How to Conduct Keyword Research

13/03/2026 - By Kamran Sajid Rasheed

Keyword research is one of the most important steps in any successful search engine optimization(SEO) strategy. It helps businesses understand what potential customers are searching for online and how they can create content that matches those search queries. When done correctly, keyword research can increase website visibility, attract the right audience, and improve organic search rankings. In this guide, I'll explain to you the main steps involved in making your keyword research efficient and beneficial to your business. The SEO tool we will be using for this tutorial is SEranking. But feel free to use other SEO tools.

1. Understand Your Target Audience

Before selecting keywords, it is important to understand who your customers are and what they are searching for. Think about the problems your customers want to solve and the information they are trying to find.

Consider these following questions:

Understanding your audience helps you identify keywords that are relevant and valuable for your business.

2. Brainstorm initial Keyword Ideas

Start by creating a list of basic keywords related to your business, products, or services. These are often referred to as seed keywords.

For example, let's use our website Cloudtree.ie as an example. If we go select Cloudtree as our 'project', press on 'rankings', then press on 'detailed'. Scroll down and you will see all the keywords that we have brainstormed.

These initial keywords provide a starting point for deeper research

3. Use Keyword Research Tools

Keyword research tools help identify search volumne, competition, and related keyword ideas. These tools provide insights into how often a keyword is searched and how difficult it may be to rank for it. Currently, we are using SEranking. But you are welcome to use the following SEO tools below if you are unable to use SEranking.

For this example, we will analyze the keyword 'software company in ireland'. First go to 'Keyword Research' located on the menu bar. Type in the keyword you want to search. On the right side of the search bar, you will see the Google logo alongside a country flag. We are searching 'software company in ireland', so we will change the country to Ireland so that means that we are searching this keyword using Google Ireland. Press the blue button 'Analyze' with the magnifying glass icon.

Using these tools allows you to discover new keyword oppurtunities and competition.

4. Analyze Search Volume and Competition

When choosing keywords, it is important to balance search volume and competition.

High search volume keywords may be competitive, while lower volume keywords may be easier to rank for. A balance strategy typically includes both. Let's continue with our examples. Remember our keyword 'software company in ireland', when we see search 'this keyword', you will see many statistics. But we are only focusing on the difficulty level of the keyword and search volume.

Search Volume

'software company in ireland' has a search volume of 140. This is low, but it is good for niche keywords. Note, search volume ranging 0-100 means that the keyword has very low search traffic, a keyword with search volume ranging from 100-1,000 is low but is good for niche keywords, search volume raning from 1,000-10,000 means that the keyword has medium traffic and search volume ranging from 10,000+ indicates that the keyword has high traffic. For individuals who want to contribute to the growth of a website, they should target keywords with search volume ranging from 100-1,000. This will ensure efficient growth of the website.

Difficulty Level

The difficulty level is 16. This means that the keyword 'software comapny in ireland' is easy to rank. Note, a keyword with a difficulty level ranging from 0-10 means that it is very easy to be ranked, difficulty level ranging from 11-20 means 'Easy', difficult level from 21-40 means 'Moderate Difficulty', a difficulty level from 41-60 means 'Hard' and 61-100 means 'Very Hard'. Aim for keywords that aren't competitive. 'Easy' keywords would be a good set of keywords to target.

5. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific search phrases. Although they usually have lower search volumes, they often attract more targeted traffic.

Examples of long-tail keywords include:

These keywords often have lower competition and higher conversion potential.

6. Analyze Competitor Keywords

Looking at the keywords your competitors rank for can reveal valuable oppurtunities. By analyzing competitor websites, you can identify gaps in your own keyword strategy and discover topics that are already performing well in your industry.

Competitor analysis can help you:

Before we continue with our Competitor Research, we need to know who our competitors are. To check this, click on 'projects'. Find 'My Competitors' and click on it and click on 'SERP competitors'. You will be taken to a page where you can see the top companies that compete in your market.

Organic vs Paid Traffic

Once you know who your competitors are, go to Competitive Research to enter the address of the competitor's website. You will see a page with statistics. We will focus on organic traffic. This is the most important thing. Many websites will want to ensure that most of their traffic is organic. This means that every time you see them on Google, they will earn their impressions. But if you click on their link, then the website where the website gains traffic without putting any effort into advertising. A website will avoid paid traffic as this is where the website gains traffic through advertisement which is less likely to be seen by the audience. It is useful to check out the 'Traffic distribution by country' feature. It shows where in the world the website gains traffic, so you will have an idea where your competitors are mainly located.

7. Organize and Prioritize Your Keywords

Once you have collected a list of potential keywords, organize them into categories based on topics or search intent. Grouping keywords helps structure websites content and improves overall SEO strategy.

For example, keywords might be grouped into:

Prioritize keywords based on relevance, search volume, and ranking difficulty.

Integrate Keywords into Your Content

After selecting the right keywords, the next step is to incorporate them naturally into your website's content.

Keywords should be used in areas such as:

However, it is important to avoid keyword stuffing. Content should always remain natural and valuable for readers. If we look at Cloudtree's website, their services are focused on Data Analysis, Web and App development, and Search Engine Optimization. So, in that case, we would focus on the keywords 'Data Analysis', 'Web and App Developement', and 'Search Engine Optimization.'

Conclusion

Keyword research is the foundation of effective SEO. By understanding your audience, identifying relevant keywords, analyzing competition, and targeting the right search terms, businesses can create content that attracts more organic traffic. A well-planned keyword strategy not only improves search rankings but also helps connect businesses with the people who are actively searching for their products or services.