Beginner’s Guide to Keyword Research and Competitor Analysis; A Step-by-Step Guide for Better SEO Results

Before you even think about writing your next blog post or crafting the perfect website copy, you’ve got to nail your keyword research and competitor analysis. 

Before you roll your eyes… I get it. This stuff doesn’t exactly scream “excitement” (if you want that I suggest you go and read some Jilly Cooper) – But if you’re serious about getting your business found on Google and driving more organic traffic to your website – this is where it all starts. 

Plus I think you’ll actually enjoy it. I mean, who doesn’t want to know what their competitors are getting up to behind closed doors? I know I do!

Anyway, before you dive headfirst into this blog, I’ve got a little something for you – a FREE SEO checklist that’s going to make this, and the rest of your SEO strategy, sooooo much easier. 

It includes: 

• Service Page Wireframe: Streamline your service pages with our easy-to-follow template.
• Keyword Research Template: A one-click spreadsheet to kickstart your keyword research.
• Easy-to-Use Notion Board: Duplicate and reuse our organised notion board for all your SEO needs.
• and more…

Trust me, you’ll want this!

Now you’ve got that, let’s start with the basics…

What Is Keyword Research?

In simple terms, keyword research is figuring out what your potential customers are typing into search engines when they’re looking for products or services like yours.

But, and, this is a big BUT… those potential customers might not always know what they need (yet). 

They’re probably trying to solve a problem, and at the moment, they don’t even know your solution exists. This is why it’s really important to understand whereabouts in the buyer journey your target audience is currently at. Are they just googling the symptoms of their problem? Or do they know the solution already?

By understanding this journey and using relevant keywords, you’re putting your content in front of the right people, at the right time. 

And when you match your keywords to what people are searching for, your site ranks higher on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Keywords = Higher SERPs = More Traffic—simple!

Image sourced at Pixabay – License CC0

How To Implement Keyword Research

Let’s get one thing straight… 

KEYWORD RESEARCH IS NOT A GUESSING GAME!

You should never just assume what your ideal client is searching for. And blindly copying competitor keywords won’t get you far either (we’ll talk more about that later).

So if you’re just starting out, I’d suggest getting really niche. Your domain authority is probably fairly low right now, so you need to find easier keywords to rank for because you won’t be able to compete with the stronger domains. 

For example, instead of going for something super competitive and generic like “business coach,” try targeting something more specific like “tech startup business coach.” It’s going to be less competitive and way more targeted to the people you actually want to work with. 

FREE Keyword Research Tools

Before we get into “how to do keyword research”, you’re going to need a tool to help. 

Here’s a few of my favourite free options: 

• SEMRush – this is my personal go-to. The free version has limited features, but it’s more than enough to get you started.
• Ubersuggest – 3 free searches per day. They also do a paid lifetime offer which is pretty good value for money.
• Aherfs – similar to SEMrush – limited features on the free plan.
• Google Search Console – great for optimising content you’ve already published
• Google Keyword Planner – this tool is actually aimed at people doing paid Google Ads, however, it’s still really useful for organic search (non-paid) too.

Step 1 – Brainstorm ‘Seed’ Terms

This first step is really simple! All you need to do is think about your product or service and come up with 10 terms or categories that someone might look for when searching online. These are called your “seed terms”.

Don’t get too granular yet, keep them really simple and to the point (2-3 words max).

Let’s use interior design as an example: 

1. Interior Design
2. Residential Design 
3. Commercial Design
4. Kitchen Design
5. Living Room Design
6. Home Office Design
7. Hospitality Interior Design
8. Bedroom Design
9. Bathroom Design
10. Dining Room Design

These are your starting points. Think of them as the main categories that define what your business is all about.

Step 2 – Find Your Keyword Clusters

Now that you’ve got your general seed terms, it’s time to niche down and get more specific. 

Take each seed term from Step 1 and break it down into another 10-15 more specific keywords. This is what we call “keyword clusters”.

For example, if we take “kitchen design,” your clusters could look something like this:

1. Kitchen Interior Design
2. Kitchen Storage
3. Kitchen Cabinets
4. Kitchen Lighting Fixtures
5. Kitchen Flooring
6. Kitchen Colour Schemes
7. Kitchen Design Styles
8. Kitchen Layouts
9. Kitchen Backsplash
10. Kitchen Countertops

Step 3 – Find Related Terms 

Now that you’ve got your core keywords, it’s time to dig a little deeper and find related terms. This is going to help you cover more ground and give you more ideas for your content.

You can use the free SEO tools I mentioned earlier (SEMRush, Ubersuggest, Ahrefs) to find related keywords within your categories. They’ll suggest similar terms that people are searching for. 

Or here’s an easy trick you can try without any tools: Google. 

Type in one of your keywords – let’s say “Kitchen Design Styles” – into the search bar, and scroll right the way down to the bottom of the page. You’ll see a section called “people also search for.” This is pure gold. It gives you extra terms that real people are actually searching for.

Add these related terms to your list of keywords, and boom – you’ll have a killer collection of keywords to fuel your content strategy. The more content you create using the relevant terms, the more chances you’ll have of ranking higher on the SERPs.

Step 4 –  Choose Relevant Keywords For Your Site

Now that you’ve got your list of keywords – let’s narrow them down even more. 

This is the part where people tend to feel a bit overwhelmed. But don’t worry, I’ve got three simple questions to guide you through it.

Go through your list and ask yourself the following…

Q1: Can I actually rank for this? (keyword difficulty)

Just because the keyword difficulty is high, doesn’t mean you can’t rank for it – I’ve done it. But, as I mentioned earlier, you will need to have a higher domain authority (DA). This basically means Google needs to trust your website before you stand a chance of ranking for the more difficult keywords. 

Keep working on your SEO and your DA will improve. But for now, focus on keywords that are “easier” to rank for like those you identified earlier in step 2 or 3. 

If your keyword tool shows the difficulty as red, orange, or anything over 40%, chances are you’re going to have a hard time ranking. Depending on which tool you’re using, it will probably suggest some similar keywords you could try instead.

Q2: Is anyone actually looking for that keyword? (search volume)

This is a bit of a caveat to question 1… it’s all good finding a low-difficulty keyword, but if no one’s searching for it, what’s the point?

You need to check the monthly search volume as well to make sure it’s even worth it. 

For example, I searched for 4 of the niche keywords off the list, and all of them had a low keyword difficulty. 

But “traditional interior designer” has 0 monthly searches. So, while it might be super easy to rank for, it’s a useless keyword to optimise your content with because no one’s looking for it.

Q3: Does the intent match the content?

Okay, now that you’ve narrowed down your keywords, you need to understand what the “intent” behind those keywords is.

By this, I mean… what is your ideal client expecting to find when they search for this keyword? And this is largely going to depend on where they are in their buyer’s journey.

To figure this out, you’re going to need to head back over to Google and see what’s actually coming up on the SERPs. Does the content you’re thinking about creating match that vibe?

Ultimately all Google cares about is delivering what the searcher (aka your ideal client) wants. 

Here’s an example: 

You want to rank for the keyword “how to bake a cake”. 

The person searching this just wants to know how to bake a cake. They’re looking for a list of ingredients and a step-by-step recipe. 

So if you go writing a blog on the history of cakes – it doesn’t matter how good it is or how low difficulty the keyword is – google ain’t going to rank you because it doesn’t match the intent of the searcher. 

I know it’s a lot to try and get your head around so here’s a breakdown of the 4 different search intents:

1.  Informational Intent:

• Definition: the searcher is seeking knowledge or answers to questions. They aren’t necessarily looking to buy something right now but are trying to learn more about a topic, solve a problem, or get specific information.
• Buyer journey: they’re in the awareness stage – they’ve just realised they have a problem and are looking for solutions or understanding.
• Examples: “how to optimise your blogs” “what is blockchain technology,” “history of the Roman Empire.”
• SEO Focus: your content here should be educational and informative. Think blog posts, how-to guides, tutorials, and explainer articles. The goal here is to provide valuable information and position yourself as an expert.

2. Commercial Intent:

• Definition: users with commercial intent are looking for information with the aim of making a purchase soon. They may not be ready to buy just yet, but they’re in the process of evaluating products, services, or brands.
• Buyer journey: these users are in the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey. They’re comparing options and doing their research, getting closer to making a decision but not quite ready to commit.
• Examples: “best laptops for gaming,” “top-rated smartphones 2024,” “Nike vs Adidas running shoes.”
• SEO Focus: create content like comparisons, reviews, buying guides, and product roun

3. Transactional Intent:

• Definition: users with transactional intent are ready to make a purchase or complete a specific action.
• Buyer journey: they’re in the decision stage – ready to commit, whether that’s buying, subscribing, or taking action.
• Examples: “buy iPhone 15 Pro,” “sign up for Netflix,” “download Microsoft Office.”
• SEO Focus: content here should focus on conversions, with clear calls to action (CTAs). Think product pages and landing pages designed to convert visitors into customers.

4. Navigational Intent:

• Definition: searchers with navigational intent are looking for a specific website or webpage. They already know where they want to go and are using a search engine to get there.
• Buyer journey: these users are typically past customers or already familiar with your brand. This can be a post-purchase or re-engagement stage of the journey, as they’re returning to your site or looking for specific pages.
• Examples: “Facebook login,” “YouTube,” “CNN news homepage.”
• SEO Focus: make sure your brand or specific web pages rank prominently. This is where you need brand-focused SEO to ensure your official pages show up at the top of search results for these queries.

Now that you’ve nailed down your keywords and understand the intent behind them, the next step is to do some competitor keyword analysis.

What is Competitive Keyword Analysis? 

Competitive keyword analysis is all about snooping (in the best way) on the keywords your competitors rank for. 

This is a massive part of any SEO and keyword strategy because it gives you insight into what is and isn’t working in your industry – and more importantly, what gaps you can slide into to get ahead.

By reviewing competitor keywords, you can:

• Find the keywords they’re ranking for that you might be missing out on.
• Gauge the keyword difficulty
• Discover which competitive keywords are driving the most website traffic to your competitors’ sites.
• Identify any content gaps. What keywords are they missing that you could target? This is where you can find opportunities to create content they haven’t covered yet.

The goal? 

To find keywords that are not only relevant to your business but that your competitors might be missing or under-utilising. These keyword gaps give you an advantage when it comes to ranking on Google.

Getting Started With Competitor Keyword Analysis

If you aren’t keeping an eye on your competitor keywords, how are you going to rank above them? 

And by competitors, I don’t mean the businesses smashing it on Instagram or LinkedIn. I’m talking about the ones who are showing up on page one of Google for the specific keywords that matter to your business. These are your organic competitors in the world of search engine optimisation.

How do you do that?…

Step 1: Identify Your Competitors

Okay let’s start off by finding your direct competitors. The ones who are offering similar products or services that are targeting the same audience. 

Let’s say you’re a Commercial Interior Designer in the UK. Head over to Google, type in your business industry, and see who’s dominating page one. These are your direct competitors in the world of SEO.

You can also use an SEO tool like SEMRush (there’s a free version!) to do the heavy lifting. Head to the Keyword Overview section, type in your industry and location, and scroll down to the SERP Analysis. 

Here, you’ll find your top competitors who are ranking for the keywords you’re interested in.

Once you’ve reviewed your direct competitors note all their URLS – choose at least three competitors to use as we go through the next steps.

I don’t want to go off a tangent here, but it’s important to note that you will also have “indirect competitors”. These are people who sell different products or services but who are also targeting the same keyword/ audience. So if you notice a website that’s not a direct competitor but they’re ranking well for the same keywords you’d like to target, it’s worth giving them a friendly stalk too. 

Step 2: Analyse Competitor Keywords

Once you’ve identified who your competitors are, it’s time to do a bit of SEO competitor analysis. 

You can use competitor keyword analysis tools like SEMRush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest to dig into their keyword data. 

Here’s what you should look for:

• What organic keywords are they ranking for (not paid ads)?
• If they’re running Google Ads campaigns, you can see which keywords they’re bidding on. Maybe there’s an opportunity to rank organically for these instead?
• How hard is it to rank for these keywords? Focus on competitor’s keywords with lower difficulty to find opportunities.
• Check how many people are searching for these terms each month – this helps you identify high-traffic opportunities.

Step 3: Evaluate Competitor’s Website Content

In this step, we’re going to look at all the keywords your competitors are targeting, check their search volume, and assess how easy or difficult it is to rank for those competitive keywords. Basically, we are going to review and steal any relevant keywords.

To do this, take a look at the pages on their site that are driving the most organic traffic. 

Take some notes on: 

• The type of content (blogs, landing pages, product pages).
• How they’ve structured the content around specific keywords.
• Any gaps or weak spots where you could create better, more targeted content.

This is where you can really dig deep into keyword gap analysis – finding the content gaps your competitors are missing, so you can fill them with high-quality, optimised content.

Let me walk you through how I do this…

Competitor Keyword Gap Analysis

Staying on the interior design theme, let’s say https://liquidesign.co.uk/ is one of your competitors. 

They’re ranking for 516 organic keywords. By reviewing the keywords they are using, this means we aren’t starting from scratch with our keyword research, it’s giving us a base to find out the best seed keywords so then we can niche down if needed.

Now, select all relevant keywords for your business and add them to a keyword list so you can start gathering all potential keywords for all your web pages.

Spot Keyword Gaps and Opportunities

Once you’ve gathered your competitor’s keywords, let’s look for keyword gaps – these are search terms your competitors are missing, but that have valuable keywords with high search volume. These gaps represent untapped opportunities for your content strategy.

Use tools like Ahrefs Site Explorer or SEMRush to compare your site to your competitor’s. The goal is to find the keyword gaps – the places where your competitors are ranking, but you’re not. This will show you exactly where to focus your SEO strategy.

If your competitor is ranking for “kitchen design styles” but has overlooked a more specific term like “modern kitchen design ideas,” that’s your chance to swoop in and create content around that particular keyword. This can give you a chance to outshine them in the search results.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to consider search intent. Make sure the keywords you target match the intent behind the search, whether it’s informational, transactional, or navigational.

Optional Steps for Local SEO Competitor Analysis

If your business relies on a local customer base, you’ll also want to include local competitor keywords in your analysis. 

These are the businesses competing for visibility in specific geographic areas, and their keyword strategies will look different from your broader competitors.

To boost your local SEO, here’s what you should do:

• Perform local searches using location-based keywords like “interior designer in London” or “best wedding photographer in Cornwall.”
• Use tools like Google Search Console to assess your local SEO performance and see how well you’re currently ranking in your target area.
• Check out Google My Business listings of your local competitors. How are they optimising for local searches? Are they ranking for any keywords you haven’t considered?

Using Google Search Console to Boost the Content You Already Have

Now that you’ve got to grips with competitor keyword research, I want to talk about optimising the content you already have on your website. 

I see sooooo many people slapping up a piece of content, crossing their fingers for it to rank, and then completely forgetting about it. Bad move! 

Even if your content does start to rank (go you!) you’re not guaranteed to hold that position. In fact, less than 5% of top ranking retain their position after 12 months. Which means if you’re not keeping up with your content maintenance, you’re leaving money (or website traffic) on the table.

To do this, I like to use Google Search Console (GSC) which is completely free.

All you need to do is: 

1. Head over to Google Search Console and click on the “performance” tab.
2. Update the date to the at least 16 months so we can review all the data
3. Scroll down to the section that says “queries”, the keywords that you under queries are what people are searching for on Google and if you click on the pages tab you’ll see what page these terms are ranking for.
4. Now you need to check to see which of these aren’t getting as many clicks but have high impressions.
5. In the Queries tab, you will be able to see the keywords and phrases. All you need to do is compare these phrases to the elements of your content including the ones listed below, and wherever they are missing add them to your Title tag, H1, H2, Body Content and Alt tags. 

We are going to use this free tool to look at the keywords that are getting the highest impressions e.g. the keywords / phrases users are mostly searching in Google.

In the below example “glamping south wales” is getting the most impressions but very little clicks and is in the average position of 71 so Stay Balanced could optimise this page with the keyword phrase to “glamping south wales” to better position themselves in search engines – they would also need to make sure that this content is relevant to the page it is ranking for before optimising:

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel by creating fresh content every time. You’ll be amazed at how leaning into what’s already working and optimising it further can actually bring in better results. 

After all, your content deserves to be more than a one-hit wonder!

Free SEO Tools

Before we wrap things up I just want to highlight a few other free SEO tools that are really useful:

• Answer the Public: this tool will legit give a ton of keyword ideas! Just pop your search term, product, service, etc, and it spits out all the juicy questions people are asking about it. You’ll also get some insights into search volume and even cost per click (if you ever want to do ads). 

• Ahrefs’ Free Keyword Generator: another great tool for keyword ideas. It gives you keyword ideas and shows you search volume and difficulty. Just a heads-up – if you want the full in-depth breakdown, you’ll have to cough up for the paid version (I don’t think it’s needed though).

• AI: tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini can also be really useful for keyword research, understanding the search intent and identifying content gaps. Just remember to double-check anything it spits out.

Final thoughts 

Basically, to sum everything up in a nutshell, mastering keyword research is not only easily achievable for your small business but it’s also essential for the success of your website. 

By understanding what your user is searching for, you can strategically position your content to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs), driving more organic traffic to your site – easy peasy right?

Excited to get started? Download our Free On-Page SEO Checklist Template!

This resource includes:

• Service Page Wireframe
• Keyword Research Template
• Easy-to-Use Notion Board Checklist
• and more…

Click here to download your free templates and get started with SEO!