Keyword Research for Beginners: Stop Guessing

Quick Verdict

Keyword research is the boring-but-necessary part of SEO that most people skip. Do it right, and you won’t waste time writing for an audience of zero. Do it wrong, and you’ll burn cash on tools you don’t need. Here’s my quick take on the tools:

Google Keyword Planner **** (4/5) — best free option, but Google hides half the data unless you pay for ads.
Ahrefs ***** (5/5) — the Ferrari of keyword tools. Overkill for most beginners, but if you can afford it, just buy it.
Ubersuggest *** (3/5) — decent for the price, but data accuracy gets fuzzy on niche terms.
AnswerThePublic ** (2/5) — fun for brainstorming, but it’s a toy, not a tool.

So you want to know what people are actually searching for. Me too. I remember my first "SEO campaign" back in 2018 — I picked a keyword like "best running shoes" because I thought it was obvious. Turns out I was competing with Nike’s entire marketing budget. I got zero clicks for three months. Then I found keyword research. Not gonna lie — it’s tedious. But it’s the difference between writing for a ghost town and actually getting traffic.

Here’s the thing nobody tells you: most keyword research tools are lying to you. Or at least stretching the truth. Search volume numbers are estimates, not facts. Google Keyword Planner will show you "1K–10K monthly searches" which basically means "somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000." Helpful, right? The real trick is to ignore the numbers and focus on intent. But we’ll get to that.

Also, I accidentally emailed my entire client list with the subject line "Test — ignore this" once. That’s not keyword related, but it’s the kind of screw-up that makes you double-check everything. So let’s do this right.

Step 1: Brain Dump Everything You Think People Search For

Open a blank document. Or a Google Doc. Or a napkin. Write down every phrase that comes to mind about your topic. Don’t filter. Don’t judge. If you’re writing about "how to bake sourdough," your list might include "sourdough starter," "sourdough not rising," "best flour for sourdough," "sourdough discard recipes." You get the idea. Aim for 20–30 terms.

What can go wrong: You’ll overthink it. You’ll try to be clever and use fancy words. Stop it. Normal people search like they talk. "Why is my bread flat" is better than "sourdough collapse troubleshooting." Write down the dumb stuff. I once had a client who insisted on targeting "luxury pet accessory procurement." Literally nobody types that. We switched to "designer dog collars" and traffic went up 400%.

Step 2: Use Google Keyword Planner to Get Actual Numbers

Log into Google Keyword Planner (it’s free with a Google Ads account — yes, you have to give them billing info, but you don’t have to run ads). Plug in your list. It’ll spit out average monthly searches, competition level, and bid estimates.

Here’s the hack nobody talks about: filter by "Low" competition but "High" search volume. That’s the sweet spot. But ignore bid estimates — they’re just Google trying to sell you ads. Look for keywords with at least 100 searches per month and low competition. Those are your gold mines.

What can go wrong: Google Keyword Planner groups similar keywords together in ways that make no sense. "Sourdough bread" and "sourdough bread recipe" might show the same volume. Also, if your niche is super specific (like "vegan gluten-free sourdough"), the planner might show "0 searches." That doesn’t mean nobody searches — it means Google doesn’t have enough data because it’s a long-tail term. Move on.

Step 3: Spy on Your Competition (The Ethical Way)

Take your top 5 keyword ideas and Google them. Who’s ranking on page 1? Those are your competitors. Open their pages and literally copy-paste their URLs into a tool like Ahrefs (or Ubersuggest if you’re broke). Look for "keywords they rank for" that you didn’t think of.

I did this once for a client who sold ergonomic chairs. Their competitor was ranking for "how to sit properly at work" — not even a chair keyword. We wrote a guide on that topic, and it pulled in 2,000 visitors a month. None of them bought chairs, but 30% clicked through to the product page. That’s the kind of trick you only learn by spying.

What can go wrong: You’ll get overwhelmed with data. Ahrefs shows you every keyword a domain ranks for, including ones with 5 visits a month. Don’t chase everything. Pick 3–5 keywords that are relevant and have decent volume (at least 50 searches/month) and low difficulty (Ahrefs gives a difficulty score — aim under 30 for beginners).

Step 4: Group Keywords by Search Intent

This is the step most people skip, and it’s where the real magic happens. You have a list of keywords. Now sort them into three buckets:

• Informational — "how to bake sourdough," "sourdough starter feeding schedule"
• Commercial — "best sourdough starter kit," "sourdough bread maker review"
• Transactional — "buy sourdough starter online," "sourdough bread delivery"

Why does this matter? Because if you write a "how to" article for a transactional keyword, you’ll get visitors who want to buy a product and instead get advice. They leave. Bounce rate high. Google thinks your page sucks. Match the intent to the content.

I once wrote a product comparison for "best running shoes" (commercial) but the title was "How to Choose Running Shoes" (informational). Got traffic but zero conversions. Switched to "Best Running Shoes for Wide Feet 2024" and sales started rolling.

What can go wrong: Tools like Google Keyword Planner don’t tell you intent. You have to guess. A quick check: search the term. If the top results are all "buy" or "review" pages, it’s commercial. If they’re blog posts, it’s informational. Easy.

Step 5: Find Long-Tail Variations (The AI Shortcut)

Now manually come up with long-tail versions (3–5 words long) of your main keywords. Or use ChatGPT. Seriously. Ask it: "Give me 20 long-tail keyword ideas for ‘sourdough bread recipe’ that show search intent." It’ll spew out things like "best sourdough bread recipe for beginners" or "sourdough bread recipe no knead." Use those as refinements.

But here’s a questionable hack: use the "People also ask" section on Google. Type your main keyword, scroll down, and copy every question. Those are golden. Write content that answers those exact questions, and you’ll often rank for all of them.

What can go wrong: You’ll go too niche. "Sourdough bread recipe with rye flour and no added sugar for diabetics who live in cold climates" — nobody types that. Keep it realistic. If it takes longer than 5 seconds to say, it’s probably too long.

Pros & Cons

Google Keyword Planner

• Free to use with Google Ads account
• Reliable search volume data for medium-to-high traffic keywords
• Shows competition level (good for filtering)

• Hides low-volume keywords unless you’re running a campaign
• Forces you to set up ads account (annoying)
• Intent data is nonexistent

Ahrefs

• Best in class for keyword difficulty scores
• Huge database, including niche terms
• Content gap analysis is a superpower

• Expensive — $99/month minimum
• Overly complex UI for a beginner
• Can lead to analysis paralysis

Ubersuggest (Neil Patel’s tool)

• Cheap — $12/month or free limited version
• Simple dashboard, easy to navigate
• Good for getting quick keyword ideas

• Volume estimates are often 50% off
• Limited data for non-English languages
• Tries to upsell you constantly

AnswerThePublic

• Great for brainstorming questions
• Free limited version (3 searches/day)
• Visual "search cloud" is fun to explore

• No actual search volume data
• Useless for competitive analysis
• Mostly informational keywords only

Pricing at a Glance

| Tool | Starting Price | What You Actually Get | |——|—————|———————-| | Google Keyword Planner | Free (with Google Ads) | Accurate volume for popular terms; limited for long-tail. Works well if you’re patient and don’t mind ads setup. | | Ahrefs | $99/month | Full keyword database, difficulty scores, competitor analysis. Worth it if you have a budget and a serious site. Also includes a site audit tool. | | Ubersuggest | $12/month (or free limited) | Decent keyword ideas, but don’t trust the exact numbers. Good for beginners who don’t want to spend much. | | AnswerThePublic | Free / $99/month | Question-based keyword ideas only. Cool for content inspiration, not for actual research. Free version gives you 3 searches/day. |

FAQ

Q: Can I do keyword research without paying for any tool?
A: Yes. Google Keyword Planner is free. Also just search Google and see what auto-completes give you. It’s slower, but it works.

Q: How do I know if a keyword is worth targeting?
A: Look for "low competition" + "at least 100 searches per month" as a starting point. Then check the top 10 results — if they’re weak blog posts with thin content, you have a shot. If they’re all Wikipedia or Amazon, run.

Q: What’s the best tool for a total beginner with no budget?
A: Use Google Keyword Planner for volume. Then use ChatGPT to generate long-tail variations (free version works). That’s enough to get started.

Q: Should I trust search volume numbers exactly?
A: No. They’re estimates. Use them as a signal, not a