Introduction
Keyword research is the foundation of successful SEO and content marketing. Whether you’re launching a new website, writing blog posts, or optimizing an eCommerce store, targeting the right keywords can significantly improve your search rankings and organic traffic.
This beginner-friendly guide will walk you through finding high-volume, low-competition keywords to boost your website’s visibility.
1. What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing search terms that people enter into search engines. The goal is to discover keywords with high search volume and low competition, ensuring better chances of ranking.
11 best free keyword research tools
- Google Autocomplete:
- Simply start typing a keyword into the Google search bar and observe the autocomplete suggestions. These are commonly searched terms related to your initial keyword.
- Google Related Searches:
- After performing a search on Google, scroll to the bottom of the search results page to find related searches. These can give you ideas for long-tail keywords and variations to consider.
- Google Trends:
- Use Google Trends to determine the popularity of certain keywords over time, which can help you choose keywords that are trending upwards.
- Google Keyword Planner:
- Although it’s part of Google Ads, you can use the Google Keyword Planner for free to discover new keywords and see search volume and forecasts for your keywords.
- Competitor Analysis:
- Look at what keywords your competitors are ranking for. Tools like Moz’s Free Domain SEO Analysis Tool can help with this.
- Keyword Surfer:
- A free Chrome extension that shows estimated global and monthly search volumes for any query typed into Google.
- Keyworddit:
- This is a unique tool that extracts keywords from Reddit. It gives you an idea of the topics that interest your audience.
- Google Search Console:
- This isn’t a keyword research tool in the traditional sense, but you can use it to see which keywords bring users to your existing pages.
- Content Gap Analysis:
- By manually checking what content is out there and what gaps exist, you can identify keyword opportunities that others have missed.
- SEOquake:
- A free plugin that provides key SEO metrics, along with other useful tools such as SEO Audit and many others.
- YouTube Autocomplete and Related Searches:
- If you’re looking for video content keywords, the autocomplete feature on YouTube is a great way to see what people are searching for.
Why Keyword Research is Important
- Increases organic traffic
- Improves content relevance
- Enhances user intent targeting
- Boosts conversion rates
Keyword research is a fundamental practice in search engine optimization (SEO) and has several benefits that can help improve the visibility and success of a website. Here are some of the key benefits of conducting thorough keyword research:
- Improved Rankings: By understanding the most searched keywords related to your topic, you can optimize your content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), which can lead to more organic traffic.
- Understanding Your Audience: Keyword research helps you understand the language your target audience uses to search for information. This allows you to tailor your content to match their needs and queries.
- Increased Traffic: Targeting the right keywords can draw more visitors to your site. By focusing on keywords that have a good balance of high search volume and manageable competition, you can attract more qualified traffic.
- Better Content Strategy: Knowing which keywords are popular can guide your content strategy, helping you to create articles, videos, and other content that meets the demands of your audience.
- Competitive Analysis: Keyword research gives you insight into what your competitors are targeting. You can use this information to create a strategy to compete for the same keywords or to target gaps they may be missing.
- Higher Conversion Rates: By targeting keywords that are more specific and often closer to the point of purchase, known as long-tail keywords, you can attract visitors who are more likely to convert into customers or leads.
- Market Trends Awareness: Keyword trends can provide you with insights into market behaviors and shifts in consumer interests, allowing you to adapt your offerings and content to current demands.
- Cost Efficiency: For those using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, keyword research can help in finding cost-effective keywords that can reduce the average cost per click while still driving quality traffic.
- Search Intent Understanding: Not all keywords are created equal. Some search terms may have a higher intent to purchase, while others are informational. Keyword research helps in distinguishing these intents, so you can create content that directly addresses the users’ needs.
- SEO ROI: By targeting the right keywords, you can optimize your SEO efforts for better return on investment. Effective keyword research ensures that you are not wasting time and resources on keywords that won’t bring valuable traffic.
- Localized Strategy: For local businesses, keyword research can help identify geo-specific keywords that draw in a local audience, which is crucial for brick-and-mortar businesses and service providers.
- Content Relevance: By aligning your content with the right keywords, you ensure that your website remains relevant and useful to users, which can improve engagement and the likelihood of return visits.
Overall, keyword research is about understanding the market demand for certain terms, the competition you’re up against, and the content you need to create to align with both. It’s a strategic tool that can significantly influence the direction and effectiveness of your online marketing efforts.
Paid Keyword research
If you’re a mediocre blogger and have launched a website that has started earning, it’s beneficial for you to invest in a paid keyword research tool to grow your website.
If you’re considering using a paid keyword research tool, I would recommend Ahrefs and SEMrush. These tools are renowned for their comprehensive data and features that can significantly aid in enhancing your SEO efforts.
Besides these, there are numerous other paid tools available on the internet which I will list below. With the help of these tools, you can easily select the best keywords for your content based on search volume and keyword ranking, and you can rank your content on Google more effectively.
Additional Details for Paid Keyword Research Tools:
- Ahrefs: Ahrefs is not just a keyword research tool; it’s a complete SEO platform that allows you to do competitor analysis, backlink research, content research, and track your rankings. Its keyword explorer gives you detailed information on keyword difficulty, search volume, click data, and a comprehensive keyword list based on the term you enter.
- SEMrush: SEMrush offers a suite of tools including keyword research, site audit, SEO content template, and more. It’s especially powerful for competitive analysis, allowing you to see which keywords your competitors are ranking for and how you might be able to outrank them.
- Moz Pro: Moz’s suite of tools includes Keyword Explorer, Link Explorer, and their proprietary Page Authority and Domain Authority metrics. It’s known for its user-friendly interface and the quality of its data.
- Majestic: Majestic provides a wealth of data primarily focused on backlinks, but it’s also useful for finding keywords that websites are targeting, giving you insights into your competitors’ strategies.
- SpyFu: This is an excellent tool for understanding your competitors’ keyword strategies, seeing how often certain keywords are searched, and how those searches have changed over time.
- KWFinder: KWFinder by Mangools is great for finding long-tail keywords with low SEO difficulty. It’s very user-friendly and a good starting point for bloggers looking to delve into paid tools.
- Long Tail Pro: As the name suggests, this tool specializes in finding long-tail keywords which are less competitive and more targeted, making it easier to rank for them.
- SERPstat: This is a growth hacking tool that is great for SEO, PPC, and content marketing. It provides a detailed keyword research feature along with website analysis.
When choosing a paid keyword research tool, it’s important to consider your specific needs, budget, and the complexity of your SEO strategy. Most of these tools offer a trial period or a limited free version, so it’s a good idea to test them out before committing to a subscription.
Difference between Quality Of Keyword and Quantity Of Keyword
Quality of Keyword:
- Relevance: High-quality keywords are highly relevant to the content on the page and to what the users are searching for. They match the user’s search intent, whether it’s informational, navigational, transactional, or commercial.
- Conversion Potential: Quality keywords are often those that have a higher likelihood of leading to a conversion, such as a sale, sign-up, or another desired action.
- Competitiveness: A quality keyword is one that strikes a balance between high search volume and a level of competition that is surmountable for your website.
- Specificity: High-quality keywords often include long-tail keywords, which are more specific and targeted than generic, short-tail keywords.
- Search Volume: While not the only indicator, a good quality keyword will usually have a sufficient search volume indicating that people are actively looking for that topic or item.
Quantity of Keywords:
- Volume: This refers to the number of keywords that a piece of content or a website is targeting. Having a larger quantity of keywords can increase the chances of ranking for various searches.
- Keyword Variations: Including a variety of keywords can help capture a wider audience due to the different ways people may phrase their searches.
- Long-Tail Expansion: A strategy focused on quantity will include many long-tail keyword variations, which can capture highly specific search traffic.
- Keyword Stuffing Risks: Focusing too much on quantity without regard to quality and relevance can lead to keyword stuffing, which can negatively impact SEO as it creates a poor user experience and can be penalized by search engines.
In summary, the quality of a keyword is about how well it can potentially perform in bringing relevant traffic that is likely to convert. The quantity of keywords is about the breadth of visibility across different searches. An effective keyword strategy should balance both aspects, targeting high-quality keywords while also incorporating a sufficient quantity of relevant variations to cover a wider array of search queries.
2. Types of Keywords
Understanding the different types of keywords will help you structure your content more effectively:
A. Short-Tail Keywords
- 1-2 words long (e.g., “digital marketing”)
- High search volume, but high competition
- Broad and less targeted
B. Long-Tail Keywords
- 3+ words long (e.g., “best digital marketing strategies 2025”)
- Lower search volume, but low competition
- Higher intent and better conversion rates
C. LSI Keywords (Latent Semantic Indexing)
- Contextually related keywords (e.g., “SEO tools” for “keyword research”)
- Helps improve content relevance
D. Commercial & Transactional Keywords
- Target users ready to take action (e.g., “buy SEO software”)
- Used for PPC campaigns and eCommerce SEO
3. How to Find High-Volume, Low-Competition Keywords
A. Use Keyword Research Tools
Leverage SEO tools to find profitable keywords:
- Google Keyword Planner (Free)
- Ahrefs Keyword Explorer
- SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool
- Ubersuggest (Budget-friendly alternative)
- AnswerThePublic (Great for long-tail queries)
B. Analyze Competitor Keywords
- Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to check which keywords your competitors rank for.
- Identify gaps where you can rank with better content.
C. Leverage Google Autocomplete & “People Also Ask”
- Type a broad keyword in Google and check autocomplete suggestions.
- Look at the “People Also Ask” section for related questions.
D. Focus on Search Intent
- Informational: “How to start a blog”
- Navigational: “Facebook login”
- Transactional: “Buy Nike running shoes”
- Commercial: “Best SEO tools for beginners”
4. How to Validate Keyword Difficulty & Ranking Potential
A. Check Search Volume
- Ensure the keyword has at least 1,000+ searches per month.
B. Evaluate Keyword Difficulty (KD Score)
- 0-30: Easy to rank
- 31-70: Moderate competition
- 71+: Hard to rank without strong backlinks
C. Assess SERP Competition
- Check the Domain Authority (DA) of the top-ranking pages.
- If the first page has low DA websites, you have a better ranking chance.
5. How to Implement Keywords for SEO Success
A. Optimize On-Page SEO
✅ Use the primary keyword in the title, URL, and first 100 words ✅ Add LSI keywords naturally in the content ✅ Use keywords in image alt texts and meta descriptions ✅ Ensure content is readable and engaging
B. Optimize for Featured Snippets
✅ Write concise answers (40-60 words) ✅ Use bullet points, tables, and lists ✅ Answer FAQ-style questions
C. Monitor & Adjust Strategy
✅ Use Google Search Console to track keyword performance ✅ Update content with fresh data & keywords ✅ Improve internal linking for better indexing
Conclusion
Keyword research is the cornerstone of effective SEO. By choosing the right keywords, understanding search intent, and optimizing content, you can drive more organic traffic and improve rankings.
📢 Which keyword research tool do you use? Share your thoughts in the comments!
