Keyword research sounds like something only SEO professionals do. In reality, it’s simply finding out what your readers type into Google so you can write the post that answers it. You don’t need expensive tools to start. You need curiosity and about 30 minutes.
Key terms in plain English
- Keyword: the word or phrase someone searches for.
- Search volume: roughly how many times a month it’s searched.
- Competition / difficulty: how hard it is to reach the first page.
- Long-tail keyword: a longer, more specific phrase (“how to start a blog for free as a student”). Usually lower volume but easier to rank for.
- Search intent: what the searcher actually wants: to learn, compare, buy or find a specific site.
Step 1: Brainstorm seed topics
List 10–20 broad topics your readers care about. For a gardening blog: tomatoes, balcony garden, compost, houseplants, raised beds. These are your seeds.
Step 2: Use Google’s free suggestions
Google itself is the best free keyword tool:
- Autocomplete: start typing a seed and note the suggestions. Try adding letters (“compost a”, “compost b”…) and question words (“how”, “why”, “can”).
- People also ask: the expandable questions in the results are real queries.
- Related searches: at the bottom of the results page.
Step 3: Explore with free tools
- Google Search Console: once your blog has some traffic, it shows the exact searches people used to find you, a goldmine for new ideas.
- Google Trends: compares interest over time and shows seasonality.
- Free versions of keyword tools: many SEO tools offer limited free searches with volume and difficulty estimates.
- Forums and communities: Reddit, Quora and Facebook groups reveal how people phrase their problems.
Step 4: Check the competition yourself
Search the keyword and look at the first page:
- Are there forums, small blogs or old posts ranking? Good sign: you can compete.
- Is the page full of huge brands and major publications? Harder: try a more specific variation.
- Do the results actually answer the question well? If not, there’s an opportunity.
Step 5: Match the intent
Look at the format of the top results. If they’re all step-by-step guides, write a guide. If they’re product lists, a personal essay won’t rank. Matching intent is one of the most important ranking factors.
Step 6: Choose and group
For each post, pick:
- One main keyword
- Several related phrases and questions to cover as sections or FAQs
Group closely related keywords into one post instead of writing separate thin posts for each variation.
A simple keyword tracking sheet
| Keyword | Intent | Competition (your judgment) | Post idea | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| how to start a balcony garden | Learn | Low–medium | Beginner’s guide | Planned |
| best vegetables for containers | Learn / compare | Medium | List post | Idea |
| why are my tomato leaves yellow | Solve a problem | Low | Problem-solving post | Idea |
You can add a “keyword” column to your editorial calendar and track everything in one place.
Common mistakes
- Chasing huge keywords like “recipes” or “travel” on a new blog.
- Ignoring intent and writing the wrong type of post.
- Keyword stuffing: repeating the phrase unnaturally hurts readability and can hurt rankings.
- Writing for keywords you know nothing about. Experience shows, and so does its absence.
- Skipping research entirely and writing only what you feel like.
FAQs
Is low search volume bad?
Not at all. A keyword with 50 searches a month that you can rank #1 for is often worth more than one with 50,000 searches where you’ll never reach page one. Many low-volume posts add up.
How many keywords should one post target?
One main keyword plus closely related variations and questions. A good post often ranks for dozens of related phrases naturally.
Next, learn how to turn your keyword into a great post with SEO and blogging for beginners and how to write a blog post.