Everything starts with a tiny seed, even your marketing strategies! Yes, you have to choose a seed keyword around which all your SEO efforts revolve, or you’re just wasting money and time. Selecting the right seed keyword for your niche is the breeding ground for SEO success.
Today I will tell you what seed keywords are and where you can find the right ones for your keyword strategy.
So Let’s get to work!
- What Is a Seed Keyword? Definition & Purpose
- How Do Seed Keywords Improve the Keyword Research Process?
- 7 Ways of Finding Seed Keywords for Search Engine Optimization
- Let’s call it a day!
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Seed Keyword? Definition & Purpose
Seed keywords are one or two words with high search volume which work as the cornerstone of your keyword research.
What is their purpose? From seed, keywords are born other keyword phrases to work your SEO actions. You may wonder, aren’t they the same as short-tail keywords? Hard no!
Their main difference is that a seed keyword does not allow modifiers.
Here are some examples of keyword ideas so you can see better what I’m talking about:
- Seed keyword: Dog food
- Short-tail: Food for dogs
- Long-tail keyword: Best food for small dogs
How Do Seed Keywords Improve the Keyword Research Process?
Seed keywords allow you to start your keyword research; they are the basis and inspiration point for ranking opportunities.
Remember when I explain Why keyword research is important to Design SEO Marketing Strategies? Well, a seed keyword allows you to get keyword ideas and divide them according to their category or topic to structure your SEO content better.
The search engine analyzes your website! If your content is well structured and answers the different doubts of the users, the search engine algorithms will determine that it is of quality and, therefore, will position it on the first page of the search results. It is why so many SEO experts claim that comprehensive content performs best in Google, according to Backlinko.
Seed keywords help you to comprehensively develop each topic, improve the user experience, and gain their trust, so they stay longer on your site and make you an authority in your niche.
7 Ways of Finding Seed Keywords for Search Engine Optimization
Make A List: Think About Short-Tail and Long-Tail Keywords
Let’s work out that brain!
Suppose this is the starting point for how to find seed keywords.
- First, I suggest you create a list of seed keywords that you think are relevant to your website, blog, or business.
- Then, you can come up with variations like middle-tail keywords or new long-tail keywords.
To deepen this brainstorming, you can go to the internet and see what sites like Wikipedia suggest to you as seed keywords concerning your topic.
You can even select some related URLs and examine them with the keyword research tool of your choice like SE Ranking Keyword Explorer and see what seed keywords they use, their monthly search traffic, competition, and difficulty.
If, for example, you want to offer a keto diet program, your list of seed keywords could include options like:
- Keto diet
- Keto dieting
- Keto dietician
- Ketogenic food
- Keto plan
- Keto food
Find out more about how to do your keyword research for your eCommerce step by step.
Pro Tip by Edgars
You must know your niche to start creating your seed keyword list, so I suggest you go through pages to nurture your search and find the keyword phrases related to your products or services.
Keep An Eye on Your Competitors
Studying your competitors helps you how to identify seed keywords so you know which ones generate the most traffic.
Why should you do it?
Well, you are taking advantage of your competitor’s previous research, you don’t start from scratch, and you will be able to discover a few relevant seed keywords that you probably didn’t think were relevant to your business.
Watch The SERPs Variations
If you want to be a bit, hit on Google, like everyone! The ideal place for identifying seed keywords is the first few search engine results pages. So, where can you find the inspiration you need for your seed keyword list?
Look at these suggestions!
See What People Also Ask
How to find seed keywords here? People Also Ask is a question box embedded in the organic results. These questions are related to a user’s search term; you can discover short and long-tail keywords.
In addition, the content of the answer is a summary of the page most relevant to Google and most important to users, which not only gives you seed keywords ideas but also has the value of helping you organize your content according to search intent.
Consult Related Searches
When you type a word in the search engine, related searches are those terms that Google suggests. So, for example, if you query CRM software, Google offers you that you might also be interested in “CRM meaning,” “CRM pricing,” “CRM free trial,” etc.
It becomes an excellent ally for search engine optimization because it offers you different seed keywords related to your topic of interest. Then, you pick the one that better targets your products and services.
Page Titles And Meta Descriptions
Page titles and meta descriptions are optimized web elements containing the primary keywords of a page; it’s a way to quickly know what the term or seed keyword your competitors are ranking for in the search engine is.
For example, there is evidence that Pages in Google’s top 10 results contain 65% to 85% of the keywords they’re ranking for in their title tag, according to Backlinko.
The best part? You don’t even have to open the page to see the seed keywords, as they appear immediately in the SERP as brief descriptions of what you’ll find on the site when you open it, which speeds up your search.
Check Comments, Posts, And Forum Chats
Search the sites where your audience interacts; you will be able to know what they say, what they are looking for, and what piques their interest. Like what?
Well, social media comments, the feedback they leave in blogs and related forums, and even the queries they make to the support can be handy to get seed keywords.
In each of these places, you will find comments with the doubts and interests of the users, who are the ones you are finally looking to conquer.
Let’s Take a Look At The Website’s Navigation Menus
If your objective is to position your eCommerce site, this is undoubtedly an option that you should consider. For them, you should visit the pages of the strongest competitors in your industry; by opening the menus of these sites, you will find seed keywords that can inspire your keyword research.
Also, don’t forget to check the list of categories at the top that can also be helpful.
Think About Products, Services, Or Brands!
A helpful way to find potential seed keywords is to make lists of products, services, and even brands that relate to your keywords. For example, if you offer software like Monday, some products would be CRM, Project management, and order management.
Pro Tip by Edgars
Use Google or other engines like Amazon to discover products and services related to your niche. Enter the seed keyword and the brand.
Remember that the most important thing to speed up this process of planning your SEO strategy is that you know your industry.
Use The Google Search Console Tool
This free Google tool can help you not only to map and solve those problems that limit the positioning and visibility of your website in the search engine. It also allows you to examine user queries and create your list of seed keywords based on the top results.
So why do I recommend the Google search console? Because it offers statistical data on keyword queries obtained from the millions of searches made daily.
Let’s call it a day!
Don’t forget that keywords are the bridge between you and your audience. That’s why you must select the potential seed keyword to detect the best ranking opportunities.
Do your homework! research your niche, think like your buyer persona, make lists, use the keyword research tool to get seed keyword ideas, etc. In short, use all available resources to ensure you create a solid keyword strategy.
If you have questions about seed keyword definition or how to identify seed keywords, please let me know in the comments!
Frequently Asked Questions
Short-tail keywords are keywords phrases composed of two terms or less. For example: “Chinese food” or “delivery service.” A Short-tail keyword has a higher search volume and difficulty index.
To create your keyword list, you need to research and know your industry, think about who your buyer persona is, and start generating seed keywords related to your products or services. Also, think about synonyms and derivations, and use the keyword tool to help you.
A good keyword increases your chances of positioning because it has a high enough search volume to generate traffic and a lower difficulty index to give you visibility in the search engine. But because it allows you to find other keyword phrases to cover several fronts.
These are great tips for developing your SEO strategy starting with the seed keyword and building from there. Google really is a great resource as you’ve shared through their search console and the standard search engine. Amazon and even Youtube can both be helpful to see what’s popular within a specific niche. There are other overlooked gems you shared like forums and website navigation that will certainly help in creating a SEO strategy. Thank you!