It’s our view that your website should be working for you. In fact, your website should be your hardest working resource.
If you’re building a new website or putting an SEO strategy in place for a small business, it can be hard to get started.
Often your web designer will begin working on a design that suits your brand using placeholder copy. Then they’ll ask “so what content are you putting on these pages?”
By this point, the design can dictate the content. Even worse, the keywords that represent your small business can end up becoming an afterthought.
Do you want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a website that looks beautiful, features extensive and expensive blog content, only to have to spend more money to get people to see it? There’s a better way…
“Demand first” keyword research
We like to call our process demand first keyword research. We only want you to create pages or blog posts that people are actively looking for.
Use your products and services as a starting point, then investigate the terms customers use. Combine that search demand with your knowledge of the audience: the questions they ask, the problems you solve and the reasons they choose you.
From a keyword list to a content plan
A useful keyword research service connects the research to pages you can actually publish or improve. A long list of terms is only an input. You also need to understand the intent behind each search and decide which page can answer it.
Review your current website and competing pages. Group closely related searches, look for gaps and identify long-tail queries that reveal a specific need. Then decide whether the answer belongs on a service page, product page, category or article.
What a useful research deliverable contains
Page or article titles
Primary keyword/topic of each page or article
Primary keyword volume
Secondary keyword/sub-topics of each page or article
Permalink structure
Recommended word counts, based on:
keyword volume
strength of your competitors
word count of the top 10 Google results (looking at what is already ranking)
A suggested word count is a planning aid, not a target to pad towards. The page should answer the question well and give readers the evidence or detail they need. Record a reason for creating each page, its intended audience and the next action it supports.
Pair the spreadsheet with content guidelines and a checklist for writers. Explain the brief, voice, sources, internal links and review process so the research survives the handover to production.
Putting the research to work
Very clear and helpful!
Thanks to a very clear spreadsheet detailing each page and blog post, my content plan resembles that of a seasoned SEO professional, without spending any time on research myself.
With helpful references and style guides included, I was able to delegate the content to my writer with minimal work on my part.
I’ve saved a lot of time from this service, but most importantly I’m confident that my business is now producing content correctly.
Harry Morton
Founder, Lower Street
How to evaluate keyword research companies
Ask how the provider distinguishes search intent, deals with overlapping pages and prioritises opportunities. Look for a page-by-page plan with useful explanations, rather than a volume-sorted export. The research should reflect your products, customers and resources.
Once the research is ready, map the keywords to content. Review existing pages before commissioning more: some opportunities are best handled through content optimization.
Turn the findings into a stronger website
If technical issues are holding your site back, our Technical SEO Audit & Fix service takes the work from diagnosis through implementation. For earned media coverage and editorial backlinks, explore our managed digital PR service.