In a world where every business is competing for prominent positions on Google, no first step could ever be as important as keyword research. But with so much competition, how can your business stand out among the crowd?

Here, Head of SEO Matt Mynors looks at the importance of keyword research for SEO – and how Unity can help.

Why is keyword research important?

Keyword research is absolutely fundamental. It is the foundation of every successful campaign and something every business looking at improving their visibility online needs to undertake. Improving your site and your online presence starts with knowing what to be visible for, and specifically what your target audience and user base is looking for.

With legacy and old-hat SEO, businesses approached optimisation in terms of what they think Google wants to see, which in some cases goes at the total detriment of a good user experience. Good optimisation starts with the user experience, and ensuring you’re delivering something that you know your audience are searching for, along with pages that will answer their questions.

Good keyword research ensures you’re delivering that meaningful content to the people you want to attract. It can also help with identifying discrepancies between the language of your industry versus that of your consumer.

The terms you might use at work for your own products or services could be completely different to your target audience and how they’re looking for what you do.

For smaller, more local businesses, keyword research can be even more important. Search data can be broken down by area, meaning they can find exactly what their local customers are searching online – which may differ to other parts of the country.

That can open very specific opportunities that would never have been available otherwise.

Each page on your website should be optimised using unique keywords – so it is vital to take your time and diversify your content.

Can businesses do their own keyword research?

Business can start research on their own using basic steps like analysing Google’s suggest search terms when entering their desired keyword. But what is really needed is hard data to drive every decision you make.

There are other tools available on the market – but what can’t be found for free are experienced SEO consultants.

How can Unity help?

Unity Online has access to a multitude of systems that provide hard data on keywords – offering an unrivalled access to metrics businesses can’t access on their own.

Our team works with every client to understand the unique needs of their business. We get to know their target audience and the ways they search.

But working with Unity doesn’t just give your business support on keyword research – it gives you access to a team of experts from a vast array of disciplines.

That could be a combined SEO and PPC strategy, which can help deliver quick results. It is also the perfect way to test your keyword strategy and refine landing pages.

Our goal is to help businesses of any shape and size unleash their potential online.

Need support with your SEO? Get in touch today for a free consultation.