Ask most SEO people what they do first before writing anything, and the answer is almost always the same: they check what people are actually searching for. That’s keyword research in seo, and it’s less technical than it sounds. Skip it and you’re basically writing on a guess. Do it first, even badly, and you’re writing toward something real.
Here’s what it actually involves, a simple way to do it yourself, and the tools worth bothering with. There’s a real example further down too, not just theory.
So What Is Keyword Research, Exactly?
Put simply, keyword research in seo means figuring out the words and phrases people type into Google when they’re looking for something related to your business, and how many of them are searching. But volume alone doesn’t tell the whole story. “Best running shoes” and “how to clean running shoes” both mention running shoes, but one person wants to buy something and the other just needs a how-to. Miss that difference and you can write a genuinely solid article that nobody’s actually looking for.
Why Bother With Keyword Research at All
● You stop guessing and start writing for what people actually type in.
● Some keywords bring way more traffic for roughly the same amount of work — worth knowing which ones.
● You spot gaps competitors haven’t bothered filling, which are usually easier to win.
● Content lines up with real intent, and Google’s gotten noticeably better at rewarding that.
How to Do Keyword Research Without Overthinking It
People make how to do keyword research sound like a full-time job. It doesn’t have to be. Here’s a version that works fine for most sites.
Start with one seed topic
Keep it broad. Run a bakery? “Birthday cakes” or “eggless cakes” is a fine starting point.
Branch out from there
Plug that seed into a keyword tool and see what comes up — related searches, questions, longer specific phrases.
Look at volume, but also competition
A term with okay volume and less competition usually beats a huge-volume keyword everyone’s already fighting over, at least early on.
Check what's actually ranking
If a keyword’s results page is all product listings and you’re planning a blog post, that’s a mismatch — better to know before you write, not after.
Group similar keywords instead of writing a page for each
A handful of related terms can usually live on one well-built page rather than ten thin ones competing with each other.
A Real Example
Say you sell skincare and start with “face serum” as your seed. Dig around and you’ll likely find things like “best face serum for oily skin,” “face serum benefits,” and “how to apply face serum.” These aren’t really the same person. Someone searching the first one is close to buying. Someone searching the second is still figuring things out. So instead of cramming everything into one page, you’d get more mileage from two: a comparison page for oily skin, and a separate explainer on benefits and how to use it. That split, from maybe five minutes of digging, usually beats one page trying to be everything to everyone.
Tools That Are Actually Worth Using
You don’t need ten tabs open. A couple of decent ones, used properly, cover most of what you need.
● Google Keyword Planner — free, decent for volume and rough competition, especially handy if you’re already running ads.
● Google Search Console — shows what you’re already ranking for, including near-misses worth pushing harder on.
● Ahrefs or SEMrush — paid, but genuinely good for spotting competitor gaps and long-tail terms.
● AnswerThePublic — useful for pulling question-style searches people actually type.
● Google’s own autocomplete and “People also ask” — free, quick, and easy to forget about.
If you want the technical side of how Google actually matches these terms, its Search Central documentation is worth a skim.
Mistakes People Keep Making Here
● Going after huge-volume keywords a smaller or newer site has no real shot at ranking for.
● Ignoring intent completely and picking a term purely because the volume number looks nice.
● Doing keyword research once and never again — search behaviour moves, and so should your list.
● Treating every single keyword as its own page instead of grouping the related ones together.
Conclusion
Really, keyword research in seo just means understanding your audience before you sit down to write for them. Learn how to do keyword research properly, pick a couple of solid keyword research tools, and pay more attention to intent than raw volume. Do that consistently, and content stops being a guess and starts being something people were already looking for.
If you’d rather hand this off, Affable Solution’s SEO services include keyword research as part of every content strategy we build. More guides like this are on the Affable Solution blog.
FAQs: Keyword Research in SEO
What's the first step in keyword research?
Pick one broad seed topic tied to your business, then branch out from there using a keyword tool.
How many keywords should one page target?
One main keyword plus a few closely related ones works best. Don’t force in unrelated terms just to cover more ground.
Are free keyword research tools actually good enough?
For smaller sites, yes, honestly. Keyword Planner and Search Console alone can take you pretty far.
How often should keyword research get redone?
Every few months, or whenever traffic patterns start shifting — search habits don’t stay still for long.
What's the real difference between short-tail and long-tail keywords?
Short-tail terms are broad and heavily contested. Long-tail ones are longer, more specific, and usually far easier to actually rank for.
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Written by
Rinkee Pundhir
I am an SEO Expert at Affable Web Solution, specializing in blog publishing, article writing, and website optimization.
19 articles published
