Times are changing, and so are the social media and search engine algorithms today. Back in the days, websites rank by stuffing their pages with keywords.
That was before.
Businesses must now have relevant and unique content plus high-quality backlinks to stay on top of the ranking game. However, no one can deny the fact that keyword still holds one of the most significant roles in SEO.
Many tend to outsmart search engine algorithms by using synonyms, but that alone is not enough anymore.
Search algorithms are getting smarter, so it is still important to identify the best keyword opportunities out there if you want your online marketing campaigns to succeed.
Is searching for the right keywords easy?
Direct answer, NO.
Imagine yourself mining for precious gold which is buried deep within Earth. For you to get your hands on it, you will need specialized equipment, experience, and tons of patience.
Mining is a tough and grueling process. You need to exert enough effort and time to gain results. However, once you strike gold, you will see that all the time, money, and resources you’ve spent are all worth it.
The same could be said about keyword research in the world of digital marketing.
There are millions of keywords online. However, you need to identify the ones who will provide the best ranking and traffic opportunities for your marketing campaigns.
You need to dig deeper and determine the valuable ones.
It doesn’t matter if your marketing campaign is for display advertising or organic SEO. If you want profitable results from your investments, you must take keyword research seriously.
By now, you might be thinking that keyword research is highly difficult. Don’t fret because it’s not as complicated as gold mining. With the right tool, you’ll be able to find lucrative keywords that drive traffic and profit.
The Best Tool for Keyword Research
There are numerous tools that you can use for your keyword research task. Then again, keep in mind that you must equip yourself with the most effective tool to avoid wasting time and resources.
Tools are essential in content marketing and they don’t have to be paid or feature-rich to be considered useful.
For keyword research, a free tool like Ubersuggest already has everything that you will need to accomplish the job.
Now, you might be asking “why Ubersuggest?”
In this article, we will give you the key answers to that question while offering you a thorough guide to this keyword research tool.
To begin with, you don’t have to download or install anything to use Ubersuggest. All you have to do is go to their website to access the tool.
That simple.
Seed Keywords
Just like other keyword research tools, you will notice that Ubersuggest’s page has a “Look up” feature where you can enter your seed keyword.
The feature enables you to specify the platform and language so you can narrow down your research.
You don’t have to wait that long after submitting your query for the results to be generated. Surprisingly, it only takes a few seconds for Ubersuggest to show hundreds of keyword suggestions.
To give you a better view of how Ubersuggest works, let’s submit a keyword query for the term “search engine optimization.”
Upon hitting the Look Up button, you will be shown the following results.
As you can see, the seed keyword we used has yielded over 900 keyword suggestions.
Technically, Ubersuggest collects and combines keyword suggestions from Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Google Suggest.
You may opt to disable these two sources by unchecking the boxes beside them under the Keyword Suggestions option.
Now, if there’s one great thing that Ubersuggest boast of, it’s that it offers a wide selection of long-tail keyword variations from your seed keyword.
Always remember that long-tail keywords are beneficial when you’re marketing smaller brands because they are less competitive than broad terms.
Aside from keyword length, you should also pay attention to the corresponding metrics that Ubersuggest provides.
Understanding Keyword Metrics
As you noticed, the results page of Ubersuggest also shows three columns adjacent to the keyword suggestions. These columns are labeled as search volume, CPC, and competition.
Let’s try to understand the purpose of these three metrics.
Search volume is the average number of searches for a particular keyword in a month. This metric will give you a quick glimpse of how popular or profitable a keyword is.
On the other hand, cost per click or CPC represents the average amount advertisers are paying per click for targeted keywords.
Primarily, you need CPC to check the profitability or feasibility of a keyword for your paid marketing campaign.
Lastly, competition refers to the ranking difficulty of a keyword. In Ubersuggest, a keyword’s competitiveness is measured on a scale of 0.00 to 1.0.
Typically, startups and small businesses must target keywords within the 0.0 to 0.4 competitiveness range because keywords in this range provide better ranking opportunities.
Of course, marketers have different priorities when it comes to keyword research. So, depending on what metric you want to prioritize while doing your keyword research, Ubersuggest lets you sort the suggestions in ascending and descending order.
All you have to do is click on the “up” or “down” arrowheads found on the column headers.
For instance, if you want to sort the cost per click column in ascending order, just click on the “up” arrowhead.
This sorting feature alone will help you better analyze the keyword suggestions and choose the best ones for your marketing campaigns.
Refining Keyword Research
If you think that’s all Ubersuggest has to offer, brace yourself. This free keyword research tool also allows users to refine their searches further.
You will see on the left panel below the Keyword Suggestions option is the Filter Results feature.
Using this filter, Ubersuggest will be able to show you keyword suggestions that contain a specific term. As an example, let’s enter the term “keyword” in the Filter Result box.
As you can see in the sample image, the keyword suggestions were at once filtered to show the terms containing the word “keyword” only.
Another feature that Ubersuggest has is the Negative Keywords feature. This one will allow you to exclude specific terms in your research.
Excluding negative keywords are significant if you want to eliminate from the list the branded keywords already being used by your direct competitors.
For this one, let’s submit the term “search engine” as a negative keyword.
You will notice that from over 900 keyword suggestions for the seed keyword “search engine optimization,” you now only have 446 keyword suggestions after using the Negative Keywords filter.
Once you get the hang of it, you will realize that it is easier to spot the perfect keywords by filtering and sorting the keyword suggestions provided by Ubersuggest.
Once you’re done with your keyword research, you may export your list into a CSV file and save it for future use. For this one, don’t forget to select the keywords you want to be included in your report. Otherwise, you will just get a blank CSV file.
Final Thoughts
Keyword research is one of the foundations of a successful marketing campaign. If you want to strike gold, make sure that you are equipped with the right tool and knowledge.
Utilize all the features being offered by Ubersuggest. They are specifically designed to help you boost your campaigns and make your business profitable.
Hopefully, this thorough guide will help you kickstart your keyword research and marketing journey with Ubersuggest. Take advantage of the metrics that this tool offers and let it point you towards the right direction.
Always bear in mind that success only comes to those who work hard and patiently wait. Good luck in your endeavor!
