An introduction to SEO research

If you’re new to the world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the prospect of thinking like a search engine might seem intimidating. But it’s not as complicated as it sounds. SEO research is about creating content using words and phrases that your ideal audience might use when searching online for an organization such as yours. Those words and phrases will become your keywords and you’ll want to work them into your website content to make your site searchable. Now that you know what SEO research means, you’re ready to begin defining your keywords. We suggest starting with three different lists.

1. Market defining keywords

These are the most obvious, common-sense words that come to mind when thinking about your organization. If you run a shelter for the homeless in Toronto, for example, this list might include words and phrases such as ‘ poverty in the G.T.A. ’, ‘ homelessness in Toronto ’ and ‘hunger on the streets of Toronto’.  

2. Customer defining keywords

These are the words and phrases that focus on your audience, customer or donor base. If the homeless shelter is seeking volunteers, some of the customer defining keywords might be ‘volunteers in Toronto’; ‘help the homeless’ or ‘volunteering at a shelter Toronto’.

3. Product or service defining keywords

These are very specific words that best describe your organization’s offerings (whether products, services or fundraising). These are the words regular people enter into a search engine when they already have a specific question in mind. If a user is searching for homeless shelters, for example, your product/service keywords might include the following: ‘homeless shelter’, ‘temporary home Toronto’ ‘support for homeless’. These three types of keywords are a good way to organize your thoughts when doing your SEO research. But it doesn’t stop there. For example, if you can’t think of many customer defining keywords, that is a sign that you need more insight into your target users and what they would type into a search engine. Once you have carefully selected your keywords, it’s time to put them to good use as part of your sophisticated SEO strategy.