How to Conduct SEO Keyword Research

When it comes to SEO, keywords are unavoidable. So what exactly is the role of keywords? How do you select the right keywords for your website? How can keywords be used to effectively improve your website’s performance? Today, we will look at the importance of keywords in SEO and the real ways to do keyword research — from basic ideas to step-by-step actions.

Why Keyword Research is the Core of SEO

First, we need to know how users find websites. A person types something into Google, the search engine checks billions of pages and shows the best matches on the results page (SERP). That thing the person typed is the keyword. If you want the right people to see your page, your content has to match their keyword very well so the search engine will show your page.

Keywords Determine Content Direction

For example:

• Users searching “how to clean an air conditioner” want a simple cleaning guide
• Users searching “air conditioner wholesale” are usually dealers who need prices and suppliers

Different keywords show different needs. Your content must fit the real need behind the keyword, or users will leave and search engines will not rank you high.

Keywords Help Understand Users’ Real Needs

When you research keywords, just type them into Google yourself and look at the current top results. You will immediately see what kind of pages users like most for that search. By checking the style, length, and layout of the top pages, you can clearly see what users really expect. This gives you a strong base for making your own content.

Keywords Improve Content Precision

Putting the right keywords naturally in your content helps users and search engines quickly understand what the page is about. When a page has no clear main keyword, it feels messy and unfocused. When you build the page around one main keyword, search engines see it as very relevant and give it better ranking. You also get better visitors — people who type that keyword already want what you offer, so they are more likely to buy, contact you, or sign up.

Preparatory Work Before Keyword Research

Clarify Business Positioning and Target Audience

Before you open any tool, answer these questions first:

• Is your business B2B or B2C?
• Are there special terms or common search habits in your industry?
• Do you want customers from the whole world or only certain countries?

These answers will decide which keywords are truly useful for you.

Competitor Keywords Are Extremely Valuable

If you are new and don’t know where to start, just look at the websites that already rank at the top in your industry. Use tools to see which keywords they rank for and how they use them. This is the fastest way to find the most important keywords in your field.

Recommended tools:

• Ahrefs
• SEMrush
• Moz
• SimilarWeb
• Google Keyword Planner

Expand Your Keyword Library

After you collect the main industry keywords, mix them with your own products and services to make the list much bigger. This list will guide all your future articles, product pages, and optimization work.

Common expansion directions:

• Long-tail keywords → Fewer searches but much higher conversion rate
• Comparison keywords → e.g., “A vs B”, “best”, “top”, “review”
• Pain-point keywords → e.g., “xxx issues”, “xxx not working”, “how to fix xxx” (4) Purchase-intent keywords → e.g., “price”, “supplier”, “wholesale”

How to Evaluate Keywords

The value of a keyword usually depends on three things: search volume, competition level, and what the current search results page looks like.

Search Volume

This number shows how many people search that keyword every month on average. Some keywords sound good but almost nobody searches them — ranking for them brings zero traffic. Note: Low-volume keywords are often very specific. People who use them know exactly what they want, so they convert much better.

Also, be honest with yourself. If your site is new or small, very high-volume keywords are usually controlled by big, old websites.

Competition Level

High search volume almost always means high competition — everyone wants those keywords. Ranking for them takes a lot of time and work. Medium- or low-competition keywords are perfect for fast results. Fewer sites fight for them, so one excellent page can rank quickly.

SERP Analysis

Look at the current top 10 results and notice:

• If most are blog posts or guides → use the keyword on an article or guide
• If most are product pages or shop categories → use the keyword on your product or category page

When your page type matches what is already ranking, you have a much better chance to rank and make users happy.

Summary

In short, turning keywords into real traffic is a long-term job with very good rewards. Keyword research is not just one small step — it is the foundation that decides the direction of all your SEO work and future traffic growth. SEO needs constant testing and improvement. Only when you really understand what users need can you get steady, growing traffic that lasts for years.