If a tree falls in the middle of the woods and no one is around to hear, does it make a sound? What about if you write the most informative article and have beautiful photographs, but no one knows it exists, is it considered a success?

You may think that the answer to getting your posts seen and the key to driving the most traffic to your post is to get it on social media and cross your fingers that it goes viral. But while social media is definitely helpful (and going viral is always something to be appreciated!) it’s not always the answer.

What should be your goal? To rank on Google!

What does it mean to rank on Google?

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Google is one of the most powerful things in Internet-land. Ranking well on Google’s search engines can mean lots of traffic, from people who are seeking the exact information that you write about (which makes them great candidates for following through with signing up for your newsletter or following you on social media). It also means the chance for consistent, steady traffic. If you write a post that is able to rank well on Google, it can bring in lots of consistent traffic for months or even years! How often does that happen with social media?

Think about it…

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How often do you Google something and click the first search result? Most of the time right? And if you don’t click the first item, I would bet that you click something on the first page. I rarely click to page 2. I usually find what I need in the first few search results.

That’s where you want to be! Millions of people are searching for things everyday. How many people are searching for what you are writing about?

How do you rank on Google?

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Well, that’s kind of a loaded question. Google has a pretty extensive algorithm that is kept pretty secret, but luckily SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a topic that has had tons of research! One important factor is they keywords that you use.

Keyword Research

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Taking a few minutes to research keywords can really pay off in the end! There are several really important ways to implement keyword research into your blog.

• Starting a blog? Use keyword research to find a domain name that people are looking for! I wanted to start a website for slow cooker recipes last year. A quick search for what people were searching for that contained the key words ‘slow cooker’ and I found that a very commonly searched phrase was ‘easy slow cooker meals’. The particular program that I use (Brainstorm it!) also told me that it had a high chance of profitability. I thought to myself, “Hmm. What a great website name!” Great website name (that also happened to be available!) as well as a high chance of profitability? Win!
  
  
  
  Let’s pretend you want to start a site about coconut. You search the term ‘coconut’ and sort by profitability. Skimming the list of keywords can help you find ideas for domain names. For this example, ‘miracle of coconut’ receives 1,874 approximately searches and only has 13 sites that would give you real competition making it have a high chance for profitability. Having the phrase ‘miracle of coconut’ appear as your domain name and throughout your website will help you rank for that particular term. Congratulations! You have a new domain name for your new site!

• Planning your posts. Sometimes it’s hard to come up with ideas to write about. Using a keyword research tool can help to make sure you have plenty to write about.
  
  
  
  Now, using your list of keywords (still sorted by profitability) you can see what people are searching online for about coconuts. I upload the list into an excel sheet and categorize them. As you can see, you have article ideas for recipes, articles on beauty, or health benefits. Two phrases in this list are very exciting: ‘coconut oil vitamins’ and ‘coconut oil supplement’ are highly searched phrases with very low competition. Why are they exciting? Well, chances are if you are searching for coconut oil vitamins or supplements you are looking to purchase them or to learn if you should purchase them. There are 10,664 searches every month for ‘coconut oil vitamins’. That is a lot of potential, not only for a lot of traffic (and ad revenue), but for a lot of potential affiliate sales!
• If you have already written an article or have an idea for an article you can also do a keyword research to find out the exact phrase to use. Look at the difference that it makes using the word vitamins rather than supplement. Both keyword phrases have 5 sites that are considered competition, but one gets an additional 6,000 monthly searches.

How do I search for keywords?

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I personally like Brainstorm it! Not only does it offer the Keyword Research, but there are lots of videos and articles with ideas on how to improve your website. It’s also not expensive – it’s about $199 for a year, but you have the option of paying monthly as well. It’s definitely a program that I find worth the investment!

Click here for a full tutorial on how to use Brainstorm It! to search for keywords.

This post contains affiliate links. However, I do really love this product and have been a user for years!