Every time someone types something into Google, they’re not just asking for information. They’re revealing what stage they are in the buying journey, what pain they want solved, or what specific problem they’re actively researching. If you ignore keywords, you're ignoring that context.
Google doesn’t “rank content”, it matches intent. It compares the search query with what your page says, how clearly it says it, how others engage with it, and how well the structure matches what searchers expect. That’s where keywords come in. They help Google understand if your content deserves to be shown.
If they type “Webflow SEO tutorial,” and your content says “learn how to optimize Webflow for search,” you’re close. But if you never once say “Webflow SEO tutorial,” your page might not show up even if it’s better.
Ranking isn’t about stuffing phrases. It’s about being relevant in a way that’s legible to both humans and search engines. It means structuring your pages to clearly signal what it’s about: title, meta, H1, subheadings, body. Google looks at all of it.
So, What would happen if your most profitable page ranked for ten more keywords your buyers actually search for?
That’s the kind of question SEO teams ask when they take keyword strategy seriously.
The Real Role of Keywords in SEO Strategy
Keywords are not shortcuts. They’re signals. They tell Google what your page is about, but more importantly, they tell you what your users are trying to solve.
When someone searches “best CRM for startups,” they’re not browsing, they’re buying. That keyword is a proxy for urgency, need, and context. If your page answers that urgency, clearly, specifically, without filler, you win.
That’s the real function of keywords. They force alignment between what you say and what people search for. Not just in titles or headers. In the structure of your entire page.
If your page targets “email marketing for fintech startups,” Google expects to see supporting signals: terms like “email compliance,” “KYC,” “automated onboarding,” “product updates,” “user retention,” “regulatory triggers.” If those don’t show up, Google moves on.
The more closely your page matches the context behind a keyword, the more likely it is to rank. That’s not about writing more. It’s about writing with clarity, accuracy, and user intent in mind.
Think of keywords as evidence. If your content actually solves a real problem, the keywords will show up naturally and your structure will help Google understand it.
Elements of Keyword Research
Keyword research is a crucial aspect of search engine optimization (SEO) that involves identifying and analyzing the right keywords to target in your content. It helps you understand the search behavior of your target audience and optimize your website to rank higher in search engine results.
Here are three essential elements to consider when conducting keyword research
1. Relevance
If the keyword doesn’t match what your business offers, it’s a dead end.
You can rank for high-volume terms and still get zero leads. Because relevance drives conversions and not traffic.
Every keyword must align with what your audience actually needs, not what sounds popular.
Ask: Does this keyword reflect a real pain point? Is it tied to a solution we provide?
2. Authority
Google ranks sources it trusts.
If you're competing on a keyword with high authority sites, like HubSpot or Forbes, you'll need better content or a more specific angle.
One way in: long-tail keywords. Less competitive, more intent-driven.
Authority also comes from backlinks, topic depth, and how consistent your site is across content. It builds over time. Keyword strategy should match your current domain strength and not your ambition.
3. Search Volume
You need keywords people are actually searching for.
But don’t chase high volume blindly. Most high-volume terms are top-of-funnel, low-intent, and flooded with noise.
Your sweet spot sits between mid-volume, high-intent keywords and topics your competitors haven’t covered well.
If 50 people a month search for “Webflow SEO migration checklist,” and your service solves that, it’s a lead machine, not a vanity metric.
How to Do Keyword Research
Effective keyword research isn’t one task, it’s a system. Every step informs your SEO strategy and shapes your content decisions. Here's how to approach it.
Brainstorming
Start with what you already know.
List your core offerings, audience pain points, and the problems you solve. Think how your users describe their needs, not how you describe your service.
Search queries are rarely technical they’re emotional. Think in user language, not brand terms.Most founders assume they should target keywords like “best SaaS tool” but these are vague and hyper-competitive.
A better angle: how do your users describe their pain before they know your solution exists? That’s where the long-tail wins live.
Keyword Research Tools
Use tools that surface real-world data. Not opinions.
- Google Search Console tells you what you already rank for.
- Ahrefs / SEMrush shows keyword gaps, competitor wins, and difficulty scores.
- Keywords Everywhere reveals trends straight from Google.
- AnswerThePublic give you long-tail phrasing based on actual search behavior.
Don’t use every tool. Pick two, go deep.
Long-Tail Keywords
Specific terms attract specific people.
“Webflow agency” is crowded. “Webflow site speed optimization for SaaS” is clear, targeted, and gets you closer to a ready-to-buy user.
Long-tail keywords are where the conversion happens. They reflect intent, not curiosity.
Competitor Analysis
Look at what others are ranking for but don’t just copy.
Find the gaps. What are they missing? What aren’t they explaining well? Can you go deeper, faster, or more practically?
Check their headlines, structure, keyword density, and internal links.
Good SEO isn’t about more content, t’s about better signal-to-answer match.
Keyword Analysis
Not every keyword you find is worth chasing.
Check:
- Search volume – is it worth the effort?
- Keyword difficulty – can your site compete?
- Search intent – are they buying, learning, or comparing?
- SERP format – are Google features pushing organic results down?
Only move forward with keywords that check all four. You may find “online collaboration tool” has high volume, but the top 10 results are dominated by enterprise brands.
Unless your domain authority is strong, you’ll be buried. In contrast, “notion alternative for developers” might get less traffic but 5x better conversion.
Keyword Implementation
Once you’ve selected your keywords, use them with purpose, not spam.
- Use primary keywords in your H1, URL, meta title, and first 100 words.
- Sprinkle secondary terms throughout body copy, headings, and alt tags.
- Write for the reader first. Keywords guide, they don’t dictate.
Structure matters more than stuffing.
Monitoring and Adaptation
SEO isn’t one-and-done.
Track how your pages rank. Use Google Search Console and Ahrefs to see what’s moving and what’s stalling.
If a post ranks but doesn’t get clicks, improve the title. If it ranks low, improve internal links. If traffic is high but conversions are low, fix the CTA.
Your keyword strategy should evolve with the data.
Why Keyword Research is Important
Keyword research allows you to gain deep insights into the needs, desires, and pain points of your target audience.
Keyword research helps you:
- Understand your audience’s language. You might say “conversion funnel,” but your users say “how to get more leads.”
- Rank where it matters. Pages that appear on page two get less than 1% of clicks. If you’re not targeting the right keywords, you’re invisible.
- Create content with purpose. Each keyword becomes a signal. It tells you what topic to write about, how detailed to go, and what intent to serve.
It’s not just about traffic. Keyword research brings you closer to qualified traffic, people who are more likely to buy, sign up, or engage because your content solved a specific problem they had.
It’s not optional. It’s the foundation.
Types of Search Query
Not all keywords mean the same thing. Some bring traffic. Others bring sales. You need to know which is which.
Informational
People are looking for answers, not offers.
Example: “how does SEO work” or “what is a sitemap”
They want content that explains, educates, or simplifies. If you show up here, you build trust early. It’s top-of-funnel.
Use this type to:
- Create blog posts, guides, explainers
- Capture readers before they’re buyers
Navigational
They already know where they want to go.
Example: “Ahrefs blog” or “Webflow login”
You’re not competing for attention, you’re showing up for recognition. This is where brand matters.
Use this type to:
- Protect your brand SERP
- Monitor how people search for your company, tools, or products
Commercial
They’re comparing options.
Example: “best SEO tools” or “HubSpot vs Mailchimp”
This is mid-funnel. They’re almost ready to act but want proof, comparisons, or validation.
Use this type to:
- Rank with listicles, reviews, or product roundups
- Influence buying decisions before your competitors do
Transactional
They’re ready to take action.
Example: “buy Webflow template” or “hire SEO consultant in Lagos”
These are high-intent keywords. They come with urgency.
Get these wrong, and you miss actual revenue.
Use this type to:
- Target landing pages, service pages, pricing pages
- Capture the bottom of the funnel where money moves
If you're selling a project management tool, users typing “buy team productivity software” or “Asana pricing” are already comparing and ready to convert. This is where your comparison blog or demo page needs to appear, otherwise, you’re out of the race.
Top Keyword Research Tools
You don’t need every tool on this list but you do need to know what each one is good at, what it misses, and how to use them together to build a complete keyword strategy.
Google Keyword Planner
Most marketers skip it because it’s designed for advertisers. That’s a mistake.
Google Keyword Planner gives you keyword suggestions and search volume data directly from Google’s ad engine. It's one of the most reliable sources for high-level trends and commercial intent because it's based on billions of ad queries.
Use it to:
- Validate the demand for core keywords
- Discover related commercial search terms
- Get exact match, phrase match, and broad match data
What it doesn’t give you:
- SEO difficulty
- Real content intent
- Organic competition data
If you're running Google Ads or launching a content cluster around keywords with proven demand, this is where to start but don’t stop here.
Google Trends
Google Trends won’t tell you how many people are searching. It will tell you when and where they’re searching. This makes it the most important tool for spotting seasonal patterns or emerging keywords before they peak.
Use it to:
- Compare two or more search terms
- Identify country, city, or region-specific search interest
- Avoid targeting keywords that are declining in relevance
Limitations:
- No exact volume data
- No competitive insights
- Skews toward U.S. and global averages, not local niches
Example: If you run a fashion ecommerce store, Google Trends will show you when “cargo pants” peak every year so your content and ads go live ahead of the spike.
SEMrush
SEMrush is a full-suite SEO tool, not just for keywords. It’s used to spy on competitors, discover their highest-traffic pages, see what they rank for, and identify keyword gaps in your own strategy.
Use it to:
- Run a full keyword gap analysis between your site and a competitor
- Uncover secondary and semantic keywords from your competitors’ pages
- Track how your rankings shift over time
Strengths:
- Huge keyword database
- Keyword Magic Tool surfaces long-tail ideas fast
- Organic and paid data in one dashboard
Weaknesses:
- Expensive for solo founders or freelancers
- Data overload without clear prioritization
If you're serious about SEO at scale and want to build a full editorial calendar, SEMrush gives you the structure and data to do it.
Ahrefs
If you want organic-first, content-led SEO, Ahrefs is where most teams land. Their Keywords Explorer tool shows keyword difficulty, traffic potential, parent topic, and who currently ranksbacked by one of the best backlink databases in the industry.
Use it to:
- Filter by keyword difficulty and traffic in one screen
- Understand what it will take to outrank top pages
- Prioritize content topics based on linkability and volume
Strengths:
- Clean UI with practical filters
- Strong data for international markets
- Combines keyword and backlink strategy in one workflow
Weaknesses:
- Premium pricing
- Doesn’t show exact click-through behavior like some newer tools
For growing startups with real SEO goals, Ahrefs is the tool most content marketers trust to build a ranking and link-building strategy at the same time.
Moz
Moz is easier to use, especially for teams just getting started. It offers simplified keyword metrics like Priority Score, which blends volume, difficulty, and CTR potential into one number great for quick wins.
Use it to:
- Find medium-tail keywords with low competition
- Spot SERP features (videos, people also ask, featured snippets)
- Learn basic SEO through Moz’s built-in guides and tooltips
Strengths:
- Beginner-friendly interface
- Priority Score helps non-SEOs make faster decisions
- Useful for small teams or in-house marketers with limited budgets
Limitations:
- Smaller keyword database than Ahrefs or SEMrush
- Fewer international data points
If your SEO program is early stage and you want to build smartly without technical overload, Moz is a solid starting point.
Conclusion
If you're still guessing what to rank for, you're already behind.
Keyword research isn’t about chasing traffic. It’s about solving problems. It shows you what your audience is trying to fix, figure out, or avoid. It filters noise. It reveals what people care enough to search for.
When you research before writing, you stop relying on luck. You write with purpose. You target what matters. And that’s when SEO starts working not because of tricks, but because your content finally shows up with the right answer at the right time.
You don’t need more content. You need clearer intent. And the only way to get that is by doing the work, looking at the data, reading between the searches, and staying close to how your users actually think.
That’s how you stop publishing content that just sits there. That’s how you turn search into growth.
