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Keyword Research for SEO: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
If you want people to find your website on Google, you need to use the right words—literally. Keyword research helps you figure out what your audience is searching for so you can create content that answers their questions. When done right, this can lead to more traffic, more customers, and more success for your business.
This guide breaks keyword research down into simple steps, so you can start ranking higher without getting lost in SEO jargon.
What is Keyword Research and Why Does it Matter?
Think about the last time you searched for something on Google. Maybe it was “best wedding venues in New Hampshire” or “how to start a blog.” Those search terms are keywords, and businesses use them to help their content show up when people are looking for information.
If your website includes the right keywords in the right places, Google is more likely to show it to the people who need it. That means more visitors, more clicks, and more opportunities for your business.
But not all keywords are created equal. Some are too competitive, while others don’t get enough searches to be worth targeting. That’s where keyword research comes in—it helps you find the best keywords to focus on.
Step 1: Understand What Your Audience is Searching For
Before you start researching keywords, think about your audience. What are they typing into Google when they’re looking for your product, service, or content?
For example, if you run a wedding venue, your audience might search for:
- “wedding venues near me”
- “affordable wedding venues”
- “outdoor wedding venues in New Hampshire”
Each of these searches has a different intent—some people are just looking for ideas, while others are ready to book a venue. Understanding why people are searching helps you create content that matches what they need.
Step 2: Find the Right Keywords
Now it’s time to get specific. Instead of guessing what people search for, you can use keyword research tools to find exact search terms and how often people look them up.
Best Free & Paid Keyword Research Tools
There are lots of great tools to help with keyword research. Here are a few of the best:
- Google Keyword Planner (free) – Great for finding keyword ideas straight from Google.
- Ubersuggest (free & paid) – Easy to use, with helpful keyword suggestions.
- KWFinder (paid) – Best for finding low-competition keywords that are easier to rank for.
- SEMRush (paid) – Advanced tool for in-depth SEO analysis.
To start, type a basic keyword into one of these tools—like “wedding venue”—and you’ll see a list of related search terms. Each keyword will show search volume (how many times people search for it each month) and keyword difficulty (how hard it is to rank for).
Ideally, you want keywords with a high search volume and low difficulty so you have the best chance of ranking.
Step 3: Organize Your Keywords
Once you have a list of good keywords, you need to organize them so you know where to use them on your website.
The best way to do this is by grouping them by intent. This makes it easier to plan your content and decide what pages or blog posts to create.
How to Group Keywords (Keyword Mapping)
Let’s say you found these keywords:
- “wedding venues in New Hampshire”
- “affordable wedding venues”
- “how to choose a wedding venue”
The first two are transactional—people searching for these are likely looking to book a venue. These should go on your main service pages.
The last one is informational—it’s a question someone might ask when they’re still in the research phase. This would be a great blog post topic.
By sorting your keywords into buckets, you can plan where to use them for the biggest impact.
Step 4: Use Your Keywords the Right Way
Once you have your keywords, the next step is adding them to your website naturally—not stuffing them everywhere just for the sake of SEO.
Here’s where to include your main keyword:
- Page title (the title that appears in search results)
- Meta description (the short blurb under your title in Google)
- URL (keep it short and include the keyword, like
/wedding-venues-new-hampshire/) - Headings (H1, H2, etc.)
- First 100 words of your content
- Image alt text (descriptions of images for SEO and accessibility)
The key is to make your content read naturally while still including important keywords. If it sounds forced, Google (and your audience) won’t like it.
Step 5: Track and Adjust Your Keywords Over Time
SEO is always changing, and keyword trends shift over time. The best way to keep your website ranking is to regularly check your keyword performance and adjust your content when needed.
Use Google Search Console or Google Analytics to see which keywords are driving traffic. If some pages aren’t performing well, update the content with new keywords or improve the page’s layout and readability.
It’s also a good idea to keep researching new keyword opportunities. Just because something works today doesn’t mean it’ll work forever, SEO is an ongoing process.
Final Thoughts
Keyword research might sound technical, but it’s really just about understanding what people are searching for and creating content that helps them. By following these simple steps; finding, organizing, and using keywords the right way, you can improve your website’s rankings and attract more visitors.
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