What Is Keyword Research and How to Do It

If you want to rank in the search engines for the search terms your potential customers are using to find the products/services you are offering, you need to know which these words and phrases are in the first place.

Here is where keyword research comes into the spotlight. It will reveal the search terms you need to use in your content when creating and implementing your SEO and marketing strategies.

So let’s dive straight in and discover what keyword analysis is, who it is for, its benefits, and most importantly – how to do it.

Disclaimer: The following article may contain affiliated links to products and services we have previously tested and find beneficial for our readers.

1. What Is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is the process of finding, analyzing words and phrases your target audience uses when searching online for a particular topic. The main purpose of the keyword search is to apply the collected data to your content to optimize it and make it more appealing for both search engines and potential clients. The more relevant your copy is, the more it will appear on the SERP, increasing your organic traffic and conversion rate.

2. Why Keyword Research Is So Important?

Keyword research is the only way to determine what your target audience types in Google and other search engines when seeking something. It helps you understand what you need to change in your content and marketing strategies. Keyword analysis provides you with the necessary leverage to avoid the critical mistake of creating content that nobody searches for and killing your site and business.

You can find the answers to such important questions as:

• What are people searching for?
• Is my content relatable?
• Are people using these keywords in their searches likely to become my clients?
• How many people use these exact keywords?
• How should I present my content to better serve my audience?
• What new content can I create that will bring value to my current and potential customers?

The answers you get will increase your chances of success and help you create a long-lasting bond with your customers.

3. When Do You Need Keyword Research?

There are three reasons you would want to do keyword research – to better your SEO strategy, to boost your content marketing, and to create more impactful PPC campaigns.

3.1 For SEO

The primary reason to do keyword analysis is to optimize for organic search. The more relevant words and phrases you use, the easier it is for Google to deem your site worthy of a higher ranking position on the SERP. The bots will spot the right keywords in your SEO elements (meta tags, titles, description, h-tags, etc.) and index and show your content more. Altho Google has regular algorithm updates, the way it sees keywords and their impact will remain unchanged. That is why keyword optimization is one of the most reliable SEO strategies.

3.2 For Content Marketing

Content takes a big part in search engine optimization, being one of the primary forces pushing your website forward in the SERP. It has a leading role in attracting new readers and potential clients. Keyword analysis will allow you to modify your copy and make it more effective. Once you’ve researched what your audience wants, you can “load” your website with high-quality texts -from your product descriptions to your blog content.

3.3 For Advertisement

Keyword research is essential if you want to create an impactful advertisement strategy. From display and paid search to social media ads, they all need to be phrased in a way that invites and encourages the viewer to buy your product/service. Valuable keywords formulate different groups and can be used in various ways.

4. What Is Essential When You Do a Keyword Search?

Two main factors are essential for the positive outcome of every keyword research – user intent and keyword theme.

User or search intent refers to meaning hidden behind the keywords and reveals what the reasoning for the search was. You must correctly identify what particular problem your audience needs to solve. It can be a piece of information, a product, or a specific service. Once you understand why a person is seeking data online, you need to focus your efforts on finding out how the search query is communicated.

Keyword themes are the groups of words and phrases used when users do similar searches. For example, two people can seek the answer to the same question in two different ways. The wording is different, but the intent is the same. The phrases used by these people create a keyword pool related to one particular query. For instance, let’s say that person A types “ How to plant tomatoes?” and person B searches for “ How to make a tomato garden?”. Your keyword theme is “Growing tomatoes”, and from that, you can create a single piece of content that answers all of the needs within that topic. For this example, the search intent is finding information about how to do a certain activity.

Once you identify the search intent and the topics, you can start finding the right focus keywords.

5. What Are the Different Keyword Types?

Different specialists have different theories about how to group keywords into types. However, to avoid confusion, we will look at them in a much more simple and easy to understand way.

First, keywords can have different lengths that depend on how many single words make the key phrase.

• Short-tail keywords (also known as head, broad, or generic keywords) – They consist of one or two words, have a high search volume, and are very hard to rank for.
• Mid-tail keywords – These terms are more descriptive than the broad ones and consist of two or three words. They have a sufficient search volume, but the competition is not as fierce as the head keywords.
• Long-tail keywords – These are long phrases (three words +) that have low competition and search volume. They are more specific and target a particular audience, resulting in a higher conversion rate.

Source: Semrush

Keyword length is connected to the search intent and how people phrase their queries. We will talk more about the topic of user intent in the following points.

The second way we can distinguish keywords is by their purpose.

• Primary keywords – The main keywords targeted on the page or post that bring in the most traffic. For example, the name of the product or service you offer. Each page has only one primary keyword.
• LSI Keywords (also called related) – Latent semantic (LSI) keywords are terms that are semantically related to your key phrases. They can be variations or synonyms that help enhance your content.

Note that usually primary keywords are shorter but on point. For example the name of a service or product you offer. LSI keywords are long-tail descriptive terms or phrases that you need to include in your website content to make it more relevant and appealing to both the search engines and your potential readers.

6. How to Do Keyword Research for SEO?

The in-depth keyword research consists of five important steps:

1. Determine your keyword topics
2. Find keyword ideas
3. Analyze the collected data
4. Create your content strategy or improve the existing one and
5. Review the Results and Adjust Accordingly

Each comes with its own challenges and must be carefully thought through. A keyword analysis is not an easy thing. It takes time to research all potential words and phrases, group them into topics and implement the data into your website’s copy.

6.1 How to Determine Your Keyword Themes(Topics)

Matching your content to the needs of your audience is a tough job, and you can get easily sidetracked. So there are three steps you need to take:

1. Determine what the user’s intent is
2. Determine how it relates to your own business goals
3. Determine which are the keyword pools you need to fill with words and phrases

6.1.1 What Are the Types of User Intent?

User (search) intent has four main types:

• Informational intent (who, what, when, where, why, how)

The purpose of the search is to find information about a specific topic. Usually, the keyword phrases include an interrogative word followed by a primary or long-tail one. (ex: “ how to plant tomatoes”)

• Navigational intent (brand name, website, specific action)

The user does a navigational search when seeking a particular brand or needs to perform a certain action. For example, how to log in or check the working hours. (ex: “amazon.com log in”)

• Commercial intent (comparison words like – best, compare, top, review, price)

Commercial searches happen when the user is almost ready to make a purchase. The potential client wants to compare and review its options before reaching a final decision. (ex: “best cleaning company in London”)

• Transactional intent (brands, specific product or service, buy, order)

The user is ready to buy or subscribe. The search phrase contains the exact brand and/or product. (ex: “iPhone 13”)

Now that you know why users search and what they want to gain is time to align that with your own business strategy.

6.1.2 How to Match the User Intent with Your Business Goals?

What is your goal? What keywords do you want to optimize your website for? What are your expectations? The answers to these three questions will help you target the right audience.

Bloggers and business owners that want to establish a strong bond with their potential customers need to target the people with informational or transactional intent. Offer different tips, create learning guides and give professional advice.

If you are selling a product or service, include lots of transactional and commercial search words, especially in your H-tags, meta descriptions, and CTA.

6.1.3 How to Form Keyword Topics and Successfully Use Them?

You know what your audience searches for and what your business goals are. It is time to combine this knowledge and form your keyword topics. Over time, you will create keyword lists (word pools) for each theme and use them when writing the outlines of your blog posts or website content. You know your business inside out, so make a list of your products or services. Each one is a potential topic. Something interesting is happening in your branch – here is another possible keyword theme.

Do not limit your copy by targeting only one type of audience. Try to create content that can use the full potential of your keyword pool and tackle the topic from different directions. Use terms with similar keyword intent that tackle related problems. For instance, the article on how to grow tomatoes can include sub-topics like what soil to use or when to water the plants.

Once you write down your keyword topics, start searching for words and phrases. Keep in mind some themes won’t make the final cut, but others may form during the next stages of the process. The idea is to have a starting point and not circle around like a headless chicken not knowing what to do. Note that all of the steps in the keyword research process are interconnected. Thus new topics can surface while you are searching or analyzing the gathered words and phrases.

6.2 How to Find Keyword Ideas?

Now let’s look at how to discover the topics and specific keywords you need. It is not hard to find what search phrases your audience uses when you know where to look for them.

People use search engines to seek answers, so it’s only natural to start from here. You will be amazed at how much information you can gather from Google and its many keyword tools. It is possible to create an effective keyword search strategy only using the following free features:

6.2.1 Google Autocomplete

When you start typing in the search bar, Google will try to guess and complete your sentence. These suggestions are based on the thousands upon thousands of similar search queries other people have made. You can use the autocomplete function to discover different keyword variations of your seed terms and enlarge your word pool.

6.2.2 Google’s People Also Ask(PAA) section

The PAA section of the SERP displays the most frequently asked questions on Google related to your search query. You can use this notion to identify people’s needs and intent. The more questions you check, the more new ones Google will generate. Often content creators use the data from the PAA and transform it into headings and sub-headings in their own copy. You can practically construct the outlines of your articles using the People also ask section.

6.2.3 Google Related Searches

This section will show you topics related to your query. By exploring it, you can do in-depth research on what people search for. You will find low-difficulty keywords that will appeal to your audience and increase your organic traffic. It will also help you when creating the outlines for your copy.

6.2.4 Google Suggest

The last section on the bottom of the SERP contains other variations of your query. Here you can find great synonyms and long-tail keywords you can use. And since they are suggested by Google, you can bet these exact phrases are used by thousands of people and have a high search volume.

6.2.5 Google Ads – Keyword Planner

One of the most widely used functionalities within Google ads is the Keyword planner. Altho the generated metrics are meant to be analyzed by professional PPC marketers, the actual keywords can be used by content creators. After you adjust the location and language, the Keyword Planner can help you find niche low-competition terms related to your keyword topic.

Once you have compiled your initial keyword list, keep growing it by adding the terms and phrases used by your competitors.

If your competition gains success using specific keywords, you should invest some time and find out these phrases. Then, use them in your copy. This is a great strategy for discovering strong focus keywords that can bring you more organic traffic and increase your conversion rates. There are a couple of ways you could do that:

6.2.6 Manual Check

Type your targeted keyword in the Google search bar and see the top 10 results. Make a list of these sites and inspect each one. Check the phrasing of the headings and sub-headings. Add the new words to your keyword pools. You can go a step further and use Google’s Natural Language API to scan the page content.

6.2.7 Google Natural Language API

The Natural Language API can identify different entities in the text (person, product, service, etc.) and make sentiment analysis. Meaning it can distinguish the intent behind the text and underline the powerful words that portray those sentiments. And that is exactly what you need. So go to your first competitor page and copy the text. Then place it in the Demo section of the software and press “Analyze”.

Depending on the length of the content, it can take several seconds for the bots to analyze and categorize the text. Then the results will visualize.

Each word has a salience score, measured on a scale from 0.0 to 1.0 that indicates how relevant and important it is to the text.

The tool is free and can immensely help you understand why your competitor’s copy is more successful than yours. You can gain valuable insight on how to structure your content using the most suitable keywords.

Lastly there is the option to check each of the top 10 search results using keyword research software. Several paid tools can offer you not only new keyword prospects but will also analyze the provided data. We will be looking in more detail into them in the next step.

For now, let’s focus on free word generators. These tools can provide you with hundreds of rows of terms based on the key phrases you research. Here are some of the most widely used ones:

6.2.8 Answer the public

Maybe the most popular word generator out there, Answer the public can offer you the most asked questions on the internet for a specific topic. Type your root keyword, and the software will generate multiple terms you can use in your copy. If you need long-tail keywords, this is the place to get them.

6.2.9 Soovle

Soovle is a simply-built but effective SEO keyword research tool that can generate lists with search terms collected from various databases. You can find some great suggestions here of relevant keywords with low-competition levels.

6.2.10 QuestionDB

Similar to Answer the public, Questions DB reveals how people search on the web for a particular topic. However, the generated results are more diverse and can help you discover good long-tail keywords. You have the option to see the whole question or the keywords used.

6.2.11 Market Muse

Altho this tool has a paid version that can provide you with detailed data about each word, you can use it for free as a simple keyword generator. The big plus is that Market Muse will suggest how many times you should use the given phrase in your copy. This tool is ideal for copywriters and blog creators.

Your audience is your best source of information. User-generated content (UGC) can provide you with valuable insight into how your audience thinks and what it wants. Mimicking the phrasing of your potential customers can make your content appear more relatable and your brand more trustworthy. So here is how you can use your targeted audience to find good keyword ideas.

6.2.12 Forums and Q&A Sites

See what people are talking about on forums, what their problems are, and most importantly how they are phrasing their queries. Take notice of what slang they use and what long-tail keywords are repeated the most. Start your research by checking Quora and Reddit. Type your primary keyword and see what questions and stories will pop up. Don’t forget to look into smaller, niche forums as well. Compile a list of the most asked questions and add them to your keyword pool.

6.2.13 Check Reviews

Reviews are some of the most overlooked UGC, but they can be quite useful if you want to know how your audience expresses its needs and concerns. The review sections on Amazon and eBay are an ideal source of information and can get you a lot of niche, low-competition keywords.

6.2.14 Social Media & YouTube

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram can be used as a reliable source of keyword ideas, especially when creating copy for ads. On the other hand, YouTube can be beneficial for writing landing pages and blogs. Type your head keywords and see what videos will show up. Check the title and description of the top ones. Use this method to gather ideas from both other content creators (a.k.a. your competitors) and your targeted audience.

Finding keywords and creating lists is not a difficult process, but it takes a lot of time. Do not rush it. For maximum results, use a couple or all of the described methods.

6.3 How to Analyze Keywords?

Congratulations, you have a list of 100+ rows of keywords, but are they all good? How do you distinguish which phrase to use and which to skip? You need to analyze each keyword and determine whether or not it is profitable to use it.

6.3.1 What Are the Most Important Keyword Metrics?

Many metrics can be used to measure the quality and relevance of a keyword. Some SEO giants like Semrush, Moz, or Ahrefs even come up with their own. However, it all boils to the following four:

• Search Volume

Search volume is the average number of searches a root keyword has for a particular period. This metric has two important aspects – monthly search volume and search volume over time. When you analyze your target keywords, you need to look at both to understand your audience’s behavior better. The higher the search volume, the more people use this particular term in their search queries. So if you include it in your content, you have better chances to rank in the top positions of the SERP, increase your organic traffic, and ultimately your conversion rate. However, you can’t determine if a keyword is good enough solely by looking at this metric.

• Keyword Difficulty

Keyword Difficulty (KD) or Competition (depending on which tool you use) indicates how difficult it is to rank for a particular word. It is measured on a scale from 0(easy) to 100 (super hard). KD is based on a number of different factors like page authority, domain authority, content quality, etc. Keep in mind that every keyword research tool measures KD differently.

• Cost Per Click (CPC)

CPC is an essential PPC metric that shows how much you have to pay per click on a keyword in your paid advertisement campaign. Usually, the most valuable keywords cost more, and you should be very careful when budgeting. Cost Per Click can be used as an indirect SEO metric highlighting the phrases with the highest search volume and KD.

• Trends

Trends refer to the popularity of a certain term over a particular period in a given location. You can see all of this keyword data in Google Trends. The tool is completely free and helps you examine the user’s behavior regarding a specific subject. You can see which sub-regions have the biggest increase in the search volume for this term and the related topics and questions are. You can even compare two or more seed keywords to see which ones fit better in your copy. The trends can indicate if particular phrases have seasonal searches or are limited to a geographical region. This data will help you adjust your SEO and marketing strategies and plan your content.

For example, you can see that the best time to post articles on tomato growing is in the Mid-spring.

6.3.2 What Keyword Research Tools to Use?

Keyword research tools are a valuable ally when it comes to content optimization. They can find and analyze big chunks of data, providing you with ready-to-use lists of keywords. Bear in mind most tools have their own separate databases and crawling bots and may offer slightly different results from one and other. That is why it’s best to use multiple sources when searching for keyword ideas. When it comes to analysis, stick to only one software. If you start tool jumping, the chances are you will get mixed results and miss on a beneficial keyword opportunity.

You have two choices when it comes to picking a keyword research tool. You can get an on-point keyword analysis software with no additional SEO features or a multifunctional one that can allow you to cross-reference data, create bulk lists, check backlinks, etc. Depending on the type of your business and budget, both can work.

We have examined over 50 software and compared the top keyword research tools, so you don’t have to. Here are our winners:

• Top Multifunctional Keyword Research Tool: Semrush

The overall winner of our SEO hearts, Semrush can provide you with every kind of report you can think of. It’s easy to work with, intuitive and the extensive documentation it comes with is completely free.

• Top Advanced Keyword Research Tool: Serpstat

A keyword researcher’s dream, Serpstat can do in-depth analysis and well-compiled reports. It’s best suitable for medium companies and can make your workday a lot easier.

• Top Tool for SEO Newbies: KWFinder

Simple and on-point with KWFinder, you get exactly what you signed for – a detailed keyword check. If you are a beginner, this tool will help you understand better the different metrics and the correlation between them.

• Top Keyword Research Tool for Content Creators: TwinWord Ideas

Copywriters and marketers have different needs when it comes to keyword research. That is why we recommend TwinWord Ideas to content creators. The tool can offer you various low-difficulty phrases, and it even has an LSI Keywords feature.

6.4 How to Use the Collected Keyword Research Data?

Once you have made your keyword themes, filled your topic pools with terms, and analyzed them, you are ready to implement the keywords in your site and advertisement campaigns.

6.4.1 Using Keywords in Your Content

In SEO, all of the elements of your site are perceived as a whole and work together to deliver the desired results. Don’t focus only on one or two components.
Start by implementing your newly discovered keywords in your primary SEO elements:

• Headings (H-tags)
• Meta elements – title, description, tags
• Shema Markups
• Alt tags (images and video)
• Anchor texts – inner cross-linking your pages the right way is an important factor that Google takes into account

Revise the copy on your landing pages and modify it using your target keywords:

• Home page
• Service/Product pages
• About us
• Any other page you have on your site

The final step is to get your blog on point by using your newly acquired keyword inventory:

• Revise all of your articles and determine how useful and relevant they are. Filler posts got to go.
• Use your keyword themes and make a list of 10 blog posts that will help your audience with a particular problem. You have already analyzed your audience’s search intent and know what they need, so don’t waste time and start writing.
• Create a posting schedule and stick to it.

And you are done. You have successfully created a strong SEO foundation for your site. Now that every single piece of text on your site is optimized to appeal to both Google and your audience, your website will start gaining friction. Of course, you will need to do a lot of link building and backlink analysis to get it where you want it to be. Keyword research is just the first step of a long way you need to walk, but it is definitely the most important one.

6.4.2 Using Keywords in Your Advertisement Campaigns

Keywords can help you immensely with your advertisement, as they can draw people’s attention and match with their user intent. Check the results you have from Google Keyword Planner. Your goal is to use the most profitable keywords that correspond with the search queries of your targeted audience. Don’t be disappointed if your campaign is not a success from the start. It takes a lot of practice to become a well-rounded PPC marketer.

7. FAQ

Let’s look at the most commonly asked questions that didn’t fit into any of the above-mentioned steps and points.

7.1 How to Do Keyword Research for Niche Sites?

Keyword research for a niche business is actually easier than it looks. You need to follow the same steps:

• Identify your niche keywords using the methods described above
• Analyze your niche keywords to determine how compatible they are
• Implement them in your content in a natural way

Get your local keywords from forums, Q&A sites, and social media. Engage with your potential clients and observe how they phrase their questions, you can even find some new slang you are not familiar with. The essence of keyword research for niche sites is to understand your target audience.

7.2 How to Know If a Keyword Is Good?

There are two main factors that you need to look at to determine if that term is a potential keyword – metrics and search intent. From the two, only the former can be quantifiably measured. You can check for search volume, competition level, ranking difficulty, etc. However, in our opinion, the latter indicator is the one that truly matters. If your target audience uses these specific terms when they post queries on social media or forums, and Google pushes them in the PAA and Suggest section, you will know you hit gold.

7.3 How Many SEO Keywords Should You Use?

The keyword density depends on the type and length of the copy you are writing. The text must flow naturally and shouldn’t be overflown with keywords. For shorter content (around 300 words), use two or three long-tail trending keywords. For larger pieces like lengthy product descriptions and posts, you can increase the number of targeted phrases. Try to add one or two keywords on every 100 words. Bear in mind that both the search engines and the actual readers can sense when a term is used just for the sake of having that particular word on this page. Don’t force the language, and remember – quality over quantity.

7.4 How to Find Low Competition Keywords for SEO?

The most dependable method of discovering low competition keywords is to use paid SEO tools. They can give you the needed insight to determine if a phrase is easy to rank for and how competitive it is. Free keyword software can generate multiple words but with no additional information on their metrics. Tools like Semrush can not only find but simultaneously analyze large keyword databases and save you a lot of time and effort.

7.5 How Can I Improve My Keyword Research Skills?

Keyword research may seem like a difficult task, but you need to remember it is essential for the success of your online business. Especially, small companies and start-ups need to focus their effort on perfecting the art of analyzing and understanding their audience if they want to make it big. If you want to improve your skills you need to do a lot of research, use different SEO tools and always stay on track with the newest trends. It is a process that can take a lot of your time, you won’t become a pro overnight.

Don’t disappear, as everything new seems hard at first. But we guarantee you if you do it correctly, you won’t be disappointed with the outcome.

What are your thoughts on keyword research? Do you have difficulties finding low-competition words? Which keyword tools is your business using? We would love to hear your thoughts and answer your questions in the comment section below.