Keyword Research for Beginners: A Simple 4-Step Guide
- Elisha Bearam
- Sep 22
- 10 min read
Disclosure: I may earn a small commission for purchases made through affiliate links in this post at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I truly believe in. Thank you for supporting my site!
Have you ever spent hours carefully crafting a blog post, hitting ‘publish’ with a surge of excitement, only to be met with… silence? A trickle of traffic. A handful of views.
It’s frustrating, right? You know you have valuable knowledge to share, but it feels like you’re speaking into a void.
What if you could flip the script? What if, instead of guessing what to write about, you could know exactly what your ideal reader is typing into Google at this very moment?
That’s the power of keyword research for beginners.
This isn’t about manipulating search engines with technical tricks. It’s about understanding your audience on a deeper level. It’s the foundational skill that transforms your blog from a hidden journal into a vibrant, sought-after resource.
In this keyword research tutorial, we’ll walk through everything you need to go from confused to confident, with a simple, actionable process you can start today.
Let’s turn that frustration into a flood of targeted traffic.
What is Keyword Research?
Let’s strip away the techy-sounding phrase. At its heart, keyword research is simply the process of discovering the actual words and phrases people use to search for information, products, or services online.
Think of it like this: Imagine you could be a fly on the wall in a coffee shop, listening to conversations between people who are your perfect future readers or customers.
You’d hear their problems, their questions, and the exact language they use. Keyword research is that fly-on-the-wall superpower.
It allows you to listen in on millions of these “conversations” happening on Google every day.
To get started, you only need to understand a few simple terms:
Keyword: This is the search term itself. It can be a single word (“budgeting”) or, more commonly, a phrase (“how to create a monthly budget for a family”). These are often called “keyphrases.”
Search Intent: This is the goal behind the search. Why is the person typing this in? Do they want to learn, to buy, or to find a specific website? Understanding intent is everything, and we’ll dive deeper into it soon.
Search Volume: This is a number that estimates how many people search for that specific keyword each month. It tells you how popular a topic is.
Keyword Difficulty: This is a score (usually from 0 to 100) that estimates how hard it would be to rank on the first page of Google for that term. A high score means there’s a lot of competition.
Why Keyword Research is Your Secret Weapon for Online Income
If you’re looking to build a sustainable online income, whether through affiliate marketing, selling digital products, or offering services, keyword research is your non-negotiable first step.
Here’s why it’s such a game-changer.
1. Attracts the Right Audience
Writing without keyword research is like shouting, “I have great advice!” in a crowded, noisy mall. You might get a few curious glances, but most people will walk on by.
Keyword research allows you to walk up to a specific person who is actively asking, “Can you help me plan a weekly meal budget?” and say, “Yes, I can.”
This leads to readers who are genuinely interested in what you offer, which builds trust and community from day one.
2. Drives Consistent, Passive Traffic
The beauty of ranking for a keyword is that it works for you 24/7. Unlike social media, where your post has a short lifespan, a well-optimized blog post can sit on Google’s first page and bring you free, targeted traffic day after day, month after month.
It’s the engine of passive income.
3. Generates Content Ideas Endlessly
Writer’s block? Not anymore. A single beginner keyword research session can provide you with a year’s worth of proven topics.
You’ll never have to stare at a blank screen again, wondering what to write about. The data tells you exactly what your audience is craving.
4. Fuels Your Monetization Strategy
This is crucial. By researching keywords, you can intentionally find terms that align with how you plan to make money.
For example, you can find keywords like “best budget planner for moms” (perfect for affiliate marketing) or “how to create a sellable digital printable” (perfect for promoting your own course or product).
This ensures your content is not just popular, but profitable from the very beginning.
Understanding Search Intent: The Most Important Concept
You can find a keyword with great volume and low difficulty, but if you misunderstand the searcher’s goal, your content will fail.
Search intent is the “why” behind the search, and it’s more important than the keyword itself. Your job is to create content that perfectly satisfies that intent.
There are three main types of search intent you need to know:
Informational Intent: The user wants to learn or find an answer. They are at the top of the funnel.
Examples: “what is minimalism?”, “how to start a vegetable garden,” “benefits of morning routines.”
Your Content Goal: Create a blog post, guide, or video that answers the question clearly and thoroughly.
Commercial Intent: The user is researching and comparing options. They are considering a purchase but aren’t ready to buy yet.
Examples: “best vacuum cleaners for pet hair,” “Blogger vs WordPress 2024,” “reviews of Stitch Fix.”
Your Content Goal: Create comparison articles, “best of” lists, and in-depth reviews that help them make a decision.
Transactional Intent: The user is ready to buy or take a specific action. They are at the bottom of the funnel.
Examples: “buy Instant Pot Duo on sale,” “download free budget template,” “sign up for Canva Pro.”
Your Content Goal: Create product pages, sales pages, or content with clear calls-to-action to purchase or sign up.
Practical Tip: Before you write a single word, type your target keyword into Google and look at the top results. What kind of pages are ranking?
Are they all blog posts (informational)? Are they product pages (transactional)? This is Google telling you exactly what searchers expect to find.
Then, you can craft your post to match. Once you understand intent, the next step is learning how to structure that knowledge into SEO-friendly posts that Google loves to rank.
How to Do Keyword Research: A Beginner-Friendly, 4-Step Process
Ready to get your hands dirty? This simple, four-step framework will take you from a blank page to a list of powerful keywords you can start writing about.
Step 1: Brainstorm Your Seed Topics
Start broad. What are the big, general topics you want to be known for? These are your “seed” topics. They should be closely tied to your expertise, your passions, and your profitable blog niche.
Ask yourself:
What problems does my ideal reader have?
What questions do I frequently get asked?
How do I plan to make money? (e.g., affiliate marketing for kitchen gadgets, selling knitting patterns, coaching services for new managers).
Example Seed Topics for a Budgeting Blog:
Meal Planning
Saving Money
Side Hustles
Debt Payoff
Family Budget
Step 2: Use Free Tools to Find Keyword Ideas
Now, take each seed topic and feed it into tools to uncover hundreds of specific keyword phrases.
Google’s Free Features:
Autocomplete: Start typing your seed topic into Google. The suggestions that pop up are all real searches. For “meal planning,” you might see “meal planning for beginners,” “meal planning on a budget,” etc.
People Also Ask: Scroll down on the search results page. This box is a goldmine of related questions your audience is asking.
Free Keyword Tools:
AnswerThePublic: This fantastic visual tool takes a seed word and generates a massive list of questions, prepositions, and comparisons. It’s perfect for understanding the full scope of what people are curious about.
Google Keyword Planner: Primarily for advertisers, but it’s free to use. It provides search volume data and keyword ideas. You need a Google Ads account, but you don’t have to run ads.
Ubersuggest: The free version allows a few searches per day and gives you keyword ideas, volume, and difficulty scores. It’s a great starting point.
Step 3: Analyze and Choose the Right Keywords (The “Goldilocks” Principle)
You’ll now have a huge list. It’s time to be strategic and choose the best ones to target first.
Think like Goldilocks: avoid keywords that are too hot (highly competitive) or too cold (no search volume). Find the ones that are “just right.”
Too Broad (High Competition): “meal planning” (Volume: 60,500, Difficulty: High)
Why avoid it? Every big site is competing for this. As a new blog, you’ll get buried.
Too Narrow (No Search Volume): “meal planning for families of four with a peanut allergy” (Volume: 10, Difficulty: Low)
Why avoid it? Almost no one is searching for it.
Just Right (The Sweet Spot): “easy meal planning for beginners” (Volume: 1,900, Difficulty: Medium-Low) or “cheap meal planning ideas” (Volume: 2,400, Difficulty: Medium)
Why target these? They have decent traffic potential and are specific enough that you have a real chance of ranking. These are often called “long-tail keywords” because they are longer, more specific phrases.
Your Priority: Look for keywords with a decent search volume (even 100-500 searches per month is great for a new site) and a low-to-medium keyword difficulty score.
This is how you get early wins and build momentum. A key part of choosing “just right” keywords is focusing on evergreen content—topics that remain relevant year after year, ensuring your traffic continues to grow.
Step 4: Organize Your Keywords
Don’t let your hard-won list get lost! Organization is key to turning research into a content plan.
Group by Topic: Cluster related keywords together. You might find that “easy meal planning for beginners,” “how to start meal planning,” and “simple meal planning guide” all belong to one comprehensive blog post.
Use a Spreadsheet: Create a simple Google Sheet with columns for:
Target Keyword
Search Intent (Informational, Commercial, Transactional)
Search Volume
Keyword Difficulty
Content Idea / Post Title
Status (Idea, Planned, Written, Published)
This spreadsheet becomes your content roadmap.
Essential Keyword Research Tools (Free and Paid)
You don’t need a huge budget to start. Here’s a breakdown of tools at different levels.
Free Tools for Absolute Beginners
Google Search Console: This is a must-have. Once your site is live, it shows you what keywords you are already ranking for, even if it’s on page 10. This gives you incredible insight into what Google thinks your site is about.
Google Trends: Perfect for spotting seasonal trends (e.g., “New Year’s resolution budgets” spike in January) or identifying rising topics in your industry.
Affordable Paid Tools (Worth the Investment)
As your blog grows, investing in a robust tool will save you time and provide deeper insights.
SEMrush: An industry powerhouse. It goes far beyond keyword research, allowing you to analyze your competitors’ top keywords, track your rankings, and audit your site for technical SEO issues.
Ahrefs: Similar to SEMrush, it’s known for having a massive and accurate database of keywords and backlink information.
Ubersuggest: A more affordable option from Neil Patel that provides a user-friendly interface for keyword ideas, difficulty scores, and content ideas.
Recommendation: Start with the free tools. Once you’ve published 10-15 posts and are ready to get more serious, consider upgrading to a paid tool like Ubersuggest or SEMrush.
Common Keyword Research Mistakes Beginners Make
Awareness of these pitfalls will save you months of effort.
Targeting Only High-Volume Keywords: Chasing “make money online” (Volume: 135,000) is a recipe for disappointment. The real treasure is in the long-tail, specific keywords. They convert better and are easier to rank for.
Ignoring Local Keywords: If your business or blog serves a local area, include location-based terms. “Best yoga studio in Austin” is far more valuable to a local studio owner than just “best yoga studio.”
Not Checking the Competition: Always look at who’s on page one for your target keyword. If it’s all massive, established websites like Forbes and Healthline, you might want to pick a different angle or a more specific keyword.
Keyword Stuffing: Once you have your keyword, don’t force it into your content unnaturally. Write for humans first. Use the keyword naturally in your title, headers, and a few times throughout the body. Google is smart enough to understand context.
Putting It All Together: Your First Week of Keyword Research
Let’s make this practical. Here is a simple, actionable plan for your first week.
Day 1: Brainstorm. Set a timer for 30 minutes and write down 5-10 broad seed topics for your blog.
Day 2: Explore. Pick your top 3 seed topics. Use Google Autocomplete and AnswerThePublic to generate a massive list of keyword ideas for each. Don’t filter yet—just collect.
Day 3: Analyze. Use a free tool like Ubersuggest or Google Keyword Planner to get volume and difficulty data for your list. Apply the “Goldilocks” principle. Highlight 10-15 keywords that feel achievable and relevant.
Day 4: Organize. Create your keyword spreadsheet. Group related keywords and assign each group a potential blog post title. You now have a plan for your next month of content! The final step is to plug these ideas into a content calendar to schedule your publishing and stay consistent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many keywords should I target per blog post?
A: Focus on one primary keyword per post. Then, use 2-3 closely related secondary keywords (called LSI keywords) naturally throughout the content to help Google understand the topic’s context.
Q: How often should I do keyword research?
A: Make it a regular habit. Set aside time each month to research new ideas. Also, check Google Search Console weekly to see if you’re ranking for new terms you can create more content around.
Q: Is keyword research still important with voice search?
A: More than ever! Voice searches are typically longer, more conversational phrases (e.g., “Hey Google, how do I freeze fresh basil?”).
This makes understanding long-tail keywords and question-based queries critical.
Q: What if my keyword has low search volume? Should I still write about it?
A: Sometimes, yes! If it’s a perfect fit for your audience and aligns with a product or service you offer, it can be worth it.
Low competition can mean you rank #1 easily, and even a small amount of highly targeted traffic can lead to conversions.
Q: Can I use keyword research for Pinterest or YouTube?
A: Absolutely. The principles are the same: discover what your audience is searching for on those platforms.
Use Pinterest’s search bar and YouTube’s search suggestions to find popular terms.
You Now Hold the Map to Your Audience
Keyword research is the bridge that connects your valuable expertise to the people who are actively searching for it. It turns the mystery of “what should I write?” into a clear, data-backed strategy.
You no longer have to guess. You no longer have to write into the void. You hold the map that shows you exactly where your audience is and what they need.
The first step is the simplest: just brainstorm those seed topics.
Your journey to building a blog that truly connects and generates income starts with understanding your audience's language. And now, you know exactly how to learn it.
Ready to turn your keywords into a strategic plan? Build your blueprint.
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