Keyword planning is one of the most important steps in your SEO journey and its the right place to begin when you’re building content.

Whether you’re new to SEO or have optimized websites for many years, the right keywords help get your site to the top of the Search Engine Results Pages(SERP). The time and effort you put into researching and finding the correct terms to use will bring your website in front of users when they are looking for the products and services you offer.

The Why Part

Think about what happens when you search for information online. You enter a term into the search tab of Google or another search engine, and you’re presented with relevant results based on the term you use. This search term is called a keyword and the web pages that make it to the top of the first page are the ones that are most closely related to the term you entered in the search bar.

Those web pages that are at the top, or at least on the first page of the SERPs didn’t get there by accident. These web pages were carefully planned and created with the right content and supporting information to match your search term most closely. This planning and creation began with proper keyword planning and research. If you perform this type of planning, you have a better chance of landing on the first page of search engines.

How can You Get Started?

As part of your marketing strategy, planning for and selecting the correct keywords is going to be crucial to your success. You build your content around the terms you select, not the other way around. One of the best ways to get started is to consider the various terms you would use to search for products and services you offer. Once you have this list of terms you can go on to the next step.

Use the Right Tool for Your Keywords

Google offers one of the most useful tools to help you plan for the keywords you’re going to use in your content. This tool is called Google Keyword Planner, kind of an “on the nose” name for the tool. This feature of Google allows you to find the keywords that will give you the greatest impact and help you rank high on SERPs.

What is Google Ads Keyword Planner Used for?

Using the Google Keyword Planner in your SEO marketing strategy can bring you amazing results. Here are four ways that you can use this tool to get started building the content you want to build around the keywords you will use:

• Discover new search keywords

• Review the average monthly search numbers for keywords

• Help determine the costs of keywords

• Create new search ad campaigns

Your List Will Be Expanded

Google Keyword Planner isn’t the only tool that you can use to plan your SEO marketing. No matter which tool you use, the basic list of terms you came up with should be expanded to give you related keywords that might be used by some users. These related terms can be implemented into your content to help you showcase what you offer to your online users.

Keyword Planning is Only the Beginning

If you rely entirely on your keywords to bring results to your SEO strategy, you’re going to fail. That may sound blunt but researching the correct terms to use is only the beginning. You need amazing content, impressive images, relevant videos, related links, and users that find your site. There’s a lot more to be done once you find your terms but having the terms that will rank high on search engines is the right place to start.

Build Your Content

Depending upon your industry, it can be easy to build the content you want around your keywords. For example, in the automotive industry, many keywords are built around the brand and model of a vehicle then expanded from there. In an industry that offers mostly services, such as accounting, legal services, or handyman services, it might be harder to find the right keywords to use.

Start Right and Build Amazing Pages

You used keyword planning to help you build the content you want to present to your audience. Let your content work for you and show up at or near the top of SERPs on every search engine. Use the tools available to measure how your keywords perform and adjust as you need to. SEO marketing is something that always needs your attention and energy to work properly for you, but it can be worth your time and effort.