Choosing the right keywords is possibly the most important step of my campaign. If I go too broad the competition is likely to be very high and conversions low. If I go too long-tail I risk not getting enough organic traffic. Using the Google Adwords keyword tool  will help me identify better keywords later.

SEOmoz and SEO Book both have keyword research tools, but perhaps the most valuable is the SEOmoz How to Do Keyword Research tutorial. In a post linked from the tutorial, Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz breaks down some key metrics of keywords, such as the Search Demand Curve below.

I definitely recommend reading the guides from SEOmoz in full, but I’m going to paraphrase a little. Before I start researching keywords I need to think about my goals. What is it that I want this site to do?

Choose keywords by identifying your objective.

The ultimate goal of my website is to drive new consulting and training customers.

How?

I need to increase my visibility on the web, especially where it matters (more on this later).

How?

Build strong relationships with other online marketers.

How?!

I need to build up my authority on the subject matter that interests them and I need to be real (more on this later).

How?!!

My website needs to answer questions that are being asked by the community and by potential customers.

OMG How?!!

Begin research into what people are really asking about and develop my content around those ideas.

What are people searching for?

Maybe a better question is “how are people searching for what I offer?” Google auto suggest is an excellent starting point to identify search phrases related to your topic that you may not have thought of.

This is a good start, but I want to see more data. Ubersuggest takes this idea of using auto suggest to the next level. Using the query * seo consultant, Ubersuggest returns the following phrases that people are searching for on Google:

See the keywords: Round 1 Keyword List

Identify Searcher Intent

Next I take the bold words and identify who may be searching for these terms. If you’re like me, the wheels are turning as I go through this list, which I’ve narrowed down below:

See the keywords: Round 2 Keyword List

Identify Potential Resources as Content

I believe I can create resources for most if not all of these terms, but I want to write for my primary audience first. I also want to think about the intent of each query, as Google might. Beyond just the words, what is it this searcher is looking to accomplish?

The phrases in bold above may be more relevant to someone looking to start or advance their career in SEO as opposed to someone looking for a consultant. Training is part of my ultimate conversion, but I want to be hired as a consultant first and foremost.

Here is my new list of potential key phrases.

seo consultant wordpress
seo consultant for hire
seo consultant wordpress
seo consultant for hire
seo consultant articles
ethical seo consultant
real estate seo consultant
ecommerce seo consultant
seo consultant for hire
seo consultant for small business
qualities good seo consultant
google authorized seo consultant
white hat seo consultant
reasons hire seo consultant
joomla seo consultant
seo consultant list
local seo consultant
law firm seo consultant
seo consultant nj
seo consultant nonprofit
seo consultant new jersey
cost of seo consultant
responsibilities of seo consultant
questions ask seo consultant
qualities good seo consultant
seo consultant interview questions
seo consultant responsibilities
seo consultant real estate
freelance seo consultant rates
seo consultant skills
seo consultant small business
seo consultant wordpress
why hire seo consultant

I really feel like this phrase “seo consultant responsibilities” is something that is both important and something I can create a resource around. Back to Ubersuggest I go to see what else I can uncover about search behavior for this phrase.

Next time I’ll go through my content creation process for this term and measure my return. Thanks for reading!