Why is Keyword Research Important?
Keyword research is the foundation of SEO. If you optimize for the wrong keywords, no matter how perfect your content is, no one will find you, or even worse: those who would buy won't find you.
In practice, this means that before you write a single line on a page, you need to clarify three things: who you want to reach, what words they use to search, and what their intent is when they type something into Google.
The 4 Most Common Mistakes
- They only focus on search volume, even though intent is more important. A keyword with 100 monthly searches and buying intent is worth more than one with 10,000 informational searches.
- They choose overly general keywords, instead of “website creation”, “website creation for lawyers” is much more targeted.
- They don't check the competition, and then wonder why they're not progressing. If the first 10 results are all big brands, avoid that phrase.
- They don't look at their own site, many forget that Google Search Console shows what people are already searching for to find them. These are the cheapest quick wins.
The 4 Search Intents
- Informational, “what is SEO”, wants to learn
- Navigational, “somos media”, looking for a specific page
- Commercial Investigation, “best SEO agency”, weighing options
- Transactional, “SEO quote”, wants to buy
Most money is in commercial investigation and transactional keywords, but you won't get there without informational content.
How to Do It Right, Step-by-Step
1. Brainstorm
Write down 20-30 phrases your target audience might use. Don't sugarcoat it, write it as your client would say it on the phone.
2. Expand
Enter each phrase into Google and check the “People also ask” and related searches sections at the bottom. You'll get ideas for free.
3. Volume Check
Google Keyword Planner (free, requires an Ads account) or Ahrefs/Semrush. Here you'll see how many people search for a phrase monthly.
4. Group
Put keywords with similar intent on one page. “Website price”, “cost of website creation”, “how much does a website cost”, these belong on one page.
5. Prioritize
Start with those that have medium competition + strong buying intent + realistic volume. These are the hot spots.
Recommended Tools
- Google Keyword Planner, free, official volume data
- Google Search Console, what you're ALREADY ranking for
- Ahrefs / Semrush, paid, professional (but there's a free Ahrefs Webmaster Tools)
- AnswerThePublic, uncovers questions for free, with limitations
- Ubersuggest, a good beginner alternative
What to Do With Your List?
In the end, you should have a table: keyword, volume, intent, competition, target page. This will be the backbone of your SEO strategy for the next 12 months. Once you have this, you're no longer shooting in the dark, you know what every article, product, and category page needs to achieve.