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What is a keyword researcher?
A keyword researcher is someone who will research, identify and analyse the words and phrases that people use when searching for information online.
The main goal is to find the most relevant and high-performing keywords for a website or digital content, in order to improve its search visibility and ranking on search engines like Google. A keyword researcher will use different tools and strategies to find keywords that we can use strategically in a brand's online content.
Why become a keyword researcher?
Have more influence on a project – the keyword research you do will be fundamental in shaping the content we produce and, in many cases, will inform the content strategy for a project.
Develop your analytical skills – you will learn how to conduct competitor analysis and search landscape analysis to better understand what the audience is looking for and how to improve content for SEO.
Learn how to use new technologies – you will become proficient in using keyword research tools to identify search terms, patterns and trends, and in some cases to track performance.
Strengthen your communication skills – you will learn how to clearly communicate your findings and recommendations to the internal Jellyfish team and client stakeholders. Keyword research tasks often involve collaborating with content creators and SEO specialists.
What are the requirements for this role?
Successful keyword researchers will usually have:
A strong understanding of SEO
Previous experience with keyword research
Sound judgement
An excellent eye for detail
Demonstrable understanding of digital content creation and/or localisation
Please note that to ensure our content successfully targets our clients’ intended audience, Jellyfish is committed to assembling teams of keyword researchers who work in their first language.
What does a keyword researcher do day to day?
Please read this carefully before you start work on your first project with Jellyfish. As a keyword researcher, you will:
Attend any necessary webinars on carrying out the keyword research task(s) for the project and using the keyword research platform.
Use the input information provided by the client.
Use supporting resources such as the project’s keyword research brief.
Meet all deadlines outlined in the project schedule.
Be flexible with completing amendments requested by the Quality Lead or Content Manager.
What are the different keyword research tasks?
At Jellyfish, we work with keyword researchers to perform three main types of keyword research: keyword mapping, keyword validation and keyword landscape analyses (also known as ‘keyword universes’). Read on to understand what each task involves.
1. Keyword mapping
What is it?
A keyword mapping task involves analysing the client’s URLs or topics provided, then assigning relevant keywords to target for each page. For a URL to rank well on SERPs, the keywords must be relevant to the page and easy to integrate naturally into the content.
During keyword mapping, you will use the inputs (typically URLs for PDPs, PLPs, landing pages or guides, although sometimes inputs can be in the form of content outlines) provided by the client. You’ll find 1-5 keywords that are specific to that URL to integrate into the content during the creation or optimisation of the copy.
2. Keyword validation
What is it?
This task involves finding relevant keywords that generate search volume to use when localising content. Rather than directly translating keywords and ensuring they have ASV, keyword validation is about finding the best possible options for the local market. The process takes into account linguistic nuance, appropriate vocabulary choices for the brand and local search intent.
You will typically carry out this task on SEO localisation projects. This means we already have approved keywords in one language, and we need to localise the content for a different market.
Before the source content can be localised, we must ensure the source keywords are localised/validated in the target markets. This is because not all keywords from one language will translate neatly into another while generating search volumes. For this reason, keyword validation often involves making recommendations based on local market understanding and expertise.
3. Keyword landscape analysis
What is it?
This is a large piece of keyword strategy work. It involves an in-depth analysis of the search landscape and client’s website to identify content gaps – on-brand topics that are relevant to the target audience and targeted by organic competitors, but not currently included on-site.
You will typically find 600-1000 keywords surrounding the topic/industry. You will then categorise each keyword into a specific subcategory.
The landscape analysis can include keyword seasonality, competitor analysis and content recommendations based on observations.
What platform will I use?
The choice of platform depends on the requirements of the unique project and client. The three main platforms we work with are: J+ Search, Semrush and Google Keyword Planner.
J+ Search
We often use Jellyfish’s proprietary platform, J+ Search, to perform keyword research tasks. This platform has multiple uses and pulls search volume data directly from Google Adwords / Keyword Planner. It can also access volumes and suggestions from Semrush.Some of its features include:
Keyword Master
A space to create categorised keyword lists based on seed terms, URLs and J+Search’s suggested search queries
Visibility of search volumes from Keyword Planner or Semrush
Visibility of search intent, trends and CPC
Keyword Suggest
A tool for generating further keyword ideas using one seed term
Performance tracking
Analysis tool for tracking site performance for specified keyword lists
Ability to export data or present it in digestible reports and graphs
Semrush
We also use Semrush to perform keyword research tasks. This platform allows researchers to uncover millions of national and local keywords, as well as the ASV rankings, and run technical SEO audits.
Some of Semrush’s key features include:
Organic Research: See all the keywords for which a site ranks – and where they rank. Sort by “volume” and see terms that get searched for most.
Keyword Overview: Put a seed keyword into the tool and get a list of keyword ideas and metrics on that term.
Keyword Magic Tool: Semrush generates lots of keyword ideas related to the seed term. Sort the list by search volume, difficulty and more.
Google Keyword Planner
In other cases, we use Google Keyword Planner to:
Discover new keywords: Get suggestions for keywords related to products and/or services and the brand.
See ASV: See the number of searches that a keyword gets each month on Google.
Organise keywords: See how keywords fit into different categories related to the brand and refine these based on themes.
When you join a project, you will receive training on the chosen keyword research platform.
How do I become a keyword researcher with Jellyfish?
In order to become a keyword researcher in the J+ Community, you'll need to complete our keyword researcher screening task. To do this, go to your J+ Community account and click Profile, then Disciplines & skills. Add 'Keyword Researcher' to your disciplines and you'll see the option to 'Complete screening' for the role.
Once you have been approved in this discipline, you will receive invitations from Jellyfish to apply for any new Keyword Researcher positions in your market as and when they become available. To apply for a Keyword Researcher position on a project you'll need to complete an experience form. See How do I apply to work on projects with Jellyfish? for information about the application process.