If SEO is a journey, keyword research is your roadmap. And no, not the kind drawn with buzzwords and bloated tool stacks. We’re talking about strategy grounded in how people actually search, what they expect to find, and where your content fits into that moment.

Knowing how to do keyword research means thinking like your audience, not just plugging phrases into a tool. It’s what separates a site that ranks from one that resonates. Keyword research in SEO helps you make informed decisions about what to write, who you’re writing for, and why it matters in the first place.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through a method that’s clear, deliberate, and rooted in the way SEO professionals work every day. From idea generation to evaluating search intent and finding untapped gaps in your market, you’ll learn not just what to do, but why each step matters.

And we’ll show you how keyword research, when done right, becomes the strategic backbone of a full SEO journey, not a box to tick.

What Is Keyword Research in SEO and Why Does It Matter?

Keyword research is the practice of identifying the exact terms people use when they search online, whether they’re looking to solve a problem, compare products, or find answers to a question they didn’t even know they had.

But in real SEO work, it’s not just about collecting a list of keywords. It’s about understanding search behavior and using it to shape content, structure, and strategy. Keyword research in SEO helps you match your content to real user intent, so you show up not just in search, but at the right moment, for the right reason.

It matters because search intent drives everything. A user typing “how to fix slow website” wants something different than someone searching “best hosting for WordPress”. When your pages align with that intent, you’re not just earning clicks, you’re building relevance, credibility, visibility.

And here’s the thing: many businesses still guess. They assume what people want to read, or optimize content around internal jargon nobody searches for. Keyword research makes sure your strategy is driven by demand, not assumptions. Done well, it doesn’t just inform SEO. It shapes how your business shows up online.

How to Do Keyword Research Step by Step?

Let’s break down how to do keyword research from start to finish.
No shortcuts, no recycled advice: just the core steps that actually guide SEO decisions in the real world.

Step 1: Brainstorm Initial Keyword Ideas

Keyword research doesn’t start with a tool. It starts with curiosity. Before looking at numbers, you need a sense of what your audience might be searching for. And why.

Start by listing obvious terms tied to your product, service, or content categories. Then expand outward. Think about the problems your audience faces, the questions they ask, and the way they describe what they’re looking for (which isn’t always how you’d describe it).

Use search engines to your advantage. Google’s autocomplete and the “People Also Ask” box are goldmines for long tail keyword research. If it shows up there, people are typing it in.

Explore:

• Product/service names
• Questions your audience types into search
• Use cases, goals, and pain points
• Related searches suggested by Google
• Forum threads or Reddit discussions

The goal at this stage isn’t to finalize anything. It’s to build a rough map of language, intent, and direction, so that when you move into tools, you’re not flying blind.

Step 2: What Is the Best Tool for Keyword Research?

There’s no single “best” tool: only the right tool for the job. Each platform approaches keyword research from a different angle, and knowing what to use (and when) can save hours and sharpen your results.

Here’s a quick rundown of the most reliable options:

• Ahrefs
  Excellent for competitive research. You can see what your competitors are ranking for, explore their top pages, and identify keyword gaps. It’s especially strong for backlink and traffic data tied to keywords.
• SEMrush
  Ideal for evaluating keyword difficulty and SERP features. SEMrush offers detailed reports on keyword trends, intent categorization, and even content gaps based on your domain versus others.
• Moz
  Great for a clean overview of keyword suggestions and SERP previews. It’s often simpler to use, especially for early-stage research or validating ideas quickly.

Unlike many agencies that stick to one platform, at Menford we use all three together for every link building and full SEO project, cross-checking data to reduce blind spots and make decisions grounded in multiple perspectives.

Tools don’t do the work for you, they help you challenge assumptions. That’s why our process always combines platforms, not as a replacement for real thinking. And it’s also why keyword research is always the first step in our full service SEO: it sets the tone for everything that follows, from technical audits to content strategy and link building.

Step 3: Analyze Search Volume, Difficulty, and Intent

Now that you’ve gathered a solid keyword list, it’s time to evaluate which terms are worth pursuing. This step is about prioritization, deciding where to focus based on a mix of quantitative metrics and strategic fit.

Three key factors to analyze:

• Search volume: How often is this keyword searched monthly? Be cautious—high volume doesn’t always mean high value.
• Keyword difficulty: How hard will it be to rank for this term, based on current SERPs and your domain strength?
• Search intent: Is the keyword informational, navigational, or transactional? Does it match the type of content you plan to create?

As an SEO Agency, we treat these metrics as a conversation, not a checklist. A low-volume keyword with high intent and low difficulty can outperform a high-volume, highly competitive term if it fits your audience better.

This is where keyword research shifts from data collection to decision-making. Instead of chasing the biggest numbers, focus on real opportunities that align with your content goals, your funnel stage, and your competitive landscape.

Pro Tip: How to Use Google Trends for Keyword Research

Once you’ve shortlisted your keywords, it’s worth checking how they behave over time. That’s where Google Trends comes in.

Unlike keyword tools that show static search volume, Google Trends helps you see when people search for something, and whether interest is rising, falling, or seasonal. This is especially useful for content planning and campaign timing.

Use it to:

• Compare the momentum of two similar terms
• Spot seasonal trends (e.g., “tax tips” in March vs. November)
• Validate if a topic is gaining traction or losing relevance

We often use Google Trends to add a layer of timing and context to our keyword choices. A term with slightly lower volume today might outperform a higher-volume one tomorrow, if the trend is on your side.

It’s not a primary research tool, but when used alongside Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz, it can give you an edge in spotting keyword opportunities others miss.

How to Pick Keywords for SEO?

Once you’ve gathered a solid list of keyword ideas and analyzed them for volume, difficulty, and intent, the next challenge is deciding which ones to actually use.

Start by aligning keywords with your business goals. If you’re building awareness, prioritize informational keywords that map to early-funnel queries. If you’re optimizing product or service pages, focus on transactional terms with clear intent.

Then consider the content format: some keywords are best suited to blog articles, others to landing pages or category hubs. Don’t try to force every keyword into a blog post, let the intent guide the structure.

Finally, look at the SERP itself. Are top-ranking pages guides, product listings, or videos? If you’re not matching that format, you probably won’t compete, no matter how well you optimize.

This is where strategy comes in. Smart keyword selection means weighing effort vs. reward, and knowing when to go after a competitive term or when to focus on quicker wins. If you’re already planning content around those terms, it’s worth thinking ahead to promotion too—these SEO link building tips show how your keyword choices can directly shape your backlink strategy.

It’s not about finding “the best” keywords. It’s about choosing the right ones for your content, your audience, and your growth goals.

How to Find and Analyze Competitor Keywords

One of the fastest ways to spot real opportunities is by reverse-engineering what’s already working for others, especially your SEO competitors, not just business rivals.

Start by identifying the websites that consistently rank for your target topics. These might be niche blogs, affiliates, or large content hubs—not necessarily companies selling the same product as you.

Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush make this easy. Just plug in a competitor’s domain and look for:

• Keywords they rank for but you don’t
• Pages bringing in the bulk of their organic traffic
• Gaps they’re not covering well

You’ll start to see patterns: clusters of content, recurring intents, overlooked angles. That’s your blueprint: not to copy, but to compete smarter.

As a SEO Agency specialized in link building, we do this routinely. It’s not just about spying, it’s about understanding your space. Seeing where others succeed (or fall short) helps us design content strategies with purpose, not guesswork. The goal isn’t to follow, it’s to leapfrog.

Local SEO Keyword Research: What You Need to Know

Targeting local audiences changes the game. You’re not just optimizing for what people search, but where they’re searching from, and what they expect to see nearby.

Local SEO keyword research focuses on geolocation and intent. It’s less about big national volumes, more about relevance at the city, neighborhood, or “near me” level.

Here’s what to prioritize:

• Use local modifiers (e.g., “coffee shop in Austin”, “SEO agency near me”)
• Check Google Business Profile insights for keyword ideas
• Explore mobile-driven search behavior: voice queries, questions, urgency
• Look at competitors in your area: what pages rank, what titles they use, how they localize

Don’t just stuff city names into landing pages. Think about intent. Is the user looking for a quick visit, a recurring service, or just doing research?

When we do local keyword research, we dig into how location changes the conversation. The same service might have a different angle depending on the city’s habits, seasonality, or even slang. That nuance is what separates generic content from local authority.

Local SEO may seem small-scale, but done well, it’s often where the highest-converting traffic comes from.

How to Implement Keywords Strategically in Your Content

Finding the right keywords is just the start. Knowing where and how to use them is what brings your content to life in search.
There’s no magic formula, but there are best practices we follow consistently that keep things clean, strategic, and focused on what matters: being understood by both users and search engines.

Here’s where to focus your placement:

• Include your main keyword in the H1, the intro, and ideally in the URL
• Use secondary keywords in H2s, image alt tags, and naturally within paragraphs
• Insert keywords in meta titles and meta descriptions — make them relevant and compelling
• Place internal links with descriptive anchor text that reinforces topical connections
• Avoid over-optimization. If it starts sounding robotic, you’ve gone too far

A well-optimized article should still read like it was written for humans, because it was. Strategic keyword use helps structure your content and strengthen semantic signals, but your readers should never feel the seams.

In our internal reviews, we always look at keyword distribution as part of the content’s clarity and usefulness, not just its ranking potential. That mindset makes a difference, especially when paired with a strong SEO copywriting service.

What You Do After the Keywords Makes All the Difference

Most people think keyword research is about pulling a list of keywords and tossing them into content. But as we’ve seen, it’s really about thinking strategically: finding the right entry points, understanding the intent behind each query, and mapping that to your goals.

That’s exactly how we do it at Menford. We don’t just find keywords: we turn them into decisions. Decisions about what content to create, how to structure it, and how to compete in the SERP with intent in mind, not just volume.

When we work with clients, we treat keyword research as part of a larger ecosystem: from technical SEO to link building, from content strategy to performance tracking. If you’ve followed this guide, you now have the same foundational process we use—step by step.

The difference comes in the execution: using the right tools together, interpreting signals beyond surface metrics, and adjusting for business context, not just search trends.

If you’re tired of generic audits and templated content plans, we’re here for something else. Real research. Real relevance. A strategy that’s built to grow with you.

Want keyword research that actually leads somewhere?

Most SEO agencies stop at keyword lists. We don’t. We help you understand why certain keywords matter for your business, how to prioritize them, and what to do with them next.

If you’re serious about turning search data into strategic action, fill out the form below. We’ll review your current approach, suggest real improvements, and show you exactly how to apply those insights across your SEO, from content to structure to links.