Keyword research is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. If you want your new website to rank on Google, attract visitors, and convert traffic into customers, choosing the right keywords is essential. Without proper keyword research, you might target the wrong audience, miss valuable traffic, or struggle to compete with established websites.
This guide will walk you through a step-by-step process to find the best keywords for your new website, whether you are starting a blog, e-commerce store, or business site. You will learn how to identify low-competition keywords, analyze search intent, and use keyword tools to your advantage.
Table of Contents
8 Practical Steps To Conduct Keyword Research For Your New Website
1. Understand Your Niche and Target Audience:
Before diving into keyword research tools, it is important to understand your niche and who your target audience is. Ask yourself:
• What topics does my website cover? (e.g. fitness, tech, fashion, finance)
• Who are my potential visitors? (e.g. beginners, professionals, business owners)
• What problems am I solving? (e.g. helping people lose weight, teaching coding).
Note: Make a list of broad topics related to your niche. For example, if your website is about digital marketing, your broad topics might be: SEO, Content marketing, Social media marketing and Email marketing. Each of these will become a starting point for deeper keyword research. Always remember it start out from a broad to a narrow niche that will enable you to focus and stay ahead of your competitors.
2. Brainstorm Seed Keywords:
Seed keywords are basic words or phrases that represent your niche. These are the foundations of your keyword research.
How to Find Seed Keywords:
•Think about what people might search for in your industry.
• Check competitor websites and note down common topics.
• Use Google’s autocomplete feature (start typing a phrase and see what Google suggests).
For example, if your website is about fitness, some seed keywords could be:
“weight loss”, “best exercises”, “healthy diet”, or “home workouts”.
You have to note that your audience are human who are actually searching for specific information to solve their problems and not a bot just harvesting information. In that regards, you have to look for these seed keywords that will enable you to lay a solid foundation for future SEO and keyword research.
3. Use Keyword Research Tools:
Once you have seed keywords, use keyword research tools to find related keywords, search volume, and competition levels.
Best Free & Paid Keyword Research Tools:
• Google Keyword Planner (Free) – Great for finding basic keyword ideas.
• Ubersuggest (Freemium) – Provides keyword ideas, search volume, and competition level.
• Ahrefs Keyword Explorer (Paid) – One of the best tools for advanced keyword research.
• SEMrush (Paid) – Great for finding competitors’ top-ranking keywords.
• AnswerThePublic (Free) – Helps find question-based keywords.
How To Use These Tools:
• Enter your seed keyword (e.g., “social media marketing”).
• Look for long-tail keywords (e.g., “social media marketing tips for beginners”).
• Check search volume (higher is better) and keyword difficulty (lower is easier).
4. Analyze Search Intent:
Not all keywords are equal. You need to understand search intent, and what users are looking for when they type a query.
Types of Search Intent:
• Informational – People looking for knowledge (“How to create a WordPress website”).
• Navigational – People searching for a specific website (“Harmonweb hosting providers”).
• Transactional – People ready to buy (Purchasing .com.ng domain name”).
• Commercial – People researching before buying (“Best domain and hosting for WordPress”).
• Focus on transactional & commercial keywords if you want conversions.
• Use informational keywords for blog posts to drive organic traffic.
5. Find Low-Competition Keywords:
For a new website, it is difficult to rank for highly competitive keywords. Instead, target low-competition, long-tail keywords (3-5 words long).
You have to accept that some keywords are too competitive for you to get noticed, and as such you have to rely on low competitive keywords to start getting noticed. Long tail keywords are usually 3-5 words long or more and address a specific needs for an ever evolving audience, the dynamics make this kind of keywords always easy to get noticed.
How to Find Low-Competition Keywords:
• Use Ubersuggest or Ahrefs to check keyword difficulty (KD) – Aim for KD below 30.
• Look for question-based keywords (e.g., “how to do SEO for a small website”).
• Check Google’s “People Also Ask” section for related searches.
Example:
Wrong: “SEO” (too broad and competitive).
Correct: “SEO tips for small businesses” (more specific and easier to rank for).
6. Analyze Your Competitors’ Keywords:
If your competitors are already ranking on Google, analyzing their keywords can give you a competitive edge.
How to Spy on Competitor Keywords:
• Enter their domain in Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest.
• Look at their top-ranking pages and keywords.
• Find low-competition keywords they’re ranking for and create better content.
Note: If a competitor ranks for “best digital marketing tools,” you can create a more in-depth post titled “10 Best Digital Marketing Tools (With Pros & Cons)“.
7. Organize & Prioritize Your Keywords:
After collecting keywords, organize them into groups for easy content planning. You can use this example of Keyword Groups for a Fitness Website:
• Workout Keywords:
“best home workouts for beginners”, “bodyweight exercises for strength”.
Or use the format of this Diet & Nutrition Keywords:
“high-protein foods for muscle gain”, “best diet for weight loss fast”.
Another good example is this Product Review Keywords:
“best running shoes for beginners”, and “top 5 home workout equipment”.
Note: Start with low-competition keywords and progress to competitive ones as your site grows.
8. Track and Adjust Your Keyword Strategy:
SEO is not a one-time task, it requires continuous monitoring and optimization.
Best Tools to Track Keywords:
• Google Search Console – Monitors your website’s search performance.
• Google Analytics – Tracks organic traffic and user behavior.
• Rank Tracker (SEMrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest) – Checks keyword rankings.
Note: If a keyword is not ranking, update your content and build backlinks. And when your page get to ranks on page 2-3, optimize it with internal links and better on-page SEO.
Conclusion
Keyword research is the bedrock of SEO success. By mastering this crucial skill, you will be able to identify the right keywords for your niche, understand search intent to attract your target audience and uncover low-competition, high-value keywords using SEO tools. You will also be able to spy on competitors and discover profitable opportunities, giving you a competitive edge in the online landscape.
Now that you have got the know-how, it is time to take action! Start researching keywords today and optimize your website for higher rankings and organic traffic. By following this guide, you will be laying the foundation for long-term growth and success. Remember to organize and track your keywords to maximize your SEO efforts. With persistence and dedication, you will be skyrocketing your way to the top of the search engine results page (SERPs) in no time!
