Amid the pandemic, people started shifting their lives online. And it’s a trend that seems likely to continue even after we move on from Covid-19. The boom in online shopping is here to stay. But as we continue to recover from a recession, consumer behavior can also shift unpredictably.
More than ever, the internet is a powerful tool to connect with consumers. Understanding how they come across your website starts with analyzing the keywords they use. And this can give you a wealth of potential information about your audience to help improve your business and adjust to changing consumer behaviors.
Getting acquainted
When you’re just starting a business, you might not always be able to afford an in-house marketing professional. The task of establishing and optimizing your online presence could be subcontracted to someone else.
That person might know the ins and outs of digital marketing but not be well-acquainted with the workings of your business. Thus, it’s also a good idea for someone on your team to become more familiar with this aspect of doing business online.
Keywords operate at the interface between human users and the technology that powers the online experience. When you want to look up something online, you type keywords into an app on your device and hit search. In most cases, this is done using a browser and Google. The search engine then uses its own algorithms to dynamically generate a list of websites related to the input string used.
Digital marketers try to leverage both the human and technological aspects of this process. On the machine side of things, how do search engines (predominantly Google, but there are others to consider) determine relevance?
They also need to understand human behavior. What motivates a person to search for a specific set of keywords? And out of the list of websites returned, what makes them open a particular site and spend time there?
Understanding motivations
There are many tools available to help you dig deeper into keywords and analyze web traffic. You can explore Google Analytics, but you can leave the in-depth work to your designated marketing specialist. What matters is that you have a good overview of how the process works.
This will help you to gain more value out of the insights returned by the data. Humans initiate Internet searches. They need to know something; your business will benefit from understanding those needs, as far as relevant keywords are concerned.
Consider a search string for “residential roofing.” This can be interpreted straightforwardly; someone’s home might have suffered storm damage or sprung a leak. But add a third word, “materials”, to the string, and motivation shifts. They could be a DIYer researching different options or canvassing the potential costs of a project.
Defining underlying motivations ties into the traditional marketing practice of creating personas. It helps a business to understand its ideal audience and focus on connecting with them.
And in an age of travel restrictions and social distancing, people are spending more time online than ever. Mining your keyword data for this sort of information can be a valuable additional tool for any business to know more about its best customers.
Adjusting your online content
Businesses thrive or perish based on their ability to connect with their target audience. The shift towards online activity places added emphasis on your online presence.
Across all the channels through which you engage consumers, you need to have more relevant content. And keyword insights naturally lend themselves to this effort.
If you’re getting high web traffic from a particular location, and it’s driving conversions to your business, tailoring your content to that segment can boost numbers even further. You could start using local images in your social media posts, or do a short feature on how customers in the area benefit from your products or services.
Keywords also provide an excellent starting point for content writing, podcasts, and videos. Using the relevant words for inspiration, you can come up with a piece that strategically captures the interest of a specific audience. By aligning it with what your business does, you’re leading more views towards conversions.
Finally, by taking these steps to improve your content and make your website more relevant, you’re also boosting your search engine ranking. Most people don’t browse past the first page of results, and rarely even scroll down past the top three sites returned. It’s hard to break into that space when you’re just starting, but with time and focused effort, you can get there.
