How to do keyword search for SEO

Start by understanding your client's business model and revenue streams, then identify the keywords their target customers actually use to find solutions. This means talking to the client about their customers—who buys from them, what problems they solve, and where in the buying journey these customers typically search. A plumbing service targets different keywords than a SaaS platform, so context matters enormously.

Use keyword research tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to build your foundation. Enter seed keywords related to your client's core offerings and let the tool generate related terms with search volume and difficulty data. You're looking for keywords that have decent monthly search volume (typically 100+ searches for local businesses, more for national brands) but aren't completely saturated. The best keywords often aren't the obvious ones—they're the longer, more specific phrases that show commercial intent. Someone searching "best CRM for small manufacturing" is further along in the buying journey than someone searching "CRM software," so these intent-driven keywords usually convert better even with lower volume.

Analyze your client's current ranking keywords and competitor keywords. Tools will show you what phrases competitors rank for, which reveals gaps your client isn't targeting. This competitive analysis often uncovers opportunities in long-tail keywords where there's genuine search demand but weak competition. Pay attention to search intent by actually looking at the top-ranking pages for your target keywords—if you're seeing blog content when you expected commercial landing pages, the intent might not match your client's goals.

Organize your findings into keyword buckets aligned with your client's service pages or product categories. A web design agency might have buckets for "web design services," "e-commerce design," and "redesign services," then fill each bucket with keywords at different search volumes and difficulty levels. This structure makes it easier to prioritize which keywords to target first and which pages to optimize.

The crucial part many agencies skip: validate that these keywords actually drive relevant traffic by tracking rankings and conversions over time. A keyword with 500 monthly searches is only valuable if it converts. After three to six months, adjust your strategy based on what's actually working for the client's business, not just what looks good in a tool.