Search and keywords · Beginner

Keyword research

Keyword research is finding and choosing the searches a site should target, by understanding what buyers search, what they want, how much demand there is and how hard each search is to win.

By Thryv StudioUpdated

Level
Beginner
Output
A prioritized list of keywords mapped to pages
Inputs
Customer language, tools, SERPs and Search Console

What is keyword research?

Keyword research turns "what should we write?" into a plan. It starts from how customers describe their problems, expands that into the searches they make, and ends with a prioritized list mapped to pages.

How to do it

  1. List your products, problems you solve and customer types.
  2. Gather searches from customers' words, autocomplete, "People also ask", tools and Search Console.
  3. Classify each by intent and group near-duplicates.
  4. Estimate demand and difficulty.
  5. Map each group to one page (existing or new) and prioritize.

Common mistakes

  • Starting from tools instead of customers.
  • Targeting the same keyword with several pages (cannibalization).
  • Ignoring questions buyers ask AI assistants, which are longer and more specific.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I redo keyword research?

Review it at least yearly, and whenever you launch products or enter new markets.

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