Keyword research is the process of finding and understanding the words and phrases people use when searching for information, products, services or answers online.
It is one of the foundations of SEO because it helps you understand what your audience is looking for and gives you ideas for the content and pages your website should provide.
Good keyword research is not simply about finding the keywords with the highest search volume. The most useful keywords are those that are relevant to your website, match what your audience wants and support your goals.
Before creating or optimising a webpage, it helps to understand what people are actually searching for.
Keyword research can help you:
Without keyword research, it is easy to create content based on assumptions rather than what your audience actually needs.
A keyword is a word or phrase that represents a search someone enters into a search engine.
Keywords can be very broad or highly specific.
For example:
All three can be considered keywords, but they represent different levels of specificity and potentially different search intent.
Search intent is the reason behind a person's search.
Understanding intent is one of the most important parts of keyword research because the same topic can represent very different needs.
Common types of search intent include:
The person wants to learn something or find an answer.
Examples include:
The person is trying to find a particular website, page or brand.
For example, someone searching for the name of a specific SEO tool may already know where they want to go.
The person is researching options before making a decision.
Examples include searches such as:
The person is ready to take an action such as purchasing a product, booking a service or signing up for something.
Examples include:
Understanding intent helps you decide what type of page is appropriate for a particular keyword.
Short-tail keywords are generally broad search terms containing relatively few words.
Examples include:
These terms can have substantial search demand, but they can also be highly competitive and may have less specific intent.
Someone searching for "SEO" could be looking for a definition, a tool, a service, a company or something else entirely.
Long-tail keywords are generally more specific search phrases.
Examples include:
Long-tail searches may have lower search volume than broad keywords, but they can provide clearer information about what the searcher wants.
They can therefore be useful when creating focused content.
Search volume is an estimate of how frequently a particular keyword or search term is searched.
Search volume can be useful when comparing keyword opportunities, but it should not be the only factor you consider.
A keyword with high search volume may be extremely competitive or may not match your website's goals.
A more specific keyword with lower search volume may attract fewer visitors but bring people who are much more relevant to your business.
Keyword difficulty is a metric used by various SEO tools to estimate how difficult it may be to compete for a particular search term.
Different SEO platforms calculate keyword difficulty differently, so scores should not be treated as universal measurements.
Competition can also vary depending on the actual search results, the topic and the type of websites ranking for the query.
Use difficulty metrics as a guide rather than an absolute prediction of ranking difficulty.
A useful keyword is not necessarily the one with the highest search volume.
When evaluating a keyword, consider:
The best keyword opportunities are often those where relevance, intent and potential value come together.
There are several ways to discover relevant keywords.
Think about the questions, problems and topics your target audience cares about.
Write down the words you would expect them to use when looking for your products, services or information.
Review the pages already receiving search traffic or covering important topics.
You may find that some pages could be improved by targeting related searches or answering questions that are currently missing.
SEO tools can help you discover related search terms and investigate keyword opportunities.
Our Keyword Research Tool can help you explore keyword ideas.
Search for a topic yourself and examine the pages that appear.
Look at the types of content ranking, the questions being answered and the topics covered by competing pages.
This can provide useful information about the search intent behind a query.
Start by grouping keywords according to the topics and needs they represent.
Then decide which pages should address each topic.
For example, a website offering SEO services might have separate pages for:
Each service can then target relevant searches without forcing every keyword onto one page.
Every useful page should have a clear topic and purpose, but that does not mean you need to force a specific keyword into every page.
Focus on what the page is actually about and the questions or needs it should address.
Use relevant terminology naturally throughout the content rather than repeating the same phrase unnecessarily.
Keyword research can help turn individual search terms into broader content ideas.
Instead of creating one thin page for every slightly different keyword, group closely related searches when they can be answered effectively by the same page.
Then create separate pages when the search intent or information needs are substantially different.
This approach can help create a more useful and organised website.
Not necessarily.
High-volume keywords can attract many searches, but they may also be highly competitive and broad.
A smaller website may find more practical opportunities by targeting specific, relevant searches where it can provide a genuinely useful answer.
For example, a local business may gain more value from a specific service-related search in its target area than from competing for a broad national keyword.
People can search for the same underlying topic using many different phrases.
For example, someone interested in checking backlinks might search for:
You do not necessarily need a separate page for every variation.
If the searches have similar intent, one well-written page may be able to address them naturally.
Some common keyword research mistakes include:
Good keyword research should help you create better pages, not simply produce a long spreadsheet of keywords.
Keyword research does not need to be repeated from scratch every week.
However, it can be useful to revisit your research when:
Keyword research can also be an ongoing part of content planning and SEO improvement.
Keyword research is only useful when you turn the information into action.
After identifying relevant topics and searches, decide:
This turns keyword research into an actual SEO content strategy.
Yes. Keyword research can help you understand what your audience searches for and can guide content planning and page optimisation.
Some keyword research methods and tools are free, while other SEO platforms offer more advanced keyword data through paid plans.
A search query is the actual phrase a person enters into a search engine. In SEO, the term keyword is commonly used to describe the words or phrases associated with searches that a page may target.
Not automatically. Long-tail keywords can be useful because they are often more specific, but the best keyword depends on relevance, intent, competition and your website's goals.
High search volume can be useful, but it should not be the only consideration. A lower-volume keyword can sometimes be more valuable if it is highly relevant to your audience and business.
There is no fixed number. A page should focus on a clear topic and naturally cover relevant terms and closely related searches without forcing keywords into the content.
Sometimes, but be careful about creating multiple pages that serve the same search intent. Where pages are substantially different and serve different purposes, overlapping terminology can be natural.
There is no universal keyword density percentage that guarantees better rankings. Focus on natural, useful content rather than repeating keywords to reach a specific number.
Review the search intent, competition, content quality and overall relevance of the page. You may also find more practical opportunities by targeting related and more specific searches.
Understanding keywords is only the beginning. The next step is understanding why people search for those terms.
Read What Is Search Intent? to learn how the reason behind a search can influence the content and page you create.
You can also learn How to Choose the Right Keywords for Your Website or return to our SEO Guides & Resources.
Use our free SEO tools to explore keyword opportunities and investigate the searches that may be relevant to your website.