Schindler Parent > Blog > Finding keywords
Please note: This article is all about finding keywords. So please don’t be surprised if you find keywords everywhere – in all sentences and syllables throughout. That’s exactly what you were looking for and that’s exactly why you found this article. This is because we wrote it for people who are interested in precisely this topic. For you. If you need an agency or service provider to find keywords for you, in order to prepare content in a way that is suitable for your target group, then look no further. And you don’t necessarily have to read on either. You can scroll right down and click on “Contact” or simply give us a call. You know the we know our business. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here right now. That’s because we used the keywords you were looking for. How did we know that? How did we do that?
Before you can determine, – let alone find – the right keywords, the topic must first be established. Let’s say: you manufacture a certain product, like a printer. This printer is designed for a specific application: namely, for labelling products with expiry dates, EAN codes and so much more. Now, it would be obvious to use the words “printer” and “product labelling” as keywords. Unfortunately, when you search for “printer”, Google spits out no less than 45,700,000 results in the blink of an eye, and another 202,000 results for “product labelling”. With the combination of both terms, this then “only” produces a measly 104,000 results.
But now, of course, you know that not all 104,000 results can appear on the first Google page. Unfortunately, however, the vast majority of users who are looking for something very specific abandon this search before they reach the second page of Google entries. Why? This is because we are all of the opinion today that we live in the best of all possible worlds and get what we want immediately, should we only ask for it. Anyone who does not get their optimal search result on the first Google page starts a new Google search and usually applies new keywords or searches with new search terms. The days of “feeding” Google (or Bing or Yahoo, for that matter) with search terms and getting results that just popped up because they were randomly used on certain websites with a certain frequency, are over. And have been for a long time.
Many of us still remember the industry’s advent. The first step involved pages that were pointlessly populated with SEO keywords. Then pretty much all keywords were applied in all conceivable combinations – e.g. keyword research for online marketing, e.g. keyword research here, e.g. keyword research there, keyword research everywhere, for keywords, keywords, keywords. It read a bit like a Dadaist poem – only without the pleasure of performance. Even alt-tag-descriptions, which were only supposed to say what they showed, again contained keywords, keywords, keywords.
This was, of course, the opposite of Artificial Intelligence, which was on the verge of sliding into digital dementia. Essentially, it was the death of self-learning systems that were supposed to lead to ever better search results by way of constantly optimised algorithms. Anyone wanting to may curse at the notion of Google and other search engines, and insinuate (or even rightly claim) that they are spying on all of us, all the time tracing, storing, evaluating and utilising our internet habits for their own gain.
However, there is also something positive to be seen in this: Today, we find what interests us more quickly. We no longer have to go to a travel agency, we no longer have to rummage through cumbersome catalogues and we no longer have to rummage through boxes of notes in libraries: we simply find the information we want. The search results are correct. Thanks to keywords.
Little wonder – given what we know today – that pointless SEO texts are filtered out by the search engine. Today, we are at a point where continuous search engine optimisation demands keywords and SEO texts that don’t simply contain relevant keywords in a certain cluster, but rather are readable, that offer users, searchers, readers what they are looking for: a solution to a specific problem, an answer to a definitive question. Put differently: added value. And, in order to be able to offer this added value to people, there are plenty of SEO specialists out there in the corporate jungle (or in their agencies and IT companies) who work with Google Ads and Google Trends or another “Keyword Planner” to develop an SEO strategy. And this is where keyword research begins.
To put it succinctly: an art form in itself. A precise answer is a little more complex. At its core, a keyword search is a question that requires at least a fundamental understanding of human psychology and a strong sense of combinatorics. Those who only see SEO specialists as nerds are doing them an injustice. They are, to all intents and purposes, a profiler: they are a bit like a digital Philip Marlowe – the fictional Private Eye – who finds another detail wherever he looks, ultimately taking him to his conclusion. These profilers just don’t hit the streets anymore, they don’t look for clues in disreputable dives and seedy bars and they don’t visit the villas of the rich and beautiful; but depending on the topic, they still ask their questions. Although not the target groups personally. However, they do have to put themselves in their shoes. What would they be looking for? What would their research look like? What questions would they ask? What particular aspects are associated with this? Which keyword possesses a high search volume, and which keyword doesn’t. And how does Google react to the different search queries. Of course, they also use a keyword research tool for this. What’s one of those? There are numerous free keyword tools for research and, of course, keyword tools subject to a fee.
Of course, the best-known among the group are Google Keyword Planner and Google Ads – or tools such as Suggest, Ubersuggest and Hypersuggest. Especially in the case of the latter, not only keywords can be searched for, but “W-questions” can also be asked, which leads to more accurate SEO keyword combinations and, thus, to more precise search results.
Other great tools for Keyword Research (as insiders like to call it) include SEMrush and Ahrefs. Both SEMrush and Ahrefs offer the option of performing extensive keyword analyses. Due to partial differences in data inventory, it is usually sensible (from a practical standpoint) to use both tools in the course of an analysis and to take the data obtained into account. This means that you will appear a little further up again in the search results.
With perseverance, imagination and the right keyword tools. As previously said. But all this is of zero use if you are unable to identify what your Google Keyword can be, what suitable keywords there are, and which Long-Tail Keywords form the interface between the interests of a target group and the company’s product. But “Long-Tail” alone is not enough. It has to be bang-on. One way to find out is by deploying exact keyword analysis. How high is the search volume? If it concerns a high search volume, how high is the relevance to the results page? To the information? To the planning and preparation of content? To the underlying costs? And this is where the customers always come into play.
For example: we have developed a special form for those companies we work for that asks specifically what services they offer, which target groups they are looking to address, which aspects need to be considered, which keywords are already being used and what else needs to be thought of. Based on this information, we then develop a strategy that affects the structure of the entire website, including navigation – from so-called “information keywords” to “transaction keywords”. It takes into account every category of keyword, in order to increase (and generate) more targeted traffic.
At the end of the keyword analysis, the right keywords and relevant search terms are listed in the keyword finder. In a sense, they form the table of contents for all terms that lead to relevant results in search queries. Based on all these terms, we then create content sheets on a topic that users ask about with particular frequency. Our authors formulate articles that correspond exactly to these search queries. Each of these contributions forms part of those offers that can be found on the website. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle, the building blocks of which ultimately create a fascinating overall picture. And it’s also like a set of cogs, whereby one cog meshes with the other to bring about movement, to deliver information and play it out in optimal fashion. And every time this information is retrieved via Google search engine queries, and every time the search engine offered by Google or Bing or the other players registers that it has been able to help a user, and every time when using Google has led to a goal being achieved – faster, more effectively and with greater ease – the system (the search engine) becomes a little better and all search queries are answered a little more precisely, because, for example, Google uses various technical options at its disposal to classify the relevance of a target page.
As an advertising agency, we see ourselves as a link between the companies and the search engines. We combine our understanding of the client’s portfolio with the technical recommendation of specific keywords. By doing so, we succeed in providing users (those searching) with the best possible results for their website. It helps to solve problems and, simultaneously, to boost sales. All thanks to the right keyword combinations, thanks to more precise Long-Tail Keywords, thanks to greater comprehensive keyword analysis, and thanks to increasingly professional keyword research.
In this context, we then guide our customer’s customers in small steps to the websites they are looking for, whose offer corresponds better to the respective search query, whose content is prepared in a target group-oriented manner, and whose navigation is designed more intuitively – i.e. to the very buttons at the end of the rainbow that say “More info” or “Buy now”.
Of course, they provide the search engines with the crucial detailed information concerning which users were to be found where and when, and on which page. Those who don’t like them can delete their history, and those who hate them can reject or restrict them accordingly. It’s a good thing that such possibilities exist. It makes sense that a legal framework has been created to this end. And it’s still good to see that these little cookies exist, even if they annoy users in droves. Those who see it differently should perhaps try to get by without search engines, without registering any search queries, and without using all of these tools that have revolutionised our lives in the last thirty years with a force similar to that found with the invention of the printing press some 570 years prior.
All these keyword planners – and even Google Keyword Planner itself or whatever tool is being used: these services have helped to index our world to an increasing extent. This is because anything can become a search query, and anything can become a keyword. And because some keywords rank better, there is a choice via search volume. And because some keywords are in particularly high demand and/or are deemed particularly relevant for companies, there are costs that can be paid for the use of specially displayed ads. To question this mechanism is to question market mechanisms themselves. Not using this market ultimately translates into living a less comfortable life.
And it consists of the right proportion, accumulation and blend with which these keywords are shaken and stirred. In reality, this means nothing more than the notion that an article, page or website of a certain length must be created for a certain keyword, in which the terms Keyword Planner or even Google Keyword Planner must be positioned in a certain relationship to each other. Google Trends are just as much a part of it as – you guessed it – Google Search. “Search”, generally speaking, should also not be missing. Just like “search volume” and “search terms” and “search results” and “search queries” or even just “queries”. This is because that is precisely why your search has been successful.
The search engine doesn’t care whether you’ve read to this point. But if you’ve actually done just that, you shouldn’t be upset about the fact that you keep encountering certain keywords. That’s what the search volume demands. We also told you right at the beginning that we’d take you through the process in steps so that you’d know what search volume is all about, how the search-, research-, keyword- and suggestion processes need to be handled, in order that the content on the page being searched for meets the mark.
Volume alone is not enough. Why? Search volume denotes a key figure of how often a certain keyword or keyword combination is requested within a specific period of time. With this in mind, the value of a keyword can be estimated quite effectively using search volume, even if it doesn’t exclude significant fluctuations.
However, a high search volume is not the only pathway leading to perfection in digital discoverability. It’s much more important to find keywords that are as relevant as possible, but which are also blessed with a high search volume. Therefore, you shouldn’t be afraid of using keywords with low query frequency but very high relevance to your product or services for your digital business card.
With Google, of course. An additional source of help here is Google Trends, a tool that provides a great overview of each keyword that is requested with particular frequency. There are also special tools for all types of question. Sometimes, the challenges of reconciling readability and algorithm are – admittedly – quite high.
But if you’re in need of keywords for your brand communication efforts, or keywords for your products, or keywords with a high search volume, or keywords with a low search volume (but with a very high degree of relevance, i.e. mostly Long-Tails), or keywords for your website, or keywords for your employer branding, a keyword for special search queries or a keyword for outstanding search results, we’ll be happy to provide you with the right solution. The keyword that generates traffic, traffic, traffic. The keyword for tools, tools, tools. And, of course, we’ll develop suggestions for your keyword research, suggestions for your keyword search queries.
Keyword, keyword, keyword, tool, tool, tool – if your head is now spinning from all the keywords and tools: That’s something we can understand. And once again, one last time: We warned you right from the start. For us, it’s different: We’re used to this; indeed, we’re just warming up. After all, it’s our daily bread. And with that: These are precisely the tasks that we’re happy to handle for our customers. And it’s precisely these tasks that our customers are happy to let us take care of for them.
Just give it a whirl. Think about it: even if it may sound a little surprising at the end of this article: We’re not Bots (not all of us, anyway). You can talk to us quite normally (most of the time, anyway). About everything and nothing (too). But, above all, about your communication. About our website. About out online approach. Essentially, about everything.
We love to develop campaigns. We love to develop ideas. And we’re happy to help you advance. And we use very different means to achieve this. And not just questionnaires where we go in search of the right keyword. But gladly in workshops where we can get to know you and, above all, you can get to know us. Communication is always an exciting adventure and you sometimes have to wonder why it succeeds – given all the factors that have to be contemplated, in order for it to deliver.
Our success rate when it comes to communication is surprisingly frequent – and sometimes, we really smash it out of the park. Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t have been around for over 40 years. The claim we stake as the benchmark for our own performance is “Brand & Margin”. This means that the communication we develop for our customers translates into measurable success.
This could be an increase in turnover. This could be an improvement in positioning as an employer brand. And this could also be leads. On the website: then it’s measurable successes for which keywords are the key. After all, that’s what they’re called: Keywords that open doors. We’ll be happy to find the right keyword for you. Along with everything else.
More information is available from:
Michael Meier
Managing Director
michael.meier@schindlerparent.de
