---
title: "Keyword Research Guide for Australia | Aemorph"
url: https://aemorph.com/en-au/guides/keyword-research/
description: "Keyword research for Australian businesses: find ideas, judge volume, difficulty, intent and CPC on Google and Bing, and pick terms worth a page."
schema_type: Article
publisher: Aemorph
publisher_entity: https://aemorph.com/entitymap.json#org_aemorph
language: en-AU
updated: 2026-10-25
---

Guides

# Keyword Research: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide for Australian Businesses

**Keyword research tells you which words Australian buyers type into Google and Bing, how many times a month they type them and how hard each term is to win, so every page you publish aims at a search that brings visitors, enquiries and sales.** The phrase "keyword research" itself draws about 1,500 searches a month in Australia, according to Ahrefs' Australian database. This guide takes you through six parts: where keyword ideas come from, how to judge them, how to pick the ones worth a page, two advanced checks, the tools, and how many keywords a site needs.

[See Aemorph's SEO service](https://aemorph.com/en-au/services/seo/)

Written by [Kevin Dam](https://aemorph.com/en-au/about/), founder of Aemorph, who has practised SEO since 2010 and sits on the [Forbes Agency Council](https://councils.forbes.com/profile/Kevin-Dam-Global-Search-Architect-%7C-SEO-GEO-AEO-IMO-LLM-Visibility-Aemorph/4c8c7a38-1285-470d-8ea8-e517a310a00b). Aemorph is a [Google Partner](https://www.google.com/partners/agency?id=4441861842). [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevindam)

---

## What Is Keyword Research?

**Keyword research is the part of SEO where you find and study the search terms Australians enter into Google, Bing and other search engines when they look for a product, a service or an answer.** What you learn decides which topics your site covers and which phrase each page targets, so your content lines up with searches people already make. Every [SEO](https://aemorph.com/en-au/guides/what-is-seo/) strategy rests on it: a page aimed at a phrase nobody searches earns little organic traffic, however good the writing is.

### Why does keyword research matter for your Australian business?

**Keyword research shows you what your Australian buyers want before you write a single line, so your pages answer their questions and rank for searches that end in an enquiry.** It also brings up the topics gaining interest in your market, the questions your audience asks again and again, and the gaps your Australian competitors have left uncovered.

## Australian Keyword Research Covers Google, Bing and Local Search Volumes

**Google leads search in Australia and Bing holds close to a tenth of market share, so Australian keyword research reads volumes from each tool's Australian database rather than worldwide totals.** Google held 87.9% of search engine market share in Australia in September 2026, and Bing held 9.17% ([StatCounter, Australia](https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/australia)). Google [rolled AI Overviews out across Australia](https://blog.google/intl/en-au/company-news/outreach-initiatives/ai-overviews-australia/) on 29 October 2024 and began rolling out AI Mode in Australia in English on 8 October 2025, so some Australian results pages now open with an AI answer above the organic listings.

| Measure | Figure | Market and date | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Google search engine market share | 87.9% | Australia, September 2026 | StatCounter |
| Bing search engine market share | 9.17% | Australia, September 2026 | StatCounter |
| Google AI Overviews | Rolled out Australia-wide | Australia, 29 October 2024 | Google Australia |
| Google AI Mode | Began rolling out in English | Australia, 8 October 2025 | Google |
| Searches for "keyword research" | 1,500 a month | Australia, October 2026 | Ahrefs |
| Searches for "how to do keyword research" | 70 a month | Australia, October 2026 | Ahrefs |

*Sources: StatCounter Global Stats, search engine market share, Australia, September 2026; Google Australia, "Introducing AI Overviews in Australia", 29 October 2024; Google, "AI Mode in Australia", 8 October 2025; Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, Australian database, monthly averages, retrieved 24 October 2026.*

**Bing's 9.17% share earns it a place in Australian keyword research, and Bing Webmaster Tools includes a keyword research tool that filters results by country, language and device.** The tool lists keyword ideas, their Bing search volumes and how those volumes changed over time, for any period in the last six months, and it shows the top 10 URLs ranking for the root keyword ([Bing Webmaster Tools, Keyword research](https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/keyword-research-628070b6)). Aemorph verifies its Australian clients' sites in both Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

## How Do You Find Keyword Ideas?

**Six methods produce keyword ideas, and each one has a free starting point: brainstorming, competitor review, keyword tools, Google autocomplete, People Also Ask and related searches.** Combine several of them, because each one turns up terms the others miss.

### 1\. Brainstorm from your Australian buyers' questions

**Write down who buys from you, what they need and what they ask, then turn every question into a search term.** A short persona sheet does the job: a name, the needs and the questions. Your sales and service staff hear the same questions every week, so ask them for their list. Go for quantity at this point; the filtering comes later.

### 2\. Analyse your Australian competitors

**Your competitors' blogs and sitemaps reveal the topics they chase, and the topics they skip show where your pages win more easily.** For an Australian homewares store, read the blog and sitemap of a large retailer in the same category and note every content type it publishes. Mark the specific phrases it leaves alone, then check each one's difficulty score and the pages that rank for it before you add it to your plan. Paid tools such as Ahrefs and Semrush show the competitor rankings recorded in their own databases.

### 3\. Use keyword research tools

**A keyword tool expands one seed term into a list of related phrases, and the metrics attached to each phrase depend on the tool.** Google Keyword Planner supplies search volume estimates and advertising cost estimates; Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz Keyword Explorer each add their own organic difficulty score; Bing Webmaster Tools adds keyword ideas and Bing search volumes. The tools section further down sets them side by side.

### 4\. Check Google autocomplete

**Autocomplete predictions show popular searches that begin with your words, which makes them a quick, free source of ideas.** Start typing your topic into the Google search bar and record the predictions that appear. For a home-decor retailer, "home decor ideas" and "home decor stores" illustrate possible topic ideas; record the current Australian predictions.

![Google autocomplete predictions for the search term "home decor"](https://aemorph.com/images/legacy/keyword-research/keyword-research-03.png)

*Google autocomplete for "home decor", screenshot from 2024.*

### 5\. Review People Also Ask

**People Also Ask lists questions linked to your search, and each one works as a heading or as the topic of its own article.** Search your topic and open the box; each question you expand loads more. For "home decor", Google showed questions such as "What is meant by home decor?" and "Is interior design the same as home decor?". [AlsoAsked](https://alsoasked.com/) maps these questions for a keyword, and [AnswerThePublic](https://answerthepublic.com/) lists the questions people ask about a term.

!["People also ask" questions for the query "home decor"](https://aemorph.com/images/legacy/keyword-research/keyword-research-04.png)

*People Also Ask for "home decor", screenshot from 2024.*

### 6\. Check related searches

**Related searches at the bottom of Google's results offer connected query ideas to assess as possible page topics.** For a home-decor retailer, record the terms Google shows in Australia and group distinct buyer needs into potential topics.

![Related searches for "home decor" at the foot of a Google results page](https://aemorph.com/images/legacy/keyword-research/keyword-research-07.png)

*Related searches for "home decor", screenshot from 2024.*

## How Do You Analyse Keywords?

**Score every keyword on six measures: search volume, keyword difficulty, keyword length, click-through rate, traffic potential and cost per click.** Read together, they show which terms repay the effort for your site.

### Search volume in Australia

**Search volume estimates how many times a keyword is searched each month, so it indicates the scale of search demand, not the number of people who see or visit your page.** For an Australian site, read the Australian figure in your tool, not the worldwide total. Google Keyword Planner gives estimates of the searches a keyword receives and the cost of targeting it, and Google notes that keywords with very low volume are not shown ([Google Ads Help, Keyword Planner](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7337243)). Google Trends shows whether interest in a term is climbing or falling over time. The traffic a page actually earns depends on its position, its CTR and the features on the results page, so assess those separately from volume.

### Keyword difficulty

**Keyword difficulty rates how hard it is to reach the first page for a keyword, usually from 0 to 100, based on the strength of the pages that already rank.** Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz each work out their own score, so compare scores inside one tool and never across tools. Set difficulty against your own site's authority: a new site wins sooner on low-difficulty terms, and an established site takes on the harder ones.

### Short-tail, mid-tail and long-tail keywords

**In the Australian examples below, monthly searches fall as the phrase gets longer and more specific, but length on its own does not set a keyword's competition or intent.** Long-tail describes the lower-demand end of search demand, not a fixed word count: some long phrases are fiercely contested and some short ones draw few searches. Check difficulty and the ranking pages for every term. The examples come from Ahrefs' Australian database.

| Type | Typical length | Australian example (monthly searches) | Volume and competition | Best use |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Short-tail | One or two words | seo services (5,300) | Highest volume of the three; check difficulty in your tool | Pillar pages on an established site |
| Mid-tail | Two or three words | seo services sydney (1,600) | Lower volume, adds a city; check difficulty in your tool | Core pages for growing sites |
| Long-tail | Three or more words | local seo services australia (300) | Lowest volume of the three, more specific wording; check difficulty in your tool | Focused pages built around one need |

*Source: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, Australian database, monthly averages, retrieved 24 October 2026.*

### Click-through rate

**Click-through rate, CTR, is the number of clicks your listing earns divided by the number of times it appears.** A listing that appears 100 times and earns five clicks has a 5% CTR. The Performance report in Google Search Console shows clicks, impressions, CTR and average position by the queries and pages it reports ([Search Console Help, Performance report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7576553)). A page that ranks well with a low CTR needs a stronger title or meta description, or it targets a query where Google's own features, AI Overviews among them since their Australian launch, answer the search on the results page.

### Traffic potential

**Traffic potential estimates the organic traffic the top-ranking page earns from all the keywords it ranks for.** Ahrefs reports it in Keywords Explorer ([Ahrefs Keywords Explorer](https://ahrefs.com/keywords-explorer)). The figure often runs higher than a single keyword's volume, because one strong page ranks for many related searches.

### Cost per click

**Cost per click, CPC, is the average price advertisers pay for one click on a keyword in Google Ads, and a high CPC marks a term with paid-search commercial value.** Pay AUD 1 a click for five clicks and you spend AUD 5 at a CPC of AUD 1. Keyword Planner and most keyword tools show CPC next to volume. CPC measures the advertising auction, not organic ranking difficulty, so assess organic competition separately through the ranking pages and your tool's difficulty score.

## How Do You Choose the Right Keywords?

**Pick keywords that pass three tests: they describe what you sell, their search intent fits the page you plan to build, and your site has the authority to compete for them.**

### Relevance

**Target only keywords that describe what you offer, because visitors who arrive looking for something else leave without enquiring.** A Melbourne dog groomer gains little from ranking for "cat food".

### Search intent

**Search intent is the reason behind a search, and your page has to match it before it ranks.** Check intent by searching the keyword and reading the results: product and service pages signal intent to buy, and articles signal a search for information.

| Intent | What the searcher wants | Example query | What usually ranks | Page to build |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Informational | To learn about a topic | SEO tips | Guides and articles | A guide |
| Navigational | To reach a specific site | Aemorph contact | The brand's own page | A clear brand page |
| Commercial | To compare options before buying | best SEO agencies Sydney | Reviews and comparisons | A comparison or service page |
| Transactional | To buy or hire now | SEO services Brisbane | Service and product pages | A service or product page |

*The four types of search intent, with Australian example queries.*

A person searching "SEO services Brisbane" is likely ready to hire; a person searching "SEO tips" wants information. Build a service page for the first and a guide for the second.

### Authority

**Your site's authority, meaning how far search engines trust it, sets how competitive a keyword you win.** Authority builds slowly. On a new Australian site, start with lower-difficulty and niche terms, then move to harder terms as authority grows. Check the authority of the sites already ranking before you commit to a term.

## Which Advanced Techniques Find More Keyword Opportunities?

**Two techniques add the most to basic research: keyword gap analysis, which finds the terms your competitors rank for and you miss, and cannibalisation checks, which find your own pages that serve the same intent and get in each other's way.**

### Keyword gap analysis

**A keyword gap analysis sets your rankings against your competitors' and lists the relevant keywords they rank for and you do not.** Aemorph runs gap analyses for clients against up to 15 competitors at a time. Ahrefs offers the same comparison in its [Content Gap](https://ahrefs.com/content-gap) report.

### Keyword cannibalisation

**Keyword cannibalisation occurs when overlapping pages serve the same search intent and get in the way of the page you want to rank.** Several pages ranking for one keyword is not a problem on its own, because different pages often serve different intents or subtopics around the same term. Diagnose first: audit your content on a schedule with a crawler such as Screaming Frog or a tool such as Semrush, and check Search Console for queries where your pages swap places. Where two pages duplicate the same intent, merge them into one page and redirect the retired URL to the page you keep. Use a canonical tag for duplicate or near-identical URLs that stay live.

## Which Keyword Research Tools Work Best in Australia?

**Start with the free Google and Bing tools, then add a paid platform such as Ahrefs or Semrush once you need competitor data and difficulty scores at scale.**

| Tool | What it shows | Free option (checked October 2026) | Best for | Link |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Google Trends | Relative search interest over time, rising and related queries | Free | Spotting seasonal and rising topics | trends.google.com |
| Google Keyword Planner | Search volume estimates and the cost to target keywords | Free with a Google Ads account | Volume and CPC estimates | ads.google.com |
| Bing Webmaster Tools | Keyword ideas, Bing search volumes and trends, filtered by country, language and device | Free | Bing volumes for Australian searches | [Bing Webmaster Tools](https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/keyword-research-628070b6) |
| AnswerThePublic | Questions people ask about a term | 3 free searches a day; paid from USD 10 a month billed yearly | Question and content ideas | [AnswerThePublic pricing](https://answerthepublic.com/pricing) |
| Moz Keyword Explorer | Volume, difficulty, organic CTR and suggestions | 3 free searches a day | Quick checks on a budget | [Moz Keyword Explorer](https://moz.com/explorer) |
| Ahrefs Keywords Explorer | Volume, difficulty, traffic potential, parent topic and CPC | Paid | Full research and competitor data | ahrefs.com |
| Semrush | Volume, difficulty, CPC, competition and related keywords | Paid | Full research and paid search data | semrush.com |

*Keyword research tools compared; vendor prices as published by each vendor.*

Aemorph uses Ahrefs as its main keyword research tool. In Keywords Explorer, enter one or more keywords, choose Australia as the target country and run the search to see the volume, difficulty, traffic potential and CPC of each term for Australian searches.

## How Many Keywords Does Your Site Need?

**No set number applies: give each page one main topic with its close variants, and track the keywords that bring buyers.**

### How many keywords does one page target?

**One page targets one main keyword, plus the close variants and questions that share its intent.** Quality and relevance count for more than quantity.

### How many keywords is too many?

**Repeating keywords unnaturally, or stuffing in unrelated terms, spoils the reader's experience, and Google lists keyword stuffing among its spam practices ([Google Search Central, spam policies](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies)).** Place keywords only where they fit the sentence.

### How many keywords is it worth tracking?

**Track the keywords tied to your main pages and your revenue, and add to the list as your site grows.** The [guide to tracking keyword rankings](https://aemorph.com/en-au/guides/keyword-rankings/) and the [rank tracking tools review](https://aemorph.com/saas-tools/seo/rank-tracking/) explain how.

## Turn Keyword Research Into Australian Rankings

**Keyword research pays off only once you publish pages that target the terms and keep them up to date, so repeat the research each time you plan new content or review existing pages.** Aemorph is headquartered in Singapore, has no office in Australia and serves Australian clients remotely, in Australian business hours. If you want an experienced team to run the research and the content for you, Aemorph's [SEO service](https://aemorph.com/en-au/services/seo/) builds every page around the searches your Australian buyers make.

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