How to do keyword research 🥼

to rank in Google

Author

Tim Hanson
July 25, 2024

Hi Penfriends,

Figuring out what keywords to go after stops people from even starting.

The truth is, it’s not that mystical.

Today I’m going to demystify keywords for you

I like to pull all my keywords from two sources:

  1. Ahrefs

  2. Keyword insights

There are other tools but these are my favourites. You don’t have to use these tools but they make the process easier. 

Now, let’s look at the type of keywords you might use for the three different stages of the buyer journey:

  1. Bottom of Funnel (BoFu)

  2. Middle of Funnel (MoFu)

  3. Top of Funnel (ToFu)

Bottom of Funnel (BoFu) Keywords

Definition

These are keywords used by potential customers who are ready to make a purchase or take a specific action. They typically have high purchase intent.

Example

If you're selling digital marketing courses, BoFu keywords might be:

“buy project management software”
“project management tool free trial”
“project management software pricing”

Strategy

  1. Identify product specific keywords. Focus on keywords that are directly related to your offer.

  2. Include transactional phrases. Terms like “buy”, “purchase”, “price”, “discount”, or “deal”.

  3. Use brand names. If your brand is well known, include brand specific keywords.

  4. Long tail keywords. These are more specific and often have less competition.

Formula

[Product/Service] + [Transactional term] + [Specific attribute/Location (if applicable)]

Middle of Funnel (MoFu) Keywords

Definition

These keywords target users who are considering their options and looking for more information before making a decision. These users have research intent.

Example

For the same digital marketing courses, MoFu keywords might be:

“best project management tools”
“project management software comparison”
“project management tool features”

Strategy

  1. Focus on informational and comparative keywords: Phrases that reflect the user’s research behavior.

  2. Include problem solving phrases: Keywords that address specific challenges or questions.

  3. Educational content: Terms related to guides, how tos, and tutorials.

  4. Use of modifiers: Words like “best”, “top”, “comparison”, “reviews”.

Formula

[Educational/Comparative term] + [Product/Service category] + [Specific need/Question]

Top of Funnel (ToFu) Keywords

Definition

These are broad, general keywords that target users at the awareness stage. They are just beginning to recognize a need or problem and are seeking information.

Example

Using the digital marketing course scenario, ToFu keywords might be:

“what is project management software”
“benefits of project management tools”
“how to improve team collaboration”

Strategy

  1. Broad and educational keywords: Focus on generic terms related to your industry or product, without the sales intent.

  2. Address general queries: Keywords that answer basic questions or introduce concepts.

  3. Content marketing focus: Create valuable content like blog posts, infographics, and videos to target these keywords.

  4. Avoid sales language: The aim is to inform and educate, not to sell directly.

Formula

[Informative term] + [Broad industry/Product category] + [Basic query/Need]

A quick summary

1. Understand user intent

  • BoFu is about purchasing

  • MoFu is about researching and comparing

  • ToFu is awareness and initial understanding

2. Use keyword research tools

To find keyword ideas and their search volumes, use tools like:

  • Google Keyword Planner

  • SEMrush

  • Ahrefs

3. Analyze competitors

Look at what keywords your competitors are targeting.

4. Apply formulas

Use the formulas above as a starting point, then refine based on your specific product/service and audience insights.

OK, now you’ll have a list of keywords. Perhaps a lengthy list. So, how do you know where to begin? Well you’ll need to prioritize them.

Which if you don’t know how to do, we can do for you.

And we can do advanced keyword research, and generate your blogs, and edit them, and publish them, and train your team what to do next.

Here’s our full Done-For-You service:

  1. Advanced keyword research

  2. Priority score the keywords

  3. Cluster the keywords

  4. Existing content review

  5. Market research on your business's industry and positioning

  6. 150 articles, generated by us

  7. Have a human review each article for LLM hallucinations

  8. A content optimisation plan with editing principles and guidelines

  9. A content maintenance plan so you know what to do next

  10. A training session with your internal team

  11. A Coda workflow board to store and manage your articles

FAQs

Can I do more than 150 articles?

Yes, some clients have chosen 300 and 450 articles

Can I do less than 150 articles?

Yes, but we don’t recommend it. We usually see things pick up between 100 and 150 articles.

How long is the process?

It’ll take between 4 to 6 weeks. We like to under promise and over deliver so it’s more likely to be nearer the 4 weeks, but have 6 weeks in mind.

Will Google penalise me for publishing hundreds of articles at once?

No. we’ve published nearly 400 articles in one week on the Penfriend blog and nothing bad happened. 450 in Google’s eyes is nothing. But people have tried to publish thousands of crappy AI articles per day and that’s what gets you into trouble.

Will Google penalise me for AI content?

It’s less about whether the content is generated by AI or not, and more about whether the content is useful for readers. Most AI generated articles are trash. The ones Penfriend crafts are high quality.

If you’re interested to find out more, just reply to this email to start a conversation.

Best wishes,

John, Tim, and Inge

p.s. Prices are still 30% off for our early done-for-you clients. But they’ll be rising soon.