Keyword research

You do not need to cover every query. You need a short plan that matches your product and current reach.

Pick search families that fit how people buy what you sell. For a SaaS: category lists, X vs Y, alternatives, jobs to be done, integrations, your brand. Build only pages you can serve with proof and a clear next step.

Your output is a list of pages. Each page has a cluster of queries and a reason to exist. Example: a /comparison/you-vs-rival page that answers “you vs rival”, “rival alternatives”, and “rival pricing” where relevant.

• Search Console, your own queries with impressions and clicks. Start with what already shows.
• Autocomplete, completions from real searches, varied by user, place and language. Use it to see phrasing and gaps, not volumes.
• People also ask and related searches, questions and terms Google associates with your query.
• The results page itself, which shows intent: guides and videos for informational, products and shopping for transactional, lists for comparisons.
• Rivals’ sitemaps and title tags, to see what pages they publish and which queries they aim for. Use site:rival.com to scan what Google holds.
• Keyword tools with volume estimates. Expect disagreement. Treat numbers as directional, not exact.

If you have no data yet, Bing Webmaster Tools offers keyword research with volumes for free as of 2026. It is useful for early sizing alongside Google sources.

1. 1

   Collect seed queries

   List your category name, core jobs, integrations and brand. Add the top queries from Search Console. Add autocomplete and People also ask expansions.

2. 2

   Map intent from the SERP

   Search each seed. Note what ranks: guides, lists, product pages, videos. Assign informational, navigational, commercial investigation or transactional.

3. 3

   Cluster close variants

   Group queries that share intent and results. Sum their estimated volume if you have it. Example: “how to migrate X”, “X migration guide”, “X to Y migration” form one guide.

4. 4

   Design the page

   Pick a URL and format that matches intent. Example: /guides/getting-started for informational, /pricing for transactional, /compare/x-vs-y for commercial.

5. 5

   Order the work

   Prioritise clusters where you already have impressions, or rivals are weak, or intent is closer to signup. Start with three pages you can ship this month.

A fixed page looks like this: a /guides/how-to-do-z page that answers the clustered questions in headings, links to your product where it helps, and shows a next step.

Search volume is a monthly average over twelve months. Google Ads Keyword Planner shows ranges without spend and figures with it, and groups close variants. Third-party tools estimate from Google Ads data, clickstream panels and models. Expect two tools to disagree.

• Add up volumes inside a cluster. A page competes for the sum.
• Down-rank head terms with AI Overviews or featured snippets. They often send fewer clicks than volume implies.
• Favour pages where intent is close to your goal. A /pricing visit beats raw traffic to a generic guide.
• Treat “keyword difficulty” as a rough link-based score by tool. It says nothing about intent fit or your angle.

• Ship the first three pages and link them from your homepage and /guides. Internal links help Google and users.
• Use Search Console to watch impressions and queries per page. Expand sections that gain impressions but miss clicks.
• Fold duplicates. If two pages chase the same intent, merge and redirect. Keep the stronger URL.
• Avoid chasing head terms first. Go for comparison and job pages that can win links and signups.
• Do not copy rival keywords blind. Read their page. If you cannot serve the intent better, skip it.
• Do not overfit to a tool’s number. The SERP and your own data beat any estimate.