Keyword research is not about finding the highest-volume keyword — it is about finding terms you can realistically rank for and that match a real need.
Start with seeds
List 5–10 topics your audience cares about, phrased the way they would search. Then expand each with modifiers: how, what, best, vs, for beginners, tools, examples, template.
Match search intent
Every query has an intent:
- Informational — "what is robots.txt"
- Navigational — "marsgeo login"
- Commercial — "best schema generator"
- Transactional — "buy seo tool"
Match the format to the intent. Ranking a product page for an informational query rarely works.
Judge difficulty honestly
For a new site, target long-tail and question keywords first. They have lower volume but far less competition, and they build topical authority you can leverage later.
Use free sources
- Google autocomplete and "People also ask"
- Google Search Console for queries you already rank for
- Reddit and forums for the language people use
Map keywords to pages
One primary keyword per page, plus related terms. Do not target the same keyword with two pages — they will compete. Use the SEO title generator to shape titles around your chosen term, and the meta description generator for the snippet.