Keyword Research Guide
Keyword research is the foundation of SEO. Target the wrong keywords and you'll attract the wrong audience — or no audience at all.
Understanding Search Intent
Informational: "How to build a website" — user wants to learn. Create blog content.
Commercial: "Best WordPress developers" — user is researching options. Create comparison/service pages.
Transactional: "Hire WordPress developer" — user is ready to buy. Create landing/service pages.
Finding Keywords
Google Keyword Planner: Free tool showing search volume and competition for any keyword.
Google autocomplete: Type your topic and see what Google suggests. These are real searches people make.
People Also Ask: The question boxes in search results reveal what your audience wants to know.
Competitor analysis: Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to see what keywords your competitors rank for.
Evaluating Keywords
Look at: search volume (is anyone searching this?), competition (can you realistically rank?), relevance (does this keyword attract your ideal customer?), and intent (will this traffic convert?). The sweet spot is moderate volume + low competition + high relevance.
Organizing Keywords
Group related keywords into topic clusters. Create a main "pillar" page for the broad topic and supporting blog posts for specific subtopics. Link them together to build topical authority.