Introduction

No website owner and content creator will ever wish to be ranked anywhere other than the first page of Google search engine. This way, your content must be matched with the right keywords that people are using on their search engines. But getting to the top is not only about creating content – it is about identifying the best topics and keywords that would interest the audience and suit Google’s ranking factors.

In this guide, you will be learning how to search for high ranking topics then choosing the right SEO keywords that will help your content to rank on Google. That is why in this article we will discuss what actually Search Engines are, how to find out which topics are currently trending, basic principles of carrying out the Keyword Research, what to do to increase the probability of ranking on the first page of Google.

How Google Search Ranks Content

As a starting point, it is necessary to familiarize oneself with the basics of Google ranking, before delving more into selecting topics and keywords. Google employs the Pagerank algorithm, which considers many aspects to determine the sites that top the search for a particular keyword. While the algorithm is constantly evolving, some core components influence rankings, including:

• Relevance: Is the content in the form of an answer or a solution to the user’s question?
• Authority: This might include questions such as: Does that particular website possess backlinks and high domain authority?
• Content Quality: Is the content substantiating the topic, innovative, and exotic?
• User Experience: Is the site good for mobile devices, responsive, and does it load quickly with an easily distinguishable menu?

For your content to be Google search friendly, you need your content to satisfy these conditions, and it begins with the right topic and keyword selection.

Why Selecting the Topic Is Important

This is one of the most important points in writing because topic selection should reflect the theme of interest that addresses the target audience’s issues. Consequently, Google tends to rank content based on relevance – making it essential that your content meets the needs of the audience.

Here, let’s assume your website is related to fitness. Just writing basic posts about “How to lose weight” and similar broad topics won’t do the trick. It’s wiser to use more specific phrases like “intermittent fasting for weight loss” or “effective home workouts to lose weight”. Not only does this mean that there is likely to be less competition among these specific topics, but they also focus on what users are specifically looking for.

A Guide to Identify and Leverage the User Intent in SEO

Here, user intent forms a significant component in the choice of topics or keywords that you are going to target. When someone types a query into Google, they are generally looking for one of three types of information:

• Informational: The user wants to learn something or gain information (e.g., "how to repair a dripping faucet").
• Navigational: The user is searching for a specific website or page (e.g., "Facebook login").
• Transactional: The user intends to buy a product or take a specific action (e.g., "buy iPhone 13").

A clear understanding of the purpose of your target audience’s query lets you address these users' needs and, therefore, rank higher. For instance, if you are targeting an informational search, then your content has to be as informative and accurate as possible. On the other hand, for transactional searches, you may opt for explicit calls to action and product differentiation.

Long Tail Keywords: Its Benefits & Place in SEO

Oftentimes these long-tail keywords can be extremely potent as far as directing relevant web traffic to the site. Although they do not yield as much traffic as general, narrow, short-tail keywords, they usually convert at a higher rate because they contain a focused query that answers a customer’s need.

For instance, instead of using the keyword “best smartphones”, using a semi-exclusive keyword such as “best smartphones for photography under $500” is more appropriate since it limits the number of potential clients. It is also easier to rank for since it will attract the right audience, which in return, will engage with your content more often.

The process of finding a high ranking topic as a netheads relates to the one described by O’Reilly and features several stages. Selecting a subject that is likely to yield results when keyed in Google is a creative and a research exercise. Here are some strategies to help you discover topics with high ranking potential:

• Look at industry trends: See what people are into at the moment in your niche to know what is trending on your target demography.
• Leverage keyword research tools: Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Ubersuggest offer the possibility to find keywords that have high volumes of monthly searches but low competition.
• Explore content gaps: See what your competitors are writing about and find out where they might be lacking the most, thus you can focus on the gaps they are not fulfilling when writing articles.

To be more precise, Google Trends can be used for the identifying of the topic. Another free tool that you can use is Google Trends this shows you how each search term is trending over time. They are most useful when it comes to identifying rising keywords or periodically popular topics, as well as constant ones. In this case, by using Google Trends by typing in a keyword or a phrase, it is possible to see whether the trend is rising or falling and adjust your content provision.

For instance, if you operate a blog related to health and fitness, you can use Google Trends to ask how relevant the terms like keto or intermittent fasting are so that you can determine if you should take time and write about these trends.

Competitors as Source of Topic Ideas

Your competitors can be a valuable source of inspiration. The content which your competitors publish can be the source of ideas. To assess which themes are popular among your target audience, who is also interested in your competitors’ content, check in detail the identified key influencers’ benchmarks. First, list your direct competitors, then, using either Ahrefs or BuzzSumo, type in the competitor’s URL and see which of their posts have the highest number of backlinks or social shares.

Once you have a list of high-performing topics, you can:

• Base your content: Come up with more aggressive content to put out there.
• Target related long-tail keywords: Use these keywords to enhance your SEO.
• Discuss from a different perspective: Elaborate on elements that may have been overlooked by your competitors.

Brainstorming Unique Content Ideas

Sometimes the best content ideas come from collaboration with your team or your audience if you decide to hold a discussion. Solicit feedback from your audience on social media platforms about what they would like to know or use platforms such as Reddit and Quora to see what people are asking in your specific field.

Another good approach is to search for recently asked questions that were not answered thoroughly. This creates an opportunity to develop new, compelling, specialized content that customers are usually ready to pay more for, and positions you as a professional in the given industry.