How to Do Keyword Research for SEO (Free and Paid Methods, 2026)

Keyword research decides whether your content gets found or sits on page six forever. The good news: the method is simple, and you can do most of it for free. Here’s the process I use on every new site.

Last updated: 29 October 2026 · By Alan Spicer, YouTube Certified Expert

Part of the Website SEO series.

What is keyword research?

Keyword research is the process of finding the words and phrases people type into search engines, then choosing which ones your pages should target. Done well, it tells you what to write, what to call it, and which pages are worth your time.

It matters because most content never gets found. Ahrefs looked at around 14 billion pages and found that 96.55% get no traffic from Google at all. One of the biggest reasons is that the page targets a search nobody makes, or one the site has no chance of ranking for. Keyword research fixes both.

If you’re working on a YouTube channel rather than a website, the process is similar but the tools differ. My YouTube keyword research guide covers that side.

What should you check for each keyword?

For every keyword, check three things: search volume, keyword difficulty and search intent. Volume tells you the size of the prize, difficulty tells you the size of the fight, and intent tells you what kind of page can win.

Intent is the one people skip. If the top results for a keyword are all how-to guides, a sales page won’t rank there, however well you write it. Search the keyword yourself and copy the format of what’s winning, then make yours better.

How do you do keyword research for free?

You can do solid keyword research for free with Google itself, Google Search Console and a free keyword tool. It’s slower than paying, but it works.

1. List your seed topics. Write down 5 to 10 broad topics your customers care about, using their words rather than your industry’s jargon.
2. Expand with Google suggestions. Type each topic into Google and note the autocomplete suggestions, the People Also Ask questions and the related searches at the bottom of the page.
3. Check search volume. Put your list into a keyword tool. Google Keyword Planner is free inside a Google Ads account and gives volume ranges; Semrush’s free account gives 10 lookups a day with exact estimates.
4. Check difficulty and intent. Look up keyword difficulty in a tool, then Google each keyword and note what type of page ranks: guides, product pages, comparisons or local listings.
5. Pick your targets. Keep keywords with low difficulty, intent that matches what you can offer, and enough volume to matter to your business. Long-tail keywords are usually the best place to start.
6. Group keywords into pages. Put keywords that mean the same thing together so one page targets the whole group. Different intent means a different page.
7. Mine Search Console. Once your site has data, check the Performance report for searches where you rank between positions 5 and 20 and improve those pages first.

Search Console becomes your best free keyword tool once your site is a few months old, because it shows the searches Google already associates with you. My Search Console guide explains how to find them.

Why start with long-tail keywords?

Start with long-tail keywords because they’re easier to rank for, closer to a buying decision, and there are far more of them. A long-tail keyword is a specific, lower-volume search such as “keyword research for physiotherapy clinics” rather than “keyword research”.

Ahrefs’ data shows how much of search lives in the long tail: almost 93% of the keywords in its US database get fewer than 10 searches a month, and Google says about 15% of daily searches have never been searched before. Each one is small, but a page that answers a specific question well often ranks for dozens of related long-tail searches at once.

Which keyword research tool should you use?

Use Google Keyword Planner and Search Console if your budget is zero, and a paid tool like Semrush or Ahrefs once SEO is bringing in money. Paid tools save hours because they show volume, difficulty, intent and competitors in one table.

Sources: each provider’s official pages, checked 20 October 2026.

I like Semrush for keyword research because the Keyword Magic Tool groups thousands of related searches by topic and labels each one with intent, so you can filter to informational keywords with difficulty under 30 in two clicks. My Semrush review covers the rest of the tool, and the pricing guide explains the plans.

How do you find your competitors’ keywords?

Type a competitor’s website into a tool like Semrush’s Organic Research report and it lists the keywords that site ranks for, with positions and estimated traffic. Keyword Gap then compares several sites and shows the keywords they rank for that you don’t.

This is the fastest way to build a content plan for a new site. Pick two or three competitors that are a similar size to you, not the biggest brand in your industry, and look for keywords where they rank in the top 10 with a modest difficulty score. If they can rank there, so can you with a better page.

How do you turn keywords into a content plan?

Turn your keyword list into a plan by grouping keywords into topics, choosing one main keyword per page, and ordering pages by how easy and valuable they are. A simple spreadsheet works: keyword, volume, difficulty, intent, the page that will target it, and the date you’ll publish.

Group related pages into a cluster around one bigger guide and link them together. That structure helps search engines understand you cover the topic in depth, and helps readers find the next useful page. Check where each new page ranks after a month and improve the ones stuck between positions 5 and 20 before writing more.

People also ask

Frequently asked questions

What is a good search volume for a keyword?

There’s no single number. For a small business, a keyword with 50 searches a month from people ready to buy can be worth more than one with 5,000 searches from people just browsing. Judge volume against intent and value.

What keyword difficulty should a new site target?

In Semrush, aim for keyword difficulty under 30 for a new or small site. Check the sites ranking now as well: if smaller sites like yours appear in the top 10, you have a chance.

How long does keyword research take?

A starter list for a small business takes two to four hours. Revisit it every few months, adding the searches Search Console shows you appearing for.

What’s the difference between short-tail and long-tail keywords?

Short-tail keywords are broad, high-volume searches like “running shoes”. Long-tail keywords are specific, lower-volume searches like “best running shoes for flat feet women”, which are easier to rank for and usually convert better.

Should I use keywords people misspell?

No. Google understands common misspellings and shows the same results, so write naturally and target the correctly spelled version.

Does Google Keyword Planner show exact search volumes?

Not usually. Without active ad spend, Keyword Planner shows broad ranges such as 100 to 1,000. Paid SEO tools give closer estimates.

How do I know what a keyword’s search intent is?

Google the keyword and look at what ranks. Guides mean informational intent, product and pricing pages mean transactional intent, and comparison posts mean commercial intent. Semrush also labels intent for each keyword.