How to Do Keyword Research for a Website

The keyword and hashtag lesson covered the basics of finding real search terms. Website keyword research goes one layer deeper, because a website page needs to match not just what someone types, but why they're typing it, and a new site competing against established ones needs to pick fights it can actually win.

Step 1: Understand the three types of search intent

Every search falls into one of three intents, and matching your page to the right one matters more than the keyword itself:

• Informational — "how to remove background from image." They want an answer or a guide.
• Commercial — "best background remover tool." They're comparing options before deciding.
• Transactional — "background remover free download." They're ready to act right now.

Writing an informational blog post to target a transactional keyword (or the reverse) is one of the most common reasons a page never ranks despite good content, it's answering the wrong question.

Step 2: Find your seed keywords

Start with 3-5 broad topics related to what you offer. Run each through Google's autocomplete and "Searches related to" (covered in the keyword and hashtag lesson) to expand each seed into a real list of specific phrases.

Step 3: Go long-tail on purpose

A short, broad keyword like "marketing" gets massive search volume and equally massive competition from sites that have been ranking for years. A long-tail version "marketing tips for a new salon" gets far less volume, but you can realistically rank for it as a newer site, and the person searching it is far more specific about what they want.

Step 4: Check search volume and competition

1. Go to ads.google.com, sign in free, and open Tools > Keyword Planner > Discover new keywords (no ad spend required to use this).
2. Enter your keyword list and review the estimated monthly searches and the competition rating shown next to each.
3. Look for the sweet spot: enough real searches to be worth writing for, but not so competitive that only huge, established sites have a chance.

Step 5: Check who's already ranking

Search your keyword and look at the top 5 results. If every result is a massive, well-known site, that keyword will be hard to compete for right now. Note it for later and look for a more specific long-tail version instead. If a few smaller or newer sites appear in the results, that's a real signal you can compete there too.

Step 6: Assign one keyword per page

Pick one primary keyword for each page or post, not five keywords crammed into one page. A page focused on answering one specific question thoroughly outperforms a page vaguely trying to rank for everything.

Common mistakes

• Targeting a keyword whose intent doesn't match what the page actually offers.
• Chasing broad, high-competition keywords before you have any ranking history.
• Trying to target several unrelated keywords on a single page.
• Never checking who's already ranking before committing time to a topic.
• Picking a keyword based on estimated volume alone, ignoring whether it's actually relevant to what you offer.

Your first step

• Write down 3-5 broad topics related to what you offer.
• Expand each into specific long-tail phrases using autocomplete and related searches.
• Check estimated volume and competition in Keyword Planner.
• Search your top 3 candidates and see who's currently ranking.
• Pick one primary keyword to target on your next page or post.

Continue learning

• How to Write a Blog Post That Ranks on Google