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GuideSEO

Keyword research

How to do keyword research that leads to decisions: what your customers search for, which keywords are worth pursuing and which page should appear for each search. Step by step, with tools and examples.

Philip Larsson

Reviewed by Philip Larsson

Web and SEO specialist at Skale9 min readUpdated

Short answer

Keyword research is a review of what your customers search for on Google and which page on your site should appear for each search. It takes four steps: find the keywords, sort them by search intent, prioritise them by business value and map each group to a page.

What is keyword research?

Keyword research is a review of what your customers type into Google, and which of your pages should appear when they do. It’s sometimes called keyword analysis.

For example: if someone searches ”vad kostar seo” (how much does SEO cost), they should land on your pricing guide, not your homepage. If they search ”seo-byrå halmstad”, they should land on the page about your service in Halmstad. The research does the same for every search that matters to you.

Keyword research is the foundation of all SEO work. For the bigger picture, read our SEO guide.

How to do keyword research, step by step

It takes four steps. The rest of the guide goes through them one at a time.

  1. FindCollect keywords from several sources.
  2. SortGroup them by what the searcher wants.
  3. PrioritiseChoose what’s worth something.
  4. MapGive each group a page.

Step 1: Find the keywords

Start broad. Use several sources, because each one only shows part of what your customers search for.

Your servicesStart with what you sell and the problems your customers have.
Search ConsoleSearches you already appear for, with position and clicks.
Keyword PlannerApproximate search volume and related keywords.
CompetitorsWhat they rank for that you should appear for too.
Google’s suggestionsAutocomplete and ”People also ask” show how people actually phrase things.
Customers and salesThe words customers use in calls and emails.

If your site already exists, start in Search ConsoleGlossarySearch ConsoleGoogle's free tool that shows what your site appears for, with position and clicks.Read more in the glossary. It shows what Google already associates you with.

Keyword research tools

You don’t need expensive tools to get started. Most of it can be done with Google’s own tools, which are free.

Google Search ConsoleFreeWhat your site already appears for, with position and clicks. The most important tool if your site exists.
Google Keyword PlannerFreeApproximate search volume and new keywords. Requires a Google Ads account, and without active ads volumes are often shown as ranges.
Google TrendsFreeHow interest in a search varies over the year and between regions.
Google’s search boxFreeAutocomplete and ”People also ask” show how people actually phrase things.
Paid tools, such as Ahrefs and SemrushPaidCompetitors’ keywords, difficulty and gaps, at scale.

The numbers in every tool are estimates. Use them to compare keywords with each other, not as exact answers.

Deep diveGetting the most from each source
  • Your services: write down everything you sell, and the problems customers have before they know what the solution is called.
  • Search Console: the Search results report shows the searches you appear for. Look for searches where you appear often but rarely get clicks.
  • Keyword Planner: built for ads, so ”competition” there means competition for ad slots, not for the regular search results. Read more in How does Google Ads work?
  • Competitors: filter hard. They may sell different things from you, or rank for their own name.
  • Customers and sales: the words in quote requests and emails are often different from the ones you use yourselves.

Done when: you have a long list of keywords from at least three sources. Don’t sort anything yet.

Step 2: Sort by search intent

The same words can mean different things. ”SEO” can mean someone wants to understand what it is, or that someone is looking for an agency. This is called search intentGlossarySearch intentWhat the searcher wants: to learn, compare, buy or find a specific company.Read more in the glossary, and it’s the intent, not the keyword, that decides what kind of page should rank.

The searcher

Wants to learn or understand something.

vad är en sökordsanalyshur fungerar seo
The page that should rank
Guide or article

Look at the Google search results. They show what kind of page Google thinks answers best.

How to read search intent in Google

Search yourselves and look at the first page. Mostly guides means searchers want to learn. Mostly service pages means they’re comparing or want to buy. A map with businesses means the search is local, and then you need a local page and a Google Business Profile.

Group keywords into clusters

KeywordsGlossaryKeywordThe word or phrase you want your ad to show for.Read more in the glossary with the same search intent belong together, even if the words differ. A group like this is called a clusterGlossaryClusterA group of keywords with the same search intent, which should share a page.Read more in the glossary. Not sure? Search for both keywords: if Google shows largely the same pages, they belong together.

Cluster 1SEO pricing
vad kostar seoseo prisseo kostnadseo-byrå pris
Cluster 2Technical SEO
teknisk seocore web vitalssidhastighet google
Cluster 3Local SEO
seo-byrå halmstadseo halmstadsökmotoroptimering halmstad

Done when: every keyword sits in a cluster, and you know what kind of page each cluster needs.

Step 3: Prioritise the keywords

Now it’s time to choose. It’s easy to chase high search volumeGlossarySearch volumeRoughly how many times a month a keyword is searched for.Read more in the glossary, but volume isn’t the same as business.

Search volume isn’t the same as business

Keyword A

”seo”

Searches per month2,000
Share who click through to you2%
Share who become an enquiry0.5%
Enquiries0.2
Keyword B

”seo-byrå halmstad”

Searches per month100
Share who click through to you25%
Share who become an enquiry8%
Enquiries2

Worked example. A narrower keyword with clear buying intent can bring ten times more enquiries than a broad one.

Test a keyword

Weigh three things against each other: how close to a purchase the search is, how close to page 1 you already are, and how tough the competition is.

Test a keyword
Business value: how close to a purchase is the search?
Current position
Competition in the search results
Assessment

Prioritise now

High value and you’re already close. This is where the work pays off fastest.

A simplified model. It doesn’t replace a real analysis, but it shows how we think.

Deep diveFive questions to ask about every keyword
  1. Which business goal does the search support? Can it lead to an enquiry, a sale or a booking? If not, cut it.
  2. Does the site already have a foothold? Pages in positions 8–20 are often the quickest wins.
  3. What do the search results look like? Big chains, public authorities and sites with lots of links are hard to beat.
  4. How much work does it take? A new title takes minutes, a new guide takes days and links from other sites can take months.
  5. Is the volume misleading? Small, local searches often show as zero in the tools even though they exist. Here’s how we handle them as an SEO agency in Halmstad.

Done when: every cluster is marked now, later or never.

Step 4: Map each cluster to a page

The last step is called keyword mappingGlossaryKeyword mappingAssigning each cluster to a specific URL on your site.Read more in the glossary: each cluster gets a page that’s responsible for it, and each page gets its own cluster. The clusters from step 2 become:

vad kostar seoseo prisseo kostnadseo-byrå pris
A pricing guide/en/insights/seo/how-much-does-seo-cost/
teknisk seocore web vitalssidhastighet google
A guide to technical SEO/en/insights/seo/technical-seo/
seo-byrå halmstadseo halmstadsökmotoroptimering halmstad
A local service page/seo-byra-halmstad/

For each cluster there are four possible decisions. The most common is to improve a page that already exists.

1

Improve an existing page

When you already have a page that answers the question, but it ranks too low.

Most common and usually fastest
2

Create a new page

When an important search intent has no page at all.

Only when the need is clear
3

Merge pages

When two or more pages compete for the same searches.

With a 301 from the page you remove
4

No page at all

When the keyword doesn’t lead to business, or is already covered by another page.

That’s a decision too

Keyword cannibalisation: when two pages compete for the same search

If two of your pages have the same search intent, they compete with each other. This is called keyword cannibalisationGlossaryKeyword cannibalisationWhen several of your own pages compete for the same search.Read more in the glossary, and neither ranks as well as it could.

Example: same search, two pages/seo//seo-for-foretag/
The pages take turns appearing, and neither reaches the top. In Search Console it looks like the URLs swap places from week to week.
Deep diveHow to find and fix cannibalisation
  • Signs: different URLs swap places for the same search in Search Console, or two pages get stuck on page 2 for the same search.
  • Not always a problem: a guide and a service page can appear for the same words if they answer different questions.
  • Fix: make the pages’ roles clear, link internally to the main page, or merge the pages with a 301 redirect.

Content gap: when a page is missing

A content gapGlossaryContent gapA search where your competitors appear but you don't.Read more in the glossary is a search where your competitors appear but you don’t. First check whether an existing page just needs to be better. Only what has business value and no page becomes a new page.

Done when: every cluster has a URL and an action. That’s your keyword research.

Already have a site? Start here

The fastest route to better rankings almost always goes through what you already have. Your own data in Search Console carries more weight than the tools’ estimates. Tick off:

Already have a site? Start here0 of 5 done
Example from a case study

Kamin & Skorstensskyddaren

We build SEO work on the searches that lead to business, and on what the site already ranks for.

Read the case
8.2Average position on Google, from 13.0
Top 3for ”skorstenshuv”, their most important keyword
Source: Google Search Console, July–October 2026.

Keyword research is the first step in our SEO work. Want to know where you stand today? Get in touch and we’ll go through your keywords and show you where the quickest wins are.

Key takeaways

1

Every keyword should end in a decision, not a spreadsheet.

2

Search intent decides the page. Volume doesn’t decide the value.

3

Start with what you already rank for in positions 8–20.

Terms in this article

Full glossary
Keyword
The words someone types into Google to find something.
Search intent
What the searcher wants: to learn, compare, buy or find a specific company.
Search volume
Roughly how many times a month a keyword is searched for.
Cluster
A group of keywords with the same search intent, which should share a page.
Keyword mapping
Assigning each cluster to a specific URL on your site.
Keyword cannibalisation
When several of your own pages compete for the same search.
Content gap
A search where your competitors appear but you don’t.
Search Console
Google’s free tool that shows what your site appears for, with position and clicks.

Frequently asked questions

What many people ask.

What is keyword research?

A review of what your customers search for on Google, and a decision about which page should appear for each search.

What is a keyword?

The words someone types into Google. A keyword can be a single word, like "seo", or a whole question, like "how do you do keyword research".

How do you do keyword research?

Collect keywords from several sources, sort them by search intent, prioritise them by business value and current position, and map each group to a page.

What tools do you need for keyword research?

Google's free tools go a long way: Search Console, Keyword Planner, Google Trends and the search box itself. Paid tools make it quicker to analyse competitors.

How do you know which keywords are best?

The best keywords are close to a purchase, fit what you sell and are realistic to rank for. They're often smaller keywords than you'd think.

Does every keyword need its own page?

No. Keywords with the same search intent should share a page. Otherwise the pages compete with each other.

How often should you do keyword research?

A bigger review once or twice a year, and a quick check in Search Console every month.

Read more

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