How To Do Keyword Research For SEO

What Is A Keyword?

A keyword is a word or phrase that people type into a search engine like Google when looking for information on a topic.

If you want your website to show up when people search for topics related to its niche, you include some of those same keywords that people would search for in the text and metadata of your web pages.

Read this in-depth guide on [Keyword] for a detailed understanding of the topic.

What Is Meant By Keyword Research?

Keyword research means looking up words and phrases that people type into search engines to find your website.

To do keyword research, you make a list of topics, products, or services that your website is about. Then you use free online tools to see how often people search for those words and phrases.

This tells you which keywords are most popular and which ones people want to find information about.

Once you know the most popular keywords related to your website, you can use those words and phrases more often when writing content for your site.

To know more about keyword research, we have all the essential details covered in this article.

Why Is Keyword Research Important?

Keyword research for SEO is important for several reasons:

Understanding User Intent

By looking at the keywords and phrases that people are searching for related to your business, you can get a better understanding of what they are trying to achieve or what questions they have.

Understanding the intent behind the keywords can help you improve your website content, products, and services to better meet your audience's needs.

This can ultimately help you attract more relevant visitors who are likely to use what you offer.

Content Strategy

Finding popular keywords that people search for in your industry is an important part of making a good content strategy.

When you know what words and phrases people use the most when looking for information, you can create content that gives them what they want. This helps make your content strategy successful.

SEO Ranking

Search engines like Google use the words and phrases on web pages, called keywords, to decide which pages to show people when they search.

By using popular search words and phrases that are relevant to your website content, you can help your pages show up higher in the search results.

This can get your website more visibility and bring more visitors from search engines like Google.

Competitor Analysis

Doing keyword research can also help you understand what keywords your competitors are using on their websites.

When you know what search terms and phrases your competing websites are targeting, you can get useful information about their marketing plans.

This might show you gaps where they are missing opportunities to rank for certain keywords. Then you may be able to focus on those unmatched keywords that could bring your website more traffic.

Paid Advertising

If you pay for ads that show up in search engines, choosing the right keywords is very important to making your ads work well. These types of ads are called pay-per-click or PPC ads.

Using keywords that people actually search for can help you reach people more likely to be interested in your product or service (qualified leads).

This leads to more people clicking your ads, which makes the ads perform better. And getting valuable customers for less money spent boosts your return on investment.

Keeping Up With Trends

What words and phrases people search for online changes over time. New search trends pop up while some keywords become less popular.

By researching the latest keywords, you can keep up with these changes. When you know what people are currently searching for, you can update your website content to use the newest relevant keywords.

This helps you adapt your overall search engine optimization strategy to match modern search trends.

Elements of Keyword Research

Doing keyword research for SEO has a few important parts. Understanding these different pieces can help you make a better content and SEO plan.

It helps ensure you use the most relevant search terms so you reach users who are more likely to be interested.

Here are some of the most important ones:

Monthly Search Volume (MSV)

The monthly search volume or MSV is an estimate of how often a keyword gets searched for in a month.

The MSV helps show how popular a keyword is. However, a high MSV does not always mean a keyword will be useful for your website.

Keywords with lots of searches often bring general audiences. While keywords with lower search volumes attract smaller but more specific audiences who are closer to making a purchase.

So less popular keywords can still be valuable for targeting customers really interested in what you offer.

The number of monthly searches is just one thing to consider when picking good keywords for your strategy.

Read all about Monthly Search Volume in detail.

Search Intent

Search intent means what a person is looking to find when they type a keyword into a search engine.

Understanding what the searcher wants allows you to create content that gives them what they expect.

Get a detailed overview of Search Intent and its various types by reading this article and understand why it is important in keyword research.

Content Relevancy

Content relevancy looks at whether your website content is relevant to what someone searches for.

Search engines like Google use different clues to decide if your content matches up with a user's search keyword.

For example, they look at if searchers click your result and how they interact with your page.

Creating content that is relevant or useful to each keyword gives your page a better chance to rank high in search results.

Here is a complete in-depth beginner's guide on Content Relevancy. Read this to get more insights.

Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are more detailed search phrases that are usually longer.

Long-tail keywords may not get searched a lot each month. But they bring visitors who are more closely targeting what you offer. These visitors are more likely to be interested customers.

These keywords are called "long-tail" because they are at the long end, or tail, of the graph showing what search terms are most popular.

Here is a complete guide on Long-tail Keywords. Read this to get more insights.

Keyword Difficulty

Keyword difficulty refers to how hard it is for a website to rank high in search engines for a certain keyword.

Many things determine difficulty, like competition with other sites, domain authority, backlinks, content quality, and on-page optimization.

SEO tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, Ubersuggest, KWFinder, and SERPstat) measure difficulty on a score from 0 to 100 to help decide which keywords to focus on. Higher scores mean harder to rank for that keyword.

Finding the right balance of high and low-difficulty keywords is important for good SEO.

For newer or less popular sites, start with easier keywords - ones that big sites don't really target, so you have a better chance to rank.

As your site gains more authority and trust over time, you can better compete for harder keywords with more searches.

Checking keyword difficulty helps you select keywords suited for where your site currently stands. Then progress to more competitive terms as your site grows.

CPC

Cost per click (CPC) is a number used in online ads, especially "pay-per-click" ads on search engines like Google.

The CPC tells how much money an advertiser pays when someone clicks their ad after searching for a particular keyword.

Higher CPC values mean the keyword is more competitive and potentially valuable for making money from ads.

When researching keywords, CPC is an important metric to check besides the search volume.

Even if a keyword doesn't get searched often, a high CPC shows advertisers are willing to pay more for that keyword. This suggests it converts well into customers, making it a potentially useful keyword to target.

So both monthly searches and CPC should be considered when picking keywords for advertising campaigns.

High commercial intent keywords can be valuable for conversions even with lower search volumes.

How To Do Keyword Research For SEO

SEO Keyword research involves three stages:

• Finding Keywords

• Analyzing Or Researching Keywords

• Using Keywords

Let's go through all of them one by one.

Finding Keywords

When you first start researching keywords for SEO, the first question is often "How do I find good keywords?"

Coming up with keyword ideas is the first step in research. There are a few options to find potential SEO keywords:

Target Audience

To find good SEO keywords, start by understanding your target audience. What do they want or need? What problems or questions do they have?

Make a list of words related to your niche, business, and what matters to your customers. These provide the basis for keyword ideas that can attract the right people to your site.

Brainstorm a List of Topics

Think of the types of topics your potential customers care about related to your business.

For example, say you offer fitness coaching. Some topic ideas could be strength programs, diet advice, workout plans, healthy lifestyles, losing weight, and personal training appointments.

Competitors' Keywords

Look at what keywords your competitor websites are targeting and using in their content. Your competitors have likely already done lots of keyword research that you can learn from.

Regularly check out what types of content your competitors are creating and what words they seem to focus on.

Comparing their keywords to yours can uncover search terms you may have missed that could work for your content too.

Spying on competitors' keywords often highlights new opportunities to help your own SEO.

Wikipedia

Wikipedia can give useful keyword ideas that some people overlook. Search Wikipedia for a broad topic related to your business. Scroll down and check the "contents" section that summarizes subtopics on that page.

These subtopics show more specific words and phrases people may search for when learning about that general concept.

Some of them can make good keyword targets for your own content to rank in search engines. So Wikipedia's content outlines provide another source to discover relevant keywords.

Related Searches

Google itself suggests useful keyword ideas. After searching any term on Google, scroll to the bottom of the search results page. There is a "Related searches" section with 7-8 other keywords similar to what you searched.

These keywords come directly from what people also search for on topics related to your initial search term.

Since they connect with user searches, Google's related searches offer relevant ideas you may want to target in your own content as well.

Reddit

Your potential customers might discuss topics on Reddit. Search Reddit for a broad subject related to your business that would interest your target audience.

Find threads with lots of comments. These show popular topics people actively talk about. Consider using these discussion topics as potential keyword ideas to research further.

Words and phrases from active online conversations often make great keywords to optimize your site content around.

Current Site Queries

If your site already gets some search traffic, Google Search Console shows what keywords and topics Google thinks your site is most relevant for.

Check which search terms visitors actually find your site with. This tells you if your content sends the right message about what your site offers. It can also uncover keyword gaps to target more of.

For example, suppose you wrote SEO blog posts for a year. Search Console shows you rank well when people search "SEO basics" and "SEO tips." But you don't rank for "top SEO tools."

This means you should create more content about SEO tools to better match what Google sees as relevant topics for your site.

To find these search queries in the Search Console, go to the "Performance" section. Look under "Queries" to see the specific keywords people used to find your site.

Google & Bing Suggest

If you have a list of topics, type each one into Google and see what it suggests.

You can also use Bing and see all the suggested queries there.

Popular Topics Using Forums

Forums can serve as constant focus groups. Search for forums where your target audience might hang out.

Note how the forum is divided into sections, with each of these sections being potential keywords that you can add to your list.

Use these search strings to search for the relevant forums:

“Your keyword forum”

“Your keyword” + “forum”

“Your keyword” + “forums”

Use Keyword Research Tools

There are numerous keyword research tools - both free and paid - available to enhance your SEO keyword research process.

Continue reading, as we will delve into the best free keyword research tools in more detail later in the article.

Analyzing Or Researching Keywords

Analyzing keywords is an integral part of any SEO strategy, and it requires a systematic approach.

Below, we will explore how to do so in detail.

Search Volume Analysis

This refers to the number of searches for a specific keyword within a given timeframe.

Keywords with a mid-range volume and long tails are typically targeted first due to the potential for quick wins. They also tend to be less competitive.

High-volume keywords require a lot more effort to rank for due to the high competition.

However, even keywords with zero search volume shouldn't be completely dismissed, particularly if they hold relevance for your target audience.

Shoulder Keywords

Shoulder keywords are related terms that your potential customers search for, even if they're not directly connected to your primary product or service.

Targeting these keywords can be advantageous as they attract visitors who might later become customers.

For instance, if you're selling fitness equipment, you might also create content around topics like healthy nutrition or workout routines.

This strategy widens your reach and establishes your website as a valuable resource in your industry.

Search Intent Analysis

By studying the Search Engine Results Page (SERP), you can get insights into the type of content that ranks high for each keyword, hence indicating the searcher’s intent.

Here is a brief overview of all four types of search intent.

For more detailed information, read our in-depth article on Search Intent.

Topic Clusters

This is an advanced keyword strategy where related keywords are grouped together under a high-volume head keyword.

This strengthens the site's topic authority. Content is created for each keyword and linked together using internal links.

Read more about Keyword Clustering here.

Keyword Difficulty Analysis

When researching keywords, check the keyword difficulty or KD score. This shows how competitive the keyword is to rank for. Match KD levels to your website's current authority and credibility.

If your site is new, aim for easier keywords with a KD under 30-40. As your site gains trust over time, target harder keywords with higher KD scores.

But always choose useful keywords relevant to your content and helpful for your target audience, even if they have high difficulty.

Use SEO tools to get KD scores for potential keywords. Then work those keywords into your content based on their difficulty scores relative to what your site can currently compete with.

Checking KD helps select keywords at the appropriate competitiveness level.

Below is the screenshot from Ahrefs.

Ahrefs Content Gap Analysis

Ahrefs is a powerful SEO tool that allows you to analyze your competitors' keyword strategies.

The "Content Gap" feature helps you identify keywords that your competitors rank for, but you don't.

By understanding their successful keywords, you can uncover opportunities to enhance your own rankings.

This strategy provides insights into areas where you may be missing out on potential traffic.

• Go to Ahrefs and sign in to your account.

• Click on the "Site Explorer" tab.

• In the search bar, enter the domain name of your website or one of your competitors.

• Click on the "Content Gap".

• In the "Target" section, enter the domain name of your website or one of your competitors.

• In the "Competitors" section, you can enter the domain names of other competitors that you want to compare your website to.

• Click on the "Show keywords" button.

Using Keywords

Using keywords effectively is crucial for improving the visibility and relevance of your content in search engine results.

Here is a detailed explanation of how to use keywords:

Keywords As Topics

Instead of treating keywords as isolated phrases, consider them as topics around which you can build content hubs or clusters.

The goal of this approach is to strengthen the semantic relationship between articles, making it easier for search engines to understand the topical relevance of your content.

For example, If one of the content hubs on your website targets “technical audit”, the keywords and titles may look like this.

The pillar article with its keyword and title will look like this:

Technical SEO audit: Technical SEO audit - All You Need to Know

Cluster articles could include keywords and titles like

Technical SEO Audit Checklist: A Comprehensive Technical SEO Audit Checklist for Website Owners

Crawling and Indexing Issues: Troubleshooting Crawling and Indexing Problems in Your Website

Website Speed Optimization: Best Website Speed Optimization Strategies for Faster Load Times

Canonicalization Best Practices: What are the Best Canonicalization Practices for Proper Implementation

Server Response Codes: Understanding Server Response Codes for Technical SEO

You can now link all those cluster content articles to the main or pillar page which is about “technical SEO”.

Use Of Main Keyword

Once you have chosen a focus or main keyword for a specific page or post, use it strategically in key elements of that content. The key elements include

• Title Tag: Incorporate the focus keyword in the title tag, as it is an essential element for search engines to understand the page's topic.

• Headings and Subheadings: Use the focus keyword in the heading of the page and, if relevant, in subheadings. This helps to signal the main topic of the content.

• Main Body: Your content body must also have a focus keyword, but make sure not to stuff the text with this keyword. Use keywords naturally where they make sense.

• Anchor Texts: When linking to the page internally (within your website), use the focus keyword in the anchor texts. This practice helps search engines understand the content's context.

However, avoid keyword stuffing, which means using the focus keyword excessively throughout the content. Instead, focus on providing valuable and informative content that satisfies users' needs.

LSI Keywords

LSI keywords are a concept often misunderstood in SEO. They refer to a natural language processing method used by search engines to identify semantic relationships between words and phrases.

However, contrary to some claims, LSI keywords are not synonyms or related keywords you should artificially include in your content.

Google's John Mueller has clarified that there is no specific concept of "LSI keywords" for content optimization.

Google's algorithms have become more sophisticated in understanding context, so incorporating variations of your main keyword artificially won't guarantee you higher rankings.

Instead, your main focus should be on writing naturally and comprehensively about the topic.

Comprehensive And In-Depth Content

When writing about a topic, create detailed content that fully explains the whole subject. Aim for long, high-quality articles rather than short overviews.

In-depth content often ranks well for the target keyword and related words too.

For example, say you target the keyword “digital marketing plans.” Cover multiple subtopics like social media tactics, content building, and SEO tips and discuss each part thoroughly.

This comprehensive guide can then rank for your main term “digital marketing plans” plus the other specific keywords like “social media marketing” too.

Writing extensive, informational content allows you to reach users by searching many relevant phrases related to your main target topic.

Keyword Research Tools

Several keyword research tools are available for finding keywords for SEO within your niche.

Here we have compiled a list of top keyword research tools for you.

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword tool provided by Google and is primarily designed for people running Google ad campaigns.

It gives access to keyword data directly from Google, making it a reliable source for keyword information. While it's intended for ads, you can still use it for SEO purposes.

How To Use It?

• Step 1: Sign in to your Google Ads account or create one if you don't have it already.

• Step 2: Once logged in, click on "Tools & Settings" in the upper right corner and select "Keyword Planner" from the dropdown menu.

• Step 3: Choose between "Discover new keywords" or "Get search volume and forecasts" depending on your research needs.

• Step 4: Enter relevant keywords, your website URL, or select a specific category related to your niche.

• Step 5: Review the list of keyword ideas, search volumes, and other data provided by the Google Keyword Planner.

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest helps you in finding keywords for SEO based on Google's search suggestions.

It also provides various data points for each keyword, such as search volume, CPC (cost-per-click), keyword difficulty, and more.

How To Use It?

• Step 1: Go to the Ubersuggest website.

• Step 2: Enter your target [keyword] or website URL in the search bar.

• Step 3: Click on "Search" to generate a list of keyword ideas related to your input.

• Step 4: Review the list of keywords along with their search volumes, CPC, keyword difficulty, and other metrics.

SEMrush

SEMrush is a comprehensive SEO tool that offers various functionalities, including keyword research.

It allows you to see the exact keywords a website ranks for, which can be valuable for understanding your competitors' strategies.

How To Use It?

• Step 1: Sign up for a SEMrush account if you don't have one.

• Step 2: Once logged in, enter your competitor's website domain in the search bar.

• Step 3: Navigate to the "Organic Research" or "Keyword Gap" section to see the exact keywords your competitor ranks for.

• Step 4: Analyze the keyword data to find relevant keywords for your own SEO strategy.

Ahrefs Keyword Explorer

Ahrefs is primarily known as a link-building tool, but it also offers a powerful keyword research feature called Keyword Explorer.

It provides extensive data for each keyword, helping you assess its potential value for your SEO strategy.

How To Use It?

• Step 1: Sign in to your Ahrefs account or create one if you don't have one.

• Step 2: Enter your target {keyword} in the Ahrefs Keyword Explorer search bar.

• Step 3: Explore the various data points provided for the keyword, such as search volume, keyword difficulty, and other relevant metrics.

• Step 4: Use the data to assess the keyword's potential value for your SEO efforts.

Each of these tools has its unique strengths, and the choice of which one to use depends on your specific needs and preferences.

Whether you're looking for trending topics, keyword ideas, or competitor insights, these tools can assist you in your keyword research and SEO efforts.

Moz Keyword Explorer 

Moz Keyword Explorer is a comprehensive keyword research tool that provides insights into keyword difficulty, search volume, and organic click-through rates.

It helps you identify valuable keywords for your SEO and content strategy.

How to Use It?

• Step 1: Go to the Moz Keyword Explorer.

• Step 2: Enter a {keyword} or phrase in the search bar.

• Step 3: The tool will provide data on keyword difficulty, search volume, organic CTR, and more.

• Step 4: Explore the related keyword suggestions and their metrics.

• Step 5: Use the data to choose keywords that align with your content goals and have a manageable level of competition.

• Step 6: Export the keyword list for reference or integration into your SEO strategy.

Google Search Console

Have you ever wondered how to do keyword research using GSC?

Google Search Console offers various features and reports to help you understand how your website is performing in Google search results.

You can use this information to find valuable keywords for your website and improve its search engine rankings. 

How To Use It?

Here are different ways to find keywords with the best potential and improve rankings using GSC:

Keywords with High Impressions & Low Clicks

In Google Search Console, navigate to the "Performance" section.

Under the "Queries" tab, you will see a list of keywords that your website has appeared for in search results.

Look for keywords that have a high number of impressions but a relatively low number of clicks.

These keywords indicate a big traffic potential because they are generating many impressions, but users are not clicking on your site.

Keywords On 2nd Or 3rd SERP

In the same "Performance" section of Google Search Console, look for keywords that your website ranks on the 2nd or 3rd page of search engine results (i.e., the 11th to 30th positions).

These keywords matter a lot because your website is already ranking relatively well for them. With some optimization efforts, you can improve your rankings and potentially move these keywords onto the first page of search results.

Once you have identified keywords with the best potential, you can take specific actions to improve your rankings:

• Improving Existing Articles

If you already have content that mentions the identified keyword, consider updating and optimizing the content to focus more on the keyword.

Ensure that the keyword appears in the title, meta description, headings, and throughout the body of the article in a natural and relevant manner. Make sure to avoid keyword stuffing.

Add relevant information, examples, and media to enhance the content and make it more valuable to readers and search engines.

• Creating New Posts

If you find high-potential keywords that don't have dedicated content on your website, consider creating new blog posts or articles focused on those keywords.

Conduct thorough SEO research on the topic and provide comprehensive and high-quality content to address the user's search intent fully.

Optimize the new content as you would for existing articles, including incorporating the target keyword in strategic places and providing valuable information.

Keyword Surfer

Keyword Surfer is a Chrome extension that works directly within Google's search results. Once installed, it provides keyword ideas and data while you perform a Google search.

How To Use It?

• Step 1: Install the Keyword Surfer Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store.

• Step 2: Once installed, perform a Google search for a topic or {keyword}.

• Step 3: On the search results page, you'll see a list of keyword ideas and data provided by the Keyword Surfer extension.

Google Trends

Google Trends allows you to explore the popularity of search terms over time and in different regions.

It helps you understand how user interest in specific topics changes and provides insights into seasonal trends and related queries.

How to Use It?

• Step 1: Visit the Google Trends website.

• Step 2: Enter a keyword or topic in the search bar.

• Step 3: Adjust the time range, location, and category filters to narrow down your results.

• Step 4: Explore the trend graph to see how the search interest has changed over time.

• Step 5: Scroll down to see related queries and topics that are currently trending.

• Step 6: Compare multiple keywords to see their relative popularity.

Answer The Public

Answer The Public is a helpful tool for researching keywords. It generates a visual map of questions, prepositions, and related queries based on a given keyword.

It is a great tool for understanding what people are searching for in relation to a topic.

How to Use It?

• Step 1: Visit the Answer The Public website.

• Step 2: Enter a keyword in the search bar.

• Step 3: The tool will generate a visual map of questions (what, why, how, etc.), prepositions (for, with, without, etc.), and other related queries.

• Step 4: Explore the generated content ideas and use them to create relevant and comprehensive content.

• Step 5: Download the visual map for reference or further analysis.

Keyword.io

Keyword.io is a keyword research tool that helps you generate keyword ideas based on your seed keyword. It collects data from various sources, including Google, Bing, YouTube, Amazon, and more.

This tool is designed to provide you with a wide range of keyword suggestions that you might not have thought of otherwise.

How to Use It?

• Step 1: Visit the Keyword.io website.

• Step 2: Enter your seed keyword or topic in the search bar.

• Step 3: Choose your target location to customize the results.

• Step 4: Select the sources you want to gather keyword suggestions from (Google, Bing, YouTube, Amazon, etc.).

• Step 5: Click the "Search" button or press Enter to generate keyword suggestions.

• Step 6: The tool will display a list of keyword ideas based on your input.

• Step 7: Review the list of keywords and select those that are relevant to your content or SEO strategy.

• Step 8: You can export the generated keyword list for further analysis or integration into your keyword research process.

If you're unsure of where to begin, get a comprehensive list of all the essential keyword research tools here.

Which Keywords Should You Prioritise?

The answer to this question depends on various factors.

These factors include

• the age of your website

• the size of your team

• how effectively your website can convert visitors

• the speed at which you expect to see results and other relevant considerations

Keyword research is a practice that takes into account these unique circumstances alongside important metrics like

• the potential amount of traffic a keyword can bring

• the level of difficulty associated with ranking for that keyword

• whether it aligns with your business objectives

• the underlying intent of users searching for that keyword

In some instances, the goal might be to attract a large volume of traffic quickly using high-volume keywords.

In other cases, the focus could be on generating leads or achieving conversions, which would involve selecting keywords that align with your business goals.

It's important to recognize that effective keyword research goes beyond identifying keywords that are easy to rank for; it's about pinpointing the ones that are most relevant and valuable for your specific business.

When developing an SEO strategy, it's crucial to set both short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals for improving your website's ranking in search results.

This approach ensures a well-rounded and sustainable SEO strategy that yields consistent results over time. 

What Is The Best Keyword Research Tool?

Choosing a keyword tool is based on your budget and business requirements.

To assist you, we have compiled a list of the top ten keyword research tools along with comparisons to help you make an informed choice.

Depending on your preferences and requirements, you can select one or more tools from this list.

The goal is to ensure that the tools you choose align with your website's unique circumstances and contribute to the overall success of your SEO efforts.

Takeaway

Doing keyword research is very important for good SEO and content planning. It means finding words and phrases people search online to find information, products, or services.

When you know the search terms used to find what you offer, you can create content matched to what people want.

This helps search engines show your pages to relevant users. So your website gets found more easily by targeted visitors looking for those topics.

Optimizing for real searcher keywords allows you to improve visibility and get more website traffic from search engines without paying for ads. Keyword research provides vital search data to reach the right audiences.

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