If you have any inclination about SEO when you’re a blogger (which you should, as SEO can help increase your blog’s traffic and engagement), then you know that being sure you use the right main keywords when you are writing blog posts can help people find your content when they are searching for it via search engines.
You should only choose one or two keyword phrases (and make them related, not just reworded versions of eachother) and only use them naturally. For instance, if I was writing a post on YouTube Optimization, I would word my title so it would contain a phrase someone might search for to find the type of information that I will be writing about: “8 Great YouTube Optimization Tips,” where ‘YouTube Optimization’ would be the keyword I am optimizing for.
If you aren’t sure how or where to find keywords for blogging, these resources may help.
UberSuggest
This free tool helps you find longtail keywords (which are phrases that are more than two words) based on a list of keywords you input. It’s mainly random, but the provides a long list of related words. It’s a great brainstorming tool, since it’s not based much on actual research or data.
Analytics
If you don’t have Google Analytics set up on your site, get it done ASAP! It’s free and fairly easy, and if you have a platform like Wordpress, there are free plugins you can use that help you install the code. Even though Google Analytics removed much of the data it gave users in 2013 (and replaced keywords with (not provided) in data reports), you can still use analytics to see some keywords, as well as the top visited posts on your website. If your guides to building furniture are always a hit, use that as a catalyst to create keywords for future topics.
Google and Bing Webmaster Tools
You can still find tons of keyword data on Google and Bing Webmaster tools. The setup process is just as easy as Analytics and every blog should be verified on both platforms. Webmaster Tools gives you reports on how people got to your site, who is linking to your site, and some search data. It’s a good place to use in tandem with other tools in your arsenal.
Paid Tools
All of the above tools are free, but many paid tools like those by Moz and SEMrush can offer valuable data on not only your own website, but your competitors’. While I don’t advocate copying everything that your competitors do (ingenuity is what makes websites and businesses successful), it’s interesting to see similar keywords and the strategies they are using.
All these tools not only provide data, but can also serve as a brainstorming session for figuring out the perfect keyword(s) for each of your blog posts.
