Is it important to have a csv with high listing keywords?

[petmkt]

I understand some digital marketing companies have a list of relevant keywords that are high ranking. I'm just curious why might they need it? I'm thinking about adapting this process into my companies marketing department, but I can't justify it if it is necessary. Could somebody care to explain why its important and an example when needed?

[BartonInteractive]

Hi there,

If you have a list of keyword ideas (aka "a seed list"), whether it's 10, or 1000, you're going to have a hard time knowing exactly which one(s) to pick to target on your website if you don't know the the data behind those search terms. You might find that one of these search terms is much easier to rank highly for, where another is going to be nearly impossible.

Hopefully this helps shed some light. Using tools such as Moz Keyword Explorer can help gather metrics such as "Volume", "Difficulty", and "Opportunity" for your keyword search ideas. (It can also help grow your list of ideas!) Why is this important? These metrics can help determine what search terms you do and do not want to go after as a company.

Example: If I own a hair salon in Chico, California, and I want to start showing up in search results, I might come up with a list of keyword ideas that we'd like to rank for. Doing keyword research using a tool such as the one mentioned above, I might realize that while it's going to be very difficult to rank high for "hair salon in northern california", I actually have a good chance to rank high for "hair salon in chico".

Side-note: There's a Moz bootcamp class on keyword research, which may really help clarify further. (Highly recommended!)

Best,
Zack

[KaneJamison]

Hmmm - are you referring to a list of keywords that are relevant to each of their clients? EG if they're working with a pet food company, they're tracking "Dog food", "cat food", etc.?

Or are you referring to agencies that track an index of general competitive keywords to see how SERPs are changing over time? EG "credit card consolidation", "payday loans", "Women's heels", etc.?