Keyword research is one of those few things in SEO that hasn’t really changed over the years. Google might roll out update after update, but if you want your content to show up in search results, finding and using the right keywords is still a must.
If you’re trying to get your site in front of the right people—especially as an inbound marketer—knowing how to do keyword research is just something you’ve got to have in your toolkit.
In this guide, Grow Digitaly breaks down everything you need to know about keyword research—what it is, why it’s important, how to conduct it effectively for your SEO strategy, and how to choose the right keywords to drive traffic to your website.
What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of using SEO tools to find out what words, query and phrases people often type into search engines like Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo.
It helps SEO professionals, marketers, and business owners understand things like how often a keyword is searched each month (search volume), keyword difficulty (how competitive it is), what it might cost to run ads for it, and what the current trends around that keyword look like.
Why Keyword Research Is Important for SEO Success?
Keyword research is the process of using SEO tools to find out what words, query and phrases people often type into search engines like Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo.
It helps you discover your SEO sweet spot: a balance between keywords that aren’t too competitive and ones that align with your ability to create high-quality content.
If you want your website to show up on Google when people search for things, keyword research is where it all begins.
Think of keyword research as the process of figuring out exactly what your audience is typing into search engines when they’re looking for something related to your business.
When you understand the words and phrases they’re using, you can create content that matches those searches—and that’s how you start ranking higher.
Let’s say you run a small online bakery. You might assume people are searching for “homemade cakes” or “artisanal desserts.” But keyword research might show you that way more people are actually searching for “birthday cake delivery” or “custom cupcakes near me.”
That small shift in wording could mean a big difference in traffic to your site.
In other words, our audience is seeking content that answers their questions and helps solve their problems. And it all starts with keyword research.
A Brief History of Keyword Research
Keyword research has significantly evolved over the years.
In the early 2000s, it was largely about using Google Keyword Planner to find high-volume keywords and stuffing them into website content. This tactic often led to low-quality pages ranking well in search results.
To combat this, Google rolled out major algorithm updates aimed at improving search quality and better understanding user intent. Key updates included:
Google Panda – Targeted thin, low-quality, and duplicate content
Google Penguin – Penalized keyword stuffing and unnatural optimization
Google Hummingbird – Enhanced semantic search and emphasized user intent
These changes shifted keyword research from a volume-based strategy to one focused on relevance, quality, and intent.
Google RankBrain
RankBrain is an artificial intelligence-based component of Google’s search algorithm. Although it had been in development for some time, it wasn’t fully implemented until later. In 2015, Google officially revealed that RankBrain had become the third most important ranking factor.
RankBrain helps Google better understand two key things:
How users engage with organic search results
The intent behind a user’s search query
Benefits of Keyword Research
SEO can feel like a marathon… because it is. While quick wins are possible, the biggest results usually come with time. The key to success? You need to take the right approach when doing your keyword research. Here’s why:
1. It Helps You Understand Your Audience
Good SEO starts with knowing your audience. Keyword research gives you real data on what people are actually searching for—not just what you think they’re searching for.
Example:
You might think people are searching for “affordable interior design,” but keyword tools might show that “budget-friendly home decor” gets a lot more traction.
2. It Helps You Create the Right Content
Once you know what people are looking for, you can create blog posts, landing pages, and product descriptions that match those searches. That makes it way more likely Google will show your content to the right people.
Example:
If you see that “how to frost a cake” has high search volume, you could write a blog post or create a video tutorial around that exact phrase.
3. It Boosts Your Chances of Ranking on Google
When you use the right keywords, you make it easier for Google to understand what your content is about. That gives your pages a better chance of ranking higher in search results.
Example:
Using a keyword like “easy vegan recipes” in your title and headings will help search engines know your post is relevant when someone searches that exact phrase.
4. It Helps You Beat the Competition
Keyword research also helps you understand how tough it might be to rank for certain terms—this is known as “keyword difficulty.” That means you can find opportunities where competition is lower but search volume is still high.
Example:
Instead of going after a super competitive term like “shoes,” you might find better luck with something more specific like “waterproof hiking shoes for women.”
5. It Guides Your Overall SEO Strategy
Keyword research isn’t just a one-time thing. It’s something you should do regularly to keep your content fresh and aligned with what people are actually searching for.
Keywords vs. Topics
“Search intent” is a term you’ll hear a lot in the world of SEO, and for good reason. It’s crucial to understand why someone is searching for a particular keyword, because that’s what shapes the content you create.
For instance, if you landed on this post by searching for “how to create an SEO keyword strategy,” our job is to understand what you’re looking for—probably step-by-step guidance on how to build a strong SEO strategy—and make it happen.
While SEO is always changing, keyword research is still the foundation of understanding search intent. It helps you uncover what topics your audience is interested in and how much attention those topics are getting.
What we’re talking about here are “topics” — not just single keywords. By researching high-volume keywords, you can group them into categories or topics that will guide your content creation process.
With those topics in mind, you can then target the most relevant keywords for each one, ensuring your content answers the right questions and meets user expectations.
Elements of Keyword Research
Keyword research might seem complicated, but let’s simplify it by breaking it down into three primary elements.
1. Relevance
Google ranks content based on relevance — and that’s where search intent comes into play. Your content will only rank in search results if it truly matches what keywords people are searching for.
Beyond that, your content needs to be the best answer to the query. If it doesn’t offer more value than what’s already out there, Google is unlikely to rank it highly.
Let’s say you create a blog post titled “Ecommerce Keyword Research: A Beginner’s Guide.” If someone searches for “ecommerce keyword research”, they might be looking for advanced techniques, comparison tools, or data-driven strategies.
But if your content only covers basic tips for choosing product keywords, it may not fully satisfy their intent — even if it’s well-written.
In this case, your page might struggle to rank because it doesn’t align with what users expect from that keyword. A more relevant keyword for beginner-focused content might be “how to do keyword research for an online store” or “keyword research for ecommerce beginners.”
Matching your content to the true intent behind a keyword is what makes it relevant — and rank-worthy. Take a closer look at the Semrush keyword research dashboard:
2. Authority
Google places greater trust in sources it considers authoritative — and that trust directly impacts how well your content ranks. But what does it take to become an authoritative source?
It starts with consistently publishing high-quality, informative, and genuinely helpful content that addresses your audience’s needs.
From there, you need to actively promote that content to earn backlinks from reputable websites and generate engagement through social media, forums, and other digital communities.
These signals — both links and user interaction — help Google recognize your site as a trusted voice in your niche.
A great example of this is Semrush. Over time, they’ve built a massive library of detailed guides, original research, and SEO tools that consistently get cited by blogs, agencies, and marketers.
Because of this ongoing effort, both their root domain and subdomains have developed strong domain authority. This trust from both users and search engines makes it easier for their content to rank, even in competitive keyword spaces.
In addition to content and links, factors like author expertise, consistent branding, a professional site design, and even technical SEO (like site speed and mobile-friendliness) all contribute to perceived authority.
The more trust signals your site can send, the stronger your domain becomes in the eyes of Google — and the higher your content is likely to rank.
3. Volume
Ranking on the first page of Google for a keyword might seem like a win — but if no one’s actually searching for that term, your traffic will be nonexistent. It’s like opening a store in the middle of a ghost town: great setup, but no foot traffic.
That’s why search volume matters. It’s typically measured as MSV (Monthly Search Volume) — the average number of times a keyword is searched per month across all users.
Let’s compare two keywords using Semrush data: “local SEO guide” and “altruistic surrogacy.”
“Local SEO guide” has a higher search volume of 880, meaning more people are searching for it.
“Altruistic surrogacy” has a lower search volume of 480, but the keyword difficulty is only 15%, compared to 70% for “local SEO guide.”
This means that although “local SEO guide” could drive more traffic, it’s also much harder to rank for. On the other hand, “altruistic surrogacy” is easier to rank for — but comes with less potential traffic.
Ideally, you’re looking for keywords that are having high search volume but aren’t too competitive to rank for. That’s why strategic keyword research really matters.
How to do keyword research?
Now, let’s get into the details — how to do keyword research?
We’re about to walk you through a step-by-step keyword research process that will help you build a solid list of target terms.
This approach helps you create and follow through on a keyword strategy that gets your content found for the search terms that matter most to both your audience and your business.
1.Identify Key Topics Relevant To Your Business
Before diving into keyword research, take time to think strategically about the topics you want your business to rank for. Start by identifying 5–10 different topic areas that are important and relevant to your brand.
These will serve as your “topic buckets” — the high-level themes that support more specific keyword ideas later on.
If you post blogs regularly, chances are these are the topics you talk about most. Or, they may reflect common themes that arise in sales calls and customer conversations.
Not sure where to begin? Consider the key things you want people to remember or associate with your business. You can also consider your buyer personas — what questions are they asking, and what information are they looking for?
2. Add Keywords To Each of Your Topic Buckets
Now that you’ve picked a few main topics to focus on, it’s time to come up with keyword ideas for each of them.
Start by thinking about search phrases you’d like to rank for in Google — the kind your ideal customers are likely typing into the search bar.
For example, if one of your topic buckets is SEO services, a keyword phrase like “SEO services near me” could be something your potential customers are actively searching for.
This step isn’t about creating a polished, final keyword list. It’s more of a brain dump — jot down any and all keyword phrases that come to mind for each topic. We’ll refine and prioritize them later to keep things manageable.
Also, keep in mind that Google continues to encrypt more keyword data, making it harder to see exact search terms. That’s why another smart move is to check which keywords are already bringing visitors to your website.
Tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console can help you uncover those insights and inspire additional keyword ideas.
3. Identify user intent behind each keyword and adjust your analysis to reflect it.
User intent is one of the most critical factors in determining how well your content ranks on search engines like Google.
It’s not enough to just include the right keyword — your page needs to directly address the problem or question the searcher is trying to solve.
So, how does this impact your keyword research?
It’s easy to take keywords at face value, but many can mean different things depending on the context. And because ranking potential depends heavily on search intent, it’s essential to understand what users actually mean when they search for a term.
For example, let’s look at the keyword “SEO services near me.” At first glance, it seems pretty straightforward. But even this phrase can carry different intentions depending on the user.
Are they looking for a local SEO agency to hire immediately? Are they comparing pricing between different providers? Or are they simply trying to understand what SEO services are and whether they need them?
If your content is focused on selling SEO packages, you’ll want to confirm that the keyword “SEO services near me” typically signals a buyer-ready intent.
A great way to check this is by searching the keyword on Google yourself and reviewing the top results. Do they mostly show service provider pages, Google Maps listings, and local business websites? That’s a strong sign that users are ready to hire someone, not just researching.
This kind of insight helps you align your content strategy with real user needs — boosting both relevance and ranking potential.
4. Identify Related Search Terms
When conducting keyword research, identifying related search terms is essential for uncovering new content opportunities and expanding your SEO strategy.
These are the keywords or phrases that people often search for alongside your primary keyword, providing deeper insight into user intent.
Start by typing your main keyword into Google and reviewing the “People also ask” and “Related searches” sections.
Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ubersuggest can also generate lists of semantically related terms and long-tail keywords.
By understanding these related terms, you can optimize your content for a wider audience, improve relevance, and boost your chances of ranking for multiple queries. It also helps identify content gaps and inspires new blog topics or FAQs.
In short, related search terms are not just variations — they are windows into what your audience is really looking for. Incorporating them smartly into your content can drive more traffic and enhance your site’s visibility.
5. Use keyword research tools
Keyword research and SEO tools are great for expanding your keyword list, offering suggestions based on exact-match and phrase-match terms related to your initial ideas.
With the rise of AI-powered tools, exploring SEO opportunities has never been easier or more efficient.
Here are some popular keyword research tools to try:
(a). Ahrefs
It’s one of the most trusted SEO tools out there, and it has a free basic version you can try.
(b). SE ranking
A powerful SEO tool that gives you lots of useful insights.
(c). Ubersuggest
You get up to three free searches a day, plus helpful AI-powered suggestions.
(d). Free Keyword Research Tool
RyRob’s easy-to-use tool helps you find keywords and related topic clusters.
(e). Google Keyword Planner
Google’s free tools help you find keyword ideas based on a word or your website.
(f). Keywords Everywhere
A budget-friendly tool that connects with your website search and gives you helpful SEO insights.
It helps you find new keyword ideas using Google’s autocomplete suggestions.
(h). KWFinder
A free and simple SEO tool that helps you discover the best keywords.
(i) Searchvolume.io
Useful for identifying monthly search volumes to prioritize specific keywords more effectively.
(j) Rank Tracker
A reliable tool for tracking SERP data by ranking relevant keywords, uncovering keyword gaps, and generating autocomplete suggestions across various search engines.
How to Research and Choose the Perfect Keywords for Your Website
Once you’ve identified some keywords you’d like to rank for, the next step is to rfine your list to the ones that best fit your strategy. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1.Optimize Your Keyword List Using Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a free, user-friendly tool that’s a great place to start. Just plug in a few words related to your business or topic, and it’ll give you a long list of keyword ideas.
This tool helps you discover new terms you might not have thought of, and it also shows how competitive each keyword is. Use it to trim down your list to terms that are both relevant and realistic to rank for.
Step 2. Prioritize low-hanging fruit
While it might be tempting to go after keywords with huge search volumes, those are often the most competitive. Instead, look for the “low-hanging fruit”—keywords that have decent search volume but lower competition.
These are usually easier to rank for, especially if your site is still growing. Targeting these can bring in traffic faster and help you build momentum.
Step 3. Look at the monthly search volume (MSV) for each keyword you’ve selected.
Search volume tells you how often people are searching for a keyword each month. This is important because you want to make sure people are actually looking for the terms you’re targeting. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest can show you this data.
As a rule of thumb, aim for keywords with enough monthly searches to bring in traffic, but not so many that they’re impossible to compete with.
Step 4. Consider SERP features when selecting your keywords
Not all keyword rankings are created equal. Google now includes features like featured snippets, “People Also Ask” boxes, videos, and maps in its results pages. When picking keywords, check what shows up in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page).
If there’s a featured snippet, think about how you can create content that answers questions clearly to compete for that spot.
Image Packs
Image packs are groups of images that appear within the organic search results.If you see one for your target keyword, consider creating a post with plenty of relevant images to increase your chances of being featured.
AI Overviews
AI Overviews is a newer feature in Google’s rich results that shows an AI-generated summary for some search queries. The percentage of searches that trigger this feature has changed over time to improve accuracy.
Paragraph Snippets
Featured snippets—also known as paragraph snippets—are brief answers that show up at the top of Google’s search results. They’re designed to quickly answer common questions. By understanding what users are really looking for and giving clear, concise answers, you increase your chances of earning that top spot.
List Snippets
List snippets, or listicles, are featured snippets that highlight step-by-step instructions—usually for ‘How To’ searches. To increase your chances of earning this spot, write clear, direct instructions and format your content in a structured, easy-to-follow way.
Video Snippets
Video snippets are short clips that Google shows at the top of search results instead of text-based featured snippets. To increase your chances of earning this spot, post your video on both YouTube and your website, and make sure it’s optimized with the keywords your audience is searching for.
Step 5. Make sure each keyword group includes both head terms and long-tail keywords.
A good keyword strategy includes both head terms (broad, high-volume keywords like “shoes”) and long-tail keywords (more specific phrases like “best running shoes for flat feet”). Head terms can bring in more traffic but are harder to rank for.
Long-tail keywords are more targeted and often have better conversion rates.Try to keep a good mix so you get noticed by more people while still connecting with your niche audience.
Step 6. Check how your competitors are showing up for these keywords.
Last but not least, take a look at what your competitors are doing. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or even just a simple Google search can help you see which keywords your competitors are ranking for.
This gives you ideas and helps you identify gaps—keywords they’re missing that you can go after. It’s like getting a look behind the scenes at what they’re doing.
By following these steps, you’ll be on your way to building a strong keyword foundation for your website.
It might take some time and effort, but it really pays off in the end. Better keywords mean better traffic, and better traffic means more potential customers. Happy keyword hunting!
Now It’s Time to Start Creating Your SEO Content
Now that you’ve followed the steps, you should have a solid list of keywords to guide your content strategy—helping you target the right topics for both short-term wins and long-term growth.
Make sure to revisit and refresh your keyword list regularly; reviewing it quarterly is a solid starting point, though some businesses prefer to do it even more frequently.
As your authority in search results grows, you’ll be able to expand your keyword targeting even further.
Kalepp emphasizes that SEO success doesn’t happen overnight. “It takes a long time to see results when you’re first building that strategy out,” she notes. “Just understand that it takes time.”
