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A keyword research tool is your secret weapon in any campaign to dominate the search engine results pages (SERPs). Whether you’re developing a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy or conducting research for pay-per-click (PPC) ads, the right tool eliminates guesswork and ensures your efforts bring a tangible return.
Although search marketing has grown more complex and less reliant on keywords in the past few years, they remain essential to your overall content strategy.
Keywords are still the starting point for how search engines interpret user intent and connect queries to relevant content. Even with semantic SEO and entity-based search, keywords provide the raw signals that help algorithms disambiguate concepts and understand context. They guide content strategy by revealing what topics and questions matter most to your audience, informing everything from pillar pages to FAQ sections.
Keywords also remain central to SERP optimization since features like featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, and voice search often trigger from specific phrases. Performance tracking, competitive analysis, and content gap identification still rely heavily on keyword data.
Moreover, AI-powered search and language models continue to use keyword-driven inputs to generate summaries and answers. In short, keywords now work in tandem with semantic SEO—not in opposition—anchoring strategy while enabling more sophisticated search experiences.
A reliable tool is vital, helping you identify a goldmine of frequently searched topics while providing the in-depth insights you need to reach your target audience.
In this article, we’ll discuss keyword research and show you how to use our in-house tool to rank higher, boost traffic, and increase conversions. As you read, consider how you can test our free keyword tool to get a sense of how you can develop your process to find the right keywords to rank higher, capture SERP features, and land in front of your target audience.
A keyword research tool is software that helps you discover and analyze search terms (i.e., keywords) that users enter into search engines.
In SEO, marketers use keyword research tools to identify opportunities for content creation. These tools reveal an abundance of potential topics within any niche, helping you fill content gaps and transform your website into a bonafide authority.
Equally important, keyword research tools guide the writing process and content marketing strategy. By revealing the intent behind a search query, they provide an “angle” from which to write. They also help you optimize your page’s content, identifying key terms to incorporate within an article’s structure, body, and metadata.
When it comes to the paid advertising side of things, keyword research tools help marketers find cost-effective search terms with high conversion potential. Depending on the tool, they may even provide insight into competitor ad strategies, revealing details about what’s working and what’s not.
Most keyword research tools feature a similar user experience (UX).
First, you feed the tool a seed keyword: a broad search term, often one to three words long. Then, the software returns a list of keywords related to your topic, along with details about each one’s monthly search volume, organic ranking potential, cost per click, and more.
Keyword research isn’t just another box you check at the start of an SEO campaign. It’s a fundamental part of discovering topics, optimizing content, and aligning your content with search intent.
What is search intent, exactly?
Search intent is the reason behind a user’s query. It’s what they’re trying to learn or achieve when they type something into a search engine like Google or Bing. Keyword research helps you understand this intent and craft articles that provide a direct solution to the query.
Keyword research also prevents you from wasting your time. There’s little point in crafting a detailed SEO article that nobody’s searching for, or one that has zero chance of ranking in the SERPs.
In other words, keyword research minimizes your risk and maximizes your chances of identifying high-value keywords, driving traffic, and securing conversions.
Keyword research isn’t always a linear process. You may jump around or repeat steps as your awareness of a topic grows and you encounter new information.
With that said, here are the key components of a smart keyword research strategy.
To get started with keyword research, consider a classic brainstorming session using a simple mind map.
Let’s say your website is all about keyword research and the content creation process. Take a piece of scratch paper or your preferred graphics program and write out the term “keyword research.” Then, free associate and jot down any words or phrases that enter your mind.
Did you unearth any new ideas? Hang onto these terms and try variations of them as seed keywords during the next stage of the research process.
If you prefer a more modern approach to brainstorming, forums like Reddit are an excellent way to see what people are actively discussing. Use the search bar at the top of the Reddit homepage, and you’ll almost certainly find a group within your niche.
Here’s another option: If you’ve been in business for a while and have gathered feedback from customers, use this treasure trove of data to your advantage. See if you can find common questions or complaints you can address—content developed in this way doubles as a reference you can send to customers down the line.
Finally, you can turn to the search engines themselves for inspiration.
Google Suggest or Google Autocomplete is something you’re probably already familiar with. But did you know that this handy tool for searchers also presents a reliable source of data for marketers?
Start typing a topic or question into Google and see what recommendations appear in the drop-down panel. Continue typing in different combinations of letters and words, and see what related keywords pop up.
You can also glean ideas from the SERPs themselves. Simply scroll to the bottom of any results page, and look for a section called “People also search for” to see related queries.
Depending on the search query, you may also see a “People also ask” section near the middle of the results page.
All of these options should help you populate a comprehensive list of seed keywords for further evaluation.
Once you have a list of seed keywords in mind, try experimenting with a keyword research tool. This will help you identify viable, relevant keywords and understand their defining metrics.
Navigate to your tool of choice (we recommend ours, of course) and enter your seed keyword. The tool should return a list of related search terms followed by several metrics associated with each.
For instance, the default metrics on our keyword research tool include:
Depending on the tool, you may be able to dive even deeper into the data. For instance, our tool connects directly to Semrush’s massive database. If you click on a keyword and sign up for a free trial, you gain instant access to a ton of advanced metrics. You’ll find monthly search volume by region, questions incorporating the keyword, a detailed SERP analysis, and so much more.
Note: If all of these technical details sound overwhelming, don’t worry. We provide a step-by-step guide to using our tool and deciphering metrics in a later section.
Since many SEO keyword research tools feature limited credits, consider saving your findings in a spreadsheet so you don’t have to perform another search and use another credit. There may also be an export option, allowing you to download insights for later reference.
Another critical step in choosing appropriate keywords is evaluating search intent.
There are four primary types of search intent, as described in the table below.
Matching your keywords to their corresponding search intent is essential. Doing so will inform both your individual content briefs and broader content strategy. It also helps you develop a well-rounded selection of content that touches on all the critical aspects of your marketing funnel.
There are short-tail keywords and long-tail keywords.
Short-tail keywords are short, broad search terms with high search volume and high competition. Seed keywords are a great example of short-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords are more specific—usually four or more words—and they target a narrower audience. They typically have lower search volume but also lower competition.
Pro Tip: Besides being easier to rank, long-tail keywords are often better at converting visitors. That’s because they’re highly targeted, making it easier to solve the searcher’s specific problem.
Here are some examples of short-tail keywords vs. long-tail keywords:
Long-tail keywords are the hidden gems of SEO. Since they typically have less competition, long-tail keywords require less time and fewer resources to start gaining traction. This makes them especially ideal for new sites still in the sandbox, helping you drum up traffic and gain topical authority within your niche.
Most keyword research tools provide a keyword difficulty (KD) metric, providing insight into how difficult it is to rank an article written about a topic.
In general, you’ll want to start new campaigns by targeting lower difficulty keywords. These are usually quick and easy to rank, providing initial traffic and a foundation for targeting those higher difficulty keywords later on.
Here’s a look at a standard metric system for determining keyword difficulty:
Search Engine Land has teamed up with Semrush to provide a free keyword research tool, including all the data you need to make wise decisions about your SEO strategy.
To begin using this keyword research tool, open a new tab and head to the keyword research tool landing page (or just scroll to the top of this page).
Now, let’s say our seed keyword is “WordPress plugins.” You’ll want to enter this term into the search box and click the green “Find Keywords” button.
Once the keyword research tool has processed your request, you’ll receive a results page that looks like this:
The first row includes the seed keyword you searched for, and the rows beneath consist of keywords related to that topic.
Within the columns, you’ll see several metrics, including volume, KD %, CPC, number of results, and search trend.
What does each metric mean? Let’s break it down:
Want more information? Simply click on one of the keywords to jump straight over to Semrush’s complete keyword overview (a free trial may be required to view all of the metrics and data).
For this example, we chose to learn more about the keyword “best social media plugin for WordPress.”
According to the analysis, we can see all of the same metrics encountered in our previous search results, alongside new information. The exact KD is 28%, meaning it should be reasonably easy to rank. US search volume for this keyword is 70, but it has a monthly global search volume of 750! We can also see that the search intent is commercial, and there’s reasonable ad competition.
If you keep scrolling, you’ll find additional keyword ideas, a breakdown of the SERPs based on page and domain authority, and ad creatives highlighting active campaigns and historical data.
Now that you’ve gathered and analyzed your keyword data, it’s time to put your insights to work. This step focuses on turning raw keyword research into actionable SEO strategies.
Look through your list of keywords and identify those that best match your niche and marketing strategy. Remember that most marketers will want to focus primarily on long-tail keywords with lower competition and higher volume, especially when starting out.
Pro tip: Many of the most successful SEO campaigns consider all types of search intent, supporting visitors at every stage of the marketing funnel and securing the website’s position as an authority.
As you’re going through your keywords, do any of them seem similar to each other? Perhaps too similar to merit separate articles?
That’s where primary and secondary keywords come in.
A primary keyword is the main search term you want an article to rank for in search engines. It guides your page’s content, structure, and optimization strategy. Secondary keywords are similar and related terms that complement the primary keyword, adding context and broadening the page’s reach.
Here are a few examples of primary and secondary keywords:
How should you add keywords to your articles? Generally speaking, you’ll want to incorporate the primary keyword into each of the following areas:
For your secondary keywords, sprinkle them throughout your content, including within the headings, once or twice for each keyword. Be sure to fold your keywords in naturally, as you want to maintain a natural reading experience for your audience.
The best keyword research tools can inundate you with a ton of information. While each piece of information can be helpful in certain situations, pay extra attention to the following metrics.
Creating content is difficult and time-consuming. You don’t want to waste time crafting perfect articles if they won’t attract readers. That’s why search volume is such an important metric.
Search volume is a good indicator of keyword popularity, giving you accurate information about how many times a keyword is searched per month.
Now, that doesn’t mean you should only write about high-volume keywords. The lower-volume keywords (e.g., under 50 searches per month) are often much less competitive, and you can use these to drum up quick traffic on a new website.
Even if a keyword shows zero traffic, that doesn’t automatically mean you should pass it up. Keywords with “zero” search volume might still get a few monthly searches, and search engines may still show this content to searchers with related queries.
KD measures how difficult it will be to rank a keyword within the first pages of the SERPs. Most keyword research tools base this data on the PageRank and domain authority score of the current top results, so it’s one of the most timely and reliable metrics.
If you’re just starting or working with a newer site, targeting high-difficulty keywords is often frustrating and unproductive. Instead, focus on keywords with lower difficulty scores, especially early on. Ranking for these is a more realistic short- to medium-term goal and can provide quick wins and motivation early on.
This doesn’t mean you should ignore competitive keywords altogether. But it’s smart to balance your strategy, mixing in lower-difficulty terms where you have a realistic chance of ranking in the near future.
In this article, we’ve focused primarily on SEO and only mentioned paid advertising in passing. That’s because the official Google Keyword Planner is an excellent starting point for conducting paid advertising keyword research. However, Google does omit a trove of valuable data that is present in our tool.
What extra data can you find in our research tool?
If you click on a keyword to see its complete overview, you’ll find the Competitive Density rating: a precision indicator of competition within Google Ads. You’ll also see competitor information and details on their ads for this keyword. Combine these insights with the Keyword Ad History widget, and use it to optimize your creatives and campaign strategy.
Remember the fidget spinner craze of 2017 or the NFT boom of the early 2020s? Trends come and go, and it’s important to keep this in mind as you develop your content.
Does that mean you should overlook writing about trending content? On the contrary, this can be an incredible source of traffic and income during a spike. But—depending on your industry—you’ll probably want to balance trending articles with evergreen content that tends to hold its value.
To facilitate this process, our keyword research tool contains a search graph showing popularity over time. Try combining this data with information from Google Trends to keep a finger on the pulse within your niche.
There are countless benefits to using a keyword research tool in your digital marketing endeavors. Let’s discuss a few of the most persuasive examples:
Here are a few of the most common mistakes marketers make when conducting keyword research, as well as advice on avoiding those same traps:
Different types of search intent hold different values.
Informational keywords tend to see higher search volume than their counterparts, providing an excellent source of traffic and attracting backlinks from authoritative websites. As a result, many marketers focus exclusively on this type of content when beginning an SEO campaign. But that’s only half the picture.
It’s true that commercial and transactional keywords often have lower search volume. But they’re also much more lucrative. That’s because the searcher is closer to making a decision, leading to direct sales or commissions and earning more money per visitor.
Have you ever heard the advice, “diversify your portfolio?” It’s the same for your content. Many of the most successful marketers target high- and low-volume keywords with various intents. This allows them to capture all levels of the marketing funnel, increase their traffic while still earning sales, and boost the authority of their website.
We keep returning to the topic of long-tail keywords because we can’t stress the point enough: They are the foundation of nearly every successful site on the web!
Remember, long-tail keywords are like buried treasure. It takes time to dig through broader keywords to find them, but the potential upside is well worth the effort.
Long-tail keywords are easier to rank for and can provide a much better conversion rate compared to short-tail keywords, making them the perfect addition to any content strategy.
Keyword data isn’t static. Search demand often shifts based on the time of year, current events, and even differences in regional terminology. Ignoring these trends can lead to publishing the right content at the wrong time. Or worse, targeting keywords that don’t resonate with your target audience.
For example, every holiday season sees a spike in searches for “gift ideas,” while terms like “tax filing deadline” peak early in the year. Likewise, a term like “sneakers” might dominate US search traffic, but “trainers” is much more common in the UK.
Understanding these patterns allows you to plan content ahead of demand, target the right audience more precisely, and avoid wasting effort on content that falls flat due to timing or a mismatch in language.
Semantic SEO may be on the rise, but keyword research remains as integral a part of SEO as ever. Use the keyword research process to discover new topics, plan your content calendar, and create optimized articles that are sure to gain traction in the SERPs.
Our free keyword research tool is an excellent starting point on this journey, providing everything you need to make reliable and informed decisions about how to grow your traffic and brand. When you’re ready, it also includes a paid suite of powerful features used by professionals across the industry. Join the experts, and give it a risk-free try today.
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