How to Do Keyword Research Like a Pro

If you want your website to rank higher, attract the right visitors, and drive real results, you need more than just good content—you need strategic keyword research. Done properly, it forms the foundation of any strong SEO campaign. But how do you move from basic guesswork to professional-level insight?

Here’s how to do keyword research like a pro—clearly, efficiently, and effectively.

1. Understand Your Audience First

Before diving into tools and search volumes, start by thinking about your users. What questions are they asking? What problems are they trying to solve?

Consider:

• What language or terminology do they use?
• What stage of the buying journey are they in?
• What goals or challenges do they have?

This understanding helps you uncover not only keywords but intent—which is crucial when creating content that converts.

2. Start with Seed Keywords

Seed keywords are the basic terms related to your business, products, or services. For instance, if you run a digital agency, your seed keywords might include:

• Digital marketing
• SEO services
• Social media management
• UI/UX design

These aren’t final—they’re starting points to expand from. Tools like Google Autocomplete, AnswerThePublic, and People Also Ask can help you broaden these ideas naturally.

3. Use Keyword Research Tools

Now it’s time to dig deeper. Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, or Google Keyword Planner allow you to:

• Discover related keywords
• Analyse monthly search volume
• Understand keyword difficulty
• Identify competitive gaps

Look for a balance between search volume and competition. Targeting keywords with thousands of searches but fierce competition might not yield quick wins. Instead, focus on long-tail keywords—phrases with lower volume but high intent (e.g., “affordable SEO services for small businesses”).

4. Check Search Intent

One of the biggest mistakes people make is targeting keywords without considering what the user wants when they search.

Search intent falls into four main types:

• Informational – looking for answers (“what is UX design?”)
• Navigational – looking for a specific site or brand (“Infrism portfolio”)
• Transactional – ready to take action (“hire a digital agency UK”)
• Commercial – comparing options (“best SEO tools 2025”)

Look at the top results for a keyword. Are they blog posts, product pages, or landing pages? Match your content format to the intent, or you won’t rank—no matter how good your keyword is.

5. Group and Prioritise Your Keywords

Once you have a list, organise keywords into topic clusters. This helps with planning:

• Which keywords will become main pages
• Which support pages or blog posts to create
• Which are best suited for paid ads or FAQs

Prioritise based on:

• Relevance to your business
• Intent and stage in the funnel
• Search volume and competition
• Potential ROI

Use tools like Google Sheets, Airtable, or Notion to track progress and performance.

6. Keep Updating Your Strategy

Keyword trends shift. User behaviour evolves. That’s why keyword research isn’t a one-time task. Review and refresh your list every few months—especially if your industry is fast-moving.

Monitor your analytics, rankings, and search console data. Spot new opportunities and update content as needed.

Great keyword research is part art, part science. It combines understanding your audience, using the right tools, analysing intent, and planning strategically. Done right, it’s not just about ranking higher—it’s about connecting with the right people, at the right time, with the right message.

At Infrism, we help brands turn keyword insight into growth—crafting SEO strategies that are informed, intentional, and built to perform.