Keyword Research

Keyword research is the foundational SEO practice of identifying the specific words and phrases people type into search engines when looking for information related to your business. It involves analyzing search volume, competition, intent, and relevance to prioritize which terms to target in your content strategy.

Modern keyword research extends beyond traditional search to include AI query analysis — understanding how people phrase questions to AI chatbots and answer engines. AI queries tend to be more conversational, longer, and more specific than traditional search queries.

Effective keyword research tools include Ahrefs, SEMrush, Google Keyword Planner, and Google Search Console. The process involves seed keyword generation, competitive gap analysis, intent classification, and prioritization based on traffic potential, business value, and ranking difficulty.