Keywords are the core of any SEO strategy. Unless your content doesn’t answer what people are searching for, it won’t attract search engine traffic, no matter how much effort you put in to optimize it.
Mastering keyword research is essential for crafting an effective SEO strategy. Missteps in this process can lead to wasted time and resources, as targeting the wrong keywords will yield minimal results. But don’t worry—keyword research isn’t as complex as it may seem. In this guide, you’ll learn the fundamentals and advanced techniques to excel in keyword research, ensuring your SEO strategy delivers results.
What Is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is done to identify and analyze the search terms or words your target audience enters in the search box when searching for a product, service, or information. By understanding what these words are, you will be able to create content that meets user needs and appears higher in search engine results.
Why Is Keyword Research Important?
Without keyword research, your content runs the risk of falling into that 90.63% of pages on the internet that get no traffic from Google, as was brought out in an Ahrefs study. By targeting the proper keywords, you make your content meet search demand so that your pages attract consistent quality traffic.
How to Find Keyword Ideas
Keyword research begins with the ideal understanding of your audience’s needs and the terms they use to find solutions online. This process combines brainstorming, competitive analysis, and using keyword research tools to your advantage.
Begin with Seed Keywords
Seed keywords form the base of your research. They are broad terms that define your niche and represent the products or services you offer. Say, if your business has to do something with coffee, then some of your seed keywords could be:
- Coffee
- Espresso
- French press
- Coffee beans
Seed keywords are not necessarily those to be targeted directly. Nevertheless, they are crucial for the development of a wider list of keyword ideas. They can be regarded as a starting point for deeper exploration.
Analyze Competitor Keywords
Understanding what keywords your competitors rank for can provide valuable insights. Begin by identifying competitors who offer similar products or services. Use tools like Ahrefs’ Site Explorer to discover the pages driving traffic to their sites and the keywords they target.
For example, you can find highly relevant keywords for your business from a competitor’s top pages report. In addition, other tools such as the Content Gap report can find keywords the competitors rank for that you don’t, which will offer opportunities to fill gaps in your content strategy.
Use Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research tools automate this process by providing very long lists of keyword suggestions, added with helpful metrics such as search volume, difficulty of ranking for the keyword, and possible traffic. Popular tools include:
- Google Keyword Planner: Free tool, perfect for seeing the search volume and coming up with keyword ideas.
- Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer: Premium tool that provides millions of keyword suggestions, comprehensive metrics, and insights into related terms.
- Answer the Public: A tool that visualizes questions and queries related to your keywords.
For instance, entering the keyword “coffee” within Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer can yield millions of ideas for related keywords, ranging from informational queries to high-intent commercial searches.
Use Niche Forums and Communities
Online communities, forums, and Q&A sites, be it at Reddit, Quora, or some other industry-specific platform, can give unique keyword ideas. These spaces highlight the language your target audience uses and show, in detail, specific pain points. For example, a thread about AeroPress techniques on the r/coffee subreddit might inspire content that targets niche terms like “AeroPress coffee to water ratio.
How to Evaluate Keywords
Keyword evaluation is a crucial step in any successful SEO strategy. In my opinion, it’s not just about identifying potential keywords but understanding their real value in driving your specific goals, whether that’s traffic, conversions, or brand visibility. To prioritize effectively, I recommend analyzing potential keywords using four key metrics, which provide a holistic view of their performance and relevance. Below, I’ll expand on these metrics with examples and insights from trusted tools and resources.
Search Volume
Search volume reflects the average number of searches a keyword receives per month. It’s one of the first metrics we look at to estimate the potential traffic a keyword could drive. However, it’s important to remember that search volume is not a guarantee of clicks. In practice, even the highest-ranking page for a keyword rarely captures more than 30% of the total search volume.
For example, if a keyword like “best SEO tools” has a search volume of 10,000, the top-ranking page might attract 3,000 clicks at best. This figure can be even lower if the search engine results page (SERP) includes features like featured snippets, ads, or video carousels that divert attention.
To gain a better understanding of search volume, I often turn to tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMRush. These platforms provide comprehensive data on keyword volume and related trends, enabling informed decisions.
Traffic Potential
While search volume provides a starting point, traffic potential offers a deeper perspective. Traffic potential considers not only the primary keyword but also related terms and long-tail keywords that a well-optimized page can rank for.
For instance, if you create content around “coffee brewing methods,” you might also rank for variations like “how to brew coffee at home,” “different coffee brewing techniques,” and “manual coffee brewing tips.” The cumulative traffic from these related terms can significantly exceed the search volume of the primary keyword.
From my experience, tools like Ahrefs and SEMRush excel at estimating traffic potential. They let you analyze the top-performing pages for a keyword and see all the terms those pages rank for. This feature is particularly useful in uncovering hidden opportunities that a simple search volume analysis might miss.
Keyword Difficulty (KD)
Keyword Difficulty (KD) measures the level of competition for a keyword. It’s primarily based on the number and quality of backlinks pointing to the top-ranking pages. For example, Ahrefs assigns a KD score from 0 to 100, where a higher score indicates more competition. A keyword with a KD of 70 might require dozens of high-quality backlinks, while a keyword with a KD of 20 may be easier to rank for with minimal link-building.
In my opinion, KD is one of the most valuable metrics, especially for those starting with limited resources. By focusing on low to medium-difficulty keywords, you can achieve quicker wins while building authority over time.
For example, instead of targeting “best coffee” with a KD of 80, a more attainable option might be “best coffee brewing methods for beginners,” which may have a KD of 25 but still attract highly targeted traffic.
Search Intent
Understanding search intent is, in my view, the cornerstone of successful keyword evaluation. Search intent refers to the purpose behind a search query and is typically categorized into three types:
- Informational Intent: Users are seeking knowledge. For example, “how to brew coffee” or “what is keyword research.”
- Navigational Intent: Users want to find a specific website or brand, such as “Ahrefs pricing” or “Starbucks menu.”
- Transactional Intent: Users are ready to take an action, often a purchase. Examples include “buy coffee grinder” or “subscribe to SEO tools.”
Matching your content to the correct intent ensures that it aligns with what users want to see. For example, if someone searches for “best coffee grinders,” they’re likely in the consideration phase of purchasing. Your content should include detailed reviews, comparisons, and possibly affiliate links to meet this intent.
I recommend studying SERPs for your target keywords to identify intent patterns. Look at the top-ranking pages: Are they blog posts, product pages, or guides? Tools like Clearscope and Frase can also help ensure your content aligns with user intent by analyzing the type of content that ranks well for specific queries.
How to Group and Target Keywords
Once you have keywords, figure out how to group and target them effectively, including the following:
- Identify Parent Topics
Parent topics can help you group related keywords. For example, “French press brewing” and “best French press coffee recipe” probably have the same parent topic. You can often improve your ranking potential for multiple related terms by targeting them with a single, comprehensive page.
- Analyze SERPs for Search Intent
Look at the search results for your targeted keywords and note the dominant content type, format, and angle. For example:
- Type: Blog post, product page, category page, etc.
- Format: Listicle, how-to guide, review, etc.
- Angle: Unique selling points, such as “eco-friendly” or “beginner-friendly.”
Matching your content to the dominant intent and format gives it better relevance and ranking potential.
How to Prioritize Keywords
With a long list of potential keywords, prioritize based on your business goals:
- Short-term Goals: Focus on low-difficulty, high-volume keywords to gain quick wins.
- Medium-term Goals: Target moderate-difficulty keywords with good traffic potential.
- Long-term Goals: Invest in competitive keywords that align with high-value business objectives.
Apart from that, evaluate the business potential of each keyword. For instance, a keyword like “best espresso machines” shows commercial intention, whereas purely informational keywords, such as “history of coffee,” are not that valuable.
Conclusion
Keyword research forms the basis of a successful SEO strategy. The ability to learn how to find, analyze, and prioritize keywords allows you to create content that aligns with user intent and creates consistent organic traffic. Be it high-volume terms or more niche long-tail keywords, finding this sweet spot needs to delicately balance data insight with business objectives.
With the right approach, this needed keyword research reduces guesswork to a minimum and becomes more of strategic planning in itself to ensure SEO efforts yield measurable results.