Keyword Research Guide

Understanding how to undertake smart keyword research is one of the most important skills a digital marketer can learn. Whilst it’s sometimes true that it can be a laborious process, with the right approach and effective techniques, it doesn’t need to be that way.

Keyword research isn’t simply about finding words with the highest search volumes. It’s about understanding what your customers are searching for, why they’re searching for it, and how your business can provide the best answer.

Get it right and you’ll attract the right visitors to your website. Get it wrong and you risk attracting traffic that’s unlikely to convert into enquiries or sales.

A Basic Approach for Keyword Research

The internet isn’t short of keyword research guides, but they all tend to share the same, or very similar information: create a list, expand it and then refine it.

Those three steps contain sound advice that we will come back to later, but there is an enhanced approach that comes from understanding that some keywords will always be more valuable than others.

Before you even begin researching keywords, remember what you’re actually trying to achieve.

You aren’t simply creating a list of phrases.

You’re trying to understand what your customers type into Google’s search box.

Modern search engines are much better at understanding search intent than they were a few years ago. Context now plays a huge role, which means keywords should never be viewed in isolation. Instead, think about the problems your customers are trying to solve and the questions they’re asking.

Different Types of Keywords

Keywords can be broken down into six different categories:

• Brand – converting those already familiar with your brand.
• Product – what your product or service does and how it enhances the lives of your customers.
• Competitor – be aware that these terms may not always be worth the investment.
• Substitute product – businesses specialising in pencils could also optimise for pens, for example.
• Complementary product – accessories or additional features that enhance your products or services.
• Audience – terms searched by your target audience.

Each category is important, but initially investing the majority of your time and available budget into keywords under the brand umbrella is typically the best option.

Having these categories in mind also helps prevent a common mistake: focusing entirely on obvious “money” keywords while ignoring the wider search journey your customers go through before making a purchase.

Think Like Your Customers

One of the biggest mistakes people make during keyword research is thinking like a business owner instead of thinking like their customers.

Your customers rarely search in a perfectly logical way. They research products, compare prices, read reviews, look for advice and ask questions before they finally decide to buy.

The more expensive a product or service is, the longer that research journey is likely to be.

That’s why it’s important to think beyond a handful of obvious keywords.

Instead, consider:

• What questions do customers regularly ask?
• What problems are they trying to solve?
• What language do they naturally use?
• What information do they need before making a decision?

Building content around those questions helps you attract visitors at every stage of the buying journey, not just those who are ready to purchase today.

Modern SEO is increasingly about understanding search intent rather than matching exact keyword phrases. If you’d like to learn more about this shift, have a read of our guide on Why We Should Focus on Topics, Not Keywords.

The Creation of Your Initial List

Keeping those six categories in mind, it’s time to think about, research and identify appropriate keywords.

Begin by thoroughly researching your audience and understanding the terms they are using to describe the products or services you provide. Concentrate on the questions you receive from customers, online forums, reviews and comments on social media.

Before adding a keyword to your list, ask yourself one simple question:

Is this keyword genuinely relevant to my business?

There’s very little value in attracting visitors who aren’t looking for what you actually offer.

You should also use your analytics and Search Console data to identify the terms currently driving visitors to your website, as well as looking at what your competitors are doing to see whether they’ve identified opportunities you’ve missed.

Remember that keyword research tools are only one part of the process. They provide useful data, but they don’t understand your customers or your business. It’s what you do with the keyword data that really counts.

Expanding Your List

Now is the time to access the keyword research tool you are most comfortable and familiar with. Whether you use Semrush, Ahrefs, Google Keyword Planner or another platform, remember that the data should always be treated as a guide rather than an exact science.

Use your chosen tool to group keywords by topic and filter by location and language where appropriate. If you’re grouping keywords, accuracy is key. If you sell ketchup and mustard, for example, ketchup should have its own entry, with terms such as “mustard” and “Dijon mustard” grouped separately.

Don’t stop with keyword tools either. Some of the best keyword ideas come from listening to your customers. Look at enquiries, reviews, emails and frequently asked questions. Google Autocomplete, People Also Ask and Related Searches can also provide useful inspiration for phrases you may not have considered.

The more sources you use, the stronger your keyword research is likely to become.

Why Long-tail Keywords Matter

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is concentrating entirely on broad, high-volume keywords.

While these terms may receive thousands of searches every month, they’re often extremely competitive and don’t always tell you what the searcher actually wants.

For example, someone searching for “laptop” could be researching different brands, looking for reviews or simply browsing.

Compare that with someone searching for “best lightweight laptop for graphic design” or “buy Dell XPS 15 online”. These longer, more specific phrases suggest much stronger intent and are often far more likely to convert.

Long-tail keywords may attract fewer searches individually, but collectively they make up a significant proportion of searches carried out every day.

They also allow you to create content that answers specific questions your customers are asking, helping you attract visitors throughout the buying journey.

Remember, not every valuable keyword needs thousands of monthly searches. Some of the best opportunities come from highly targeted phrases with relatively low search volumes. We’ve explored this in more detail in our guide to Zero Search Volume Keywords.

Refining and Enhancing Your List

You should now have an extensive list that requires editing to identify the most valuable opportunities.

Although there aren’t any immoveable rules for this process, your final list should contain only the keywords that are most relevant to your business and your customers.

Closely considering those six different categories will help you focus on exactly what you want to achieve with each keyword.

For example, if you specialise in selling financial products, the term “financial management” may be useful, whereas “jobs in financial management” is aimed at a completely different audience and can therefore be removed.

At this stage it’s also important to think beyond search volume alone.

Ask yourself:

• Is this keyword relevant to my business?
• Does it suggest somebody is looking for the products or services I offer?
• How competitive is it?
• Is it likely to generate enquiries or sales?

High-volume keywords are often highly competitive, meaning they can require considerably more time and investment to rank well. Sometimes it’s better to target several lower competition keywords than spend months chasing a single competitive phrase.

It’s also worth remembering that modern Google search results are no longer just a list of ten blue links. Depending on the search, users may first see AI Overviews, local map results, images, videos, shopping listings or featured snippets before they even reach the traditional organic listings.

Because of this, one keyword should never be viewed in isolation. Good keyword research forms part of a wider SEO strategy that considers your audience, your content and your business goals.

If you’d like more guidance on prioritising the keywords you’ve identified, our guide on How to Choose the Best Keywords for SEO explains how to decide which opportunities are worth targeting first.

Finally, don’t become too reliant on spreadsheets and metrics.

Keyword difficulty, search volume and competition are all useful indicators, but they’re no substitute for sound business judgement.

Bringing It All Together

Keyword research is one of the foundations of successful SEO, but it isn’t about collecting the biggest list of keywords you can find.

It’s about understanding your audience.

The better you understand your customers, the easier it becomes to identify the searches that matter, create content that answers their questions and attract visitors who are genuinely interested in what you offer.

Start with a focused list of relevant keywords that are capable of driving meaningful enquiries or sales. Test, measure and refine your research over time, and don’t be afraid to adapt as search behaviour changes.

Remember, keyword research isn’t a one-off task. It’s an ongoing process that should evolve alongside your business and your customers.

Done well, it will provide the foundations for every successful SEO campaign.

If you’d rather leave the research to the experts, our SEO services combine in-depth keyword research with technical SEO, content strategy and ongoing optimisation to help businesses attract more of the right customers.