Finding Niche Keywords
Launching a new website is part of testing out a new idea.
That is only half the battle, however, as once a site is launched it is imperative to drive both traffic and conversions through the site; this is encapsulated by multiple different disciplines:
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Landing Page Design
- CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization)
The advantage of SEO vs. Paid Ads is that while it is likely to take longer to generate results than Paid Ads, it can be done at a much lower cost and create long-term, sustainable advantages if successful.
The key to SEO lies in exploring niche keywords through keyword research and generating content around those niche keywords.
Additionally, links from other websites relative to the overall ‘domain authority’ help create expertise in the space and get ranked in the search engines.
Once a site is ranked on the first page on the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page), traffic is generated on an exponentially higher basis as rankings increase from #10 all the way up to #1, with the top 3 results driving the lion’s share of clicks.
‘Dominating a niche’ is a common strategy in the entrepreneurial/startup world; similarly, it can be applied into the world of testing a new idea through a combination of web design, SEO and other efforts.:
- Create a simple website using Webflow or WordPress
- Automate aspects of Web Design using new ‘AI’ tools like 10Web (WordPress) and others
- Create SEO content in the form of blog posts, videos, etc. and post it
- Automate aspects of SEO using new ‘AI’ tools like Drafthorse, ReWord, etc.
- Test different Landing Page designs and leverage CRO services like Heatmap, etc.
- Engage in outbound Link Building strategies to increase ranking and boost SEO
- Test and build funnels to convert organic traffic into leads, talk to new customers
SEO Keyword Research
Starting with tools like SEMRush, find keywords that can be exploited relative to an overall category. SEMRush enables limited functionality in the ‘free’ account, but enough to do some basic research on certain keywords.
Example – Niche Keywords
SEMRush
KD (Keyword Difficulty) represents the difficulty of achieving first-page results – the higher the percentage, the more resources/skill/luck it will take to rank on those terms. We can see, for example, that ‘DIY raised bed gardening‘ is extremely difficult to rank on.
By filtering these results based around keyword difficult and playing around with different permutations of the same cluster of keywords, opportunities start to emerge. Those keywords can then be used in content (URL, Title, Headers) and will be likely to rank much quicker than those keywords with a higher difficulty.
Additional Keyword Research Tools
Google Keyword Planner – part of the Google Ads platform, Keyword Planner can be used to explore search volume around keywords commonly associated with a given website, or gain insights into volume forecasts to see what keywords may perform better in the future. Google Keyword Planner is a free tool as long as a Google Ads account is setup.
Low Fruits – as the name implies, Low Fruits is a fantastic tool for trying to find the ‘low hanging fruit’ associated with certain keywords. Based on their own branding, they are after ‘high intent, long-tail searches.’ Even with a free account, a lot of value can be extracted to find keyword clusters for new businesses or ideas. Free accounts get 10 credits, enabling anyone to search several possible keywords on the ‘KWFinder’ tool for free.
Why target zero-volume keywords in SEO?
All tools out there have data from search engines that is delayed. Something with zero volume today, can have tons of traffic tomorrow just because keyword tools give false positives or inaccurate results.
Keyword.cyou – keyword research
SEO Link Building
Also using SEMRush, find opportunities to build links in a given domain.
Example – Link Building Tool
SEMRush
With an existing website, tools like ‘Link Building Tool’ on SEMRush can be used to help automate the search process of finding possible sites to get Backlinks (they link to your site). The process can also be done manually by looking for websites or blogs in a given niche.
The best targets at the beginning are typically smaller more niche sites. Sites with a higher DA (Domain Authority) carry a much larger weight within the SERPS, and as such will be much harder to get links for.
Once a list of potential Link Building targets has been established, the outbound process of contacting Owners/Admins/Bloggers to try and get a link can begin. Be prepared for rejection and hard fought battles just to get one ‘free’ link at the outset.
There are, of course, ways to pay for certain Backlinks to jumpstart the process. This can be a slippery slope, however, and needs to be done carefully.
Backlinks can be viewed on platforms like SEMRush, Google Search Console and others. Watch out because many times when a certain brand or webpage is growing, bad actors will attach content to those websites and index it. Known as ‘Toxic Backlinks,’ they can greatly undermine SEO efforts.
SEO Content Creation
There are different ways to create content that will rank on the Google+ SERPs, but the most basic form is a blog of some kind. This tends to be why many who are building a site/brand with the express purpose of SEO tend to lean towards WordPress.
When starting out a new niche site or brand, many start creating content and sharing it widely to try and generate organic interest in their topic or brand.
‘Content’ can encapsulate many different types of media these days. But in the world of SEO, written content is still king for the purposes of indexing on search engines. Viral video posts on social networks don’t typically count for SEO purposes.
Multiple blog posts should be created, indexed, and promoted to try and rank around certain keywords.
In this instance, where dominating a niche is the goal, content should be targeted around low KD (Keyword Difficulty) clusters of keywords in order to try ranking on page 1 as quickly as possible.
In the ‘AI Era’ there will be tools like Drafthorse.AI, ReWord, and others that can be used to help scale-up content; however, there will always need to be a mix between volume and creative, handmade content to rank at the top on certain keywords.
AI Content Creation Tools for SEO
Drafthorse.AI – scalable, automated platform that charges per article based on keywords inputted. Exportable to WordPress, Webflow, and other platforms. Free Tier available to test.
10Web.io – build a WordPress website (based on Elementor theme) in minutes based on an automated flow to get basic website around a typical business theme such as agency, consultancy, etc. Free Trial available to test.
ReWord – in contrast to more pSEO (programmatic SEO) tools that aim for instant scale, ReWord helps writers produce articles in the same style and voice using data from Google Search Console. Basically, it is a tool to add the human touch to the ‘AI Writing’ process. Free Trial available to test.
SEO Analytics Tools For a New Landing Page
Once you decide to spin something up on WordPress/Webflow/Carrd or others, there is a general checklist to measure traffic and quickly identify new opportunities:
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Scroll Tracking using Google Analytics
- Manually index new links created on Console (ie. new pages, blog posts, etc.)
- Begin outbound Link Building process and/our buy Backlinks
Start with a landing page or an idea to target a niche, launch it, track relevant data on it, and iterate as you go.
SEO Strategy and ‘Future Focus’ Posts
Search Engine Business Model Vision
Summary – Google is by far the dominant search engine (> 90% market share worldwide), but there are certain “threads” that may change the picture going forward. One of which is the emergence of Tiktok and other Video Networks, and the younger generations new behaviors of searching for products and services on those platforms
Summary – different keywords have different intent. In relation to mainstream market verticals, there is a % of consumers who are ready to buy, there are many who are ‘just looking’ and there are many who want information. These different ‘buyer modes’ are important to understand for any type of commercial keyword strategy, as conversion rates will be greatly affected if the right profile of buyers are targeted efficiently.
Social Commerce Trend – next SEO targetting opportunity?
Summary – in many cases, search trends are starting on Tiktok after a video goes viral. The viral views translate into an instant boost on the search engines for a given traffic term. Indexing content from video networks based on viral views presents a new opportunity given the coming boom in social commerce in Western markets