How do you approach keyword research?
The interviewer wants to know about your strategy for keyword research. This is an important aspect of an SEO Specialist's job, so they want to hear a detailed answer that demonstrates that you are confident in your skills in this area.
Your answer should focus on your specific strategy for keyword research. It's not enough to list off programs or tools that you like to use or give a vague answer. Walk them through your process.
"Keyword research is one of my favorite aspects of being an SEO Specialist. I love brainstorming. I use a visual approach, sometimes drawing on a whiteboard. My first step is breaking down everything I know about the company and its services and projects into chunks and topics. Then, I break those topics down even further until I have an extremely detailed and well-fleshed-out picture. Next, I make a list of keywords for each topic, no matter how small. I do two rounds of this, one "in the moment" round and another "thinking like the audience" round. The first time around, I depend on my knowledge of the company, and the second time, I approach it with my "consumer hat" on. This helps me develop a broad spectrum of potential keywords, which I then use to find related keywords I might have missed. After that, I select the top keywords that have emerged in terms of relevance to the company's current goals and user intent, and I check their monthly search volume and see how competitors are ranking for those keywords."
