Reasons You Should Be Using Keyword Benchmarking

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Using a keyword benchmarking technique can improve your search ranking.

If you’re a marketer or business owner you probably already know that SEO is one of the most important factors when looking at your ranking on Google. In most cases, the traffic shared on the first page of Google for certain keywords accounts for around 91.5 percent of all traffic for those words.

Your goal is likely to make it to that elusive top page. Maybe you’ve exhausted all of your options and you’re looking for another way to pep up your SEO and secure one of the top spots. If so, you’ll likely need to think about keyword benchmarking and how this tactic can be used to improve your SEO strategy.

1. Build authority in your niche

Brand authority is perhaps one of the best things for a business. If people know that you consistently deliver quality content or products/services that provide value, you’ll likely build a quick audience.

You’ll be able to tell how much authority you have in your niche by regularly monitoring your ranking on Google against people and businesses who also focus on your keywords. If your goal is to build your website authority, delivering consistent, fact-based content is crucial. It’s easy to monitor your latest articles and see how that individual page ranks in tandem with your social proof via sharing and commenting from followers.

2. Know where you stand vs. the competition

A primary reason that many marketers use keyword benchmarking tools is they want to see how they are doing when compared to the competition. Checking your keyword benchmark is a way to see if your spot is well-earned, or if you have room for improvement.

If you see that you rank on page one, spot three, only behind a company with an inconceivable marketing fund, you know you’re in good shape. If, however, you’re directly below the website that was last updated three years ago, that’s another story. This is a great way to gauge how you are perceived through Google’s algorithms, which helps you improve on your existing foundation. That can help you beat the competition.

3. Build on existing content

Keyword benchmarking tools allow you to break down your website page by page to determine where each page sits for a particular keyword. You’ll be able to go in and determine whether a keyword you’ve created is sparking interest and gaining traction in the search engine.

As you develop your content, it’s important to check your benchmarking analytics in order to see which keywords you’re ranking well for too. If you notice that all of your articles around a certain topic ranks far above every other subtopic you cover, it’s a safe bet that more people are generally interested in that type of content. Check your Google Analytics for official confirmation with your metrics. Afterward, you can start thinking about other topics in that same subcategory that you can create, which could increase your website ranking.

4. Check for concept viability

If you have a concept that you’re hoping to bring to life, creating a simple landing page or coming soon page with popular keywords for your niche is a great way to check on the viability of your idea.

For example, if you create a landing page for a product that is still in the works, but want to see if you can convince people to subscribe for updates on your product through development, the number of subscribers will give you an idea of how well your product will perform at launch. When you check your keyword benchmarking statistics on the chosen keywords you can compare them to similar product and competitor pages to see if your numbers are in the right area, which can prove the viability of your concept.

5. Establish long-tail keywords

Finally, you should use keyword benchmarking in your SEO strategy because it can help you establish long-tail keywords. A long-tail keyword is a target that may not see explosive growth all at once, but you can expect a long, steady stream of traffic based on the keywords and content.

Keyword benchmarking allows you to dive into specific niche keywords that may not have a ton of competition but still get a consistent, though small, stream of traffic. As you examine the different keyword options for your website, you can start thinking about what types of content you’d like to feature these keywords and the impact this will have on your overall ranking.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that keyword benchmarking is an important tool in the SEO marketer’s toolbox. If you’re a business owner, there is plenty of data here that you should see and use as well. You’ll be able to expand your reach, obtain more conversions and boost your ranking when you start looking at this part of the SEO formula.

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