What Are Seed Keywords?

Seed keywords are the starting point for your keyword research.

Much like the name suggests, seed keywords give you the start of your keyword and content strategy. You will use them to grow a list of keyword ideas, long-tail keywords, and keyword phrases that will attract your customers to your online business.

But how do you come up with good seed keyword ideas? Why is getting your seed keyword right so critical to your SEO success?

This is precisely what we look at in this article.

What are seed keywords?

Seed keywords are the main topic that numerous articles can be written about.

They are an overarching subject.

For example, let’s imagine that you sell chocolate online. Chocolate is clearly an important keyword to your business, but typing “chocolate” into Google is too competitive.

So, we would use “chocolate” as a seed keyword around which to develop the rest of your search engine optimization strategy.

Formulating your keyword strategy around the seed keyword “chocolate” might look something like this (from our friends over at answerthepublic.com):

By writing articles and content about different topics concerning chocolate, you have a better chance of ranking for a more diverse set of audience queries. In addition, targeting these various related searches boosts the likelihood that an article you publish on your website sits on the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs).

Why are Seed Keywords Important?

Seed keywords are important because they guide your content and search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

Selecting the right seed keywords for your business is essential for several reasons:

• It ensures you target the correct people who are using google search
• It gives direction to your content marketing efforts
• You can formulate a strategy that targets low competition and high competition keywords with varying monthly search traffic, maximizing the chances that you rank well in the SERPs
• Your potential customers will find your website, and you can increase your organic traffic by using the correct seed keywords

Seed Keyword FAQ

How do I find my seed keywords?

The best way to find your seed keywords is to think of topics relevant to your business.

Say you run a bicycle repair shop in Toronto.

You might consider ‘bicycle’ as a suitable starting point for your keyword strategy – but ‘bicycle’ is a highly competitive keyword which you’d never succeed in ranking well for.

As such, you’d think of words more specific to your business:

“Bicycle repair in Toronto”

“How to fit winter tires on my bicycle.”

“How to ride a bicycle safely on slippery roads.”

These are all questions your target audience could potentially be asking Google that are relevant to your business.

Another way of discovering your seed keywords is to simply use the Google search console auto-suggest feature:

Simply type your general seed keyword into Google, and trawl through the suggestions. Select ones that are relevant to your business, and consider how you can formulate an article that answers that query to the best quality on the internet.

How do I create a list of seed keywords?

Creating a list of seed keywords is best done with an initial brainstorming. Sit down with a pen and paper, then think about as many general topics relevant to your business as you can.

Write these down, then search them in Google to see what businesses similar to yours are doing.

Seed keywords vs keyword ideas

As mentioned, seed keywords are often single words and are topics relevant to your business.

A seed keyword might be “coffee,” “clothes,” “plumbing” – a single word that describes the business you are in.

Keyword ideas, on the other hand, would more likely be something like the title of an article:

“What is the best coffee grind size for espresso?”

“How do I properly fit a dinner jacket?”

“How do I unclog my drain without a plunger?”

The seed keyword is the inspiration – the keyword idea is the specific piece of content you would create around the seed keyword.

How do I find the right keywords?

Finding the right keywords depends on several keyword metrics.

The right keywords for your business are those that will attract the right kind of high volume organic search traffic. This isn’t easy, because your competitors are also looking to attract the same clients like yourself.

You’ll need to target:

• Short-tail keywords
• Long-tail keywords
• Question keywords 

This is where you need to make a comprehensive SEO keyword list, and then combine keyword strategy with a full search engine optimization and search engine marketing strategy to give you the best chance at attracting your customers.

These strategies not only include keyword research but also include marketing over diverse channels, such as social media, and in building the backlink profile of your website.

How do you do keyword research?

Keyword research is done using an online keyword tool and various other resources.

You can use the Google search console, keyword checkers, analyze your competitors. However, we do recommend working with a professional to do your keyword research, as targeting relevant, appropriate and achievable keywords is central to the success of your online presence.

Summary

Hopefully, this article has given you a better understanding of seed keywords.

Coming up with seed keywords shouldn’t be complex – just think about the topics you’d typically discuss that are relevant to your business, and they will likely be your seed keywords.

At Loganix we pride ourselves on our keyword research and would love to help you establish your SEO strategy on a firm foundation. So don’t hesitate to contact us and see how we can help out.