Keyword research is the work of finding out what people actually search for, and which of those searches your business should target. The result is a prioritized list of keywords, each mapped to a specific page on your website. Without it, you are guessing your way through SEO.
Search has changed. People ask ChatGPT and Google AI Mode longer, more conversational questions than they type into classic Google search. Modern keyword research covers both: traditional keywords and the full questions people ask AI engines. We have worked with search engine optimization for over 25 years, and this guide shows you exactly how to do the research yourself.
You get a concrete step-by-step method and free tools you can start with today. You also learn how to find the keywords that earn citations in AI answers.
In Short
What You'll Learn in This Post
- What keyword research is, and why it comes first in all SEO work
- The three factors that decide which keywords to choose: volume, intent, and competition
- A concrete method in seven steps, from blank page to prioritized list
- How to find the keywords and questions that earn citations in ChatGPT and AI Overviews
- Which free tools cover the needs of most businesses
What Is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the process of finding out which words and questions potential customers use when they search, and then choosing which of them to target. The result is a list of keywords, each mapped to a single page on your website. Some also call it keyword analysis. Both terms describe the same work.
Keyword research always comes first in SEO work, because everything else builds on it. You cannot write good content, structure your website correctly, or know what to measure, before you know which words your customers actually use. Without the research, you work on guesses, not on facts about how customers search.
A good analysis gives you more than a list of words. It shows which page should answer each search, how many people search per month, and how tough the competition is. That is what turns the analysis into a working tool, not just an overview.
Why Keyword Research Decides Whether You Succeed
Without keyword research, you typically end up with three problems: you write about things nobody searches for, you fight competitors you cannot beat, and you miss easy wins sitting right in front of you. All three cost you time and money without bringing traffic.
You Write About Something Nobody Searches For
A plumber in Denver writes a long article comparing hydronic and electric underfloor heating, because he finds the topic interesting himself. The problem is that almost nobody searches for that exact comparison. The article gets zero traffic, even though it is technically solid.
You Chase Keywords You Cannot Win
A small law firm spends weeks trying to rank for "lawyer", a keyword dominated by national directories and large firms with big budgets. The firm should have targeted "estate lawyer Boston" instead, where the competition is lower and the searchers far more relevant.
You Miss Easy Wins
An accountant already has a page ranking in position 8 for "accountant for freelancers". With updated content and a few more internal links, the page could reach the top 3. Without checking Search Console, she never learns that this opportunity exists.
Three Factors Decide Which Keywords to Choose
You choose keywords based on three factors: search volume, search intent, and competition. Volume shows how many people search, intent shows what they want, and competition shows how hard it is to reach the top. Judge all three together, never one at a time.
Search Volume
Search volume is how many times a keyword is searched per month in a given market. Most keyword guides are written for the US market and its huge numbers. If you serve a city, a region, or a smaller country, low volumes are normal and often valuable.
We work from Norway, a market of 5.5 million people, so we know how to win with small numbers. For a local service business, a keyword with 100 to 200 monthly searches is often good volume. A local keyword with fewer than 100 monthly searches can bring more customers than a generic term with ten times the volume, because local searchers have already decided to buy.
Search Intent
Search intent is what the person actually wants to achieve with the search. There are four types: informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional. You find the intent by checking what the top five results in Google actually show.
- Informational: "how to change a car tire": the person wants to learn something, not buy right now.
- Navigational: "IKEA opening hours": the person is looking for a specific page or business.
- Commercial: "best tire shop Chicago": the person is comparing options before making a decision.
- Transactional: "book tire change Chicago": the person is ready to buy or book now.
Always check the top five results for your keyword. If they show guides and blog posts, the intent is informational. If they show service pages with prices and booking buttons, the intent is transactional. Miss the intent, and you will never rank high, no matter how good the text is.
Competition
Competition is about how hard it is to reach the top of Google for a given keyword. This depends heavily on domain authority, a combined measure of how much Google trusts a website based on its age, links, and content.
New websites with low domain authority should pick low-competition keywords first. Competing head-on with established players, backed by decades-old domains and thousands of links, is rarely a fight you win in year one. Build authority gradually, with keywords where you actually stand a chance.
How to Do Keyword Research, Step by Step
Keyword research is done in seven steps: map your services, brainstorm keywords, expand the list with free tools, find volume, check intent, judge the competition, and prioritize at the end. Follow the steps in this order for a reliable result.
1. Map Your Services and Products
Do this: List everything your business sells, and rank the list by profitability. A business consultant should list "strategy consulting", "board work", and "business plans", and prioritize the service that brings the most revenue per client.
2. Brainstorm With Your Customers' Own Words
Do this: Go through emails and phone calls from recent months, and write down exactly how customers phrase their questions. No keyword tool shows you this, because it is unique to your business and your customers.
3. Expand the List With Free Sources
Do this: Type your main keywords into Google, and note the suggestions that appear below the search field (Autocomplete) and in the "People also ask" box. Read any AI Overviews too, the AI-generated answers Google shows at the top of the results.
4. Find Search Volume
Do this: Enter your keywords into Google Keyword Planner to see estimated volume, and check Google Search Console for keywords that already bring you traffic today.
5. Check the Intent
Do this: Search each keyword in Google, and read closely what the top five results actually contain. This tells you whether Google interprets the search as informational or transactional.
6. Judge the Competition
Do this: Look at who ranks in the top five, and judge whether they are large, established players or smaller businesses like yours. Pick fights you can actually win this year.
7. Prioritize the List
Do this: Sort the keywords with transactional searches and realistic competition at the top. These bring the fastest results in the form of actual inquiries and sales.
Keywords for AI Search: How to Get Cited in ChatGPT and AI Overviews
People ask AI engines longer, more conversational questions than they type into a regular Google search. If you want citations in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews, your keyword research must also map these questions, not just short keywords.
The numbers show why. Fewer than a third of Google searches now end with a click to a website, according to a 2026 study from SparkToro. AI Overviews appear in about one in four searches: Conductor analyzed 21.9 million Google searches for its 2026 AEO/GEO Benchmarks Report and found that 25 percent triggered an AI-generated summary.
The way people phrase themselves changes too. The average query in Google AI Mode is three times longer than a traditional search, according to Semrush's 2026 AI Visibility Index, based on 126 million AI search prompts. The same research shows that 65 to 85 percent of ChatGPT prompts match no keyword in Semrush's database. People no longer type "electrician Denver cost". They ask "how much should I expect to pay an electrician in Denver to replace a breaker panel". Classic keyword lists never capture that.
Map Questions, Not Just Keywords
You find these questions in three places. Read the "People also ask" box in Google, go through your own customer dialogues for full sentences and questions, and ask the AI engines directly what they know about your industry.
Test Your Industry's Key Questions Yourself
Ask the most central questions in your industry to ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode. Note which websites get cited as sources, and which questions nobody has answered well yet. This gives you a direct plan for the content you should create.
This is the core of AEO, optimization for AI answers. We cover the full discipline in our article on AEO optimization, and offer it as a dedicated AEO service for businesses that want to be cited by AI engines.
Long-Tail Keywords: Where Smaller Players Win
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific searches with lower volume, but higher buying intent. For smaller businesses, long tail is often the best road to visibility, because the competition is lower and the relevance higher.
Compare "dentist" with "emergency dentist open Saturday in Austin". The first keyword has huge volume and brutal competition from every direction. The second has low volume, but the person searching wants an appointment today, in your city.
Geographic variations are especially valuable for local service businesses. Add your neighborhood, city, or region to your keywords, and you reach customers who have already decided to choose local. We cover this in detail in our guide on local SEO.
From Keywords to Pages
Each keyword maps to one specific page, and each page gets one primary keyword. If you use the same keyword on several pages, the pages compete against each other in Google, a problem called cannibalization.
Informational searches, like "how to choose an accountant", belong on a blog post that explains and gives advice. Transactional searches, like "accountant for small businesses in Boston", belong on a service page with prices, contact details, and a clear booking button.
Link from blog posts to relevant service pages. If you write a guide about bookkeeping, link on to your accounting services page. This helps both the reader and Google understand how the pages on your site belong together. We cover the writing itself, including structure and phrasing, in our guide on writing good SEO texts.
Recommended Tools
You get far with the free tools from Google. Paid tools like Ahrefs and Semrush give more precise data and become worth the investment as your business grows.
| Tool | Use Case | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Google Keyword Planner | Estimated search volume and keyword suggestions | Free |
| Google Search Console | See which keywords already bring traffic to your site | Free |
| Google Trends | See whether a keyword grows or declines over time | Free |
| Google Autocomplete and "People also ask" | Find related searches and questions directly in the search field | Free |
| Ahrefs or Semrush | Detailed competitor analysis and volume data for advanced research | Paid |
Common Keyword Research Mistakes
The most common mistakes are chasing volume without thinking about intent, using industry jargon customers never search for, and doing the research only once. All of them are easy to avoid with a little awareness.
- Chasing volume instead of intent: A keyword with high volume but the wrong intent brings visitors, not customers.
- Using jargon customers never search for: The business calls it "complementary nutritional counseling", the customers search "meal plan for weight loss".
- Doing the research only once: Search habits change, and new services need new keywords. Set aside time to update the research at least yearly.
- Ignoring page 2 keywords in Search Console: These words already rank, and often need only a light polish to reach the top 10.
- Skipping the questions people ask AI: Without them, you miss citations in ChatGPT and AI Overviews, a source of visibility in strong growth.
Want to review your whole website, not just the keywords? You find a thorough walkthrough in our SEO analysis guide.
Where Should You Start? Prioritizing by Effort and Effect
Start with the measures that give high effect for low effort, like a Search Console review and geographic long-tail keywords. Save the heavier work, like a full mapping of AI questions, until the easy wins are in the bank.
| Measure | Effort | Effect | Get Started |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check Search Console for page 2 keywords | Low | High | Log in to Search Console today |
| Map your customers' own questions from email and phone | Low | High | Review your last 20 customer inquiries |
| Add geographic long-tail keywords | Medium | High | List the areas and cities you serve |
| Test your key questions in ChatGPT and AI Mode | Medium | Medium to high | Ask five questions and note the cited sources |
| Full competitor analysis with a paid tool | High | Medium | Wait until the easy wins are covered |
Frequently Asked Questions About Keyword Research
What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of finding out which words and questions your customers use when they search, and then choosing which of them your business should target. The result is a prioritized list of keywords, each mapped to a specific page on your website.
What is the difference between keyword research and keyword analysis?
They describe the same work, and the terms are used interchangeably. Research emphasizes finding the words people search for, while analysis emphasizes evaluating them by volume, intent, and competition. In practice, both belong to the same process and end in the same prioritized list.
Which free tools can I use for keyword research?
Google Keyword Planner gives estimated search volume, Google Search Console shows keywords that already bring you traffic, and Google Trends shows how interest develops over time. Autocomplete and the "People also ask" box in Google search give free suggestions for related searches and questions.
How often should I update my keyword research?
Update the research at least once a year, and always when you launch new products or services. Search habits and competition change over time, and a list that is several years old often paints a false picture of today's market.
How many keywords should one page target?
Each page needs one clear primary keyword, supported by a few closely related terms that naturally belong together. If you target too many different primary keywords on the same page, the message becomes unclear for both readers and Google.
Do I still need keyword research when people search in ChatGPT?
Yes, but the research must expand to cover longer, conversational questions, not just short keywords. People ask AI engines different questions than they type into a Google search, and you need to map those questions separately to earn citations.
What does keyword research cost?
The price depends on the size of your website and the scope of the analysis. See our page on SEO services for current prices, or contact us for a concrete quote based on your business.
Conclusion
Keyword research decides what you write about, which pages your website needs, and the order to build them in. Without the research you work on guesses. With it, you know exactly what your customers are looking for, both in Google and in AI engines.
Start simple with the free tools, map the questions your customers actually ask, and prioritize by what gives the most back for the effort. Once your list is ready, our 15 SEO tips show you how to put the keywords to work. Want the research done thoroughly and tied to a concrete plan? Read more about our SEO services.
