A Guide to SEO Keyword Research

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes.

Keyword research is one of the first things I cover in my SEO mentorship sessions and classes, and for good reason. Many of my students and mentorees start out thinking that SEO is simply about adding keywords to your website—a common misconception. They also often feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of potential keywords and tools available. Over the years, I’ve learned—and now teach—that keyword research is far more than just numbers or keyword stuffing; it’s about truly understanding your audience.

The most effective keywords come from stepping into the shoes of your customers—thinking about their questions, needs, and problems, and then creating content that genuinely answers them. Let’s dive into the essentials together, keeping it simple and focused on what really matters.

Key Takeaways

1. Understanding Search Intent is Crucial
   Keyword research goes beyond identifying high-traffic terms; it involves analysing the intent behind queries to create content that aligns with user needs. Recognising whether a search is informational, transactional, commercial, or navigational allows for more targeted and effective content strategies.
2. Prioritise Relevance Over Search Volume
   High search volume doesn't always equate to value. Keywords that directly match audience needs, even with lower traffic, can lead to more meaningful engagement. Evaluating keywords based on their alignment with user intent and business goals is more impactful than focusing solely on metrics.
3. Start with Customer Insights
   Building detailed customer personas and consulting sales and product teams can provide invaluable insights into customer questions, needs, and behaviours. This foundation shapes keyword research, ensuring it resonates with the intended audience and addresses their journey effectively.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Why Is Keyword Research Important?
3. Feeling Overwhelmed? Here’s Where to Start
4. Understanding Search Queries Across the Buyer Journey
5. How Search Engines Work with Keywords
6. The Anatomy of a Keyword
7. Understanding Search Intent
8. How to Conduct Keyword Research
9. Choosing Keywords: Volume, Difficulty, and Intent
10. How Many Keywords Should You Use?
11. Final Tips for Keyword Research

 

 

Introduction

Keyword research is a foundational skill in SEO and an essential part of your strategy for driving relevant traffic to your website. But where do you begin, and what should you know? Let’s explore the core concepts and key considerations you need to keep in mind.

Before diving into keyword research, it’s crucial to understand how search engines address user needs. Imagine your customer: they have a question, problem, or desire to buy something. They turn to a search engine, enter a query, and Google presents a list of results designed to match their intent.

Your role isn’t just to identify what potential customers are entering as search queries but also to understand how search engines interpret those queries and the results they choose to present. Keyword research helps us grasp what people are looking for and how we can create content that satisfies their needs. Additionally, it allows us to review and track organic search performance and strategically improve our site to align with user intent.

 

 

Why Is Keyword Research Important?

Keywords act as the bridge between your audience and your content, but effective keyword research goes beyond just content creation. It starts with understanding what your customers are searching for and gaining insight into their needs, questions, and intentions. If your content doesn’t align with those search queries, it’s unlikely they’ll find you. By identifying and understanding relevant keywords, you can tailor your content to address what your audience is looking for—whether they’re seeking information, comparing options, or ready to make a purchase.

 

 

Feeling Overwhelmed? Here’s Where to Start

If you’re unsure how to begin, I often recommend starting by getting to know your customer through creating a detailed customer persona. A persona represents a fictionalised profile of your ideal customer, outlining their demographics, pain points, needs, interests, and behaviours. This process can provide valuable insights and help shape your approach to keyword research.

You can create a free buyer persona here.

To enrich your understanding further, speak to both your sales team and product team. The sales team can share common questions or concerns raised by potential customers, while the product team can give deeper insights into the features and benefits of your products or services. Together, this information will equip you with a clearer picture of who your customers are and what they’re searching for.

 

 

Understanding Search Queries Across the Buyer Journey

Understanding where your customer is in their buying journey is crucial, especially when it comes to keyword research. This journey can be broken down into five main stages: Awareness, Interest, Evaluation, Decision, and Retention. If you're unfamiliar with these terms, think of the journey as a progression from discovering a problem to becoming a loyal customer.

• Awareness: At this early stage, customers realise they have a problem or need. Their search queries are likely to be broad and informational, such as “how to fix a leaky faucet” or “ways to reduce stress.” The focus here is on educating themselves, and they are not yet aware of your brand.
• Interest: As they learn more, their queries become more specific, showing curiosity about potential solutions. They might search for “best stress relief techniques” or “top-rated plumbers near me.” Keywords at this stage indicate that the customer is exploring options but not ready to commit.
• Evaluation: At this point, customers are actively comparing solutions. Their queries often reflect a desire to make an informed choice, like “XYZ plumbing services review” or “compare meditation apps.” They are considering which product or service is the best fit.
• Decision: By the time they reach this stage, customers are ready to take action. Their searches are more transactional, such as “buy XYZ meditation app subscription” or “schedule plumbing service with XYZ company.” This is where brand-specific and product-related keywords become essential.
• Retention: Even after a purchase, keyword research remains valuable. Customers may search for support or additional information, using queries like “how to use XYZ product” or “XYZ app troubleshooting.” This stage is about maintaining engagement and building loyalty.

By understanding these stages, you can align your keyword research with the different intents customers have as they move through their journey. This approach helps ensure your content is discoverable and relevant at each step.

 

 

How Search Engines Work with Keywords

When a user enters a query, search engines don’t just match it with content containing the same words. Instead, they analyse the query to identify the underlying topic and intent, using complex algorithms to understand what the user is truly looking for. The search engine then scours its index to find content that best satisfies the query, taking into account relevance, quality, and various other ranking factors.

While keyword research is crucial, it’s important to understand that it’s primarily about gaining insights into search behaviour and intent—it doesn’t directly impact rankings.

The act of researching keywords helps you understand what your audience is looking for, but simply adding those keywords to your content won’t necessarily improve how search engines perceive it. Search engines prioritise content that is valuable, relevant, and well-structured. This means that keywords should be used thoughtfully to enhance the user experience and content relevance, rather than being forced in as a tactic to manipulate rankings.

 

 

The Anatomy of a Keyword

When we talk about keywords, we’re looking beyond just the words people type into search engines; we’re focusing on how specific phrases can be broken down into a primary topic and modifiers. The primary topic represents the core subject, while modifiers add context and signal the user’s intent.

Understanding this structure is essential for effective keyword research, as different tools can generate a wide variety of keyword phrases. By applying a consistent method to interpret and categorise these keywords—no matter where they come from—you can better align your research with search intent and develop a plan to strategically meet your audience’s needs.

 

 

Understanding Search Intent

When we discuss keywords, the term "intent" often comes up, referring to what the user hopes to achieve with their search. In keyword research, understanding intent helps you predict what kind of content will be most relevant to your audience. Search intent generally falls into four main categories:

1. Informational: The user is looking for information or answers to questions.
2. Transactional: They’re ready to make a purchase or take action.
3. Commercial: The user is researching products or services to make a decision.
4. Navigational: They want to reach a specific website or page.

Recognising the type of intent behind a keyword is crucial because search engines display distinctly different results depending on the intent category. For example, informational queries may yield articles or guides, while transactional queries often show product listings or shopping ads. By analysing the intent behind each keyword, you can better understand which terms to prioritise and how they fit into your overall SEO strategy.

 

 

How to Conduct Keyword Research

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to keyword research, as every business and audience is unique. Rather than focusing on downloading and manipulating data in a way that may not suit your needs, consider these guiding principles:

1. Use the Right Tools: Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, Ahrefs, and Semrush can give you insights into search volume, keyword difficulty, and related terms.
2. Start Broad, Then Narrow Down: Begin with broad topics relevant to your business and refine them based on modifiers and user intent.
3. Sort by Intent: Group your keywords into categories based on the intent they signal. This approach will help you prioritise keywords strategically and ensure your content meets your audience’s needs effectively.

 

 

Choosing Keywords: Volume, Difficulty, and Intent

It’s easy to get caught up in metrics like search volume and keyword difficulty, but the real focus should be on relevance. Even a low-volume keyword can be valuable if it closely aligns with your products, services, or the specific search intent of your ideal customer.

Once you’ve compiled a list of potential keywords, take a moment to evaluate whether they truly match your audience’s needs. For highly competitive terms, it’s helpful to review the search landscape by conducting a Google search to see what types of results appear. Tools like BrightLocal's Local Search Results Checker can provide insights into the intent and quality of the results, giving you a clearer understanding of what content might succeed.

Keep in mind that search results may not always align with your expectations. Google's interpretation of a query can differ from your own, so it’s important to stay flexible. Organising your keywords by topic, intent, and your intended action plan will often be more effective than focusing solely on high-volume terms.

 

 

How Many Keywords Should You Use?

It’s tempting to look for a simple formula, like allocating a set number of keywords to guarantee results, but keyword optimisation isn’t that straightforward. Focusing solely on keyword density misses the bigger picture. Instead, the goal should be to write content that fully satisfies user intent, whether it’s a comprehensive guide, a helpful blog post, or an informative product page. When you thoroughly address a topic, you’ll naturally include a variety of relevant keywords.

That said, it can still be beneficial to check your keyword density using tools like wordcounter.net or SEOquake extension, just to ensure balance and avoid overuse. To further enhance your content’s relevance, consider incorporating clear questions and answers. This can expand your content organically, improve keyword variety, and better address the needs of your audience.

 

 

Final Tips for Keyword Research

• Think Like Your Customer: Consider their questions, needs, and the problems they’re looking to solve. Understanding their intent is the foundation of effective keyword research.
• Prioritise Relevance Over Volume: A smaller, well-targeted audience is more valuable than high traffic that doesn’t align with your goals. Focus on keywords that genuinely reflect your products, services, or the specific needs of your ideal customers.
• Analyse Competitor Content: Review what your competitors are ranking for and look for opportunities to fill gaps or provide content that’s more thorough, informative, or engaging.
• Stay Flexible and Adaptive: Search behaviour and trends change over time, so revisit your keyword research periodically to keep your content relevant and effective.

By focusing on your audience, aligning with search intent, and strategically using keywords, you’ll ensure that your content reaches and resonates with the right people at the right time.

 

 

Guiding Your SEO Journey Every Step

Effective keyword research is about connecting with your audience on their journey, providing the right answers and solutions at every step. At Altitude Search, we believe that a thoughtful, intent-focused approach to SEO can elevate your online presence, driving meaningful results and sustainable growth. By focusing on relevance over volume and putting your customer’s needs first, your content can soar above the competition.

If you’re ready to reach new peaks with a tailored SEO strategy, get in touch with Altitude Search—we’re here to guide you every step of the way.