B2BVault's summary of:

How to Do Keyword Research for SEO (Start to Finish)

Published by:
Ahrefs
Author:
Tim Soulo

Introduction

Most pages get no visitors from Google. Good keyword research helps you get found and bring the right people to your site.

What's the problem it solves?

Many websites don’t get visitors because they target the wrong topics. This article explains how to find the right words people actually search for, so your content shows up on Google and brings in steady traffic.

Quick Summary

Most web pages never get traffic from search engines, and that’s often because they target topics nobody is looking up. Keyword research helps you figure out what your customers are searching for so you can write content they actually need. Instead of guessing, you can use tools like Ahrefs or even ChatGPT to find ideas and check how popular and competitive each keyword is.

The guide walks you through the full process, from picking seed ideas to studying what your competitors rank for. It explains how to group similar keywords, understand the type of search (buying, learning, etc.), and focus on those that can bring value to your business. Finally, it teaches how to judge if a keyword is worth the effort by looking at things like search volume, how hard it is to rank, and how much it can help your goals.

Key Takeaways from the article

  • Most web pages fail to get traffic because they target the wrong keywords.
  • Start with basic keyword ideas and use tools to expand them.
  • Use free and paid tools to check search volume and ranking difficulty.
  • Look at what your competitors rank for and fill in any content gaps.
  • Group similar keywords together so one page can rank for many terms.
  • Focus on the searcher’s intent: are they learning, buying, or looking for something?
  • Check if a keyword has long-term value by looking at trends, traffic potential, and how many sites link to top pages.
  • Choose keywords that match your business goals, not just those with high search numbers.
  • Mix quick-win keywords with harder ones for long-term growth.
  • Always balance traffic potential, effort, and business value when choosing keywords.

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