Keyword research finds the words your buyers type into search engines, shows how often they search them and how hard each term is to rank for, so every page you publish targets searches that bring traffic, leads and sales. This guide walks you through finding keyword ideas, analysing them, choosing the right ones and the tools that do the work, in six parts.
Originally published 4 March 2024 on aemorph.com/keyword-research/. Updated October 2026.
What Is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the SEO process of finding and analysing the search terms people type into Google, Bing and other search engines when they look for products, services or information. You use the results to decide which topics to cover and which words each page targets, so your content matches what your audience already searches for. Keywords sit at the base of every SEO strategy: a page that targets no real search earns little organic traffic, however well it is written.
Why does keyword research matter for your business?
Keyword research shows you what your buyers want before you write a word, so your content answers their questions and ranks for searches that lead to enquiries. It also reveals rising topics in your market, the questions your audience asks most and the gaps your competitors leave open.
How Do You Find Keyword Ideas?
Six methods generate keyword ideas, and the first five cost nothing: brainstorming, competitor analysis, keyword tools, Google autocomplete, People Also Ask and related searches. Use several together, because each one surfaces terms the others miss.
1. Brainstorm from your buyers' questions
List who your buyers are, what they need and the questions they ask, then turn each question into search terms. A simple persona sheet works: name, needs and questions. Ask your sales and service teams for the questions they hear every week. Aim for volume at this stage; you filter the list later.
2. Analyse your competitors
Your competitors' blogs and sitemaps show the topics they target, and the gaps in their coverage show where you rank more easily. For a home decor site, review the blog and sitemap of a large retailer in the category to see every type of content it publishes. Look for long-tail phrases they leave untargeted: longer, more specific searches are usually easier to rank for and still bring qualified visitors. Paid tools such as Ahrefs and Semrush list every keyword a competitor ranks for.
3. Use keyword research tools
Keyword tools turn one seed term into hundreds of related keywords, each with search volume, difficulty and cost data. Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz Keyword Explorer all work this way. The tools section below compares them.
4. Check Google autocomplete
Google's autocomplete predictions show common searches that start with your words, which makes them a fast, free source of keyword ideas. Start typing your topic into the Google search bar and note the predictions. For "home decor", Google suggests searches such as "home decor ideas", "home decorating items" and "home decor stores".
Google autocomplete for "home decor", screenshot from 2024.
5. Review People Also Ask
The People Also Ask box lists questions related to your search, and each one is a ready-made heading or article topic. Search your topic and open the box; every question you expand adds more. For "home decor", Google shows questions such as "What is meant by home decor?" and "Is interior design the same as home decor?". AlsoAsked maps these questions for a keyword, and AnswerThePublic lists the questions people ask about a term.
People Also Ask for "home decor", screenshot from 2024.
6. Check related searches
The related searches at the foot of Google's results page show what people search next, which points to subtopics worth a page of their own. For "home decor", related searches include "affordable home decor", "home decor shop" and "home decor stores".
Related searches for "home decor", screenshot from 2024.
How Do You Analyse Keywords?
Judge each keyword on six measures: search volume, keyword difficulty, keyword length, click-through rate, traffic potential and cost per click. Together they tell you which terms are worth the effort for your site.
Search volume
Search volume is the estimated number of times a keyword is searched in a month, so it tells you how many people you reach if you rank. Google Keyword Planner shows estimates of the searches a keyword receives and the cost to target it, and Google notes that keywords with very low volume are not shown (Google Ads Help, Keyword Planner). Google Trends shows whether interest in a term is rising or falling over time. High-volume terms attract more visitors but more competition; lower-volume terms often bring better-qualified visitors with less competition.
Keyword difficulty
Keyword difficulty scores how hard it is to reach the first page for a keyword, usually on a scale of 0 to 100, based on the strength of the pages already ranking. Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz each calculate their own score, so compare scores within one tool, not across tools. Weigh difficulty against your own site's authority: a new site wins faster on lower-difficulty terms, while an established site competes for harder ones.
Short-tail, mid-tail and long-tail keywords
Keyword length predicts volume and competition: short terms bring the most searches and the fiercest competition, long terms the fewest searches and the clearest intent.
| Type | Typical length | Example | Volume and competition | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-tail | One or two words | keyword research | High volume, strong competition from large brands | Pillar pages on an established site |
| Mid-tail | Two or three words | keyword research tools | Moderate volume and competition | Core pages for growing sites |
| Long-tail | Three or more words | how to do keyword research for a blog | Low volume, low competition, clear intent | New sites and pages built to convert |
Keyword length against volume, competition and use.
Click-through rate
Click-through rate, CTR, is the number of clicks your listing receives divided by the number of times it is shown. A listing shown 100 times that earns five clicks has a 5% CTR. Google Search Console's Performance report shows clicks, impressions, CTR and average position for each query and page (Search Console Help, Performance report). A page that ranks well but earns a low CTR needs a stronger title or meta description, or it targets a query where Google's own features answer the search on the results page.
Traffic potential
Traffic potential estimates the organic traffic the top-ranking page earns from every keyword it ranks for, which is the traffic available to you if you overtake it. Ahrefs reports it in Keywords Explorer (Ahrefs Keywords Explorer). It often exceeds a single keyword's volume, because one strong page ranks for many related searches.
Cost per click
Cost per click, CPC, is the average amount advertisers pay for one click on a keyword in Google Ads, and a high CPC signals a term that turns searchers into revenue. If you pay USD 1 per click and receive five clicks, you spend USD 5 at a CPC of USD 1. Keyword Planner and most keyword tools show CPC beside volume. A high CPC also means competitors value the term, so expect strong organic competition for it too.
How Do You Choose the Right Keywords?
Choose keywords that pass three tests: they match what you sell, their search intent matches 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 for something else leave without enquiring. A blog about dogs gains little from ranking for "cat food".
Search intent
Search intent is the reason behind a search, and the page you build has to match it to rank. Check intent by searching the keyword and reading what ranks: product and service pages signal buying intent, 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 Singapore | Reviews and comparisons | A comparison or service page |
| Transactional | To buy or hire now | SEO services | Service and product pages | A service or product page |
The four types of search intent.
Someone searching "SEO services" is likely ready to hire; someone searching "SEO tips" wants information. Build a service page for the first and a guide for the second.
Authority
Your site's authority, how trustworthy search engines judge it to be, sets how competitive a keyword you win. Building authority takes time. On a new site, target long-tail and niche terms first, then move to harder terms as your 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 keyword research: keyword gap analysis, which finds terms your competitors rank for and you miss, and cannibalisation checks, which stop your own pages competing with each other.
Keyword gap analysis
A keyword gap analysis compares your rankings with your competitors' and lists the relevant keywords they rank for that 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 report.
Keyword cannibalisation
Keyword cannibalisation happens when several of your pages target the same keyword, so they compete with each other and search engines struggle to choose one. Audit your content regularly, using a crawler such as Screaming Frog or a tool such as Semrush to find pages that target the same term. Merge competing pages into one comprehensive page, then redirect the others to it or set a canonical tag.
Which Keyword Research Tools Work Best?
Start with Google's free tools, then add a paid platform such as Ahrefs or Semrush when 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 | Google Trends |
| Google Keyword Planner | Search volume estimates and the cost to target keywords | Free with a Google Ads account | Volume and CPC estimates | Keyword Planner |
| 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 |
| Moz Keyword Explorer | Volume, difficulty, organic CTR and suggestions | 3 free searches a day | Quick checks on a budget | Moz Keyword Explorer |
| Ahrefs Keywords Explorer | Volume, difficulty, traffic potential, parent topic and CPC | Paid | Full research and competitor data | Ahrefs |
| Semrush | Volume, difficulty, CPC, competition and related keywords | Paid | Full research and paid search data | Semrush |
Keyword research tools compared.
Aemorph uses Ahrefs as its main keyword research tool. In Keywords Explorer, enter one or more keywords, choose the target country and run the search to see volume, difficulty, traffic potential and CPC for each term.
How Many Keywords Does Your Site Need?
No fixed 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 and the close variants and questions that share its intent. Quality and relevance matter more than quantity.
How many keywords is too many?
Repeating keywords unnaturally, or stuffing in unrelated terms, harms the reader's experience, and Google lists keyword stuffing as a spam practice (Google Search Central, spam policies). Use keywords where they fit the sentence.
How many keywords is it worth tracking?
Track the keywords tied to your main pages and your revenue, and grow the list as your site grows. The guide to tracking keyword rankings and the rank tracking tools review cover how.
Turn Keyword Research Into Rankings
Keyword research pays off only when you publish pages that target the terms and keep refreshing them, so repeat the research each time you plan new content or review old pages. If you prefer an experienced team to run the research and the content for you, Aemorph's SEO service builds every page around the searches your buyers make.