Are you a pet business owner looking to improve your online presence and attract more customers? Look no further than keyword research. It’s a part of digital marketing that helps you target your ideal audience, create focused content, and improve your search engine rankings.
As a pet business owner, you’re passionate about providing your furry customers with the best products and services. But in today’s digital age, you need more than a great product. You need to make sure your target audience can find you online. That’s where keyword research comes in.
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is critical to search engine optimisation (SEO) and content creation. Keyword research involves identifying the words and phrases people use to search for content related to your pet business. This helps you understand what your target audience is looking for and the language they use.
By understanding what people are searching for, you can optimise your website and content to attract more traffic and customers.
What are the different types of keywords?
Keywords are more than what potential customers a typing into a search engine. They’re generally broken down into different types. You can categorise keywords into four types based on the searcher’s intent.
- Informational keywords are when a user searches for an answer to a specific question or seeks general information.
- Navigational keywords are when the user wants to find a particular page or website.
- Commercial keywords are for users who wish to research brands or services before they’re ready to buy.
- Transactional keywords are when the user intends to complete a sale or any other action.
Then when you do your keyword research for your pet business, you’ll find keywords split into two other categories:
- Short Tail Keywords: Short and broad keywords that generate high traffic volume but are competitive. For example, “dog collar”, “dog food”, “cat scratcher”, or “fish tank” would all be short tail keywords that have high search volume but are also competitive.
- Long Tail Keywords: Longer, more specific keywords that generate lower traffic volume but have less competition. They’re more focused and have higher chances of conversion, meaning they’re the ones you want to target. Some examples could include “water-proof fabric dog collar with personalisation available”, “freshly cooked dog food delivery service”, “three-tier cat scratcher tree with a hammock”, or “2m by 5m fish tank with filter and light”. These long-tail keywords go into more detail than the short-tail ones, making you more likely to reach more relevant customers.
Why is keyword research important for SEO?
Keyword research offers several benefits to your pet business, such as:
- Targeted Audience: Identifying and targeting the right keywords helps you reach the audience most interested in your business. The more relevant you’re keywords, the less likely you’ll have visitors to your website that aren’t potential customers.
- Focused Content: Using relevant keywords helps create more focused content that answers your audience’s queries. If you connect with your audience through content, you’ll build brand trust and create longtime customers.
- Higher Ranking: Keyword research allows you to identify the most relevant keywords to target. This increases your chances of ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). If you can rank higher in SERPs, you’ll be able to reach more potential customers to buy your pet products or services.
A step-by-step guide on how to do keyword research for your pet business
If you want to do keyword research for your pet brand, here is a step-by-step guide to help you get started.
Step 1: Brainstorm Keywords – Make a list of broad topics relevant to your business
Start by creating a list of keywords for your pet business that are relevant to your business goals and what you offer. Think about the products or services you offer, what problems they solve, and what your audience might search for.
Brainstorming keywords is essential to help pet businesses identify the most relevant topics and themes. As part of the brainstorming process, you’ll make a list of broad topics, keywords, and phrases related to your business. For instance, the keywords for a business selling pet collars or harnesses could include dog collar, cat collar, dog harness and dog lead, and broader descriptors of these terms. Your list should be broad enough to encompass a range of topics and specific enough to attract relevant traffic. It’s also essential to analyse the search volume and competitiveness of the keywords. This helps to determine the most effective and fruitful ones to target. The goal is to create quality content that attracts the right audience and drives engagement and conversions.
Step 2: Research and analyse keywords – Identify your target keywords and key phrases
Use a keyword research tool like Google Keyword Planner to find keywords relevant to your pet business. These tools also provide keyword search volume, competition, and relevance data.
A crucial step in creating effective SEO for your website is the identification of target keywords and key phrases. This process involves extensive research and analysis. To start this process, you must understand your website’s niche market and target audience. This includes understanding the search terms used by customers. Analysing your competitor’s website will also provide insight into which keywords work best for them.
Conducting thorough research and analysis on target keywords and key phrases is fundamental in creating an effective SEO strategy for your pet business. Utilising various online tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs helps identify potential keywords to target. Once discovered, you can incorporate these words into your website. They should be in your content, meta descriptions, and tags. This allows search engines to recognise and display your website in search results for relevant searches.
Free Keyword Research Tools
- Google Keyword Planner – You must create a Google Ads account to access this keyword research tool. It’s where all other tools pull their information from, so why not start at the source?
- Keyword Generator – This is a free tool from Ahrefs worth checking out. It offers keyword ideas and data to help you analyse the words when building your keyword plan.
- Answer the Public – This tool can help you find ideas for content based on what searchers or users may want to answer. The results also make great long-tail keywords.
- Keywordtool.io – This tool gives you a great list to help with brainstorming. You do have to pay for any data around the keywords.
- Keyword Explorer from Moz – Moz is one of the leading companies in SEO. This keyword tool is amongst a handful of useful free tools they offer to help with SEO.
There are more free keyword research tools online. If you do a quick Google search, you’ll find some more. Try a few different ones, or buy a subscription to one of the top tools in the industry. A great starting point is Google Keyword Planner is the first stop.
Step 3: Implement Keywords – Develop a content calendar based on the keywords
After identifying the target keywords for your pet business, you’ll need to integrate them. They must go in your content, meta titles, descriptions, and image alt tags.
Like keyword research, building a content strategy can seem daunting. But keyword research helps with making a content plan. With keywords in hand, you know what users are searching for and can create content accordingly. Develop content ideas around the keywords. This will help with SEO and support your target audience, creating customers. Take the keywords and build a plan outlining topics and when to publish the content. You’ve then got blog posts, videos, social media posts, and other content formats, all including keywords.
It’s important to note that you want to use the keywords sparingly to not make your content appear spammy. Instead, try to incorporate them organically into your content and aim for a natural flow that provides value to the reader. Implementing keywords in your content strategy will increase your ranking in search results. This will drive more traffic to your website, leading to more conversions.
How can I maintain keyword rankings?
Maintaining keyword rankings is crucial to any SEO strategy for your pet business. You can take several steps to ensure your website ranks well for your target keywords.
- Track your rankings using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Regular monitoring helps identify any fluctuations in SEO rankings. This can offer insights into what strategies work best.
- Optimise your content and website for quality and relevance. Ensure your website is mobile and user-friendly and your content is valuable and informative.
- Keep building quality backlinks to your website, as they help to establish your website’s authority in your niche. Backlinks are links back to your website from another website. You can build backlinks by guest blogging elsewhere.
- Keep track of your competitors and how they rank in Google, and adjust your strategy based on this information. You’ll want your SEO strategy to include how to “beat” competitors at specific keywords.
Maintaining keyword rankings can keep your website visible and attract organic traffic. This will lead to increased conversions and ROI (return on investment). You’ll also be able to connect with more pet owners and build your business profile.
How do I get good at keyword research?
Keyword research is an essential component of SEO for your pet brand. It can be challenging to navigate at first. Yet, anyone can get good at keyword research with the right approach and practice.
Getting good at keyword research starts with understanding your target audience and their needs. Start by following the step-by-step guide above to help with keyword research for your pet business, then practice.
Keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner will help you find more specific and relevant search terms. You should also follow your competition and see what keywords they are using. You must also analyse your website and search rankings to see what keywords drive traffic. It’s essential to find keywords with high search volume and low competition. These keywords will help rather than hinder your marketing efforts and help boost your SEO. Use long-tail keywords because they are specific, target your potential audience better, and help you grow online.
Refining and adapting your keyword and SEO strategy regularly will help your business shows up in searches and reach your audience. Check and update your keyword list based on the ever-changing trends in your industry. You can also use social media and customer feedback to see what words and phrases are often used about your pet business. Finally, learn to analyse data, track progress, and optimise search strategy regularly. With time and consistency, you’ll become a pro in keyword research.
Keyword research is a powerful tool to help your pet business succeed online. It helps increase traffic, engagement and conversion rates by identifying your audience’s needs and creating content optimised for search engines. So, take the time to conduct proper keyword research and give your pet business the online visibility it deserves! With the right approach to keyword research, you can take your pet business to the next level.
Continue your journey with the basics of SEO for your pet business with this blog on 3 Simple Tips for Making Your Pet Business Website SEO-Friendly.
