Lawyer Keyword Research in West Virginia

Keywords are terms that people search for on Google or other search engines to find services, information and entertainment. From a business owner or web developer perspective, keywords signify the potential website traffic to a given search term.

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Put simply, a keyword research report tells you:

1. what people search for
2. how many searches per month
3. how competitive is it to organically list a website to appear for the search
4. how costly is it to pay for a website to appear for the search

Keywords are used to inform website copy and page structure, so that Google algorithms understand the page and choose to deliver it to a potential searcher.

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It is important to align your website copy and structure with the way your customers use search engines. For example, people searching for HVAC services may search “HVAC in Example City” or “HVAC Repair”. By creating separate pages for each specific service or geographic area, a HVAC company can align with these types of searches, increasing the chances customers find their business.

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Another common example for keyword research is in organic content generation for blogs or learning centers. These collections target more specific terms related to your service offerings. Each page serves one specific keyword, providing advice, tips and tools for potential customers, while directing them to other relevant pages on your site. When done properly, this content increases brand awareness, organic lead generation and client satisfaction.

Search intent refers to the underlying purpose or goal a user has when entering a search query into a search engine. It represents what the user is trying to accomplish or the information they are seeking through their search.

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Understanding search intent is crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) and content creation because it helps ensure that the content you provide aligns with what users are looking for. There are generally four main types of search intent:

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Informational Intent: The user is seeking information or answers to a question. For example, searching for "how to bake a cake" or "What is the capital of France?".

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Navigational Intent: The user is looking for a specific website or webpage. For instance, searching for "Facebook login" or "YouTube".

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Transactional Intent: The user intends to complete a transaction, such as making a purchase, signing up for a service, or downloading a file. Examples include searches like "buy iPhone 12" or "download Microsoft Office".

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Commercial Intent: The user is researching or comparing products or services before making a decision. Examples include searches like "best laptop under $1000" or "reviews of iPhone 12".

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By considering the intent behind search queries, businesses can tailor their content and SEO strategies to better meet the needs of their target audience. This can lead to higher search engine rankings, increased website traffic, and ultimately more conversions or sales.

Cost per click (CPC) refers to the amount paid to the search engine each time someone clicks on their ad. Google Ads is a live auction, with businesses bidding for your attention. The amount any business pays for a given click is determined by what they bid and the keyword alignment of the searched term and the ad and website copy.

Paid ad managers create separate landing pages and ad copy that target specific keyword formulations in order to reduce the cost per click of their campaigns. They may also increase their bid amount relative to the auction for specific keywords with a history of converting high quality leads.

Keyword competitiveness is determined by the quantity, quality and trustworthiness of existing website pages targeting the given keyword. The higher the competitive score, the harder it is to get website traffic from that keyword. 

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Some keywords are too common, short in length or multiplicative in meaning, resulting in thousands of pages targeting the word. Some keywords have fewer competitors, but are from trustworthy sources such as university or government websites. 

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Any keyword’s competitiveness should be viewed in relation to the existing domain authority, or trust score, of the website trying to rank for it. A good rule is to go after keywords with a difficulty less than 2 times your domain authority. For example, a new website with low trust of  less than 15 domain authority, should only go after keywords lower than a 30 competitiveness score. 

Selecting good keywords is a process of aligning your current competitive position with the potential keyword options in the market. It requires software tools to pull the data, strategic filtering and searching of possible keywords, followed by multiple rounds of comparing keyword options to find the optimal fit of traffic and competition. 

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To select good keywords, you should compare them according to:

• Monthly search volume
• Keyword difficulty in relation to your domain authority
• Cost per click for paid search

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Once chosen, the keyword can be used to target a website page for organic or paid search. Keep in mind that the page should:

• Align with the intent of the keyword
• Use the keyword in titles, headings, image captions, etc.