How to do Keyword Research for SEO: Beginners Guide

• What is keyword research in SEO?
• Important elements of keyword research.
• How to find relevant keywords for your SEO strategy?
• How to identify your current organic keywords?

What is Keyword Research in SEO?

Keyword research is the process of identifying and analysing the search terms that users enter into search engines. This research helps marketers and website owners understand what their target audience is looking for, enabling them to optimise their content and improve their search engine rankings.

Developing a list of keywords is one of the first and most important steps in any search engine optimisation initiative.

Important Elements of Keyword Research:

Before beginning the keyword research journey, there are some keyword research fundamentals to keep in mind. There are four main elements to focus on when conducting keyword research:

Keyword Relevance

Google ranks content based on its relevance to the search query. This is where the concept of search intent comes in—your content will only rank for a keyword if it meets the searchers’ needs. Additionally, your content must be the best resource available for the query. Google is unlikely to rank content higher if it provides less value than other content already on the web.

Topical Authority

Google prioritises sources it considers authoritative. To become an authoritative source, enrich your site with helpful, informative content relevant to the services and products you provide, and promote it to earn social signals and backlinks. If you’re not seen as an authority in your space, or if a keyword’s search engine results pages (SERPs) are dominated by well-established sources like The Sun or NHS, you’ll have a lower chance of ranking unless your content is exceptional.

Keyword Volume

Ranking on the first page for a specific keyword is valuable only if people are searching for it. Volume is measured by monthly search volume (MSV), which indicates the number of times the keyword is searched per month across all audiences. Keywords with a higher MSV are more competitive but can lead to more traffic to your site.

Keyword Seasonality

Keyword seasonality refers to the fluctuations in search volume for certain keywords throughout the year. Some keywords may have higher search volumes during specific times or seasons, such as holidays or events. Understanding these patterns allows you to time your content creation and optimisation efforts to match periods of high interest, ensuring that your site attracts the most traffic when it matters most.

By paying attention to these elements—relevance, authority, volume, and seasonality—you can conduct effective keyword research that will enhance your SEO strategy and help drive more targeted traffic to your site.

How to Find Relevant Keywords for Your SEO Strategy?

Finding the right keywords for your organic optimisation strategy involves a systematic approach. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help identify and prioritise the most relevant keywords:

1. Make a List of Important, Relevant Topics

Start by listing broad topics related to your business. Consider five to ten key topic buckets that are essential to your services or products. Think about how potential customers might search for businesses like yours.

2. Fill in Those Topic Buckets with Keywords

For each topic, compile a list of keywords and phrases that your target audience might use. Using keyword research tools can be incredibly helpful at this stage. If you can’t afford paid tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs just yet, there are several effective free options available:

• Keyword Tool: Generates keyword suggestions for Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, and more. The free version provides essential keyword ideas.
• Moz Keyword Explorer: Offers a limited number of free searches per month, giving you keyword suggestions along with search volume and difficulty metrics.
• Keyword Surfer Chrome extension: Allows you to generate keyword ideas and view search volumes directly in Google search results.

3. Understand How Intent Affects Keyword Research

Determine the intent behind each keyword. Consider whether the user is seeking information (informational intent), making a purchase (transactional intent), or navigating to a specific site/product (navigational intent). We recommend creating a table in Excel or Google Sheets with a column dedicated to search intent while collecting keywords based on your topic buckets.

To validate a keyword’s intent, enter it into a search engine and examine the types of results that appear. This will give you insights into what type of content users are actually looking for.

4. Research Related Search Terms

Use Google’s “related searches” and “People Also Ask” features to discover additional keywords and phrases related to your primary topics. This can help you uncover hidden opportunities and expand your keyword list effectively.

Putting It All Together

Here’s how each step fits into the keyword research process:

• Identify Core Topics: Understand your business and audience to create a list of broad topics.
• Brainstorm Keywords: Fill these topics with specific keywords and phrases. Use keyword research tools to refine your list and prioritise keywords based on data.
• Analyse Search Intent: Ensure the keywords match the user’s search intent and align your content accordingly.
• Research Related Terms: Use related searches and competitor analysis to find additional keywords.

By following these steps, you can build a comprehensive keyword list that will enhance your SEO strategy.

How to identify your current organic keywords?

Additionally, to build a more comprehensive list of keywords, using your own website data is highly recommended. Note that if your website doesn’t have service/product pages, your current ranking keyword data might not be useful.

Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that helps website owners monitor and maintain their site’s presence in Google Search results. GSC isn’t technically a keyword research tool. But there are compelling reasons to use it as it offers insights into how Google views your site, highlighting issues that need attention and providing data on search performance.

For keyword research, it useful to utilise data such as keywords your site currently ranks for, along with impressions, clicks, and click-through rates (CTR) for each query. This data helps you identify high-performing keywords and pages, discover new keyword opportunities, and understand user behaviour. To utilise it effectively, analyse the Performance report to see which queries drive traffic to your site and add it to your list of keywords.

What are the Best Keywords for SEO?

To find the best keywords, you need to understand what your target audience is searching for and optimise your content to meet their needs. Focus on the key elements of relevance, authority, volume, and seasonality to conduct effective keyword research. Use an organised approach to identify and prioritise the most suitable keywords, and leverage tools like Google Search Console to refine your strategy. By following these steps, you can build a comprehensive keyword list and create tactics that drive targeted traffic to your site!