How to Do a Keyword Search for SEO: Tips & Tools

ByTeam OPositive

What Is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is the process of finding the words, questions, and phrases people use when they search for something you offer—then choosing which of those searches you’ll build pages for.

Why keyword research matters for SEO, content planning, and rankings

If you skip this step, you usually end up with one of these problems:

  • You publish content nobody searches for.
  • You target keywords that bring traffic but no leads.
  • You compete in SERPs where your site has no realistic chance.

Good keyword research gives you a cleaner content calendar, better rankings over time, and a clearer path to boost organic traffic without gambling on random topics.

How search intent connects to keyword selection

A keyword is basically a “why” hiding inside a few words.

When you learn how to do keyword research, you’re learning to identify what the searcher wants:

  • A definition?
  • A comparison?
  • A solution?
  • A vendor?
  • A nearby provider?

If intent and page type don’t match, rankings are hard—and conversions are worse.

Why Learning How to Do Keyword Research Matters Today

Changing search behaviour: AI Overviews + conversational search

Search behaviour has shifted. People still type short phrases, but they also ask full questions and give context:

  • “best CRM” became “best CRM for a 10-person sales team”
  • “keyword research” became “how to do seo keyword research for a new site with no backlinks”

AI Overviews and conversational tools have increased this style of searching, which means your content needs to answer more clearly—and cover more angles on the same topic.

Competition across SERPs

Ranking is not only “beat 10 blue links” anymore. Many keywords now have:

  • Ads
  • People Also Ask (PAA)
  • Featured snippets
  • Video packs
  • Local results
  • AI-driven summaries

So how to do a keyword search today also means asking: “What does the SERP look like, and what format is Google rewarding?”

Importance of topical authority

One strong page can rank. But consistent growth usually comes from topical authority:

  • a pillar page (the main guide)
  • supporting pages (subtopics)
  • internal linking that ties them together

If you build clusters well, your site becomes a “known entity” for a topic. That’s a huge advantage in traditional SEO and increasingly useful in AI SEO too.

How to Do SEO Keyword Research: Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1 — Understand Search Intent Before You Start

Informational, commercial, transactional, navigational

Start by labeling queries:

  • Informational: learn (how-to, definition, guide)
  • Commercial: compare (best, top, vs, alternatives, reviews)
  • Transactional: act (buy, pricing, book, hire, demo)
  • Navigational: find a brand/site (login, pricing page, support)

How intent shapes keyword selection

Intent decides what you should publish:

  • informational → blog / guide / glossary
  • commercial → comparison / listicle / “best for”
  • transactional → service page / product page / landing page
  • navigational → brand page / help docs / contact

If you mismatch intent, you’ll often see impressions but poor CTR, or clicks with no conversion.

Examples from competitor blogs

Competitor SEO blogs often do three things well:

  • They match intent (guides for “how to”, comparisons for “best”)
  • They include “quick answers” early (to win snippets/PAA)
  • They cover related subtopics so the page feels complete
    That’s the model to follow when you’re learning how to do seo keyword research for content that actually ranks.

Step 2 — Build a Seed Keyword List

What seed keywords are

Seed keywords are your starting phrases—broad terms that describe your market or core offering.

Example for a payroll tool:

  • payroll software
  • salary processing
  • HR compliance
  • payslip generator

How to come up with seed ideas

Use a mix of:

  • what you sell (features, categories, services)
  • what customers want (outcome-based language)
  • what customers fear (pain points, risks, mistakes)

Sources: customer queries, Google Search Console, competitor pages, internal search, reviews

Strong seed lists come from real language:

  • customer emails and WhatsApp questions
  • sales call notes
  • support tickets
  • site search logs (internal search bar)
  • reviews (especially “cons” and “why I chose you” lines)
  • Google Search Console queries
  • competitor category pages, FAQs, and blog navigation

If you’re stuck and asking how to find keywords, start with your support inbox. It’s usually more honest than any tool.

Step 3 — Use Tools to Find More Keywords (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Mangools, GSC)

Keyword ideas report – Plug in your seed keyword and pull:

  • phrase matches
  • question keywords
  • related terms
  • “also rank for” style suggestions

Don’t copy the entire export into a sheet and call it research. Your job is to choose what matters.

Use SERP overview to answer:

  • Who dominates? publishers, brands, marketplaces, forums?
  • Is the intent informational or commercial?
  • What format ranks: listicles, pages, videos, tools?

This step saves hours because it prevents you from chasing keywords your site can’t realistically win today.

People Also Ask is a free outline generator:

  • It tells you what people ask next
  • It reveals subtopics you must cover
  • It helps you write H2/H3 headings that reflect real queries

AI tools for keyword clustering – AI can help you cluster faster:

  • group keywords by similarity and intent
  • label clusters (pricing, comparison, setup, benefits)
  • highlight duplicates and near-duplicates

Use this as a speed boost, not a decision maker. “Clustered” doesn’t automatically mean “needs its own page.”

Also: chatgpt for seo can help draft briefs and outline variations, but you still need SERP validation and business judgement.

Step 4 — Analyse Keyword Metrics (Volume, Difficulty, CPC, Trend)

What each metric means

  • Volume: estimated monthly searches (directional, not perfect)
  • Difficulty: how tough ranking may be (tool-specific)
  • CPC: paid value; sometimes signals commercial intent
  • Trend: seasonality, spikes, or slow decline

How to judge keyword difficulty

Don’t trust a single difficulty score blindly. Check:

  • Are top results from massive domains?
  • Do ranking pages have strong backlink profiles?
  • Is the content deeply comprehensive or thin?
  • Does Google show brands or publishers?

A keyword can look “easy” in a tool but be impossible if the SERP is locked by established leaders.

When low-volume keywords are still valuable

Low volume can be high value when:

  • it’s a pain-point query (“how to fix…”, “cost of…”, “best for…”)
  • it converts well (fewer searches, stronger intent)
  • it supports a topic cluster and builds authority
  • it targets a niche you can dominate

This is a key mindset shift in how to conduct keyword research for businesses: revenue is not always in the highest-volume term.

Step 5 — Evaluate SERP Competition

Review top-ranking pages

Open the top 5–10 results and ask:

  • What is the angle?
  • What sections do they include?
  • What do they skip or explain poorly?

Those gaps are your content opportunity.

Content type and format required to compete

Google usually signals the expected format:

  • “how to” keywords → step-by-step guides
  • “best” keywords → listicles/comparisons
  • “pricing” keywords → pricing pages or breakdowns
  • “near me” keywords → local landing pages

Match the format first, then add your differentiation.

SERP features to consider (PAA, snippets, videos, AI Overviews)

Build for the SERP features you see:

  • snippet-friendly definitions (2–3 lines)
  • short answers under question headings
  • tables for comparisons
  • video embeds if video dominates the SERP
  • concise sections that AI Overviews can lift safely

This is where On Page SEO meets strategy.

Step 6 — Group & Cluster Your Keywords

Topic clusters, subtopics, and keyword mapping

Clustering means you don’t publish 20 disconnected posts.

You build:

  • 1 pillar page
  • multiple supporting pages
  • internal links that connect them

How to group by intent

A simple structure:

  • informational cluster (guides, how-tos, definitions)
  • commercial cluster (comparisons, best-of, alternatives)
  • transactional pages (services, product/category pages)

This also reduces cannibalisation (multiple pages targeting the same query).

Example cluster for a real niche

Example niche: “IVF clinic marketing”

Pillar: IVF clinic marketing strategy

Clusters:

  • IVF clinic seo checklist
  • IVF PPC vs SEO comparison
  • Local SEO for IVF clinics (city pages)
  • IVF content ideas by patient stage
  • Best keywords for fertility clinic services
  • Patient review strategy and trust signals

That’s what “how to do keyword research” looks like when it turns into real site architecture.

Step 7 — Prioritize Keywords for Quick Wins

Low difficulty + high intent opportunities

Quick wins often come from:

  • high-intent long tails
  • underserved subtopics in your niche
  • keywords where SERP content is outdated or thin

Pages already ranking in positions 8–20

This is one of the highest ROI moves in SEO:

  • Find pages in 8–20 in GSC
  • Improve structure, add missing sections, strengthen internal links
  • Refresh examples and add FAQs

Often, you don’t need “new content.” You need better content on pages already close to winning.

Seasonal and trending keywords

Use seasonality to plan ahead:

  • tax season, admissions season, festive shopping
  • industry calendars (budget announcements, product cycles)

Trending keywords can bring quick visibility, but only publish if it fits your audience and site focus.

How to Conduct Keyword Research for Different Content Types

Blog Content

Informational and cluster-building keywords

Blogs are best for:

  • explaining concepts clearly
  • answering questions
  • supporting pillar pages
  • winning PAA and snippets

This is where topical authority grows.

Product & Category Pages

Transactional and commercial keywords

These pages should target:

  • “buy”, “price”, “features”, “best”
  • use-case modifiers (“for SMEs”, “for ecommerce”, “for clinics”)

Keep them structured, benefit-led, and internally linked from your blogs.

Service Pages

High-intent, pain-point queries

Service pages win with “help me” queries:

Here, proof matters: case studies, reviews, outcomes. That’s where OFF Page SEO and trust signals support conversions.

Local SEO Pages

Geo-modified keywords & location-based search

Local pages should target:

  • “near me”
  • city/area modifiers
  • “best + service + location”

Back them with reviews, NAP consistency, and local citations.

How Do I Find Keywords for Free?

If you’re asking how do i find keywords without a paid tool, start here:

  • Google Search Console: real impressions + queries you already show for
  • Google Keyword Planner: baseline ideas and ranges
  • Google Trends: seasonality and rising search patterns
  • AnswerThePublic: question-based ideas for content
  • SERP scraping: related searches + PAA boxes

These Free SEO Tools won’t replace paid suites, but they can absolutely build a solid plan if you validate properly.

How to validate free keyword ideas

Validate every keyword with:

  • SERP check (what ranks and why)
  • intent match (blog vs service vs product page)
  • business value (who would convert from this query?)
  • cluster fit (does it belong to a pillar?)

Mistakes to Avoid When Learning How to Do a Keyword Search

  • Over-prioritizing search volume

High volume often equals high competition and low intent.

  • Ignoring intent

If users want a supplier page and you publish a blog, you’ll struggle.

  • Targeting the same keyword across multiple pages

This causes cannibalisation and weak ranking stability.

  • Focusing only on short-head keywords

Long-tail keywords often convert better and help you build authority safely.

Best Tools for Keyword Research (Free & Paid)

Paid Tools

  • Ahrefs
  • SEMrush
  • Mangools
  • Moz

Free Tools

  • Google Keyword Planner
  • Google Trends
  • Ubersuggest (free tier)
  • Keyword.io

Choose based on workflow. If you work at scale, paid tools save time and reduce guesswork.

How to Turn Your Keywords Into an Actionable SEO Content Plan

Keyword lists don’t grow traffic. Execution does.

Use this process:

  • Build 1–2 pillar pages per core category
  • Create 6–12 supporting cluster pieces per pillar
  • Map one primary keyword (plus close variants) to each page
  • Write a content brief for each page:
    • intent + target audience
    • outline and H2/H3s
    • internal links (where it fits in the cluster)
    • examples, screenshots, and proof points
    • FAQs from PAA and customer questions

Track performance in Search Console weekly:

  • impressions first
  • then CTR
  • then clicks and conversions

If your business has an app, connect your web keyword plan with app store optimization too. People often discover a brand on Google, then search the app store—or the other way around.

Conclusion

If you want consistent results, treat keyword research like a repeatable system, not a one-time task.

  • start with intent
  • build seeds from real customer language
  • expand with tools
  • validate via SERP
  • cluster by topic and intent
  • prioritise quick wins
  • execute with a mapped content plan

That’s how how to do keyword research turns into rankings—and how how to do seo keyword research turns into leads, not just traffic.

Opositive follows the same systematic approach to help brands grow with clarity and consistency.

FAQs

Can I use ChatGPT for keyword research?

Yes, as support: brainstorming, clustering, brief creation. Validate with SERP checks and GSC data.

How many keywords per 1000 words?

No fixed number. Use one primary keyword, a few close variations, and cover subtopics naturally.

What are the 4 types of keywords for SEO?

Informational, commercial, transactional, and navigational.

Which keyword is best for SEO?

The best keyword has clear intent, realistic competition for your site, and a direct link to your business outcome.

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