Keyword Research — Find the Right Keywords for Your Site
What Is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the process of finding the words and phrases people type into Google when looking for what you offer. It's the foundation of all SEO — without knowing what people search for, you're optimizing blind.
Good keyword research tells you:
- What your potential customers search for
- How much traffic each keyword can deliver
- How hard it is to rank for each keyword
- What type of content Google expects
Search Intent — The Most Important Concept
Before chasing search volumes, you need to understand the search intent behind each keyword. Google is extremely good at matching results with intent.
The Four Types of Search Intent
Informational — The user wants to learn something. Examples: "what is SEO", "how to make a website"
Navigational — The user is looking for a specific site or brand. Examples: "Facebook login", "BBC news"
Commercial — The user is researching options before a purchase. Examples: "best web hosting", "Shopify vs WooCommerce"
Transactional — The user is ready to act. Examples: "buy domain", "SEO agency quote"
The rule: Match your content to the intent. Don't write a product page for an informational keyword — write a guide. Don't write a guide for a transactional keyword — show your product.
How to Find Keywords
1. Brainstorm Your Core Topics
Start by listing the topics your business covers. Think in categories, not individual words.
For a carpenter:
- Kitchen renovation
- Bathroom renovation
- Deck building
- Extension building
- Custom woodwork
2. Expand with Google Autocomplete
Type each core topic into Google and see what Autocomplete suggests. These suggestions are based on real searches.
Type "kitchen renovation" and you might see:
- kitchen renovation cost
- kitchen renovation ideas
- kitchen renovation apartment
- kitchen renovation London
3. Use "Related Searches"
Scroll to the bottom of Google's search results. The "Related searches" section shows variations of your keyword.
4. "People Also Ask"
The "People also ask" box in the middle of search results is a goldmine of questions people ask. Each question can become a section or an entire article.
5. Free Keyword Tools
- Google Keyword Planner — Requires a Google Ads account (free to create). Shows search volume and competition.
- Google Trends — Shows whether a keyword is growing or declining.
- Google Search Console — Shows which keywords you already rank for (existing sites).
- Ubersuggest — Free keyword suggestions with volume and difficulty.
Evaluate Your Keywords
Not all keywords are equally valuable. Evaluate each keyword on three dimensions:
Search Volume
How many people search for this keyword per month? High volume = more potential traffic, but also more competition.
Competition
How hard is it to rank? Look at the current top 10 results:
- Are they big brands with high domain authority?
- Is the content thorough and well-written?
- Do the pages have many backlinks?
If the top results are weak (thin content, low authority domains), it's an opportunity.
Relevance
Does the keyword match what you offer? A keyword with 10,000 monthly searches is worthless if the searchers aren't your target audience.
Long-Tail vs. Short-Tail
Short-tail keywords are short and broad: "shoes", "SEO", "restaurant". They have high volume but are extremely competitive and often have unclear intent.
Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific: "hiking boots for wide feet", "local SEO for dentists", "vegan restaurant Brooklyn". They have lower volume but:
- Lower competition
- Clearer intent
- Higher conversion rate
For most businesses, long-tail keywords are the best starting point. You rank faster, the traffic is more targeted, and you can build up over time.
Organize Your Keywords
Once you have a list, organize it into clusters — groups of related keywords that can be covered by a single page.
Example cluster: "kitchen renovation"
- kitchen renovation cost (800 searches/mo)
- kitchen remodel (600 searches/mo)
- new kitchen price (400 searches/mo)
- how much does a new kitchen cost (300 searches/mo)
All of these can be targeted with one thorough guide about kitchen renovation and pricing.
Prioritization
You can't target everything at once. Prioritize keywords based on:
- Relevance to your business (highest weight)
- Competition — start with the easiest to rank for
- Search volume — enough traffic to be worthwhile
- Conversion potential — closer to a purchase is better
From Keywords to Content
For each prioritized keyword:
- Search for it on Google and analyze the top 5 results
- Identify the format (guide, list, video, product)
- Write content that's better, more thorough, or more current
- Optimize title tag, meta description, and headings
- Publish and monitor rankings over time
Get Started
Keyword research doesn't need to be complicated. Start with Google Autocomplete and Search Console (if you have an existing site), and build from there.
Run a free SEO audit to see which keywords your site already ranks for — and where the biggest opportunities lie.