Keyword research for beginners

Keyword research is how you choose topics your customers already search for, then match each one to a page that answers it well. The goal is traffic that turns into something useful: a click to a product, a form fill or a phone call.

This guide walks through the process I use, with a running example: a new online store selling kitchen appliances. The store needs product and category pages, plus articles that reach people earlier in their search.

Start with search intent

Every search has a goal behind it, and your page needs to match that goal to rank and convert. Keywords fall into four broad types:

Intent	What the searcher wants	Example	Best page type
Informational	To learn something	how does an air fryer work	Guide or article
Navigational	A specific brand or site	vitamix blender	Brand or product page
Commercial	To compare options	best knife sharpener	Comparison or review
Transactional	To buy now	buy air purifier	Product or category page

The fastest way to confirm intent is to search the keyword and look at what ranks. A search for “refrigerators” returns mostly product and category pages, which signals transactional intent. If the top results are buying guides, a buying guide is what searchers expect.

Build your starting list

Start with what you know about your customers, then widen the list:

• Your own data Google Search Console shows the queries already bringing people to your site, including ones you never targeted.
• Google itself Autocomplete, People Also Ask and related searches show how people phrase their questions.
• Forums and communities Reddit, Quora and niche forums show the problems customers describe in their own words.
• Competitors Ahrefs or Semrush shows which pages bring the most organic traffic to competing sites. A large retailer reveals product page opportunities; a home and kitchen publisher reveals article ideas.
• Keyword tools Run your list through Ahrefs, Semrush or Google Keyword Planner to find variations, volume and difficulty.

Group what you find into three buckets: product and service keywords, brand keywords, and research keywords people search before they’re ready to buy.

Judge each keyword

Look at four things for every keyword.

• Search volume How many times people search for it each month. Treat tool numbers as estimates, and count the keyword’s variations too, since one page often ranks for dozens of related searches.
• Difficulty How hard it is to rank, based mostly on the links pointing to the pages that already rank.
• Business value Ask whether you could mention your products naturally, and whether someone searching this could become a customer. A smaller keyword with a clear path to a sale is often worth more than a popular one with no connection to what you sell.
• Fit with your site Search engines favor sites that cover a topic in depth. A kitchen appliance store has a better shot at “best blender” than at “best laptop.”

Rule of thumb

New sites do best with longer, more specific phrases, often called long-tail keywords. “Best blender for smoothies” has less volume than “blender,” with less competition and a clearer intent.

Analyze the search results

Before you commit, search the keyword and study page one:

• Format Guides, lists, product pages or videos. Match what ranks.
• Who ranks Forums, smaller sites, or pages missing the keyword in their title are signs of an opening.
• Quality Open the top five results. If they’re thin, outdated or off topic, a better page can win.
• Links Check how many unique sites link to the top pages. More strong links means more work to compete.
• AI answers If an AI Overview answers the question directly, expect fewer clicks, and aim to be one of its cited sources with clear, specific answers.

Balance your keyword mix

Transactional keywords drive sales directly, but there are few of them and competition is high. Informational content reaches people earlier, builds trust, and gives you pages that link toward your products. A healthy plan covers each stage: articles that answer questions, comparisons that help people choose, and product pages that close the sale.

My process for finding keywords

This is the process I use for new sites:

1. Find smaller competitors that rank Search common terms in your niche and note page-one sites with modest authority, using a metric like Ahrefs Domain Rating or Semrush Authority Score. Aim for about 25 sites.
2. Pull their keywords Enter each site into Ahrefs or Semrush and filter its rankings for monthly volume above 250, keyword difficulty below 35, and positions 1–5. The last filter is the most useful: if a smaller site ranks in the top five, you can likely compete too.
3. Check each keyword by hand Search it and look for openings: top results without the exact phrase in the title, forums ranking high, or smaller sites in the top three. Then read the top five articles. If you can write something more complete, more current or more useful, add it to your list.
4. Look for variations One good keyword often leads to more. If “lawnmower won’t start” works, try “leaf blower won’t start” and “string trimmer won’t start.”
5. Prioritize Rank the list by estimated traffic and business value, and start at the top.

Tip

Use Google Keyword Planner as a second check on volume. It’s free and gives a range, which helps when other tools disagree.

Track it in a spreadsheet

Keep your research in one sheet so the priorities are easy to explain to yourself or a client. For each keyword, record:

• Estimated traffic across variations
• Difficulty and the links you’d likely need
• Investment required: writing, images and outreach
• Business value: sales, leads or awareness
• The page that will target it

Give each keyword a simple score. A plan tied to business goals is much easier to get approved.

Where to use your keyword

Once a page has a target keyword, place it where it helps readers and search engines understand the topic:

• The title tag, near the start
• The H1
• The URL
• The first paragraph
• At least one subheading

Write naturally, and use variations and related terms throughout the page.