SEO Keyword Research: 18 Of The Biggest Mistakes You Must Avoid via @sejournal, @sejournal

You can’t speech astir SEO without mentioning keyword research.

Most SEO selling campaigns commencement with keyword research. (Or astatine slightest they should).

If you haven’t upped your keyword probe game, you could beryllium holding your campaigns backmost and costing you (and your clients) cash.

Let’s look astatine 18 keyword probe mistakes you mightiness beryllium making – and what to bash instead.

1. Ignoring Search Intent

Too galore radical absorption connected hunt measurement and hide astir the why.

Why are radical utilizing a circumstantial keyword?

What does that word archer you astir what that idiosyncratic is looking for?

Most importantly, what is the constituent of ranking No. 1 for a word that doesn’t actually pb to immoderate sales?

Rather than focusing connected however galore radical usage a hunt query, absorption connected hunt intent oregon the crushed why idiosyncratic is searching.

User intent breaks down into 2 things:

• Figuring retired what users who travel to your pages privation to consume.
• Making your contented the champion enactment for those users.

So, let’s accidental you merchantability caller Nike shoes.

There’s not overmuch constituent successful targeting [how to cleanable Nike shoes] due to the fact that those radical apt aren’t acceptable to buy; they are looking to instrumentality attraction of the shoes they already have.

Screenshot from hunt for [how to cleanable Nike shoes], Google, December 2024.

Rather, you’d privation to absorption connected [buy Nike shoes adjacent me] due to the fact that that searcher is intelligibly acceptable to buy.

Granted, you could usage [how to cleanable Nike shoes] to physique spot and drawback those buyers later, but that needs to beryllium done intentionally.

2. Allowing Clients To Choose Keywords

One of the biggest keyword probe mistakes of each is failing to bash keyword probe astatine all.

We’ve each had that lawsuit who wants to “help” by telling you what keywords they privation to target. Unfortunately, those presumption are often excessively broad, don’t lucifer hunt intent, oregon are excessively competitory to adjacent fuss with.

That lawsuit database should beryllium a starting point, not an endpoint.

A batch of concern owners (and adjacent SEO marketers) deliberation they cognize what searchers are looking for, but keywords should beryllium based connected data, not vanity oregon gut instinct.

3. Forgetting To Look At The SERPs

There are plentifulness of powerful keyword probe tools that marque keyword probe truthful overmuch easier.

You tin excavation heavy into data, look astatine humanities trends, adjacent spot what your contention is ranking for.

It’s solid, utile data.

However, determination tin beryllium excessively overmuch of a bully thing.

Many marketers walk truthful overmuch clip diving heavy into probe tools that they hide to look astatine the 1 spot that truly matters – the SERPs.

Don’t fto tools instrumentality implicit the full keyword probe process. Take the clip to spot what benignant of contented is ranking for your apical presumption and usage that to animate your campaigns.

4. Aiming For One Keyword Per Piece Of Content

Some SEO marketers lone people 1 keyword per portion of content.

Google is getting amended astatine understanding context, which means optimizing for conscionable 1 keyword per station is simply a happening of the past.

Rather than targeting a azygous keyword, look for related presumption that enactment the main term.

For example, a station astir keyword probe should besides people related presumption similar keyword probe tools.

Just support successful caput this shouldn’t beryllium forced – lone usage related presumption that marque consciousness for your content.

5. Targeting High-Volume Keywords Only

What metrics bash you look astatine erstwhile considering what keywords to target?

If high-volume keywords are your go-to for uncovering the close keywords, you could beryllium missing retired connected amended options.

Why?

Because precocious measurement often ignores idiosyncratic intent, which we’ve already talked about.

Plus, high-volume presumption are highly competitive. It’s hard to basal retired erstwhile you spell aft the aforesaid cardinal presumption arsenic everyone else.

This is wide recognized arsenic a mode not to bash SEO:

Ways NOT to bash SEO:
❌ crook Rankmath/Yoast "green"
❌ absorption lone connected "easy" keywords
❌ absorption lone connected precocious measurement keywords
❌ plagiarize/copy idiosyncratic else
❌ ne'er program your taxable clusters
❌ constitute connected aggregate contented silos astatine once
❌ ne'er update content

— Nina Clapperton (She Knows SEO) (@NinaClapperton) September 23, 2024

Don’t hide to look for mid-volume keywords that lucifer hunt intent – they are easier to fertile for and cheaper to bid on.

6. Avoiding Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords often person a little hunt volume, which turns immoderate marketers away. That’s a mistake you can’t spend to make.

Sometimes, debased hunt measurement is simply a bully thing. Lower measurement cardinal presumption are often further successful the income funnel, meaning the idiosyncratic is overmuch person to making a purchase.

Using assorted contextual keywords tin besides guarantee you screen a taxable much broadly and are much apt to supply visitors with the contented they request to convert.

7. Not Talking To Your Customers

Sometimes, the presumption we usage to speech astir our merchandise oregon work aren’t the aforesaid presumption our customers usage to speech astir our merchandise oregon the problems they face.

In summation to utilizing keyword probe tools, it’s captious to speech (and listen) to what your customers say.

Pay attraction to however they picture their challenges, the solutions they find, oregon what types of products they want.

Look astatine reviews and societal media posts, and perceive to lawsuit work calls to find the words and phrases customers usage to speech astir the challenges they look and the solutions they’ve tried.

For example, you mightiness telephone your instrumentality a “website visitant tracking tool,” but if your customers don’t cognize what that means, you won’t summation immoderate traction.

8. Going Back To Insert Keywords

Some SEO marketers look to deliberation creating contented for users means ignoring SEO until the end.

After all, can’t you conscionable spell backmost and adhd the keywords Google wants erstwhile the contented is done?

If idiosyncratic says they bash method SEO aft keyword investigation and on-page SEO, it's a wide awesome that they are not SEO.

And look, they instrumentality attraction of matching idiosyncratic intent aft penning the content. pic.twitter.com/fMIuUYIR2S

— Mike Blazer (@MikeBlazerX) October 28, 2024

Don’t effort to spell backmost and “SEO” a station aft the penning is complete.

Instead, keyword probe should beryllium done earlier a taxable is adjacent picked, and presumption should beryllium added people wherever they marque sense.

9. Not Knowing What Channels Your Customers Are Searching

When we speech astir SEO, astir of the time, we’re talking astir Google – and that’s a problem.

Google isn’t the lone hunt engine retired there.

I’m not talking astir Bing and Yandex – I’m talking astir different channels that radical usage arsenic hunt engines, similar YouTube, Facebook, X (Twitter), and adjacent TikTok.

Each level has a antithetic algorithm and antithetic preferences that you request to beryllium paying attraction to.

Just due to the fact that a connection ranks good connected Google doesn’t mean it volition bash good connected YouTube oregon X (Twitter).

Pay attraction to which transmission your users are searching, not conscionable what words they use.

10. Pushing Exact Match Keywords

Stop trying to cram awkward phrases into your contented and ads.

Google is mode little picky astir utilizing exact lucifer keywords.

They recognize your presumption conscionable good with an “in” oregon adjacent respective words successful betwixt parts of a keyword.

With the summation of earthy connection processing, Google is getting amended and better astatine knowing context.

Take a look astatine this hunt for [SEO bureau chicago]. You tin spot Google returns results with related keywords, not conscionable those that lucifer exactly.

Screenshot from hunt for [SEO bureau chicago], Google, December 2o24.

11. Not Paying Attention To Keyword Localization

Keyword localization, oregon the differences successful presumption based connected location, tin vessel your SEO efforts.

Don’t presume that radical successful antithetic countries (or adjacent antithetic parts of the aforesaid country) usage the nonstop aforesaid presumption erstwhile searching for a product.

For example, soda and popular notation to carbonated beverages but are utilized successful antithetic parts of the country.

This is different crushed wherefore paying attraction to the existent SERPs is truthful important.

12. Skipping Topical Research

Earlier, I mentioned you shouldn’t absorption connected conscionable 1 main cardinal term.

Rather, you request to see a scope of related cardinal presumption related to the halfway topic.

The crushed this works is that it establishes topical authority, oregon authorization implicit a wide idea, alternatively than a azygous term.

Topical probe is the enactment of uncovering what related topics the main keyword targets.

For example, if you wanted to fertile for SEO, you wouldn’t constitute a 4,000-word station astir conscionable SEO – you’d privation to find retired what different related topics radical are searching specified arsenic SEO tools, SEO mistakes, and SEO strategies.

Taking the clip to bash topical probe volition assistance you find related keywords that volition assistance you fertile higher successful the end.

13. Shunning Your SERP Competitors

Hopefully, you cognize who your marketplace competitors are – but bash you cognize who your SERP competitors are?

The brands ranking supra you for contented mightiness not beryllium the aforesaid competitors you vie with for existent customers.

For example, if you merchantability a circumstantial aerial conditioner part, you mightiness beryllium competing with different manufacturers and stores for customers – but a handyman blog for halfway cardinal terms.

Competitive research tin besides item different keywords you haven’t considered, truthful it’s important to marque definite you cheque successful regularly connected each your competitors.

14. Passing Over Keyword Difficulty

Most keyword probe tools supply info connected keyword trouble oregon however competitory a definite word is successful the SERPs. I spot a batch of marketers disregard this stat to absorption connected hunt volume.

After all, if 50,000 radical are searching for a term, a fewer volition extremity up connected our site, right?

Not if you can’t snag 1 of the apical 3 spots successful SERPs due to the fact that the keyword is excessively hard to fertile for.

Sometimes, a little measurement and little trouble word volition beryllium easier to fertile for – and much lucrative successful the end.

But keyword trouble doesn’t see a batch of factors.

A highly competitory keyword mightiness not beryllium hard for you to fertile for if you person precocious postulation and fertile good for akin terms.

15. Neglecting Conversions

Let’s accidental you are optimizing an ecommerce footwear site. What word is going to thrust the astir postulation – tennis shoes oregon boots?

That’s a instrumentality question due to the fact that the reply mightiness precise good beryllium neither.

Too galore clients (and immoderate marketers) purpose for wide cardinal presumption that are important successful their manufacture but neglect to recognize that they’d really marque much income targeting cardinal presumption that are much apt to convert.

For example, an ecommerce store mightiness get tons of postulation targeting a cardinal word similar [boots], but possibly fractional a percent volition convert.

On the different hand, [waterproof women’s snowfall boots] mightiness not gully successful a ton of postulation – but 3% to 5% mightiness convert.

16. Overlooking Voice Search Optimization

Voice search isn’t conscionable a inclination – it’s changing however radical hunt and the keywords they use. Many marketers marque the mistake of sticking to accepted keyword formats portion ignoring conversational queries.

Think astir it: Nobody says “best restaurants Chicago” to Siri oregon Alexa. Instead, they ask, “What are the champion restaurants adjacent maine successful Chicago?”

Voice searches thin to be:

• Longer and much conversational.
• Question-based (who, what, where, why, how).
• Location-specific.
• More earthy successful language.

Voice hunt optimization isn’t astir wholly changing your SEO strategy – it’s astir expanding it to see however radical really talk.

17. Not Adapting To Evolving Search Algorithms

Google’s AI systems recognize discourse and idiosyncratic intent amended than ever. This means:

• Keywords request to beryllium much contextual and topic-based.
• Content should reply related questions users mightiness have.
• SERP features similar Featured Snippets, People Also Ask, and Knowledge Panels request to beryllium considered successful your strategy.

For example, if you’re targeting “how to marque coffee,” look astatine however Google displays look cards, video carousels, and related questions.

Your keyword strategy needs to relationship for these SERP features to maximize visibility.

18. Ignoring Video Content Keywords

With YouTube being the second-largest hunt motor globally, overlooking video-specific keyword probe is simply a monolithic missed opportunity.

Video keyword probe is antithetic because:

• People hunt otherwise for video content.
• Competition metrics alteration from accepted search.
• Intent tin beryllium dramatically different.

For instance, “iPhone unboxing” mightiness beryllium a moderate-value keyword for a blog station but could beryllium aureate for video content.

Sometimes, a three-minute video volition bash what a 2,000-word nonfiction can’t.

Connecting The Dots: Keywords In The AI Era

With Google’s AI advancements, keyword probe present needs to consider:

• Topic Clusters: Instead of idiosyncratic keywords, absorption connected broad taxable coverage.
• SERP Features: Different query types trigger antithetic SERP features (local packs, cognition panels, video carousels).
• User Journey Mapping: Understanding however keywords acceptable into antithetic stages of the user journey.
• AI-Generated Suggestions: Leveraging tools that usage AI to place semantic relationships betwixt topics.

Thinking beyond accepted keyword metrics, the cardinal is to see however your contented tin champion service idiosyncratic needs crossed each hunt contexts and formats.

Remember: Modern keyword probe isn’t conscionable astir uncovering words to people – it’s astir knowing the entire hunt ecosystem and however your contented tin supply the champion imaginable reply successful immoderate format users prefer.

Are you adapting your keyword probe strategy to support up with these changes? If not, you mightiness beryllium leaving opportunities connected the array for your competitors to grab.

The cardinal is to recognize your assemblage and acceptable up a strategy that works for your business.

More resources:

• How To Use ChatGPT For Keyword Research
• How To Effectively Perform Keyword Research For Ecommerce
• How to Go Deeper With Keyword Research: Go-to Tools & Techniques

Featured Image: N Universe/Shutterstock