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Ayooooooo Reader,

I got a really good question recently from someone who was working through SEO keyword research, and it's a sticking point that I see with a TON of my clients & students.

Here's the question/scenario:

"I created an entire list of keywords using your examples, and I wasn't getting any results from them. Maybe the keywords I was using were too long or complicated????"

As always in the world of SEO, this can be SUPER nuanced. Let's unpack it...

There ARE scenarios where YES, you're kinda just in a low-searched industry/niche, and you have to get creative on what keywords you choose. But even in these situations, I ALWAYS recommend coming back to your user/customer.

How are THEY typing what you do into search platforms?

Ya gotta know your people.

(Want more details on this? Check out my blog post: How to Research Your Target Audience & See What They’re Already Searching For)

But before we ASSUME that you're in a low-searched industry-niche, we gotta zoom out a bit...

Because the biggest issue I see people have when it comes to SEO keywords is that they're getting TOO SPECIFIC with them.

"TOO SPECIFIC" --> I know this is the OPPOSITE of what you'll hear from most marketing people.

But let's use my business as an example.

I'm obviously an SEO consultant, but I don't necessarily WANT to work with every single person on planet earth who needs SEO help.

A lot of my audience is small business owners, entrepreneurs, creatives, service providers, etc. who want to understand SEO themselves instead of handing everything off to an agency.

So if I'm doing SEO keyword research, I might naturally think: "SEO consultant for service providers"

But if I put that exact phrase into a keyword research tool?

I see ZERO data around it.

Does that mean there are ZERO service-provider business owners looking for an SEO consultant???

NOOOOOOOO WAY JOSEEEEEEE.

It means I've gotten too specific for the keyword research data available.

Because SEO keyword resarch tools don't have data for every single combination of words someone could possibly type into Google.

People search for shit in 400 million different ways.

The more words and qualifiers we keep adding to a keyword, the harder it becomes to get reliable SEO data for that EXACT phrase.

So instead of immediately crossing that keyword off the list...

We gotta ZOOM OUT.

"SEO consultant for service providers" can become "seo consultant for small business" (since service providers are just a specific segment OF small business owners. Related, but zoomed out).

OKAY NOW WE GETTIN' SOMEWHERE.....

And we can continue to take this apart in different ways too.

Because if we ZOOM OUT even more, and choose "SEO Consultant" but add a different unique qualifier, we can land on "organic SEO consultant"

And there's data for THAT variation too 👀

So now, instead of staring at "SEO consultant for service providers" with a big fat ZERO next to it and assuming "welpppppp, I guess SEO isn't gonna work for me and exactly who I help"...

I've found a handful of different ways people are searching for the general thing that I offer.

And THAT'S what we're trying to do with keyword research.

We're looking for patterns in how people search, not *just* trying to find the ONE magical keyword that perfectly describes every single aspect of our business.

Your keyword doesn't need to be your entire positioning statement.

I think this is where a lottttttt of people accidentally make keyword research way harder than it needs to be.

They try to squeeze in what they do + who they help + where they live + what makes them different + their niche + their messaging...

INTO ONE KEYWORD.

But your keyword doesn't need to explain your entire business.

Using my example, "SEO consultant for service providers" might describe my audience more specifically, but I don't NEED to find search volume for that exact phrase in order to reach service providers through SEO.

I can target a broader keyword like "SEO consultant for small business" annnnnnd use the rest of the page to make it crystal clear who I help, what makes my approach different, and why the right person should hire ME.

SEO, copy, messaging & positioning all work together, but they're doing different jobs.

(I actually wrote an entire newsletter about SEO ≠ Copy ≠ Messaging ≠ Positioning last year, so if you wanna dig into THAT more, you can read it here.)​

Your biggest takeaway? LOOK FOR PATTERNS.

Stop trying to find ONE magical keyword that perfectly describes every part of your business. People ain't that specific when they're searching online.

Instead, try to understand HOW PEOPLE SEARCH for the thing you sell, the problem you solve, or the information you provide.

Are they more likely to type in SEO consultant for service providers, or SEO consultant for small business, or organic SEO consultant, or organic SEO expert, or SEO strategist for entrepreneurs?

NOTICE WHAT THE PATTERN IS.

And if you're like "okay Mariah, too late biiiiitch, I'm ALREADY discouraged about this shit" because your super-specific keywords keep having 0 searches, take a step back, get creative, and start experimenting.

• Remove a word.
• Remove the audience.
• Remove an adjective.
• Try a slightly different variation.
• Look at the related keywords your research tool gives you.

Focus on the patterns, and go from there!

✅ Action steps for this week:

Find ONE keyword on your SEO keyword research list that's showing ZERO search volume and ZOOM OUT.

Start taking away some of the specifics:

👉 Can you remove the specific audience?
👉 Can you remove an adjective/qualifier?

COME BACK TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM OR SOLUTION.

Then plug some broader variations back into your keyword research tool and see what happens 👀

Don't worry about finding the PERFECT keyword. Just look for patterns in how people are actually searching.

And you miiiiiiiiight be surprised how much keyword data was hiding *just* one or two words away.

// NOTEWORTHY FINDS & UPDATES

Stay curious,

-- Mariah Magazine

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