SEO keyword research: What it is and why it’s important for SEO
Join our newsletter
Get access to trusted SEO education from the industry's best and brightest.
TL;DR: What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of identifying and analyzing search terms that people enter into search engines, like Google and Bing.
The goal is to discover the best keywords that can drive organic search traffic to your website. These keywords form the foundation of any successful SEO strategy.
By understanding what your target audience is searching for, you can tailor your content to meet their needs and improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine rankings (SERPs).
For beginners: How keyword research fits into SEO
In search engine optimization, specific keywords act as a bridge between what people are searching for and the content you provide to satisfy that need.
When done right, SEO keyword research not only helps improve your website's visibility, but it also enhances the overall user experience.
By targeting popular keywords, you can align your content with the search intent of potential customers and ensure that your webpages rank well in SERPs.
Common keyphrases you need to know: Types of keywords
Short-tail keywords: These are broad search terms like "SEO" or "digital marketing." They have high search volume but are also extremely competitive.
Long-tail keywords: These are more specific phrases like "how to do keyword research for SEO." They have lower monthly search volume but typically attract more targeted traffic.
Primary keywords: Also sometimes referred to as a target keyword or focus keyword, this is the main keyword or search query that you are wanting your piece of content or page to rank for.
Secondary keywords: Additional queries that are considered related keywords or phrases to your primary targeted query.
Zero volume keywords: Keywords that SEO tools estimate have no monthly search volume, but often can produce organic traffic results if targeted as part of an overall holistic SEO strategy.
Seed keywords: These are basic keywords that form the starting point for your research. For example, "SEO" might be a seed keyword from which you can derive other related terms like "SEO tools" or "SEO strategies” or long-tail keywords like “how do I do SEO for an ecommerce site?” or “what are the best free tools for SEO beginners?”
Keyword research and the role of search intent
Understanding the why behind a search query—known as search intent or user intent—is crucial.
Search intent can be categorized into four primary categories:
Informational
Navigational
Transactional
Commercial
For example, a user searching for "best SEO tools" likely has commercial intent and is closer to making a purchase.
However, experienced SEO professionals will have an understanding that search intent goes beyond these four basic categories.
LEARN MORE: Beyond the basics: Exploring expanded types of search intent for SEO mastery
Ultimately, what you need to know is that matching your content to the correct search intent not only improves your chances of ranking, but it also can help drive conversions.
Why keyword research matters for SEO
The connection between keywords and search engines
Search engines like Google use algorithms to match search queries with relevant content.
By targeting the right keywords with high-quality content, you can signal to search engines that your website is a good match for specific queries, improving your chances of ranking on the first page of results.
How keywords can influence search engine results pages (SERPs)
The keywords you target—and the quality of content you target them with—can impact whether your content shows up in regular search results, featured snippets, AI Overviews, or other SERP features like "People Also Ask."
For example, optimizing for long-tail, low-volume, or zero-volume keywords may help you appear in more specific searches where competition is lower, giving you a better chance to rank highly.
Understanding user intent and why it’s crucial to good keyword research
User intent plays a pivotal role in keyword analysis. It’s not enough to find and target high-volume keywords; you need to understand the purpose behind a search.
For example, someone searching for “SEO services near me” is likely ready to convert, making this a high-value keyword for a service-oriented business.
LEARN MORE: Why search intent optimization beats keyword optimization
Keyword research and content strategy: Aligning with searcher needs
Effective keyword research informs your content marketing strategy.
By identifying the queries and particular keyword phrases your target audience is using, you can create new content that directly answers their questions or solves their problems.
This alignment between content and searcher needs is what can drive organic traffic and boost engagement.
Enhancing organic traffic engagement signals with targeted keywords
Targeting keywords that align with your audience’s search intent not only helps drive traffic but ensures that the visitors you attract are more likely to engage with your content.
This can lead to better metrics like longer time on page, lower bounce rates, and higher click-through rates (CTR).
Keyword research is crucial for web content creation
Without thorough keyword research, your content might miss the mark.
Whether it’s blog posts, product pages, landing pages, or even social media posts, each piece of content should be optimized for relevant keywords to ensure it meets the needs of your audience while also appealing to search engines.
How does keyword research work? How do you do it?
The keyword research process explained
Keyword research involves several steps.
When building an SEO or PPC strategy from scratch, many marketers start with seed keywords, expanding those into a broader list using free keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends or paid-for subscriptions to tools like Moz, Ahrefs, and Semrush.
Once you’ve entered your seed keyword into the tool, you’ll analyze the list for keyword search volume, difficulty, and intent, and finally narrow it down to the best target keywords for your target audience and your target buyer’s journey.
This process ensures that the keywords you focus on are both relevant and have the potential to drive traffic.
Tools for keyword research
Some popular tools for keyword research include:
Google Ads Keyword Planner: Great for discovering new keywords and checking search volume.
Ahrefs: Offers robust keyword search and analysis features, including keyword difficulty scores.
SEMrush: A comprehensive tool that provides keyword ideas, search volume data, and competitive analysis.Moz: Helps you find, analyze, and prioritize relevant keywords to optimize your website for search engines
Clearscope’s Keyword Discovery: Excellent for researching keywords by search volume, finding trending terms, and uncovering questions to write about
Each tool offers unique insights and can help you uncover both high-volume and low-competition keywords.
Evaluating search volume, keyword difficulty, and competition
When choosing keywords, you’ll need to balance the following three things:
Keyword search volume: How many people are searching for the term
Keyword difficulty: How hard it is to rank for that keyword
Competition: How many others are trying to rank for it
Tools like Clearscope, SEMrush and Ahrefs provide metrics that help evaluate these factors so you can prioritize keywords that offer the best return on investment.
The role of keyword suggestions and related searches
Keyword research tools often provide suggestions and related searches that can help you discover new, relevant keywords you may not have considered.
Google’s “People Also Ask” and “Related Searches” sections found on the search engine results pages (SERP) are also valuable for finding content ideas that align with what searchers are looking for.
Using metrics to prioritize high-value keywords
Once you have a list of keywords, use metrics like search volume, cost-per-click (CPC), and competition level to prioritize high-value keywords.
These are the terms that not only bring in traffic, but they are also terms that also align with your business goals, whether that’s driving conversions, leads, or brand awareness.
Best practices for keyword research
The importance of analyzing competitors' keywords
Competitor analysis is a goldmine for discovering effective keywords.
Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs allow you to analyze which popular search keywords your competitors rank for, giving you ideas for new keywords to target or gaps in their strategy.
How to optimize for long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords might have lower search volume, but they’re often easier to rank for and attract more qualified traffic.
Focus on creating content that targets these keywords in a natural and informative way, helping you capture niche audiences with high intent.
Common keyword research pitfalls and how to avoid them
Some common mistakes include:
Targeting overly competitive keywords
Neglecting to update your keyword strategy
Failing to match created content with the user intent of the keyword
Avoiding keywords that include brand names
Regularly reviewing and refining your keyword list can help you avoid these pitfalls and maintain effective SEO results.
Updating your keyword strategy regularly for better SEO results
SEO isn’t static, and your keyword strategy shouldn’t be either.
Regularly review and update your keyword research as needed, keeping a lookout for changes in search trends, updated search algorithms, and changes in user behavior or search intent.
Tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics can provide ongoing insights into which keywords are performing well and where there are opportunities for improvement.
And Clearscope can help you track your content to make sure it’s incorporating keywords appropriately, performing well over time, and meeting current search intent. Learn more.
Additional considerations for keyword research and SEO
The impact of SERP features and search engine algorithms on keyword research
With ever-evolving SERP features like featured snippets and knowledge panels, understanding how search engine algorithms prioritize content is crucial.
Aim to optimize your content for these features by focusing on high-quality, relevant keywords and paying attention to the Google Search Central guidelines.
Using keyword research to drive conversion rates
It’s not just about driving traffic; the right keywords can also enhance conversion rates when paired with high-quality content.
Focus on keywords that align with commercial or transactional intent if your goal is to convert visitors into customers.
How keyword research fits into a broader SEO strategy
Keyword research is a foundational element of any SEO strategy, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
It needs to work in harmony with other SEO efforts like link building, backlinks, on-page SEO, and content marketing to be truly effective.
Integrating keywords into on-page SEO elements
Once you’ve identified your target keywords, make sure to incorporate them naturally and organically into critical on-page elements like title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and image alt text.
However, remember to take this approach in a people-first manner. For example, only use the keyword in the alt text for an image if it’s accurate and helpful. If I added an image of a playful puppy on this page, but I provided alt text that says “smiling black lab puppy with ball loves SEO keyword research” that would be pretty spammy.
Using keywords organically in on-page SEO elements helps search engines better understand the relevance of your content, but search engines are pretty smart. They know when they’re being spammed.
And if you haven’t already, please throw away the outdated advice that you need to use a keyword a specific number of times on a page.
How to use keyword research in content creation and marketing strategy
Your keyword research should directly inform your content creation efforts.
Whether you’re writing blog posts, crafting social media captions, creating landing pages, or developing product pages, the keywords you target should guide both the topics you cover, how you structure your content, and what types of content you create.
FAQs about keyword research
Q: What are the most common keyword research methods?
Common methods include using keyword research tools, analyzing competitors, and leveraging Google’s autocomplete and related searches features.
Q: What is a keyword strategy?
A keyword strategy involves selecting and prioritizing keywords based on factors like search volume, competition, and relevance to your business goals. It’s a roadmap for how you plan to use keywords to drive traffic and achieve SEO success.
Your keyword strategy can take specific approach or combine several practices in one. You might consider targeting a mix of:
Short tail keywords
long tail keywords
low volume and zero volume keywords
Commercial and transactional keywords
Informational keywords
Q: What’s the difference between keyword research and search intent analysis? How are they related?
Keyword research focuses on identifying what people are searching for, while search intent analysis digs into the “why” behind those searches. Both are closely related, as understanding search intent is essential for choosing the correct keywords.
