Understanding Keyword Research Reports and their Rewards
Aaron Levenstadt CEO & Founder
November 2, 2022 | 5 Min Read
Article updated on November 8, 2022
Every online business owner should have a firm grasp on keyword research reports and how they can benefit a company. However, this isn’t always the case. Not everyone has had the chance to learn. Whether a new business owner or one who’s ready to leverage the powers of SEO, this article outlines everything to know about keyword reporting.
Every business should be using a search term report to guide their content marketing efforts towards what the audience is actually looking for.
Defining keyword research
Keyword research is the task of identifying the most common search terms that a specific audience uses to find relevant information. Keyword research focuses not only on what words are being typed into a search engine, but compares keywords to outline difficulty, volume, and cost, which in turn begins building a keyword research report. Discovering the intent behind keywords enables businesses to use them wisely in its content. Keyword reporting outlines what’s most important to the audience, and what gaps there might be in content that users are hoping to find.Keyword research reports: the basics
Keyword research reports compile all the data received when doing keyword research and outline what a business can target going forward. At Pedestal Search, we both help develop these reports as well as provide guidance in how to move forward with the results. To create a keyword research report using a tool, search for a keyword that the audience is likely using. In this example, the search term is “book store.” Maybe a local bookstore is trying to increase their online traffic. Searching for this term will do many things. It will suggest related keywords also being searched for, and it will rank all keywords based on intent, volume, trend, keyword difficulty, cost-per-click (CPC), competitive density, SERP features, and results.
Every business should be using a search term report to guide their content marketing efforts towards what the audience is actually looking for.
The importance of an SEO keyword research report
Because keyword reporting outlines suggested keywords, businesses can see any gaps they might have in their content. For example, if the bookstore sells comic books, they’ll realize this is a large niche for them to profit from and start building content around those keywords. Like any report, SEO keyword research reports provide a new insight into content marketing campaigns. Only good things come out of knowing an audience more. A list of established keywords also help copywriters, content creators, social media specialists, and SEO gurus to build informed content. Content built off these keywords will rank higher on search engine result pages (SERPs). Using keyword research will drive increased, targeted traffic to your website. Keyword research reports also highlight long-tail keywords users are more likely to use further along in the sales funnel or through voice search. Long-tail keywords (generally three to seven words) offer more specificity and conversion opportunities.Revealing high-value keywords
Search term reports uncover high-value keyword clusters that can be targeted to improve content marketing efforts. What are high-value keywords? They are keywords with higher search volume and simultaneously low competition. These types of keywords drive more qualified leads. High-value keywords inspire high-quality content that pinpoints user queries and provides content based on current trends within the business’s industry.How to read a search term report
Once the research has been done and the information is compiled, how should a search term report be read? What aspects are most important? What should business owners do with the acquired information? Let’s break it up into the results of a keyword research report.Related keywords
Searching for one keyword will offer related keywords and different wording that outline exactly how users are searching for a service or product. Some of these will be long-tail keywords that hint at leads farther down the pipeline. Use a variety of keywords to target leads in different stages.Intent
The intent outlines whether a search term is seen as transactional (a search toward making a purchase), informational (a search to find specific information), navigational (a search to find a specific page or location), or commercial (a search to explore brands). Depending on the intent a business has—for example, building brand awareness—there’d be more of a focus on commercial keywords.Volume
This number states how often a keyword is searched on average every month in a twelve-month period. This will inform businesses whether a keyword is significant to users. A higher volume equals a higher need. A lower volume has fewer potential leads.Trend
The trend of a keyword informs businesses when a keyword is most used. Keywords can be affected by current events, seasons, or timeline. This result can impact when to use certain keywords.Keyword difficulty
The higher this number, the harder it’ll be to appear in Google’s first page of search results. A great combination would be high volume (a large audience) with low keyword difficulty (minimal competition).Cost-per-click (CPC)
CPC impacts how much businesses might be willing to spend on a keyword once the search result link is clicked on.Competitive density
This determines how many competitors are bidding on the same keywords. A higher number means more competition.SERP features
This section outlines what other forms (not organic searches) are using the given keyword. This can outline where users are seeing their keywords and how those keywords are being used in other areas.Results
Result numbers are the amount of links the search engine finds based on a keyword. In the bookstore example, “book store” offers close to six billion results. This generally means more competition and more specific keywords (like long-tails) might be beneficial.Nail keyword reporting with Pedestal Search
Our proprietary keyword reports will gather all this data for you and then show you exactly where these gaps exist in real-time within your search landscape. Begin leveraging your search landscape effectively—drive traffic from search terms that matter. Contact us to get started.Categories:
Aaron Levenstadt
CEO & Founder
Aaron Levenstadt completed his degree in Statistical & Data Science at Stanford University. That focus has given him an unparalleled data-driven approach to search engine digital marketing. Prior to founding Pedestal Search, Aaron worked at Google at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View California. At Google he worked on the Organic Search, Paid Search and Google Analytics products, which equipped him with extensive knowledge of the mechanisms driving Google’s algorithm and other internet search engines.