How to actually do Keyword research for free

So chances are you’re aware of the importance of keyword research. You just might not be aware of how you actually do keyword research. And I get it. It’s a complicated and sometimes overly complex subject. But it really shouldn’t be. Keyword research is the foundation of good SEO. And if you want your site to be found by users searching on Google, then you need to do it well. And do it properly. So here are my four steps on how to actually do keyword research for free.

STEP ONE: WHAT TOPICS ARE RELEVANT TO YOUR NICHE?

Whenever I start doing any keyword research, I like to begin with the topics that I want to rank for. Now at this point it’s important to know your niche and know what you want to be known as an expert in. Then write down 5-10 topics that you think are important to that niche.

It’s really important at this stage that you put yourself in the shoes of your ideal audience. What topics would they search for? For example, mine are

• Blogging
• Email marketing
• Social media marketing
• Google Analytics
• SEO

STEP TWO: ADD KEYWORDS TO YOUR TOPICS

So you’ve got your 5-10 topics, now it’s time to identify some keywords that fall into those topics. So these keywords and phrases are the ones you think are important to rank for in the SERP (or Search Engine Results Page), as these are the keywords your target audience are searching for.

So if we look at the topic blogging. Some of the keywords I think people would type in related to that topic include:

• How to start a blog
• How to make money blogging
• Ways to drive more traffic to my blog
• How to create content for my blog
• The best blogging resources out there
• What blogging tools do I need

The point of this step isn’t to come up with your final list of keywords or phrases. It’s purely a brainstorming exercise to come up with ideas and phrases that you think your audience will use to search for content related to that topic.

STEP THREE: RELATED SEARCH TERMS

If you’re struggling to think of more keywords people might be searching for about a specific topic. Then a great way to find more if by using the related search terms that appear when you type the keyword into Google. So when you type in your phrase and scroll to the bottom of the Google results. Google will give you some suggestions for searches related to your original search term. These keywords can spark ideas for other keywords that you might want to add to your list.

STEP FOUR: USE KEYWORD TOOLS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

If you want to take your search for keywords a step further then you could use a keyword research tool. These tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush and Ubersuggest can help you come up with more keyword ideas based on your initial ideas. The tools will give you alternatives that you might not have considered. All these tools come with free trials or free versions so it’s worth taking advantage of these.

So that’s my four steps on how to actually do keyword research for free. Let me know in the comments whether you have any other questions on SEO or keyword research.