Keyword Research for Beginners: How to Find Keywords You Can Actually Rank For

Why keyword research matters

Every piece of content you create is an attempt to rank for specific search queries. Keyword research is the process of finding out which queries your target audience uses, how competitive those queries are, and which ones represent realistic opportunities for your site.

Without keyword research, you're guessing. With it, you can make data-driven decisions about what to write and have a realistic sense of whether your content can rank.

The three things that matter in keyword research

1. Search volume

Search volume is how many times a keyword is searched per month. Higher volume means more potential traffic — but also usually more competition. Don't optimise only for high-volume keywords. A keyword with 200 monthly searches that you can realistically rank #1 for is worth more than a 10,000-search keyword where you'll land on page 5.

2. Keyword difficulty

Keyword difficulty (KD) is an estimate of how hard it is to rank in the top 10 for a keyword, usually based on the backlink profiles of the pages currently ranking. Most SEO tools express this as a 0–100 score. As a new site, you should target keywords with KD under 30. Established sites can compete for KD 40–60. Scores above 70 require significant domain authority.

3. Search intent

Search intent is what the searcher actually wants when they type a query. The four main types:

• Informational — they want to learn ("how to do keyword research")
• Commercial — they're evaluating options ("best keyword research tools")
• Transactional — they want to buy or sign up ("keyword research tool free trial")
• Navigational — they want a specific site ("Ahrefs login")

Your page type must match the intent. A blog post can't rank for a transactional query. A product page can't rank for an informational query. Always check what's currently ranking for a keyword before you create content for it.

Step-by-step keyword research process

Step 1: Start with seed keywords

Seed keywords are broad terms that describe your business, product, or topic area. If you run a personal finance blog, your seed keywords might be: "budgeting", "investing", "saving money", "debt management", "retirement planning".

Don't overthink seed keywords — they're just starting points for building a longer list.

Step 2: Expand with keyword modifiers

Take your seed keywords and add modifiers to find more specific, longer-tail versions:

• Question modifiers: how to, what is, why, when, which
• Qualifier modifiers: best, top, free, cheap, easy, for beginners, for small business
• Comparison modifiers: vs, alternative to, instead of
• Location modifiers: in [city], near me, UK, Australia

"Budgeting" becomes "how to budget for beginners", "best budgeting apps", "budgeting vs saving", "budgeting for families" — each with different volumes, difficulties, and intents.

Step 3: Check People Also Ask and related searches

For any keyword you're researching, check the "People Also Ask" boxes and "Related searches" at the bottom of the SERP. These are Google telling you exactly what else users want to know about the topic — free keyword research straight from the source.

Step 4: Evaluate each keyword

For each keyword on your list, assess:

• Monthly search volume (is there enough demand to justify the effort?)
• Keyword difficulty (can your site realistically rank for this?)
• Search intent (does this match the content you want to create?)
• Business relevance (will ranking for this bring the right kind of visitors?)
• SERP features (is there a featured snippet, AI Overview, or local pack that will reduce organic CTR?)

Step 5: Prioritise your list

Score each keyword across these factors and prioritise accordingly:

• Quick wins first: Low KD, decent volume, high business relevance
• Then medium-term targets: Moderate KD with high volume or very high business value
• Long-term aspirational targets: High KD keywords you'll work toward as your domain grows

The long-tail advantage

Long-tail keywords (3+ words, lower volume) are often dismissed because of their low individual search volumes. But they have significant advantages:

• Lower competition: Fewer sites specifically target them, so ranking is easier
• Higher conversion intent: "best budgeting app for freelancers in the UK" shows much clearer intent than "budgeting app"
• Faster to rank: New sites can appear on page 1 for long-tail keywords in weeks, while head terms take months or years
• They add up: 100 long-tail keywords averaging 150 searches each is 15,000 monthly searches — comparable to a single mid-tail keyword

Common keyword research mistakes

• Only targeting high-volume keywords: These take years to rank for if you're starting out. Build authority on low-competition terms first.
• Ignoring intent: Creating informational content for transactional queries (or vice versa) guarantees failure regardless of keyword difficulty.
• One keyword per page: A page can rank for dozens of related keywords. Don't obsess over a single keyword at the expense of covering a topic comprehensively.
• Keyword cannibalisation: Multiple pages targeting the same keyword split your ranking potential. Consolidate or differentiate.

How to track your keyword rankings

Once you've published content targeting specific keywords, you need to track whether your rankings are moving. Optmizly's Rank Tracker monitors your keyword positions over time and alerts you to significant changes — up or down. Set it up for your target keywords as soon as you publish and check monthly.

The bottom line

Keyword research doesn't have to be complicated. Start with seed keywords, expand them, evaluate difficulty and intent, and build a prioritised list weighted toward keywords you can realistically rank for. Create content for the easiest targets first, build authority, and work your way up to more competitive terms over time.

The sites that grow fastest in organic search aren't the ones chasing the biggest keywords — they're the ones systematically building authority through consistent wins on achievable targets.