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How to find the words and phrases your customers are actually searching for — without needing expensive tools or technical expertise.

Keyword research is the process of finding out which words and phrases your potential customers type into Google. It's the foundation of any SEO strategy, because it tells you what topics your content should cover.

This guide walks you through the basics in plain terms.

Quick summary

Keyword research means finding the specific phrases real people use when searching for your product or service. Start by brainstorming how your customers describe what they need, then use free tools like Google Search Console or Google's autocomplete to see actual search data. Focus on specific, achievable phrases rather than broad competitive ones.

Why keyword research matters

If you write a page about "premium organic handcrafted candles," but your customers search for "soy candles near me," your page might never reach them — even if it's excellent.

Keyword research closes that gap. It helps you write about topics using the language your customers actually use.

Step 1: Brainstorm what your customers search for

Start without any tools. Think about your business and ask:

What problem does my product or service solve?
How would a customer describe what they need to a friend?
What questions do customers ask me before buying?
What words do they use that differ from industry jargon?

Write down as many phrases as you can. Think like a customer who knows nothing about your field.

Step 2: Expand with free tools

Once you have a starting list, use free tools to see real search data:

Google autocomplete — start typing a search in Google and look at the predictions it offers. Google says those predictions reflect real searches that have been done on Google. They're also shaped by your language, your location, trending interest, and your own past searches, so treat them as ideas rather than a clean ranking of demand.

Related questions and related searches — a Google results page often includes a cluster of related questions (the "People also ask" box) and a cluster of related searches that other people have run. Google itself suggests paying attention to those related queries when you're thinking about topics to write about. What appears varies by device, location, and language.

Google Search Console — if your site is already live, this free tool shows which queries showed your site in Search, how often people clicked, and your average position. It's one of the most valuable sources of real keyword data you have.

AnswerThePublic — enter a topic and get a list of questions people ask about it. Free use is capped by a daily search limit; check answerthepublic.com for current limits and what the paid plans add.

Step 3: Evaluate your keywords

Not all keywords are equally worth targeting. Evaluate them on three factors:

Factor	What to consider
Relevance	Does this keyword describe something I actually offer?
Search volume	Are enough people searching for this to be worth targeting?
Competition	Can a site like mine realistically rank for this?

For most small businesses, the sweet spot is keywords that are:

Directly relevant to your specific offerings
Specific enough to have moderate competition (long-tail phrases)
Clearly matched to your customers' intent

You don't need expensive tools

Paid tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz provide detailed data, but they're not required to get started. Free tools and careful thinking about your customer will take you a long way.

Step 4: Map keywords to pages

Once you have a list of keywords, decide which page on your site should target each one. A simple rule:

One primary keyword per page
Group closely related keywords on the same page
Create new pages for topics that don't yet have a home

For example:

Homepage: your business name + core service + location
Service page A: specific service keyword
Service page B: another service keyword
Blog post: a question your customers ask

What to do with your keywords

Once you know your target keywords, weave them naturally into:

The key word is "naturally." Write for your reader first, Google second.

Common questions

How many keywords should I target across my whole site?

There's no fixed number, and no target worth chasing. Most small businesses end up with a handful of key pages, each aimed at a specific phrase, plus blog content covering more specific questions over time. Quality beats quantity.

Should I target my city name in my keywords?

Yes, if you serve a local area. Adding location to keywords — "plumber in Denver" — is a core part of local SEO. Fewer pages compete for a city-specific phrase than for the national one, and the people who search it are more likely to be in your area.

Can two pages on my site compete against each other?

Yes — SEO people call this keyword cannibalization. Worth knowing what Google actually does here: when it finds several pages whose main content looks the same, it clusters them and picks the one it judges most complete and useful as the "canonical", then usually shows only that one. Google is clear that having near-duplicate pages is not a spam violation or a penalty; the practical risk is simply that the page Google picks may not be the one you wanted, and your data gets split across both. Give each page a distinct focus.

How often should I redo keyword research?

Revisit it roughly once a year, or when your business offerings change, when you launch new services, or when you notice significant changes in your Search Console data.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.

Keyword research basics