One of the benefits of keyword research is, you can learn plenty about the phrases and words people actually use while searching online. In fact, your keyword assumption may be quite different. You may also believe that search engines no longer place importance on keywords. However, this is not the case. The reality is, keyword research is still vital for SEO. Here are some reasons why keyword research is still important:

Keywords You Choose May Be Wrong

One of the first steps in SEO is keyword research. If you decide to skip this step or get this wrong, you are setting yourself up for a letdown. Keyword research ensures the right keywords for your business are used.  A few examples of using the wrong keywords include:

1. Incorrect usage

2. Low search volume

If you choose keywords with no significance to your web content, visitors who click through search results are likely to leave your page. The bounce rate for your web page will increase, negatively impacting SEO.

Keywords with low search volume have almost no individuals searching for them. Web content related to these forms of keywords will likely not be seen. The reason being, nobody is searching for those types of keywords.

Keywords Provide Information about Your Webpage

After you’ve finished keyword research, you’ll start assigning the best keywords for each page of your site. Keep in mind, you must ensure the keywords are relevant to your webpage. You’ll also want to ensure that the chosen keywords are used properly.

Keywords help to communicate with search engines making them a necessity for SEO. However, for your webpage to tell a story to various search engines, there must be a foundation that you’ll do with keyword research.

Keyword Clustering Requires Keyword Research

Keyword clustering helps with optimizing a single webpage for several keywords. It also helps to improve ranking. Still, keyword research is needed before you can begin clustering.

Keyword Research is Still Vital for SEO

Keyword research is still vital for both your search engine rankings and SEO. If you don’t do keyword research, the chances of choosing the wrong words are increased. This results in little to no traffic to your webpage. However, with keyword research, you can start to drive more traffic to your site, engage more individuals, secure conversion as well as revenue.

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I made a video (link below) that outlines some of the sections that you should definitely make sure to have on your marketing plan. I also am giving away a FREE copy of a marketing plan template that I use.

You don’t have to use all of it, but it will give you a good idea of what you should have laid out for your business to have a successful marketing campaign. This will also help you stay on track better since you can see the goals and really break them down.

Sections of the Marketing Plan 

You need to make sure that your marketing plan has all of the specific sections that will lay everything out for you.

• Who are you? What is your business? Why is this valuable to the customer or client?
• Who is your audience or target audience? – what person would use your service or product and why?
• Who is your competition? Why are you better to use than them?
• What kind of marketing do you want to do or think is the most effective when thinking about your target audience?
• Overall goals – main goal and then broken up into different goals

Remember to keep track of everything – you want to know how many followers you start with, how many jobs you get or things you sell to make sure you’re moving up and not down. If you are moving up, keep up the good work! If down, re-evaluate your marketing and do something else that works.

Tips for a Marketing Plan

These tips can help you create the best marketing plan and also make sure that you have actionable, attainable goals that you are able to reach when considering your marketing efforts.

• Use the SMART method (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Based)
• Set up a strategy to reach the marketing goal you set up whether you are going to send out 10 letters a day or 20 emails to get 2 new clients, do it!
• Assess your resources. Are you using qualified people to help? Do you have a budget to do something bigger? Something better?
• Always establish time frames and stick with them. Know what you want to accomplish and when.
• Remember! Try everything! You never know what might work and what might not!

When putting together a marketing plan, create goals that are easily attainable and something that can help you grow. Even if your business is growing slowly, it is still growing! Of course, if you need help, make sure to contact me today and I’d be more than happy to help with marketing plans and making them actionable!

If you missed out on the video where I talked about what the marketing plan was and what it does, check it out here on Facebook!

Make sure to CLICK HERE for your FREE Marketing Plan Template!

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