{"id":52446,"date":"2026-01-14T12:41:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T11:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metricool.com\/?p=52446"},"modified":"2026-01-28T12:41:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T11:41:19","slug":"keyword-research-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metricool.com\/keyword-research-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Keyword Research Guide for SEO\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/keyword-research-guide\/#What_is_Keyword_Research\" >What is Keyword Research?&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/keyword-research-guide\/#Benefits_of_Keyword_Research\" >Benefits of Keyword Research&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/keyword-research-guide\/#How_to_Conduct_Keyword_Research_for_SEO\" >How to Conduct Keyword Research for SEO&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/keyword-research-guide\/#Keyword_Research_for_Social_Media\" >Keyword Research for Social Media&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At this point, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve at least heard the term \u201cSEO\u201d, meaning Search Engine Optimization. This involves enhancing a website and social media content to align with the target audiences\u2019 search queries, pain points, and daily necessities. By conducting keyword research for your brand, you will learn more about what your audience is looking for and how you can improve your content strategy to achieve your business goals. This keyword research guide will help your brand conduct thorough keyword research for SEO wins.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No matter if you are a small local business owner or an online digital agency, you can rank content <strong>locally<\/strong> and globally. The beauty of SEO is in the research you conduct beforehand. So, are you ready?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-keyword-research-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Keyword_Research\"><\/span>What is Keyword Research?&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keyword research reflects an <a href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/what-is-inbound-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>inbound marketing strategy<\/strong><\/a>, which moves away from traditional advertising and lets customers come to you. Through creating quality content, posting on social media, and implementing SEO strategies, your brand can appear in search results based on related search intents and keywords.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When brands implement SEO strategies, the base of this is conducting keyword research. Understanding the terms, phrases, and topics ideal clients search for is crucial to positioning your business in the most optimal space.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-benefits-of-keyword-research-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits_of_Keyword_Research\"><\/span>Benefits of Keyword Research&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond positioning your brand on search engines like Google, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc., keyword research helps:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Drive traffic to your website or social media profiles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improve the quality of your content&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Boost your brand credibility&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Increase your brand awareness and reach<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Develop your link-building strategies&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Generate new leads&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plus, as mentioned above, conducting keyword research reveals how your audience behaves online, what interests them, and what challenges they face. This is invaluable to growing your online community, gaining customers, and becoming a reference in your industry.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keyword research is also essential before any brand can implement an SEO strategy. Potential customers will struggle to find your brand if keywords and SEO strategies aren\u2019t utilized. Algorithms are now very complex and good at connecting content to interested users. Keyword research is the glue that holds your brand and potential customers together.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-conduct-keyword-research-for-seo-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Conduct_Keyword_Research_for_SEO\"><\/span>How to Conduct Keyword Research for SEO&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there is no one \u201cformula\u201d for conducting keyword research, here is an easy-step guide to finding and analyzing keywords that fit your brand so you can create quality content for your audience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-brainstorm-general-topic-ideas-nbsp\">#1: Brainstorm general topic ideas&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first step in this process is to brainstorm your brand\u2019s main content topics and ultimately, the ideas you want to rank your content for. What search terms would you use to look up your products or services? From this, create an extensive list of phrases and potential keywords. Then, based on your business products or services, conduct basic research on Google, social media sites, Reddit, Quora, Wikipedia, etc. to find any keyword patterns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take note of the topics, brands, and content formats among the first search results. This will help you understand the content quality necessary to rank, and <a href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/competitors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>competitors<\/strong><\/a> in your industry. If you have already conducted a <a href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/social-media-competitor-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>competitor analysis<\/strong><\/a>, you can see what content your competitors rank for.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These processes will help narrow your keywords and find your niche industry. In the coming steps, we will see that some keywords have high search volumes and competition, making it harder to compete in search rankings. Therefore, getting more specific with your keywords can lead to more quality leads and conversions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-get-familiar-with-keyword-metrics\">#2: Get familiar with keyword metrics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conducting research with the tools we already use daily is great, however, they do not provide the analytics we need to understand if a keyword is worth using. That\u2019s where a keyword tool comes into play. These tools provide keyword search volumes, trends, CPC, competition, and related keywords.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before we head to a tool, let\u2019s break down a few keyword metrics.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Search Volume<\/strong>: The amount of people searching for this keyword. Normally the monthly search volume is considered in keyword tools.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Trend<\/strong>: How the monthly search volume has changed over the last 12 months.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Average CPC<\/strong>: The estimated number advertisers pay to bid on this keyword on Google Ads.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Competition\/Keyword Difficulty<\/strong>: How many advertisers are bidding on this keyword compared to all keywords on Google? 0-34 is considered low competition, 35-69 is medium, and 70-100 is highly competitive.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Search Intent<\/strong>: The category that summarizes what the users are searching for.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-analyze-your-website-s-current-rankings-nbsp\">#3: Analyze your website\u2019s current rankings&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another important element of keyword research is to see which keywords your website or content already ranks for, if any. For your brand website, I recommend using <a href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Google Search Console<\/strong><\/a> to conduct a performance report as well as view individual rankings for your website pages.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With this tool, you can see the top queries, or keywords, that drive the most clicks and impressions on your site. You can also view the top pages to analyze the clicks, impressions, and positions on Google. Compare this data in a custom date range to see how your site has evolved, and create filters to search by query, page, country, device, or search appearance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1453-1024x420.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-136896\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1453-1024x420.png 1024w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1453-300x123.png 300w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1453-768x315.png 768w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1453-1536x630.png 1536w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1453.png 1591w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-use-a-keyword-research-tool-nbsp\">#4: Use a keyword research tool&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now it\u2019s time to take that knowledge and plug it into a keyword tool. Here are a few of my favorite keyword research tools:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/keywordtool.io\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Keywordtool.io<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"481\" src=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/keywordtool.io_-1-1024x481.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-136898\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/keywordtool.io_-1-1024x481.png 1024w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/keywordtool.io_-1-300x141.png 300w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/keywordtool.io_-1-768x361.png 768w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/keywordtool.io_-1.png 1484w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-\"><strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keyword Tool is a powerful resource in keyword research. After typing in a general keyword, you will find related suggestions with search volume, trend, average CPC, and competition metrics. When clicking on the \u201cQuestions\u201d tab you can see related questions that users ask regarding this keyword. You can also click \u201cRelated keywords\u201d to find other keywords that are related to your topic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Semrush<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1452-1024x444.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-136895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1452-1024x444.png 1024w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1452-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1452-768x333.png 768w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1452-1536x665.png 1536w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1452.png 1588w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This tool is more than just a keyword research tool but is a comprehensive SEO platform. Conduct thorough keyword research, analyze your competitors, view backlink information, conduct site audits, and more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cKeyword Magic Tool\u201d feature allows you to view keyword analytics for broad matches, phrase matches, and exact matches. View keywords by number or volume, understand user&#8217;s search intents, and see keyword difficulty.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/answerthepublic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Answer the Public<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"645\" src=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1451.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-136893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1451.png 576w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1451-268x300.png 268w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Designed by top marketing professional Neil Patel, Answer the Public is a great resource for analyzing and finding keywords with intuitive wheels, lists, and charts to break down the metrics.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tool also breaks down keywords into questions, prepositions, comparisons, alphabeticals, and related to give a full keyword scope.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Ahrefs<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1450-1024x518.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-136892\" srcset=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1450-1024x518.png 1024w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1450-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1450-768x388.png 768w, https:\/\/metricool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-1450.png 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ahrefs is another comprehensive SEO tool, that provides marketers and advertisers with the analytics they need to select the right keywords. You can also see a global scale of these keywords to see which keywords are best to target for your location. Click on \u201cSERPS\u201d to analyze the competition for specific keywords.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-keyword-research-for-social-media-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Keyword_Research_for_Social_Media\"><\/span>Keyword Research for Social Media&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though we mostly focused on SEO for a brand\u2019s website, conducting keyword research for social media is similar. Also, many keyword research tools can pull keyword data from social media platforms to provide analytics on search volumes, trends, and competition. Here are some platforms you can optimize content for SEO:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/instagram-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/youtube-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>YouTube<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/tiktok-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>TikTok<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/pinterest-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Pinterest<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These social media networks have complex algorithms that create signals when brands use specific keywords within their content or captions. By optimizing your content with the right keywords, you can reach your target audience and increase your reach.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plus, if you\u2019re looking to analyze how your content is performing on social media, you can use a <a href=\"https:\/\/metricool.com\/metricoolanalytics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>social media analytics tool<\/strong><\/a> like Metricool to dive deeper into what is working, and what needs improvements. View your engagement rates, reach, impressions, and clicks, and even see your top-performing content across each platform. This will allow you to understand what resonates best with your audience so you can replicate these strategies in the future. You can create your FREE Metricool account and start optimizing your content for SEO today:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/app.metricool.com\/register\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Create your FREE Metricool Account<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover why keyword research is essential for your SEO and online success. A complete guide on how to conduct effective keyword research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":138887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[176],"tags":[],"etiqueta_analiticav2":[],"class_list":["post-52446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content-marketing","etiqueta_analitica-seo"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>2026 Keyword Research Guide for SEO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how businesses can use SEO strategies to rank their online websites and social media content to increase 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