Why Is Keyword Research Important?
The words typed into search engines are “keywords.”
Some keywords are searched for lots, others are not. Some keywords are easier to rank for than others. The keywords you think your customers use to find you may be very different in reality, never make assumptions.
If you optimise your website for the wrong keywords then you may attract few visitors, the wrong sort of visitors or both. You can build a solid foundation for your SEO campaign with some basic keyword research to make sure you’re aiming at the right target.
Finding the keywords that will bring relevant traffic to your website AND you can rank for is the gold dust you are looking for.
Why Keyword Research Is Still Crucial in 2025
Today, keyword research is not just about identifying popular search terms. Modern search engines focus on understanding searcher intent and semantic context. Users now type conversational queries, use voice search, and expect answers that go beyond a single keyword. This means you must think in terms of topics and clusters rather than isolated words as well as ensuring your content meets today’s high standards of EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
In the past, you could rely on exact-match keywords to drive traffic. Now, search engines have grown smarter and use natural language processing to interpret meaning. Instead of just targeting a single phrase, you need to build content around concepts. For example, rather than simply aiming for a generic term like “restaurant in Bicester,” consider targeting phrases that reflect a specific dining experience such as “fish restaurant in Bicester with sea bream on the menu” (we should be so lucky!). This approach not only reduces competition but also aligns your content with user intent.
Don’t just take our word for it. Browse one of our content writing case studies and see what we could be doing for you. We’ve worked across many sectors with businesses and charities of all sizes. We have experience that will benefit you.
Data-Driven Insights
Modern keyword research tools provide more than just search volume figures. They offer insights into keyword difficulty, user intent, and related terms that form semantic clusters. Leveraging tools like Ubersuggest and Google Keyword Planner alongside advanced analytics platforms gives you a clear picture of what your audience is really looking for. You can identify gaps in the market, forecast seasonal trends, and even uncover emerging topics that your competitors have yet to address.
You should also brainstorm keywords with your management, employees and customers/clients. Capture an initial list of topics you can explore further. You may be surprised by the results e.g. who knew that more people search for “Keyword researcher in Bicester” rather than, “Keyword research Oxfordshire.”
Never jump to conclusions and challenge senior leadership where necessary e.g. assumptions are made and your content plan prescribed. You may be missing out on hundreds of other relevant search terms you haven’t even considered.
The Role of User Experience
The digital landscape now places a higher emphasis on user experience. A page optimised for the right keywords will also address the needs and questions of its visitors. Quality content that demonstrates expertise and trustworthiness can boost both rankings and engagement. By focusing on comprehensive content that answers user queries thoroughly, you create multiple opportunities for your site to appear in search results.
Continuous Adaptation
Keyword research in 2025 is an ongoing process. Trends shift, consumer behavior evolves, and search engines update their algorithms frequently. Successful SEO campaigns require a commitment to continuous learning and adjustment. Regularly reviewing your analytics and staying updated with industry trends ensures your keyword strategy remains effective and relevant.
How To Do Keyword Research?
Before we get to the volume and competitor metrics available in the Google AdWords Keyword Planner, there are three other important sources of keywords to investigate:
Google Analytics
After coming up with your initial list you should then use your Google Search Console reports to see which keywords your website is already getting found for. Again, you’ll be surprised by a few and inspired to research in other directions as well.
Google Search
Next, head to Google and do a search for one of your keyword terms. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see ‘related searches’. You may want to add these terms to your list.
Competitors
Pausing for a moment, your overall aim is more than likely to rank ahead of your competitors. Are they at the top of Google for a reason? Have they already done their keyword research? Copy their URL and then have a look at the information available from tools such as Semrush for clues as to what search terms they are targeting.
You may discover new terms worth targeting, be surprised at terms they’ve missed completely (an opportunity) or at the very least, start to realise that you’re going to either need a big budget to compete with a global mega company or, more likely you will be able to find profit in a niche.
Google Ads Keyword Planner
Keyword Planner is Google’s own free tool. It was originally designed to help find relevant keywords for PPC (Pay Per Click or adwords) campaigns. The tool however is also useful to analyse the keywords you have on your list of potential terms and phrases to target.
Google Ads Keyword Planner makes a lot of historical traffic volume data available. You can use this to eliminate words from your list that have very few people actually searching for them. It can also forecast how search volumes will change over time allowing you to get in early on an upwards trend.
To use the tool you will need an account (you can sign up here). Navigate to the “Tools & Settings” menu and select “Keyword Planner” under the “Planning” section. Don’t forget to filter your searches to relate to the UK only or the search volumes shown will be much higher. When determining volume for a particular keyword, be sure to set the Match Type to [Exact] and look under Local Monthly Searches. Depending on your eventual ranking and click-through rate, the actual number of visitors you achieve for these keywords will usually be much lower.
Analysing The Results
On the Keyword Ideas tab the results will be displayed like this:
Key Features
Keyword Suggestions: Generate lists of related terms pertinent to your business.
Search Volume Estimates: View approximate ranges for monthly searches, aiding in prioritizing target keywords.
Geographic Targeting: Filter keywords by location to ensure relevance to your audience.
Competition Analysis: Assess how competitive a keyword is in Google Ads, providing insight into the difficulty of ranking for specific terms.
Recent Updates
In recent years, Google has enhanced the Keyword Planner with features like 12-month click trend data and improved interface filters. These updates aim to provide more precise and actionable data for users. It’s important to note that while the tool offers valuable insights, the search volume data is often presented in broad ranges, which may require supplementary tools for more granular analysis.
Best Practices
Exact Match Type: When analyzing search volumes, set the match type to “Exact” to obtain data specific to the keyword of interest.
Local Monthly Searches: Focus on local search data, especially if your business targets a specific geographic area.
Trend Analysis: Utilize the trend feature to identify seasonal variations and adjust your strategies accordingly.
By effectively leveraging the Google Ads Keyword Planner, you can identify new keyword opportunities, assess search volume and competition, and develop a robust SEO strategy tailored to your target audience.
Head, Body & Long Tail Keywords
A general rule is that the value is in the long tail. Let me explain.
Head keywords are at the most just two words long. They are incredibly hard to rank for and also don’t convert well so they would very rarely be top of our list when deciding what to rank for.
Much more productive are the keywords in the ‘Body’ where there is search volume and buyer intent but also some competition to beat. An added bonus of trying to rank for these search terms is that, with enough well written content that matches the search intent, you can also rank for a lot of closely related long tail keywords as well.
Some phrases in the long tail keywords section are completely new and very difficult to predict indeed. 15% of all long tail searches have never been done before!
Understanding the Long Tail of Keyword Demand
A real world example best illustrates the buying intent of people searching in the long tail.
You might think that it would be great to rank number one on Google for the words, “Business books,” but would it? It’s a vague search that would often be made in an attempt to understand what’s out there, what’s any good and what’s available to buy. A lot of these books are aimed at students and our mythical searcher is a director in his business. What’s more he is the director of a technology company and he wants a book aimed directly at his needs. By the time he searches for “Recommended business books for directors of technology companies” he practically has his wallet out and is ready to buy.
Understanding the search demand curve is critical. Understanding the intent of the people doing the searches is even more important and will be the subject of our next blog.
For help with your keyword research, talk to us now.
Demonstrated Expertise
We have successfully completed keyword research for many businesses and charities helping them to improve their content strategies, attract more customers, and increase engagement. Take a look at our case study here to see the impact our writing advice had for Brain Tumour Research, helping them to raise money for their vital cause.
