7 Places to do SEO Keyword Research for Your Blog
If you’re here, it probably means you’re getting serious about blogging.
Because the hard truth is that without doing keyword research, there’s a high chance your blog content will never get seen by the people who need it most.
That’s right - without SEO (search engine optimization), your posts will be floating out in the abyss of the interwebs.
If you’re a total SEO newbie (no sweat), here’s a post all about SEO basics.
So first off, what the heck is a keyword anyway?
A keyword is simply a word or phrase that you want to rank for. However, when it comes to getting found in Google, trying to rank for a one-word keyword is almost impossible.
Small business owners need to focus on long tail keywords, which are a string of 3 or more words.
With these keywords, they’re more specific and niched, meaning that there will be less search volume and less competition in trying to rank on page 1.
For example, instead of trying to rank for “photographer” (which has more than 1 million searches a month), you’d want to add in your location or the type of photographer you are, such as “Boston wedding photographer” or “adventure wedding photographer.”
So basically, the whole point of keyword research is to get inside the mind of your ideal client. In other words, you’re validating the blog post ideas you want to write about and getting the exact string of words you should be using in your content.
[Quick note: if you’re just starting blogging and SEO, I would focus on a search volume between 100-2,000 searches a month and a difficulty/competition below 30]
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s move on to where you can actually find keyword data!
Here are the best free and paid tools I love to promote for online business owners looking to blow up their visibility in Google.
1. Google
Yes, you can use Google as a starting point for keyword research!
Here are some of its features I recommend taking note of if you’re really on a budget.
Google autocomplete
You know when you start typing into the Google search bar and suggested searches start appearing below? That’s Google’s autocomplete feature at work!
You can use this information to gain a better understanding of the words and phrases people are typing into Google and create blog post content from.
People Also Ask box
This doesn’t always come up for every search, but when it does it can be very helpful to look through.
Once you complete a search, the People Also Ask box will typically appear in the middle of the search results page.
It showcases the different questions people are asking as it relates to what you searched.
You can use these questions as inspiration for blog post titles.
Not only is this helpful in giving you some juicy topics to write about, but it also gives you insight into what posts/articles Google has deemed worthy of a page 1 ranking.
When you click on each question, it showcases a summary from an article or blog post.
What you want to do is pay attention to the:
Question
Article or blog post title
The content itself - how long it is, headings, and how can you make your content different
Searches Related To
This also appears once a search has been completed. You’ll find this section at the bottom of the search results page.
This section will show you searches that are related to the search you just entered. Again, this gives you insight into what other common words/phrases people are typing into Google.
2. Answer the Public
Answer the Public shows what people are searching in Google and breaks it up into a unique way.
It will show you various questions that people are searching for and how they’re using the keyword in their search.
It’s a pretty neat tool that will help you with dozens of blog post ideas!
3. Keywords Everywhere
Keywords Everywhere is a paid tool but it’s literally the best thing ever.
Can you hear my excitement on this one?
If you’re on a budget, this is the perfect tool to purchase. For only $10, you can get 100,000 searches.
And the best part? It integrates into Google Chrome and Firefox. Every time you do a search, it will show you the search volume for not just the keyword you entered but also related searches.
If I’m trying to quickly validate a blog post topic, it is incredibly convenient. This is a must for your blogging strategy.
4. Moz Keyword Explorer
Although Moz is a paid keyword research tool, the platform allows you to use a few features for free each month.
It’s helpful for viewing the search volume and difficulty for each keyword. Unfortunately, Moz comes with a hefty price tag at $99/month. If you’re not planning to offer SEO strategy to clients, I wouldn’t recommend investing in the monthly plan.
However, you can still use your 10 free queries per month.
5. Ubersuggest by Neil Patel
I love using Ubersuggest for myself and my clients. This is a much more affordable option compared to Moz at $30/month.
With Ubersuggest, you can add your website as a project and monitor specific keywords.
You can do a search for keywords to find their search volume or search difficulty and trends (how the search volume has been changing over time). You can also see similar keywords and how they compare.
Ubersuggest also gives you a few free credits each month, and you can start with a 7 day trial to see if you like it.
6. Google Search Console
Google Search Console is free. In addition to Google Analytics, you’ll definitely want to have this set up for your Squarespace website.
Not sure how to set it up? Click here for instructions!
With Squarespace, Google Search Console integrates into the Analytics on your site under “Search Keywords.”
If you’re new to blogging or your website has recently been published, there’s a high chance you’ll see very little data there.
Once you’ve been blogging for 2-3 months, you’ll start to see more keywords you’re ranking for. And the more you blog, the more keywords you’ll appear for.
This tool shows you:
The keywords you’re ranking for
The position you rank at (1-10 is on page 1, 11-20 is page 2, and so on)
The number of clicks you’re getting each month (or any time frame) for that keyword
The blog post or page of your website that is ranking for that keyword
You can use this data to see where your ranking can improve - typically content that is on pages 2-4. If you create stronger content for that keyword, you’ll typically be able to bump up your ranking.
7. Other search engines
Similar to Google autocomplete, Pinterest and YouTube have the same exact feature!
Just go to the platform, start typing in a phrase, and see what comes up!
Although keywords vary between platforms, it can still be helpful in figuring out what people are searching for and giving you blog post topics to write about.
To recap, here’s my top places to do SEO keyword research for your blog:
Google
Answer the Public
Keywords Everywhere
Moz
Ubersuggest
Google Search Console
Pinterest
YouTube
I know how SEO can feel overwhelming, so if you’re looking at this list all frazzled and wondering where to start…
Purchase Keywords Everywhere and use that alongside Google’s free features to start getting some blog post ideas
Once you’ve got a list of 10-20 blog post ideas, maybe jump over to Moz and/or Ubersuggest to get more detailed data on the search difficulty/competition
Once you’re ranking in Google, reference your data in Google Search Console to help you refine your strategy
Looking for much more deeper support in crafting your blogging and SEO strategy? I offer SEO packages geared toward coaches, consultants and other service providers who are serious about blogging and looking to expand their reach and visibility through Google. Sound like you? Check out my packages below!
Looking for more Squarespace SEO tips? Check out these blog posts: