Master Keyword Research: Step by Step Guide for SEO Success

Keyword Research Introduction

Now you’ve mastered the basics of SEO and learned how to optimize your on-page SEO elements, it’s time you went to the heart of search engine optimization: keyword research.

In this blog post, we’ll show you exactly how to:

Find the most valuable keywords for your business
Understand what your customers are really searching for
Write content many customers are looking for, and yours indexes well in search results
Implement keywords effectively without overwhelming your readers

a laptop with keyword research dashboard

What is Keyword Research, and Why Does it Matter?

Keyword research is like finding out what words your customers use when looking for businesses like yours online, according to Google’s SEO Starter Guide (Google, 2024).

It’s essential because keyword research:

Helps you understand user intent and create content that matches what users are searching for¹.
Shows you how to make your website appear in search results
Guides you in creating content your customers want to read
and helps you compete better against other businesses online

The 5 Essential Steps of Keyword Research

Step 1: Start With Your Business Basics

Before going into tools and techniques, take a pen and write down:

What products or services do you offer. Example: our blog offers educational content and best practices.
Who your customers are. Example: the customers of this blog are you, small business owners or digital marketing lovers.
What problems do you solve for them. For instance, vinh.nz provides “customers” with best practices, experiences, and hands-on skills.
Common questions customers ask you.

Step 2: Make Your First Keyword List

Write down the main topics related to your business. Example: Our main topics are building a website, optimising the search engine, social media marketing, and so on.
Add words customers use when talking about your products. For example, our customers will ask how to build a website and run an online advertising campaign.
Include common questions you hear from customers.
Think about seasonal trends, if any, in your business.

Step 3: Use Free Keyword Tools

Our approach is to prepare you with the essential and available free tools. Running a small business or planning to start one takes work. Many investments already exist, and you don’t need expensive tools at the early stages. Here are some free options:

Google Keyword Planner
Google Trends
Answer The Public
Bing Webmaster Tools

You only need a Gmail account and know how to search the web. In addition to that, you can use ChatGPT to brainstorm your keyword, outline the content based on the keywords.

Step 4: Analyse Your Keywords

This is an exhibit of the Google Keyword Planner dashboard for the keyword student insurance.

For each keyword, look at:

Monthly searches (how many people look for it). For instance, student travel insurance, student contents insurance and so on have consistent search volume. Each keyword has between 100–1K monthly searches. This indicates moderate interest and potential demand within New Zealand.
Competition (how hard it is to rank for). Most keywords have medium competition, suggesting it may require some effort to rank for them. However, keywords like “student contents insurance” and “student safe insurance” show low competition, making them easier to rank for and possibly good targets for a focused strategy.
Relevance (how well it matches what you offer). These keywords seem relevant for an insurance provider targeting students or international travellers, as they cover different types of student-related insurance (travel, contents, health, and holiday insurance)
Intent (what people want when they search for it). People searching for these terms are likely looking to buy insurance or learn more about student coverage options.

Step 5: Organise and Prioritise

Group Similar Keywords Together: Organize keywords into categories like “Student Travel Insurance,” “Student Health Insurance,” and “Student Holiday/Contents Insurance.” This helps target the specific needs of students and create tailored content.
Focus on Keywords with Good Search Volume but Lower Competition: “student contents insurance” and “student safe insurance” have lower competition with 100–1K monthly searches, making them prime candidates for easier ranking.
Create a Spreadsheet to Track Your Keywords: Create a spreadsheet with columns for keywords, search volume, competition, bid ranges, and category (e.g., travel, health, contents). This helps monitor performance and refine strategies.
Plan Content Around Your Best Keywords: Develop content focused on high-interest, lower-competition keywords like “student contents insurance” or “student safe insurance.” Consider creating guides, FAQs, and blog posts addressing specific needs like travel safety, health coverage, and student content insurance.

How to Implement Keywords Effectively

Recent studies by Semrush (2024) show that adequately implemented keywords can increase organic traffic by up to 50%. The following best practices are based on current search engine guidelines:

Where to Put Keywords

Place keywords naturally in these critical spots:

Page titles
Headers and subheaders
First paragraph of content
Image descriptions
Meta descriptions
URLs

Keyword Implementation Best Practices

Keep it Natural

Don’t stuff keywords everywhere
Write for people first, search engines second
Use keywords where they make sense

Follow the Rule of 3

Use main keywords 2-3 times per 500 words
Include related terms naturally
Don’t overdo it – quality matters more than quantity

Mix Different Types of Keywords

Short-tail keywords (1-2 words)
Long-tail keywords (3+ words)
Question-based keywords
Location-based terms (if you’re a local business)

Quick Start Guide: Keyword Research in 5 Minutes

Based on recommendations from backlinko’s analysis of 5 million Google search results (Dean, 2023), here’s how to conduct quick keyword research:

Open Google Keyword Planner
Enter your main product or service
Look at the suggested keywords
Pick 2-3 with good search volume but lower competition
Start using them in your content

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using too many keywords in one piece of content
Focusing only on high-competition keywords
Ignoring local search terms
Not updating your keyword research regularly
Using outdated or irrelevant keywords

Measuring Success

Track these things monthly:

Website traffic from search engines
Rankings for your main keywords
Time visitors spend on your pages
Number of sales or leads from search traffic

Keyword Research Conclusion

Keyword research doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with the basics, use free tools, and focus on what your customers search for. Remember to:

Keep your content natural and helpful
Update your keyword research regularly
Track what works and adjust as needed
Focus on quality over quantity

Action Steps

List your top 5 products or services
Find 3 keywords for each using Google Keyword Planner
Create one piece of content using these keywords
Track your results after 30 days
Adjust your strategy based on what works

Good keyword research and implementation take time, but the results are worth it. Start small, stay consistent, and keep learning as you go. If you want another case study, read here.

Congratulations, you have just finished the keyword research guide. Our next article will be Content Creation for SEO.

To learn more about SEO, check our comprehensive SEO tutorial for beginner.

References:

Google. (2024). Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide
Semrush. (2024). State of Content Marketing 2024 Global Report. https://www.semrush.com/blog/state-of-content-marketing/
Dean, B. (2023). We Analyzed 5 Million Google Search Results. Here’s What We Learned About Organic Click Through Rate. Backlinko. https://backlinko.com/google-ctr-stats
Moz. (2024). The Beginner’s Guide to SEO. https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo
Ahrefs. (2024). Keyword Research: The Definitive Guide. https://ahrefs.com/