Keyword research is the process of finding the words and phrases people type into search engines when looking for content related to your business. It's the foundation of every SEO strategy.
Why Keywords Matter
Keywords connect your content to searcher intent. By targeting the right keywords, you ensure your pages appear when potential customers are looking for what you offer. Targeting the wrong keywords means wasted effort — traffic that doesn't convert, or pages that never rank.
Step 1: Generate Keyword Ideas
Start by brainstorming topics your audience cares about. Then expand using:
- Google Autocomplete: Start typing in Google and note the suggestions
- People Also Ask: Questions Google shows in search results
- Competitor analysis: Use SEB Explorer to see what keywords your competitors rank for
- SEB Discover: AI-powered keyword research that clusters by intent
- Google Search Console: Keywords your site already gets impressions for
Step 2: Evaluate Keywords
Not all keywords are worth targeting. Evaluate each keyword using these metrics:
Search Volume
How many people search for this keyword per month. Higher volume = more potential traffic, but also more competition.
Keyword Difficulty
How hard it is to rank on page one. New sites should focus on low-difficulty keywords first to build authority.
Search Intent
Does the keyword match the content you can create? An informational keyword needs a guide; a transactional keyword needs a product page.
Business Value
Will this keyword bring traffic that matters? A keyword with 10,000 searches but zero relevance to your product is less valuable than one with 100 searches from your exact buyer.
Step 3: Prioritize & Organize
Group keywords into topical clusters — a pillar page supported by related subtopic pages. This builds topical authority and helps search engines understand your expertise. SEB TopicMap automates this clustering process.
Common Mistakes
- Targeting only high-volume keywords (too competitive for new sites)
- Ignoring search intent (creating the wrong content type)
- Not grouping keywords (creating competing pages that cannibalize each other)
- Set-and-forget (keyword trends change — revisit quarterly)
Key takeaway: Good keyword research balances search volume, difficulty, intent, and business value. Start with low-competition, high-intent keywords and expand as your site grows.