Keyword Research For Different Types Of Websites
Every type of website requires a different approach to keyword analysis. Online stores focus on transactional phrases with high purchase intent, while corporate blogs emphasize educational content and authority building.
E-commerce Keyword Research Specifics:
- Product phrases with modifiers like “buy,” “price,” “store,” “cheap”
- Brand and model-specific keywords for particular products
- Comparison queries like “best,” “ranking,” “reviews”
- Long-tail phrases describing specific product features
Approach For Service-Based Websites:
- Keywords related to problems the company solves
- Informational phrases leading to consultations or quotes
- Local queries with city and neighborhood names
- Keywords related to the service provider selection process
Corporate websites require a hybrid strategy – combining educational elements with subtle sales signals. The key is understanding the buying journey in each industry and matching keywords to every stage of the customer decision process.
Seasonality And Keywords
Many industries experience significant fluctuations in keyword popularity throughout the year. Ignoring seasonality can lead to wasting budget on optimizing irrelevant phrases or missing opportunities to capitalize on peak interest.
Seasonal trend analysis starts with examining historical search data. We identify periods of growth and decline for key phrases. Based on this, we plan content calendars and SEO activities.
Examples Of Seasonality In Different Industries:
- E-commerce – increased gift queries before holidays, sales searches in January
- Travel – vacation planning in spring, winter trip bookings in fall
- Finance – tax preparation early in the year, budget planning in December
- Education – enrollment before the academic year, professional courses in September
An effective strategy considers not just current trends, but also anticipates future changes. Content for seasonal phrases should be prepared in advance, so the site is ready for increased interest.
Local Vs. Global Keywords
The choice between local and global strategy depends on business nature and expansion goals. Service companies typically start with local dominance, gradually expanding reach. Online stores can immediately target national or international markets.
Local keywords contain geographic names – cities, neighborhoods, and regions. They have lower competition but also smaller search volumes. For many businesses, this is the ideal solution because they attract high-intent traffic from people in the immediate area.
Strategy For Local Phrases:
- Including city names in the main keywords
- Optimization for “near me” and “nearby” queries
- Leveraging Google My Business and local directories
- Content about local events and market specifics
Global phrases offer greater traffic potential but require more resources and time to achieve high rankings. Competition is significantly higher, making a thorough analysis of opportunities and domain authority building essential.
Negative Keywords In SEO
While SEO doesn’t have a direct equivalent to negative keywords from Google Ads, there are phrases better avoided in positioning strategy. These are queries that might attract wrong traffic or harm the site’s image.
We avoid optimizing for phrases that might mislead users about our business nature. If we run a premium product store, positioning for keywords related to the cheapest products might attract customers with inappropriate price expectations.
Some phrases might generate traffic but have low conversion. These are queries that are too general, unrelated to purchase intent, or from users seeking free solutions. It’s better to focus resources on phrases with greater business potential.
Common Keyword Research Mistakes
The most common mistake is focusing solely on search volume without analyzing competition and realistic positioning possibilities. A high-volume phrase might be unattainable for a new site, while less popular keywords could quickly bring measurable results.
Typical Keyword Analysis Mistakes:
- Ignoring search intent and content alignment
- Optimizing for overly broad phrases unrelated to specific offerings
- Lack of search results analysis – what Google actually shows
- Focusing only on single-word phrases instead of long queries
- Omitting brand and company-related keywords
- Lack of regular monitoring and strategy updates
Another mistake is copying competitor strategies without adapting to your own capabilities and goals. Every company has unique resources, strengths, and target audiences. Keyword strategy should reflect this.
Educational content builds authority and helps position more difficult commercial phrases. An effective strategy combines different query types into a cohesive whole.
