Keyword Research – The art of guessing what people Google at 2am.
Keyword Research: How to Stop Guessing and Start Targeting
Finding the right keywords isn't mystical, and it doesn't require a séance with "the algorithm". It's simply learning how your audience thinks, then meeting them where they already are - on Google, typing with mild frustration. Do this well and you don't just get "traffic"; you get the right visitors landing on the right pages with intent to act.
Let's make keyword research useful (and yes, occasionally enjoyable).
What Exactly Is Keyword Research?
It's the process of discovering the terms and questions your audience actually uses so you can organise content around them. Good research improves visibility, attracts qualified visitors, and - if you're not sabotaging yourself elsewhere - leads and sales.
Translation: keywords are not magic spells; they're evidence of demand.
Start with Your Audience (and Their Intent)
Before you open any tool, answer three plain questions:
Who's searching?
What problem are they trying to solve right now?
What outcome would make them click, stay, and not bounce in 0.7 seconds?
Map those answers to search intent:
Informational: "how to fix…", "what is…"
Comparative/Commercial: "best…", "X vs Y", "reviews"
Transactional: "buy…", "pricing", "near me"
Local: "plumber gold coast", "physio melbourne cbd"
Troubleshooting: "won't start", "error code 43"
If your page doesn't match the intent on the live SERP, you're swimming upstream.
Where to Find Real Keywords (Hint: Not Just in Tools)
Start with sources closest to your customers:
Google Search Console: Queries you already appear for (gold for quick wins).
On‑site search logs: What visitors type when your IA fails them.
Support emails & sales calls: The phrases people actually say.
Competitor sitemaps & top pages: What they've decided is worth targeting.
The SERP itself: Autocomplete, People Also Ask, Related Searches, "Others want to know".
Forums & reviews: Whirlpool, ProductReview.com.au, Reddit - unfiltered language you can't make up.
Tools are there to scale your list, not replace your brain.
Tools That Help (and What to Use Them For)
Google Ads Keyword Planner: Seed ideas, volume ranges, related terms.
Google Search Console: Performance by query/page, cannibalisation clues, CTR issues.
Google Trends: Seasonality and whether a topic's rising or cooked.
Ahrefs or Semrush or Moz: Volume estimates, difficulty, competitor keywords, SERP features.
AlsoAsked or AnswerThePublic: Question mining for informational content.
Use two or three; chasing a "perfect number" across ten tools is a hobby, not a strategy.
Get Creative with Modifiers (Because People Don't Search Like Robots)
People search with context. Layer modifiers to reflect that context:
Problem: "for plantar fasciitis", "for flat feet"
Use case: "for tradies", "for toddlers", "for home offices"
Stage: "beginner", "advanced", "2025"
Format: "template", "checklist", "examples"
Local: "brisbane", "sydney north shore", "near me"
Constraints: "on a budget", "without code", "in 10 minutes"
Example (AU context): Instead of "kids helmet", think "best toddler bike helmet australia", "kids helmet sizing guide cm", "qld bike helmet laws".
Narrow the List Without Nuking the Good Stuff
Score candidates on five axes:
Relevance: Does this belong on your site? (0–3)
Business value: If it ranks, does it move revenue or a key action? (0–3)
Intent alignment: Can you satisfy the searcher's "job to be done"? (0–3)
Click potential: Is the SERP clogged with ads/maps/answer boxes? (0–3)
Difficulty vs. capability: Can you realistically outrank what's there? (0–3)
Keep some low‑volume, high‑intent terms. Australia's market is smaller; "zero‑volume" keywords in tools still convert in real life.
Cluster and Map (So You Don't Compete with Yourself)
Group keywords by topic and intent, then assign one primary keyword per page with supporting variants.
Example cluster (for a kids' bike accessory brand):
Hub page: "toddler bike push handle" (primary) * Spoke 1 (how‑to): "how to teach a toddler to ride a bike" * Spoke 2 (comparison): "balance bike vs training wheels" * Spoke 3 (sizing): "kids bike size chart cm" * Spoke 4 (safety AU): "australian bike helmet laws for kids"
Link the spokes to the hub (and each other where relevant). That's authority building without the LinkedIn sermon.
Implementation: Where Keywords Actually Go
Title tag: Front‑load the primary term and the outcome. Keep it readable.
H1: Aligns with the title but doesn't need to clone it.
Intro: State the problem and outcome in normal human language.
Subheadings: Use variants that map to sections users care about.
Body copy: Answer the intent thoroughly; cover entities and synonyms naturally.
URL slug: Short, descriptive, hyphenated:
/kids-bike-size-chart/Alt text: Describe the image; don't stuff.
Internal links: Descriptive anchors to relevant pages (not "learn more").
Schema: Product, FAQ, HowTo where appropriate - helps the right snippet, not a ranking cheat code.
Australian English, please. Optimise, prioritise, centre, favourite. If your title reads like it was translated by a toaster, fix it.
Local & Seasonal Considerations (AU Reality Check)
Local intent: Suburb and region modifiers matter (e.g., "roof repair western sydney").
Seasonality: Southern hemisphere seasons exist - plan content for summer in Dec–Feb, EOFY in June, Boxing Day sales in December.
Units & context: Use metric (cm, kg) and AU standards/regulations where relevant.
Common Mistakes (Seen Too Often)
Chasing head terms with no chance of winning while ignoring long‑tail layups.
Writing what you want to say, not what the SERP proves people want to find.
Keyword stuffing like it's 2007.
Cannibalising yourself with five pages targeting the same thing.
Copying competitor keywords without checking business value or intent.
Treating tools as truth instead of noisy estimates.
Ignoring click potential when SERP features bulldoze organic CTR.
A Workflow You Can Repeat
Collect seeds from GSC, site search, customer comms.
Expand with a tool or two; pull in questions and modifiers.
Qualify using relevance, value, intent, click potential, difficulty.
Cluster by topic; assign one primary term per page.
Map clusters to your IA (hub/spoke).
Create the best result for the intent (not the longest).
Measure in Search Console: queries, CTR, cannibalisation.
Iterate titles/meta, add FAQs, build internal links, prune duplicates.
Minimal Example: From Mess to Map
Bad:
"Kids helmets" (blog)
"Kids bike helmets Australia" (blog)
"Helmet sizing" (random page) All competing, none ranking.
Better mapping:
/kids-bike-helmets/ - Hub or category (primary: "kids bike helmets australia")
/kids-bike-helmet-size-guide/ - Guide (primary: "kids helmet sizing cm")
/best-kids-bike-helmets-2025/ - Listicle (primary: "best kids bike helmets 2025")
/bike-helmet-laws-australia/ - Compliance (primary: "australian bike helmet laws")
Clear purpose, zero cannibalisation, sensible internal links.
Quick Checklist
Audience and intent defined (not guessed).
Seed + expand from real sources and one or two tools.
Keep some low‑volume, high‑intent terms (this is Australia).
One primary keyword per page; cluster the rest.
Title/H1/URL aligned; no duplication across pages.
Internal links with descriptive anchors.
Measure and iterate in Search Console.
Useful Resources
HubSpot: How to Do Keyword Research - https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-do-keyword-research-ht
Neil Patel: Ultimate Keyword Research Guide - https://neilpatel.com/blog/keyword-research/
Google Search Central: How Search Works - https://developers.google.com/search