How can you effectively conduct keyword research for a new publishing project?

1 Define your goals

Before you start looking for keywords, you need to have a clear idea of what your publishing project is about, who your target audience is, and what you want to achieve with your content. Your goals will guide your keyword research and help you focus on the most relevant and valuable terms. For example, if your goal is to create an online magazine about travel, you might want to target keywords related to destinations, tips, experiences, and trends.

2 Brainstorm seed keywords

Seed keywords are the main terms that describe your topic, niche, or industry. They are the starting point for your keyword research, as they help you generate more specific and long-tail keywords later. To brainstorm seed keywords, you can use your own knowledge, your competitors' websites, your existing content, or online tools like Google Trends or AnswerThePublic. For example, some seed keywords for a travel magazine might be: travel, vacation, trip, adventure, or tourism.

3 Expand your keyword list

Once you have your seed keywords, you can use various tools and methods to expand your keyword list with more relevant and specific terms. Some of the most common tools are keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Moz Keyword Explorer, or Ahrefs Keywords Explorer. These tools can help you find variations, synonyms, questions, and related keywords based on your seed keywords. They can also provide you with useful metrics like search volume, difficulty, and click-through rate. For example, if you enter the seed keyword "travel" in Google Keyword Planner, you might get suggestions like: travel deals, travel insurance, travel blog, or travel guide.

4 Analyze your keyword list

After you have expanded your keyword list, you need to analyze it and select the best keywords for your publishing project. The best keywords are those that match your goals, your audience's intent, and your content's value proposition. They should also have a good balance between high search volume, low competition, and high relevance. To analyze your keyword list, you can use the metrics from the keyword research tools, as well as your own judgment and common sense. For example, if you are creating a travel magazine for budget travelers, you might want to choose keywords like: cheap travel destinations, travel hacks, or best travel credit cards.

5 Organize your keyword list

Once you have selected your best keywords, you need to organize them into groups or categories based on their topic, intent, or type. This will help you structure your content and create a clear and coherent editorial plan. You can use spreadsheets, mind maps, or online tools like Trello or Asana to organize your keyword list. For example, you might group your keywords into categories like: destinations, tips, reviews, or stories.

6 Implement your keyword list

The final step is to implement your keyword list into your content creation and optimization process. This means using your keywords strategically and naturally in your titles, headings, body text, meta tags, images, and links. You should also monitor and measure your keyword performance and adjust your strategy accordingly. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or Moz Pro to track your keyword rankings, traffic, and conversions. For example, you might use the keyword "cheap travel destinations" in your title, H1 tag, and introduction, and then link to other relevant articles or pages within your website.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?