You’re a creator, full of great ideas for your WordPress blog. You spend hours writing a fantastic, in-depth article, pour your heart into it, hit “Publish,” and then… crickets. The traffic you dreamed of never arrives, and your content feels like it’s floating in the vast ocean of the internet with no one to find it.
This is the frustrating reality of “writing in the dark.” Without understanding what your audience is actually searching for, you’re just guessing. You might be creating the most brilliant and helpful answer to a question that nobody is asking.
Keyword research is the process of turning that guess into a winning strategy. It’s the art and science of finding the exact words and phrases your ideal audience is typing into Google. It allows you to create content that perfectly matches their needs, solving their problems and answering their questions.
This guide will teach you how to do keyword research for your blog. We’ll provide a simple, repeatable, step-by-step process that will ensure every piece of content you create has a built-in audience waiting for it.
Table of Contents
Keyword Research 101: The Core Concepts
Before we jump into the process, let’s quickly cover a few foundational ideas. Understanding these concepts is the key to effective keyword research.
What is a Keyword?
A keyword isn’t just a single word. It’s any word or, more commonly, a phrase that someone types into a search engine. “Coffee” is a keyword, but so is “how to make iced coffee without a machine.”
Short-Tail vs. Long-Tail Keywords (The Beginner’s Secret Weapon)
This is the most important concept for a new blogger to grasp.
- Short-Tail Keywords: These are broad, one or two-word phrases (e.g.,
shoes,marketing). Think of trying to rank for these as shouting in a crowded stadium. The search volume is massive, but the competition from major brands is so intense that it’s virtually impossible for a new blog to get noticed. - Long-Tail Keywords: These are longer, more specific phrases of three or more words, often in the form of a question (e.g.,
best waterproof trail running shoes for men). Think of these as having a direct, specific conversation. The search volume is much lower, but the person searching knows exactly what they want, and the competition is far less fierce.
As a new blogger, you must focus on long-tail keywords. This is how you will win your first visitors and build momentum.
Understanding Search Intent (The “Why” Behind the Search)
Search intent is the most critical concept in all of SEO. It’s the goal a user has when they type a query. You must create content that matches this intent. There are four main types:
- Informational: The user wants to learn something (e.g., “what is seo,” “how to bake bread”). Most blog posts target this intent.
- Navigational: The user wants to go to a specific website (e.g., “facebook login,” “youtube”).
- Commercial: The user is researching before a potential purchase (e.g., “best wordpress themes,” “astra vs kadence review”).
- Transactional: The user is ready to buy something (e.g., “buy nike air max,” “elementor pro discount”).
If someone searches for “best wordpress themes,” they want to see a list or a comparison, not a history of WordPress. Matching your content to the searcher’s intent is non-negotiable.
The Step-by-Step Keyword Research Process
Now, let’s get into the actionable workflow.
Step 1: Brainstorm Your “Seed” Topics
Before you even touch an SEO tool, start with what you know. What are the main topics, themes, or “buckets” of content for your blog? Don’t think about specific keywords yet, just broad categories.
For a cooking blog, your seed topics might be:
- Baking recipes
- Healthy eating
- Kitchen tools
- Meal prep ideas
These seed topics are your starting point for the next step.
Step 2: Find Keyword Ideas (The “Mining” Phase)
Now we’ll take our seed topics and use them to find hundreds of potential long-tail keyword ideas.
- Technique A: Use Google ItselfGoogle is your best friend. Type one of your seed topics into the search bar and see what the Autocomplete feature suggests. These are popular things real people are searching for. Then, hit search and scroll to the bottom of the page to find the “Related searches” section for even more ideas.
- Technique B: Mine the “People Also Ask” (PAA) BoxThis is a goldmine. For many searches, Google will display a box of related questions. Each one of these questions is a proven, long-tail keyword that you can target with a blog post. Clicking on a question will reveal more related questions, allowing you to go down a rabbit hole of content ideas.
- Technique C: Use Free Keyword ToolsThere are many great free tools to expand your list. One of the best is AnswerThePublic. You enter a seed topic, and it generates a visual map of hundreds of questions and comparisons related to your topic.
Step 3: Analyze Your Keywords and Choose the Winners
By now, you should have a big list of potential keyword ideas. It’s time to analyze them to find the true gems. To do this, we need to look at two important metrics.
- Search Volume: How many people (on average) search for this keyword per month? A higher volume is nice, but for a new blog, even a keyword with a monthly search volume of 50-100 can be incredibly valuable if the intent is right.
- Keyword Difficulty (KD): How hard will it be to rank on the first page of Google for this keyword? This is often a score from 0-100. As a beginner, your goal is to find keywords with a low difficulty score.
The best tools for finding this data are premium tools like Ahrefs or Semrush. However, you can get a good start with free tools like the Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator, which will give you a difficulty score for your keywords.
Your goal is to find the sweet spot: a keyword with a reasonable search volume and a low difficulty score.
Step 4: Manually Check the Search Intent
This is a crucial step that many people skip. Before you commit to writing an article, you must manually check the search results.
Type your chosen keyword into Google and look carefully at the top 10 results. Ask yourself:
- What kind of content is ranking? Are they blog posts, product pages, videos, or forum discussions?
- What format are the blog posts in? Are they “how-to” guides, listicles (“10 Best…”), comparison posts, or opinion pieces?
The results on the first page are exactly what Google has determined its users want to see for that query. If the entire first page is made up of video results, you’ll have a hard time ranking with a blog post. If they are all listicles, you should probably create a listicle. Match the intent and format that is already winning.
Part 3: How to Use Your Keyword in Your Blog Post
You’ve chosen the perfect keyword. Now, how do you use it?
The Golden Rule: Write for Humans, Not for Robots.
Your keyword is your guide, but your primary focus should always be on creating the best, most helpful, and most interesting piece of content for your human reader. The keywords should fit into your writing naturally, not be forced in.
Here are the key places to include your primary keyword:
- SEO Title: This is the most important place. Try to include it near the beginning.
- Permalink (URL): Your URL should be short and contain the keyword (e.g.,
.../how-to-do-keyword-research). - Meta Description: Include it once in the summary that appears in search results.
- Introduction: Mention it naturally within the first 100-150 words.
- Subheadings (H2, H3): Include your keyword or a close variation in at least one or two subheadings.
- Image Alt Text: If you have a relevant image, use the keyword in its alt text.
Conclusion: From Guesswork to Strategy
Keyword research is the process of transforming your blog from a personal diary into a strategic content platform. It removes the guesswork and ensures that every article you write has the potential to attract an audience.
You no longer have to write in the dark. You now have a repeatable process to find the topics your audience is actively searching for, analyze the competition, and create content that is perfectly aligned with what they need. This is the true foundation of a successful SEO strategy and a thriving blog.