
23/10/2024
Question-02
What Are The Best Practices For Keyword Research In Competitive Niches"
Hey there! Let me share what I've learned doing SEO for competitive niches over the past few years. Trust me, keyword research can get pretty wild when everyone's fighting for the same spots 😅
Here's what actually works (not just the basic stuff everyone talks about):
🔍 First up - Spy on Your Competitors (but smartly)
- Drop their URLs into Ahrefs or SEMrush (I prefer Ahrefs for this)
- Look for keywords they're ranking for but aren't really optimizing for - that's your gold mine
- Pay attention to their featured snippets - sometimes they get these by accident, and you can swoop in
💡 Content Gaps Are Your Best Friend
- Find stuff your competitors missed
- Look for keywords where big brands rank with crappy content
- Check Reddit and Quora for real questions people ask - nobody does this anymore!
🎯 Long-tail Keywords Still Work (but differently now)
I've noticed something interesting - while everyone fights over "best running shoes," you can own phrases like "best running shoes for restaurant workers with flat feet." Not sexy, but it pays the bills!
Here's what I actually do in my process:
1. Start Broad, Then Get Weird
- Pick your main topic
- Use tools to expand it
- Look for the unusual angles
- Find the questions nobody's answering well
2. Check Search Intent (but don't obsess)
- Google the keyword
- Look at what's ranking
- Ask yourself: "Could I make something way better than this?"
3. Quick Filters I Use:
- Volume: Don't ignore low volume if buying intent is high
- Competition: Check who's ranking, not just the metrics
- SERP features: Featured snippets = opportunity
🚫 What Not to Do (learned these the hard way):
- Don't chase just high-volume keywords - I wasted months doing this
- Don't ignore keywords just because tools show high competition
- Don't copy competitor keyword strategies blindly
Pro Tip: I've found mixing commercial and informational keywords works better than focusing on just one type. Like, if you're selling coffee machines, target both "best coffee machine under $200" AND "how to clean coffee machine naturally" - the second one often converts better!
Remember, SEO tools can lie sometimes. I found some of my best-performing keywords just by talking to customers and checking my Google Search Console data.
What's your niche? I might be able to give you more specific tips!
Drop a comment below 👇