Keyword Research for Beginners: Simple Steps

Keyword research for beginners is about understanding the words your customers use, then creating pages that answer them.

Step 1: List seed topics

Write ten things your business does or sells, in plain language, the way a customer would say them.

Step 2: Expand the list

Type your seeds into a search engine and note the suggestions and "People also ask" questions. Free tools and Google Search Console add more ideas.

Step 3: Check search intent

Search each keyword and look at the results.

• Informational: people want to learn (guides, how-tos).
• Commercial: people compare options (reviews, comparisons).
• Transactional: people want to buy or hire (service pages).

Create the format that already ranks.

Step 4: Choose winnable terms

New sites do better with specific, long phrases such as "wordpress website checklist for small business" than with broad terms such as "website".

Step 5: Map keywords to pages

Give each page one main keyword and a few related ones. Avoid two pages targeting the same phrase.

Keep a tracker

Use a spreadsheet with keyword, intent, page and status. Review it quarterly.

Need help planning content around search? Visit my SEO page or get in touch.