Keyword Research Basics Introduction
Are you finding it difficult driving traffic to your art gallery or artist blog?
Are you spending hours writing art blog posts that people are not reading?
Is your monthly search volume less than you are striving to generate?
If you answered yes to the questions above, the first action step you will want to take is to become familiar with some keyword research basics.
Keyword Research Overview
The emphasis on keyword research has declined over the past few years.
In the early 2000s, an online business’s primary focus was keywords and SEO.
Today, it seems as if people are not too concerned about keywords.
One reason might be due to social media and the instant gratification social media provides.
However, the quick results from social media are short-lived.
Your social media posts are lucky to have a lifespan of twenty-four hours on any social media platform.
If you have been promoting your art on your artist’s Facebook page for a few years, you have noticed a drastic drop in organic Facebook traffic.
Mark has made it clear that Facebook business pages will only be shown on a small percent of the fans’ newsfeeds.
You can only have your Facebook posts delivered to more news feeds by paying to “boost” the post.
More people might see your post, but will that strategy increase your art sales, or will you be paying for “likes” on your posts?
You will see better results focusing on search engine optimization and keyword research over time than with just a social media marketing plan.
Keyword research is still as relevant today as it was when e-commerce websites started and might even be more relevant today than ever before.
Search engine optimization and keywords are how people obtain the information they are searching for online.
A person will type in a word or phrase in a search engines search bar like Google, Bing, and Pinterest, and links to the best content relevant to their query will be displayed in the search results.
If done correctly, a keyword research strategy will drive thousands of monthly page views to your artist’s website.
That means that thousands of people will admire your artwork every month.
Online Shopping
As online shopping continues to increase, so will the competition.
Every business, large and small, will want to have a piece of the action.
Have you realized that more and more e-commerce sites are being created daily?
Have you noticed that new artists are being highlighted on Instagram and Facebook every week?
The challenge many emerging artists are facing is the challenge of building name recognition online.
You might paint the most beautiful paintings, but the question is, “How will people find you?”
It will become harder for you to entice people interested in your art as the competition grows.
According to Adobe, 2016 holiday shopping reached $91.7 billion dollars in e-commerce sales from November 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016. Total online sales growth was 11%.
The revenue generated from online sales has continued to increase yearly, and it does not look like it will slow down anytime soon.
To maximize your online presence, the keywords you use should define the content you publish on your art blog, art gallery, or social media platforms.
What Are Your Customers Searching For
Have a clear understanding of what phrases or queries your audience is using to find your product or site, and search intent is essential for the growth of your online art business.
The key phrases and questions you want to be ranked for in the search results should be the primary focus of the content on your art gallery, art blog, and social media platforms.
For example, if you paint dogs, the keyword phrases you want to write about should focus on the type of dogs you paint, the medium you use, the size of the paintings, and anything else that relates to your art business.
As you start to dig deeper into keyword research, you will discover common questions from your audience.
This information will provide you with additional content to cover, and you will become an authority on those topics in time.
The people who are visiting your art gallery will be your target audience.
Your target audience is the people who are interested in buying your products.
Keyword Research Outcome
- Every article you write will address a query from your audience.
- Every post you write will be valuable.
- In time your PageRanks will become higher in search and will increase your organic traffic.
Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research tools are available to help you discover what people are using for search.
It would not make sense to spend hours writing a post about a topic nobody searches for online.
Keyword research basics start by knowing what search terms people use to discover content related to your art business.
Free keyword research tools are available, and premium keyword research tools for keyword research.
In this post, I will focus on the free keyword research tools to help get you started.
Here is a list of the best free keyword research tools available.
Google Search Console
Keyword Research should be a part of your weekly art marketing plan.
One way for you to find what questions people are typing into search engines to find your products and site is with Google Search Console.
Google Search Console is a free tool offered by Google to help you better understand how Google indexes your sites.
In my opinion, Google Search Console is the most powerful tool you can use for SEO.
If you have not already, take the time to sign up for Google Search Console.
It is easy to do and will only take a few moments to complete.
For instructions on how to get your website on Search Console (formerly Webmaster Tools) visit Search Console Help.
Take note that it will take some time for data to be available.
Visit your Google Search Console daily until you see the reports.
The data should be available in about four or five days.
There is so much information you can gather from your Google Search Console, and it could become overwhelming at first. For today just familiarize yourself with the query data provided.
To locate the query data, sign in to your Google console, click the Search Traffic link on the left sidebar, then click Search Analytics from the drop-down menu.
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Here you will find all of the ways people are finding your products or site.
You might want to consider downloading the report into a spreadsheet.
You will be able to view the content in Excel or Google Sheets.
You can find the Download link on the bottom left of the page.
Google Searches Related To
Using Google search is an excellent way to discover new keyword phrases.
Google will precisely tell you what people are searching by typing in a keyword in the search bar.
Just start typing in the letters of the keywords, and you will see a list of related words people are using in search.
Some of the words will not work for you like “dog pain meds” will not work if you are writing about a commissioned dog portrait painting.
Write down all of the words that relate to your art business and make a master list of content ideas.
Google Search Related
After you gathered all of the keywords that relate to your art business from Google’s search, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and you will see a section called “Searches Related To” with the keyword you are searching for.
These are similar keywords that people are also searching for that relate to your original keyword.
Write down all of the phrases that relate to your art business.
You can find more suggestions by clicking on the next page.
Google will refresh the “searches relates too” list.
People Also Ask
Many times in the middle of the search result page, you will find a “People Also Ask” section.
These are commonly asked questions that relate to the query typed in the search bar.
You might want to include answers to some of the “People Also Ask” questions if they provide more value to your blog posts.
There is no better free tool for keyword searches than Google.
Keyword Research Basics Part 2
Now that you have some keyword ideas lets talk about how marketers use keywords to rank high in organic search results.
There are going to be some keywords that are more difficult to rank for and other keywords that are easier to rank for that will drive a tremendous amount of traffic to your site.
Keyword Pyramid
Understanding how marketers tackle keywords will help you to have the upper hand over your competition. There are three different categories you will want to be focusing on. These three categories are known as a keyword pyramid.
Top of the pyramid – Primary Keywords
Middle of the pyramid – Secondary Keywords
The base of the Pyramid – Long Tail Keywords
Primary Keywords
Primary keywords are one or two words that best describe your business. They will be the most competitive phrases you will target on every page of your website.
Ranking high in search for primary keywords will be difficult and take time and should be your long-term goal. While you are working on your primary keywords, focus lower competitive phrases.
Here are a few examples of Primary Keywords for artists:
- Artist
- Painter
- Art
- Paintings
- Drawings
- Oil Paintings
These are just a few ideas and should only be used as a guide to help you decide what will be the best for your business.
Secondary Keywords
Secondary keywords are a little more specific and usually, contain a two or three-word phrase that will describe your site or business. Because secondary keywords are more specific than primary keywords, there will be less competition for the phrases. You will be able to rank higher in search engines quicker and attract a more targeted audience.
Your goal is to attract people who are interested in what you have to offer. This can be done with secondary Keywords.
Here are a few ideas for Secondary Keywords.
- Artist Dave Nevue
- Portrait Painter
- Original Art
- Portrait Paintings
- Animal Drawings
- Wildlife Oil Paintings
As you can see, just by including one more word to a primary keyword, the phrase becomes more specific.
Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords or phrases will be easier for you to rank higher in the search. However, there will be less traffic generated because of how accurate the phrase is.
For you to do well with long-tailed keywords, you will need to have an understanding of your audience and how they communicate. Just by adding a plural word will make a big difference in the search.
Here are some examples of long-tail keywords:
- Artist Dave Nevue Monson Mass
- Monson Mass Portrait Painter
- New England Original Art for Sale
- Purchase Portrait Paintings Online
- Commissioned Animal Drawings of Dogs
- Buy Wildlife Oil Paintings
Make A Keyword List
At this point, you will want to generate a list of five or ten keywords that best describe what your site has to offer. You will want to spend some quality time on this project. The words you choose will have an effect on the type of people you attract to your site. Your long-term goal is to attract potential buyers.
After you have your list completed, take some time, and create a list of secondary keyword phrases and long-tail keyword phrases.
Start Writing
You are now prepared to build your business faster than you could have ever imagined. The only thing that is holding you back is the time required to create great content based on your keywords.
The more content you create, the quicker you will rank higher in the search. Develop a weekly routine to help you achieve your goals.
Sell more art online keyword research will help you achieve your goals quicker.
The most important thing to do now is to be consistent and focus on your keyword list.
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