Ah, the dreaded SEO! One of those facets of blogging that is so vast and complicated yet so important. Today I'm arming you with a quick resource that will help prime your blog posts for maximum discoverability!
Keyword research is essential for search engine optimization; and keywords should always start with your blog post title, and then trickle down to your content headings and body text.
You want to develop a post title that directly relates to the overall message of your content based on what people are already searching for.
A good old Google search is a great place to start, but won't put you ahead of the game.
1. Answer the Public - this free online long-tail keyword tool dissects your keywords and provides you with the most common searches being conducted on the web. Results are visualized in graph format, broken down by various search terms (questions, prepositions, etc.) related to your keyword.
Tip: Cross check your keyword on sites like ahrefs.com or Ubersuggest.
2. Keywords Everywhere Extension - is a free browser add-on that aids in your keyword research. Every time you perform a Google or Bing search, your extension will pop up on the side of your search window with trend data, related keywords and keyword density.
2. Google Trends - is another great tool to help you predict how relevant your post title keyword is based on past search trends. You can compare your keyword with a similar keyword to see which has performed better, and also explore related searches.
There are many paid keyword apps out there that will help you do a reeeal deep dive on your data, but for the purposes of finding the best post keywords for your blog, these free resources are a highly-effective alternative!
