Keyword research is the practice of discovering the words and phrases your audience types into search engines, then evaluating each one to decide what content to create. It connects what you want to publish with what people are actually looking for.
What you measure
For each candidate keyword, a few signals guide the decision:
- Search volume. The estimated monthly searches, which hints at potential traffic.
- Difficulty. How hard it is to rank, usually based on the strength of pages already ranking.
- Search intent. Whether the searcher wants information, a specific site, or to buy. Matching search intent matters more than volume alone.
- Business value. How likely the term is to lead to a sign-up or sale.
Why it matters
Targeting high-volume, high-competition head terms like “shoes” is rarely realistic for a new site. Research surfaces achievable opportunities, often long-tail phrases with clearer intent and less competition. It also reveals the questions and subtopics to cover so a page fully answers the query.
How to do it
Start with seed topics, then expand using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or Semrush, plus Google autocomplete and the “People also ask” box. Group related terms into clusters around a single topic, map each cluster to one page, and check the current ranking pages to understand the format and depth Google rewards.