How to Do Keyword Research for SEO

Keyword analysis is at the heart of SEO. To ensure that your site ranks well and attracts organic traffic, it is essential to carry out effective keyword research. How can you do this?

We've developed an exhaustive guide to SEO keyword research - by the end, you'll have a strong understanding of SEO fundamentals and all the information you need to improve your site's performance, whatever the subject.

In search engine optimisation (SEO), keyword research includes identifying and using words and phrases that are relevant to the target audience. To find these keywords, consider what people are looking for or need in relation to a specific product or service.

Once you have a clear understanding, you can research the most pertinent keywords and generate content to improve rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs). By using this process, companies gain insight into user interactions with web pages, providing essential details for improving the online marketing of their products or services.

Recommendation: Combine keyword research with a robust marketing strategy. Use the expertise of advertising companies to improve your brand's presence.

Proper SEO keyword research is crucial, as it allows companies to focus on terms that accurately represent their products or services. Consequently, this helps Google align its content with the right audiences.

Google uses machine learning (ML) to understand search queries and content with impressive accuracy. Its algorithm reviews content, ‘analysing’ HTML code and various resources to identify keywords and associated entities, thus understanding their contextual and subtle meaning.

Google typically processes 40,000 searches per second. In order for web users to locate your offers, it is essential to identify the exact terms they use through keyword research and incorporate them into your SEO content creation.

• Step 1: Identify your target audience

Identifying your target audience is the first and fundamental step in keyword research for SEO. It is essential to know your target audience, their needs and the ways in which they search for solutions online.

You can tailor your keyword research to address unique requirements if you know the target audience. This will help make your content relevant and beneficial to potential customers looking for details related to your industry or your product and service offerings.

• Step 2: Understand how search intent works

Search intent is a crucial idea in keyword research because it helps marketers understand the fundamental reason for a search query. When carrying out keyword research, think about why a person would search for a specific term and how your content can fulfil their needs.

When examining search intent, it's important to recognise three main categories of searches:

• Informational searches: Users are looking for details on a specific subject or field;
• Navigational searches: Users aim to find a specific website or web page;
• Transactional searches: Users want to buy or finalise a transaction over the Internet.

Grasping search intent enables you to tailor your content to address the unique requirements of your audience.

• Step 3: Generate topics and key terms

To carry out effective keyword research, the third step involves identifying essential topics related to your industry or products and generating associated keywords.

Start by considering all potential topics related to your work. Think of general topics and then break them down into narrower subtopics.

For example, if you have a photography business, the central topic might be ‘photographic equipment’. Your subtopics could consist of ‘camera lenses’ and ‘studio lighting’. These can be broken down into even more precise keywords, such as ‘wide-angle camera lenses’ or ‘LED studio lighting kit’.

Compile a comprehensive list of specific keywords derived from these topics and their subtopics. Think about improving your list by carrying out a competitor analysis. Use resources such as Google's Keyword Planner to gather more information on typical monthly search volumes and competition levels for each phrase under evaluation.

• Step 4: Create long-tail keywords

Once you've completed your initial keyword research and identified a handful of essential keywords, it's now time to focus on long-tail keywords. As search engines become more advanced and can understand more complex phrases, long-tail keywords are becoming more important.

Here are several ways to generate long-tail keywords:

• Utilize keyword research tools to find potential long-tail keywords related to your primary subjects. These tools can assist you in finding phrases that are pertinent and tailored to your content;
• Use the autocomplete function on search engines like Google to help you generate more keyword suggestions. By entering a main keyword, the suggestions can show long-tail keywords and various alternatives;
• Investigate the ‘People also ask’ segment in search results to discover related questions and terms that users are searching for.

Step 5: Assess keyword difficulty and search volume
The following step in our keyword research guide consists of evaluating keyword difficulty and search volume. This is fundamental to making the right choice regarding which keywords to focus on.

Keyword challenge

• This pertains to the challenge of obtaining a position for a particular term. Ranking for highly competitive keywords is generally more challenging;
• You should select keywords with low competition, especially if you are a newcomer to the market. These may be easier to rank for and outrank your rivals.

Search volume

• Demonstrates the frequency with which individuals look for a particular term during a set timeframe. Keywords with a higher search volume are more likely to attract organic traffic to your site;
• Select keywords that people search for. Although there is no definitive answer to what constitutes the ideal search volume, since many factors come into play, there must be some level of traffic;
• In certain cases, concentrating on keywords with lower search volumes can be more effective than concentrating on those with high search volumes, as there tends to be less competition.

After you have pinpointed potentially relevant keywords with an appropriate search volume and keyword difficulty, assess each keyword individually. This will help you identify the options that are valuable for content development and improvement.

• Explore Google Search

Many leading SEO content writing professionals use Google Suggest to discover new keyword ideas. To use Google Suggest, start by entering your main keyword associated with your business. Google then offers a list of recommendations that feature the specific term. These recommendations usually reflect people's most popular expressions.

• Check related Google searches

Type your topic into the Google search bar and scroll down to the bottom of the page. In this area, you'll find the ‘related searches’ section. This part frequently includes pertinent long-tail phrases that can assist in directing your keyword research for SEO.

• Explore and participate in virtual communities

By browsing forums, you can find fantastic keyword concepts. Look for forums that involve your target audience or explore well-known ones such as Reddit.

To take advantage of platforms like Reddit:

• Become a member of subreddits that are closely linked to your enquiry;
• Look for specific conversations or general topics in your area;
• Observe discussions that have a lot of interaction, such as those with many comments. Examine them to recognise the terminology your sector uses to refer to your (type of) services or products.

For example, if you run an SEO agency and have your own SEO tool, enter ‘SEO tools’ in the Reddit search bar. This will show a compilation of SEO-related communities and discussions on the subject. Participate in relevant conversations and examine the terminology and phrasing used by your market to articulate your experiences with SEO tools.

• Use YouTube Search

YouTube search is a useful resource for producing SEO keyword suggestions that can enhance your comprehensive SEO approach. Simply visit YouTube and enter a suitable phrase. Like Google, YouTube will offer options related to what users normally search for.

• Explore social networks

People often turn to social media when faced with a problem or question. Platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn feature numerous groups linked to your sector, where your audience exchanges concerns, knowledge and stories. Here, you can discover some excellent keyword and subject concepts that you can develop in your content.

Like Facebook and LinkedIn, Twitter also offers valuable keywords for your SEO content strategy by exploiting trending hashtags and discussion topics.

• Communicating with your customers

Take advantage of your customers' opinions from one-to-one conversations, email exchanges or surveys to formulate relevant keyword recommendations. This method helps you to understand your customers more efficiently, making it possible to create keyword concepts and personalised content according to their needs and the vocabulary they use.

• Checking Wikipedia content

Wikipedia is a valuable resource for specialised research and should be included in your SEO content plan. When you search for a general term on Wikipedia, you get an extensive summary of the subject. Take note of the table of contents, as it contains a list of all the subtopics the page covers. This is an excellent resource for content and keyword suggestions.

We've analysed the procedure for carrying out keyword research in detail, but here are some key recommendations to consider when choosing the right keywords:

• Collect essential metrics: Emphasise keyword volumes, search intent, keyword difficulty and other crucial metrics;
• Analyse costs: High-quality SEO keyword research can demand a considerable investment of money and time, yet it doesn't ensure quick results. Consider how much of your budget you are prepared to allocate to your SEO keyword research plan;
• Carry out keyword mapping: Compile a list of keywords and align them with the most suitable pages according to the search intent;
• Form keyword groups: Organise similar keywords to facilitate their strategic placement on your site;
• Search for long-tail keywords and LSI terms. As we said, long-tail keywords should not be neglected. Also, think about incorporating LSI keywords (latent semantic indexing), which Google recognises as semantically related to the subject you are targeting.

Keywords won't be very effective if they're not used correctly. Here are some additional tips to simplify the process of discovering topic ideas:

• Understand your niche thoroughly: Make sure you have in-depth knowledge of your niche in order to generate highly accurate long-tail keywords. The more familiar you are with your sector and related subtopics, the better your chances of discovering keyword opportunities that produce a high ROI;
• Know your audience: To attract the best customers, familiarise yourself with what your target audience is looking for and wants. Develop buyer personas and negative buyer personas to ensure that your efforts are targeted to appeal to the right audience for your content;
• Keep an eye on your competitors: Identify the relevant keywords they are focusing on and the phrases they are ranking for. This knowledge helps you focus your SEO activities on creating content that can outrank your rivals in the search rankings;
• Seek advice from SEO professionals: To gain a more comprehensive understanding of technical SEO and analysis, consider contacting SEO agencies that focus on these domains.

A keyword research tool for SEO not only makes it easier to find key topic expressions for your content. It can also help you carry out keyword research for competitors.

Here are the main tools that will be beneficial to your SEO content strategy in 2025:

• Ahrefs

Ahrefs is an effective tool for researching competitors‘ keywords, allowing you to examine your rivals’ keywords, backlinks and tactics. By using Ahrefs, you can gather comprehensive information on the key terms you are looking for, as well as different versions of those keywords to improve your SEO strategies.

Ahrefs offers four different pricing options:

• Lite ($129/month)
• Standard ($249/month)
• Premium ($449/month)
• Enterprise ($14,990 per month)
• Starter for $29 per month

• Soovle

Soovle is a free SEO keyword research tool that you can use in your SEO content approach. It can recommend important phrases from various sources, all in one place. What's more, it offers different versions of Wikipedia, Yahoo, Amazon, Google and various other sites.

The wonderful thing about this tool is that you can save your favourite ideas and export them as a CSV file.

• Google Analytics + Google Search Console

There are several free SEO tools from Google, such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console. When put together, these tools form a strong asset for analysing SEO keywords. These tools offer detailed information on essential metrics such as clicks, CTR, average position and other factors. This data helps you to recognise keyword trends and produce concepts for your SEO content.

In addition, Google Search Console can help you analyse your competitors' keywords by displaying the phrases your competitors are ranking for.

• Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is a no-cost SEO tool that allows you to generate new keyword concepts. It offers various features, such as suggestions for long-tail keywords, data on search volume, SEO, PPC competition and CPC - key metrics for PPC agencies. In addition, this tool offers associated keywords, questions, prepositions, comparisons and other extra elements.

• WordStream

WordStream is a dedicated SEO tool that allows you to focus on specific sectors. By entering a keyword and selecting a niche, you can get original suggestions and themes for creating SEO content.

Simply enter the keyword, the sector and the country where your site is ranked and you'll receive a list of associated keywords, along with their search volumes. In addition, you can enter a URL to get the keywords for that website.

Please note that WordStream provides 25 keyword searches immediately. To receive the full list, you need to provide your email address, which will be sent to you by email.

• Google Keyword Planner

The Google Keyword Planner is one of the most reliable resources, especially for budget-conscious companies. It provides accurate information directly from the world's leading search engine.

Although this SEO keyword research tool is aimed at brands that focus on paid advertising rather than organic search, keywords that are beneficial for paid adverts are often also relevant for SEO.

• Moz Keyword Explorer

Using the Moz Keyword Research Planner, you can enter a keyword to obtain important metrics such as difficulty, organic CTR and search volume. In addition, this SEO keyword research tool offers keyword recommendations and SERP analysis for the given phrase. It also allows you to monitor your rankings, analyse and evaluate your website pages and discover link prospects.

Moz offers four pricing options:

• Starter Plan ($49/month)
• Basic ($99/month)
• Medium ($179/month)
• Large ($299/month)

Moz also offers a 30-day free trial.

Here are the main places where you should insert your keywords to improve and strengthen your SEO content strategy:

• Title: Include keywords in your titles to clearly communicate the content of the page or the topic. This informs both your audience and search engines about the content of the page. Find out how to create captivating titles;

• Subheadings: Subheadings summarise your sections and improve the readability of your material. By including relevant keywords and phrases in the subheadings, both your audience and the search engines can understand the importance of your content to their enquiries;

• Always include your target keyword in the first 100 words of your articles and consistently throughout the text. This increases the importance of the content and the effectiveness of SEO;

• Title tag: Title tags serve as headings that appear to users in the SERPs and are essential for on-page SEO. The main keyword should be included and, if possible, it should appear near the beginning;

• Short, informative page URLs that contain the main keyword clearly demonstrate what the page is about;

• Meta-description: Meta-descriptions provide a summary of your content and help Google assess the importance of your material. It's clear! Indicate the text you want me to paraphrase and I'll be happy to help;

• Alternative text: Incorporate keywords in the alternative text to increase the relevance of the image and indicate to search engines the link between the images and the content and topic;

• Image file names: Improving your images for SEO is also crucial. Image file names can contain focus keywords or associated terms to increase the page's relevance.

Once you've selected your keywords, it's time to produce your SEO content. However, pay attention to these common mistakes when using keywords to maintain SEO best practices and ensure high-quality content:

• Keyword stuffing: Avoid overusing keywords or including irrelevant terms in your content - Google punishes these practices. Instead, use your keywords thoughtfully and strive for a keyword density of 1.5 per cent, as recommended by marketing experts;

• Keyword cannibalization: Avoid optimising several pages for a single keyword. This can lead to search engine confusion as to which page should rank for that particular keyword. Focus on using different keyword terms for each page;

• Writing for Google and not for your audience: Always try to help your audience find what they are looking for, rather than just satisfying search engine criteria. If your pages have no value, visitors can leave in seconds, increasing your bounce rate. Google prioritises user experience and a high bounce rate can negatively affect your rankings.

1. What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of identifying the terms and phrases that people use in search engines such as Google when looking for products, services or information related to your niche.

2. Why is keyword research essential?
It is essential for understanding the intent of the target audience, optimising content for SEO and increasing your site's visibility in organic search results.

3. What tools can I use to carry out keyword research?
Some of the most popular tools include:

• Google Keyword Planner;
• Ubersuggest;
• Ahrefs;
• SEMrush;
• Keyword Tool.

4. How do you choose the right keywords?
Consider search volume, competition, relevance to your content and search intent (informational, commercial or transactional). It's important to balance popular terms with more specific long tail keywords.

5. What are long-tail keywords?
They are more detailed and usually longer expressions that have fewer searches, but resonate with a more qualified audience that is more inclined to convert.

6. Should I use exact keywords in my content?
Not necessarily. The ideal is to use a natural variation of the keywords, including synonyms and related expressions, to make the content more fluid and avoid penalties for keyword stuffing.

7. How often should I do new keyword research?
Review your keywords regularly, especially when:

• You are creating new content;
• You notice changes in traffic;
• Updating marketing strategies;
• Enter new niches.

8. What is the difference between organic and paid keywords?
Organic keywords are those used in SEO strategies to generate free traffic. Paid keywords, on the other hand, are used in advertising campaigns, such as Google Ads, to attract visitors on a pay-per-click (CPC) basis.

Keyword research is one of the essential foundations of any successful SEO strategy. In this article, we show you step by step how to identify the most relevant terms for your target audience, choose appropriate tools, analyse search volume and competition, and apply keywords strategically in your content.

In addition, we explain the importance of understanding search intent, how to work with long-tail keywords and how to keep your strategy updated over time.

If you want to boost your website's performance on search engines, keyword research is the essential starting point - and relying on experienced professionals can make all the difference. Studio.351 is a benchmark in SEO and is ready to help your business achieve better positions on Google with personalised, data-based strategies.

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