When it comes to getting noticed online, everything starts with a seed keyword. A seed keyword is a basic idea or word that sums up your business or content. It’s the starting point for finding the right keywords for your website, blog, or ads so people can find you more easily on search engines.
In this article, we’ll explain seed keywords, why they matter, and how you can use them to boost your online presence.
Seed Keywords at a Glance
- Seed keywords are primary, broad terms directly relevant to your niche, which is the foundation for developing a targeted keyword strategy.
- Examples of seed keywords for a digital marketing agency include digital marketing, SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, online advertising, PPC, email marketing, web design, marketing strategy, and branding.
- They help you establish a foundational keyword strategy, influence content creation and SEO strategies, and understand market language and customer needs.
- To find seed keywords, brainstorm basic industry-related terms and analyze what your competitors are ranking for.
What Are Seed Keywords?
Seed keywords are the primary words or phrases that capture the essence of your website’s content. They are typically short, broad terms highly relevant to your niche or industry, also known as short-tail keywords.
For example, if you run a bakery, your seed keywords might be “bread,” “pastries,” “baked goods,” and “cake.” These terms are the starting point from which you’ll find longer and more specific keywords like the best baked goods shop in California.
Why Are Seed Keywords Important?
Seed keywords are crucial because they lay the foundation for a comprehensive keyword strategy. Here’s why they matter:
- Starting Point: they help you identify the core topics and themes related to your business or niche.
- Keyword Expansion: they serve as a base for generating related keywords and phrases through keyword research tools.
- Content Creation: they guide content creation by focusing on what terms your audience is likely searching for.
- SEO Strategy: they are essential for optimizing your website’s SEO, helping to improve your site’s visibility and relevance in search engine results.
Let’s discuss these in more detail.
1. Starting Point
Seed keywords can help you develop a comprehensive online presence strategy that supports growth and customer engagement. You’ll use them to identify your core market and understand your potential customers’ language. This is crucial for aligning product offerings with market needs.
For example, if you run a small bakery, your seed keywords might be “bakery” or “cupcakes.” By researching these terms, you might discover a high demand for “vegan cupcakes” in your area, which would guide you to introduce vegan options to your menu.
2. Keyword Expansion
When using keyword research tools, seed keywords serve as the initial input. These tools then generate a list of keywords, variations, and phrases based on these seed terms. This process helps uncover new keywords that you didn’t consider earlier and expand your initial keyword list.
Seed keywords help you discover long-tail keywords, which are longer and more specific phrases. These keywords often have lower competition and higher conversion rates. Starting with broad seed keywords allows you to drill down into niche topics and questions your audience might have.
3. Content Creation
Seed keywords can also guide your content structure. Knowing the primary keywords allows you to plan your headings, subheadings, and overall content architecture in an optimized way for both search engines and user experience.
Understanding the seed keywords your target audience uses also gives insights into their needs, challenges, and preferences. This enables you to tailor your content to address those specific points, thereby making your content more appealing and relevant to your intended audience.
4. SEO Strategy
Your choice of seed keywords directly influences your SEO strategy, affecting everything from site structure and information architecture to the specific types of content you create. Selecting the right seed keywords helps ensure your website is relevant and valuable to your target audience.
How to Find Seed Keywords
Now that you know why seed keywords are important, here’s how to find relevant ones that align with your website and business goals.
1. Brainstorm Basic Terms
List the words and phrases directly related to your business or industry. Think about how you would explain your business to someone who’s never heard of it. For a tech startup focused on developing innovative software solutions for small businesses, relevant words and phrases might include:
- Cloud computing
- SaaS (Software as a Service)
- Automation
- Data Analytics
- Cybersecurity
- User experience (UX)
- Scalability
- API integration
- Machine learning
- Agile development
- Customer support software
- Remote collaboration tools
2. Analyze Your Competitors
Look at your competitors’ websites and note the keywords they emphasize, especially those in headlines, product descriptions, and meta titles.
- Competitor Analysis: Look at what keywords your competitors are using. Keyword tracking tools like Keyword.com and Seobility can help you identify which keywords are driving traffic to their sites.
- Use Keyword Research Tools: Tools like Ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic, and Google Keyword Planner can help you find popular search terms related to your seed keywords.
To find seed keywords with AnswerThePublic, visit the website and type in a seed keyword related to your topic in the search bar. For example, if your topic is “gardening,” enter “gardening.” Then, choose the appropriate region and language for your audience to get more relevant results. Next, press the search button to generate keyword suggestions.
AnswerThePublic will display a visual map of questions, prepositions, and comparisons related to your seed keyword. These are grouped into categories such as “what,” “how,” “can,” “are,” and “will.” Browse through the results to identify relevant keywords. You can also download the data as a CSV file for further analysis.
3. Analyze Search Intent
Search intent refers to the underlying purpose behind a user’s search query. Understanding search intent helps you determine why people are searching for specific terms — are they looking for information, trying to make a purchase, or seeking a particular service?
By analyzing search intent, you can uncover seed keywords that align with what your audience is genuinely seeking. For example, suppose you identify that users searching for “best running shoes” are primarily looking to purchase. In that case, you can target keywords like “buy running shoes online” or “affordable running shoes” to attract potential buyers.
Conversely, suppose users searching for “how to start running” are looking for information. In that case, you can focus on creating content around “beginner running tips” or “running for beginners” to meet their informational needs.
4. Analyze Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
Enter your potential seed keywords into search engines and review the results. Look at the commonalities in the top results, including the types of content (blogs, product pages, articles) and the aspects they cover. This can give you clues about the intent behind the keywords and additional seed keyword ideas.
5. Utilize Social Media and Forums
Platforms like Reddit, Quora, and industry-specific forums can be gold mines for discovering how your target audience talks about your niche. Look for recurring terms and phrases in discussions about your industry or products.
Learn more: How to research topics on Reddit and Quora for SEO
How to Develop Your Seed Keywords List
Now that you’ve gathered some potential seed keywords, it’s time to refine and develop your list. Here are some tips:
- Search Volume: look for keywords with a decent search volume. While you don’t need to target the highest-volume keywords, those with low search volumes might not bring much traffic.
- Relevance: ensure your seed keywords are highly relevant to your business and the content you plan to create.
- Specificity: while seed keywords are generally broad, ensure they’re not too vague. “Bread” is a better seed keyword than “food” for a bakery.
- Competition: consider the competition for each keyword. Highly competitive keywords can be challenging to rank for, especially if you’re just starting.
The seed keyword “digital marketing services” is highly competitive for a new digital marketing agency due to the vast number of established companies targeting it. A better alternative could be “local digital marketing agency,” which is less competitive and more specific. This would increase your chances of ranking higher and attracting relevant local SEO clients.
Related: What’s the difference between search volume, difficulty, and intent?
How to Use Seed Keywords for Content Creation
Below is how you can use your seed keywords to create content that drives traffic and engages your audience:
- On-Page SEO: incorporate your seed keywords into your on-page SEO elements. This includes the title tag, meta description, headings, and throughout the content. However, avoid keyword stuffing. Your content should read naturally.
- Topic Ideas: use your seed keywords to generate topic ideas. For instance, if one of your seed keywords is “bread,” you could create content around “how to bake sourdough bread,” “the benefits of whole grain bread,” or “10 delicious bread recipes.”
- User Experience: always focus on providing value to your readers. Your content should be informative, engaging, and easy to read. Happy readers are more likely to share your content and come back for more.
- Content Clusters: create content clusters around your seed keywords. A content cluster is a group of related articles or blog posts that link back to a central pillar page. This strategy helps improve your site’s structure and boosts SEO.
For instance, for the seed keyword “digital marketing,” you could create a content cluster with related articles such as “SEO Best Practices,” “Social Media Strategies,” “Email Marketing Tips,” and “Content Marketing Ideas.” Each of these articles would link back to a central pillar page titled “Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing,” creating a comprehensive and interlinked resource for users.
Learn more: What is keyword clustering and how do you do it?
How to Monitor Your Seed Keyword Strategy
Keyword monitoring is a continuous process. Monitor how your seed keywords and their variations are performing. To do this effectively:
- Track Rankings: use a tool like Keyword.com to track your keyword performance in different locations. Look for trends and patterns over time.
- For example, suppose you notice a consistent increase in searches for “remote work tools” during the beginning of the week. In that case, this pattern suggests that businesses and professionals are actively seeking these solutions as they plan their workweek. This insight can help you tailor your content and marketing strategies to align with this trend.
- Analyze Traffic: monitor the traffic coming to your site from your seed keywords. Are specific keywords driving more traffic than others? Are there any new keywords that are starting to gain traction?
- Adjust Content: based on your analysis, adjust your content strategy. If specific keywords perform well, consider creating more content around those topics. If some keywords aren’t performing as expected, identify why and make necessary changes.
- Stay Updated: SEO is an ever-evolving field. Stay updated with the latest trends, algorithm changes, and best practices. This will help you keep your SEO strategy effective and up to date.
Enjoyed reading this? Check out other articles from Nadiah and Impossible Marketing to improve your SEO performance.