Have You Ever Heard of Keyword Research?

When I say the term “keyword research” to people, I usually am met with a puzzled expression. Definitely part of my industry’s jargon, keyword research actually plays an important part in all of our online lives.


Google pays attention to your keywords. Most of us search Google every day.

Do I have your attention now?

Let’s define what a keyword is. What do I mean when I say “search query”? Think about when you go to Google Maps and type in “hairstylist, palm city”. Or when you are looking for a real estate agent.. do you type in “realtor st lucie west” or “real estate agent tradition”. All these search queries you type into Google are called keywords.

Keyword research is something that can be conducted to analyze the millions of search queries going on in Google every day. So why should you care about what people type into Google? Because if you can determine what the most popular keywords are, which keywords are the most competitive, in just what order people type in those keywords and what time of the year they search for a keyword, you can drive more traffic to your business. However, keyword research doesn’t apply to just businesses. Think about the benefits if you could use keyword research to drive more people to your soccer team for donations, social club for a fundraiser or non-profit for an educational seminar. If you happen to have an online presence (such as a website or landing page) for any of these things, you can use keyword research to help drive more traffic to your cause.

How do you conduct keyword research?

Google provides a free tool to allow you to conduct keyword research. However, there is a catch. You have to sign up for a Google AdWords account before you can use their tool. What is Google AdWords? It is the engine that drives their advertising. You don’t have to run a Google ad in order to use their free tool, but you do have to setup an advertising account. Simply visit google.com/adwords. Once you setup an advertising account, you can access their Keyword Planner tool. This Keyword Planner tool will give you all the information you desire about a keyword, such as how much traffic it gets on a monthly basis in the United States, how much competition it has from other advertisers and what time of the year the keyword is most popular.

So why is keyword research important to you?

Keyword research can make all of our lives simpler. Since you know Google is tracking your search behavior, you can use this free tool to make your searching more productive. By knowing which keywords get the highest traffic, you can be more efficient in finding what you are looking for. And, if you are studying for a paper, trying to drive more traffic to your cause or business or just trying to get awareness for a petition, it can be very helpful as well.

What is “Going Viral” Anyway? I call it Shareable Content

what is going viral
Image provided by womeninbusiness.about.com.

You hear it all the time, people trying to create the next bit of content that will go “viral”. You hear this term so much, you start wondering just what that means. Why is everyone obsessed with “going viral”?

I think a better term is “shareable” content. Let’s create content that’s SHAREABLE. Great blog posts, great infographics, conversational posts on the social networks… let’s get people talking. And better yet, let’s get them talking about your business :).

How do you go about “going viral”, you say?

  1. Attach photos or videos with everything you do. People are very visual. Give them something to visually digest with your written content.
  2. Be unique. You have a unique perspective on the world through your own personality and business. Let that shine through. Don’t try to follow the cookie-cutter example of those around you in the industry. Try to think “outside the box” in ways that will connect with your customers. An example is a realtor in Orlando that made mock “press conferences” via YouTube videos on dry subjects like short sales and foreclosures. He didn’t follow the example of other realtors around him, he had fun with it. The result: shareable content! See his videos by clicking here.
  3. Be consistent. This is the biggest and hardest obstacle. Most small business owners I run into start with great momentum and then lose steam. A way to get around this is to develop an editorial calendar and stick to it. If you take the time once a month to sit down and plan what you’re going to share and talk about- it will be alot easier to keep going rather than rack your brain on what to write next. Here’s a great blog post on developing an editorial calendar.

If you need help getting your online presence established or maintained, call See Level Marketing! We’re here to help you grow your business to a new level. Call us today at 772-261-4733.