or keyword popularity is just what it sounds like: how many people enter a specific keyword in their internet search during a specific period of time. Usually, when we talk about search volume, we are talking about the number of searches a particular keyword has during a month. The higher the number, the more popular the keyword is.

Generic keywords have higher volume. The general rule of thumb is that the higher the search volume, the more competitive the keyword. In other words, high volume keywords will be harder to rank.

A long-tail keyword is a search term consisting of 3 or more words. They are usually more specific and targeted as they are more descriptive. After your initial keyword research for SEO, you will have many keywords. Long tail keywords with three or more words will have less search volume. That is natural and to be expected. But should they be ignored? The answer is no, as you will understand below.

So why are we talking about long tail keywords on a keyword analysis document? The answer is simple; not all searches are created equal. Because a keyword may have less search volume, it does not mean that you should ignore it. In fact, in many cases, the long tail keywords may generate more sales for products or services that you offer. For example, consider the following keywords.

Should you ignore the last three keywords with low search volume? The answer is a resounding NO. The first keyword with two words is considered a short tail keyword. It is generic and the search intent could be so many different things. Maybe the person is looking for web design ideas, templates, or even what software to use.

When a person searches in Google or Bing, they have expectations of what they will find. Moreover, if you are looking for a “web design service company located in Houston”, using a long tail keyword will probably give you better results than just typing “web design”.

From the example provided in our long tail keyword section, you can see that the more words there are on the search, the less volume it has. But you can easily determine that the person searching for the bottom four keywords has a specific intent. Because our company, Website Designer Bee, specializes in Websites for Small Business and is located in Houston, TX USA, the bottom three keywords especially qualify us when compared to a company located in Asia that does all types of programming.

Here is another example. Consider that you are a manufacturer and direct seller of sport tiles for basketball courts. What keyword would be better when it comes to search intent, outdoor basketball court, or backyard basketball court. Both of those keywords are long tail keywords, and they are both referring to outdoor basketball courts. However, it turns out that many people searching for outdoor basketball courts are looking for an outdoor playground to go play basketball with their friends. On the other hand, you can easily determine that a search for a backyard basketball court infers that they may want to build a backyard basketball court. Furthermore, if you rank in the latter keyword, your product is more likely to be found by a potential customer.

But wait a minute, what if you add the word “tile” to the end of each search? Now, that changes everything again. It increases the likelihood that the person searching is looking for the exact product you sell regardless of the use of outdoor or backyard. Understanding keyword search intent is an important concept when choosing keywords.

So, you completed the first steps of your keyword research for SEO and you have a list of keywords. Figuring out how your competitors rank with your keywords is an important part of keyword analysis. Additionally, understanding what your competitors are saying about specific topics will help you build a better website. In fact, understanding what your competitors are saying may help you identify missed keywords.

The simplest thing you can do is search a keyword term and see who ranks.  Then, visit their pages and study what they are saying. It helps you understand what the competition is doing, and it will help you figure out what you can do better. When doing this, you should use a private browser (Incognito with Chrome or Private Browsing with Firefox). The searches will be less targeted and provide a true search result.

For the DIY website builder, we highly recommend the paid tools from ahrefs or MOZ. For those of you that decide to work with us, part of the process of keyword analysis for SEO is to analyze your competitors and see if there are any gaps. Our first keyword analysis report will tell you who ranks first for the keywords you plan to concentrate on. Furthermore, we will also use this method to suggest other keywords you may want to focus on as the process of building the site continues.

As you may have figured out already, understanding what keywords to use on your website pages is the true reason why you do Keyword analysis for SEO. If you optimize your website for the wrong keywords, your sales may be lower than expected even if you have high web traffic. Effective SEO means creating content on your website that provides the information that people want to find.