Does the phrase “keyword research” have you breaking out in a cold sweat? 

Or tossing and turning in your sleep? 

It’s totally okay if it does. I used to be in the very same boat. But, like you, I knew I needed to figure it out so I could get my business in the good graces of the Google overlords. 

So, here’s the great news – I’ve put the research on keyword research. And I’ve put it into practice. All so you don’t have to! 

And in this guide, I’m giving you the 411 on keyword research on Google. So you can take these main points and start using them for your business! 

Now, you may be pretty familiar with keyword research on Google basics. Or you may be brand new. 

Don’t you worry. I’ve come up with this handy table of contents so you can get exactly where you need to be without being overloaded with too much info.

---

Keyword Research on Google Table of Contents: 

• What are keywords and why are they important?
  • My keyword research template
• Keyword research on Google 101
  • What are short tail keywords and longtail keywords?
  • Gimme the deets on monthly search volume!
  • What is keyword competition?
• How to do keyword research analysis and how to choose the best keywords?

Now, in the words of Ms. Tabitha Brown, “let’s get into it” –

---

What are keywords and why are they important?

First and foremost, we need to address the big ol’ fat elephant in the room. What are keywords and why are they important?

Can’t you just write about what you want to when it comes to your brand and call it a day? 

Well…a little bit yes and a little bit no. Hopefully, your business involves doing something you love and want to talk about. And if that’s the case, then you’re writing about what you want to! 

But, at the same time, your blog or your website are both marketing tools. They’re helping you get your name out there. 

And to do that, you need keywords! 

---

What are keywords?

Did you use Google today? Or another kind of search engine? 

I’m willing to bet if you didn’t use it today, then you probably used it yesterday! 

And when you head on over to Google and click the search bar, you type something in. 

The words you type in are keywords. 

Everyone uses them. That’s how things are sorted and organized on search engines like Google. 

---

Why are keywords important?

But why do these things matter? Well, they’re important because they help you get your brand out there. 

SEO and keyword research are elements of your blog and website. And as I mentioned earlier, both of those are tools to use in your marketing plan. 

And what’s marketing if not a fancy way to say “hey, I’m here, and I do this really cool sh!t.” 

So whether you’re blogging or you’re DIYing your website copywriting, when you do your keyword research on Google and choose the best ones to rank for, you can get your brand name out there so people know you exist. And that ultimately works them into your funnel so they buy from you!

---

Snag my keyword research template

Before every client project I take on or any blog post I write for my own business, I start with my keyword research template. 

This bad boy is super. simple.

Like you’re gonna watch this video on how I’ve created this keyword research template, and go “Tristyn… what the hell? I could make this myself.” 

And that’s right. You absolutely can. It’s literally a Google Spreadsheet. I’m showing you this keyword research template because it’s so easy, but it gets. the. job. done. 

(And that’s what matters, right?) 

Check out this video down below as I walk you through the keyword research template I’ve made! 

---

Keyword Research on Google 101: 

Now that we’re on the same page about what keywords are and why they’re important, we’ll dive into the good stuff. 

And that’s *cue Spongebob’s imagination hands” 

Keyword research on Google 101!

In this section, I’ll go over burning questions like: 

• What are short tail keywords and longtail keywords?
• How about monthly search volume? What is that? 
• What is keyword competition? 
• How to do keyword research analysis and how to choose the best keywords?

And you’ll find a couple of videos explaining a few of these terms, too. But, if you’re like me and you’d rather read, I’ve got the info in text. 

So pick your poison! 

---

What are longtail keywords and short tail keywords? 

First, let’s bust a myth right quick. 

Longtail keywords and short tail keywords don’t have to do with the number of words that are in the phrase. Lots of people love to say “short tail keywords can only have 1 or 2 keywords in it.” Or “longtail keywords can only have 3 or more words in it.” 

Let me tell you. That’s wrong-o. 

When it comes to “what are longtail keywords,” we’re looking at the specificity of what we’re searching for. 

So what are longtail keywords, then? They’re the phrases people use when they are UBER specific about what they’re looking for. It just so happens that these longtail keyword phrases that are more specific have more words. 

And how about short tail keywords – what are those? They’re the phrases people use when they’re just starting out in their research for something. It just so happens that these short tail keywords – these less specific keywords – have fewer words. 

Watch this quick video where I give some examples to help answer the question: what are longtail keywords?

---

Here’s a quick story-time example to explain what short tail keywords are: 

Rachel just got engaged. Like seriously, she got engaged yesterday. She’s SO excited, and she can’t wait to start planning her wedding. 

But this is her first wedding. And she doesn’t have an older sister who got married before her. 

So, she’s brand spankin’ new to wedding planning. She doesn’t know where to start! But she does know that she’s gonna need a wedding venue. Rachel’s not even sure if she wants to elope or if she wants a wedding venue close by. 

She doesn’t know if she wants an outdoor wedding venue or an indoor one. She doesn’t know if she wants a traditional or a non-traditional wedding. 

Rachel is just starting her research for these wedding venues. So what does she do? 

She hops on over to Google with that big, shiny rock on her finger. And she types in “wedding venue.” 

What pops up? Everything under the sun about wedding venues. Indoor ones. Outdoor ones. Unique ones. Traditional ones. Ones in another country. Ones ten minutes down the road. 

You name it, it’s up on the Googs. 

---

And here’s another one to explain what longtail keywords are: 

Courtney got engaged two months ago. She’s still in the same boat as Rachel, where she’s so stinkin’ excited about her upcoming wedding she can hardly stand it. 

But she’s already done some research. She’s a little further into her wedding planning process. She’s had the sit-down talks with her fiance and her family, who are helping her foot the bill. 

And all of them together have decided they want an outdoor, unique wedding venue in the general vicinity of their home, which is in Alpharetta, Georgia. 

So, now all she has to do? Is find it! 

Just like Rachel, Courtney skips on over to Google to start her search. 

But since she knows more of what she’s looking for, she gets a little clearer in her phrasing. And she types in: 

“Outdoor, unique wedding venue in North Georgia.” 

WA-BAM! 

Now that! Is a longtail keyword! 

---

What is keyword monthly search volume?

Okay, we’re clear on short and longtail keywords! Now, we need to figure out just what the heck monthly search volume means. 

It’s super simple – it just means how often are people searching for a particular keyword each month. 

So why is it important to pay attention to when you’re doing your keyword research on Google? 

Well, that’s because you’ve gotta follow the traffic. Yes, you might have a great topic idea in mind to showcase your services! But if it’s not getting in traffic to the target keyword phrase, you’re not going to see results from Google. 

---

How about competition? What is that? 

Along with keyword monthly search volume, you want to look at keyword competition. The competition refers to how difficult it is to rank for a particular keyword. 

Here’s the thing about keyword competition – it may vary from one keyword planning tool to the next. They pull their numbers based on algorithms that are analyzing Google search results. So it’s never a hard and fast rule. 

---

How to do keyword research analysis and how to choose the best keywords? 

It’s time for the good part! How to do keyword research analysis! 

You’ve got your keyword research template set up for your website page or your blog post. You’ve already listed out and researched the potential keywords that will go well with your topic at hand. 

Now what do you do? How do you choose the best keywords? 

Check out this video below where I walk you through how to do keyword research analysis!

Ultimately, the majority of keyword research analysis comes down to two things: 

1. What’s the goal of your blog post or website page? 
2. What kind of balance do you need for monthly search volume and competition? 

If the goal of your blog post or website page is to take a warm lead and move them to your inbox to find out more about your offer, then your keyword research analysis needs to focus on longtail keywords! 

If the goal of your blog post or website page is to take a colder lead and warm them up by boosting your brand awareness, then your keyword research analysis can focus on the chunky middle keyword phrases. 

Once you’ve narrowed down your keyword phrase category, then you need to find the keywords that strike a balance between a higher monthly search volume and a manageable competition ranking. 

This is where you consider how long your website has been up and at ‘em! If you’ve been around for a minute and you’ve been blogging consistently, then you can often go for competition rankings that are a little higher. (20s and 30s, sometimes even 40s!) 

If you’re brand new, just starting out, find the keywords that have a higher monthly search volume and a low competition ranking (10s and 20s!) 

And that’s all there is to keyword research on Google, friend! 

Okay, maybe not all. But enough to get you started, for sure!! 

---

Save this post on keyword research on Google for later!

Got questions about keyword research on Google?

If you have any questions – pop ‘em into the comments down below. I’m more than happy to help ya in any way I can.