How to shape the right list of target keywords for SEO without spending too much time & effort?

It comes without saying that pulling together the main list of target keywords for SEO is arguably the first thing to be done before anything else. When it comes to finally getting down to your website content creation and SEO optimization, it’s necessary to get yourself well-prepared to rush out with an already refined list that keeps only the best of your potentially winning search terms and promising long-tail keyword-based expressions. Understanding the importance of setting the right content optimization priorities before even writing it, here is the right action order that will help you forge the initial list of keywords for SEO without wasting your precious time or taking any unnecessary effort. So, let’s see what should be done to that point.

How to Prepare the Main List of Target Keywords for SEO Content

Getting Started

Before anything else, let’s face it – creating your first list of keywords for SEO content is a really delicate doing that inevitably involves trial and error. So, when looking for the right search terms to optimize for, you should be ready to try a lot of different variations of the general search volume (i.e., a gauge of keyword usage frequency among your potential clients/buyers), weighed against their current competition estimate (i.e., widely employed keywords will be naturally more difficult to rank for, especially when you’re plugging into a highly competitive niche with your brand-new business website). That’s why your primary goal is to identify what can actually help you rank well in Google’s relevant SERPs – and finally put the most precious keyword assets to work in your body content.

Common Missteps to Avoid

Basically, the lion’s share of beginning website owners and even novice digital marketers are making nearly the same mistakes and falling into the commonest pitfalls. So, when it comes to running proper keyword research, make sure to avoid at least the following:

• Handling complete in-depth keyword research only once and for all.
• Taking no time to expand/refine the initial list at least twice.
• Getting by without expanding the existing set of targets via fueling it with unexplored keyword opportunities.
• Setting the initial focus on too popular and therefore highly competitive keywords that actually prove to be useless for SEO after all.

Basic Actions to Take

• Start with getting a big picture of your overall keyword-related prospects and the main glossary circulating within your target audience. I recommend using a good old Google’s Keyword Planner tool for that.
• Next, pick a bit more advanced keyword tool (like Ubersuggest, KeywordTool.io, etc.) or even full-stack analytical platform (such as Semalt Analyzer, SEMRush, Moz Explorer, Ahrefs, etc) to fuel your research with valuable long-tail keyword suggestions, as well as maximum useful well-structured data on their search volume/keyword competition.
• Refine your main list of target keywords for SEO using deeply specific marketing research toolkit like WordStream – it has a use-proven performance, with the basic version available in open access.
• Once you’ve got a completely polished set of must-winning search terms – you can finally get down to the process of content creation. Doing so, remember to optimize the major on-page SEO elements found directly on your web pages (apart from body content/web copy itself) – and you’re done.