# Keyword research Keyword research is finding the queries people type around a subject, sizing them, reading their intent, and deciding which pages to build for them. You need it to pick pages that win clicks and signups with the least work. This page shows the sources to trust and how to turn them into pages, not a list of words. Updated 2026-09-14 · Source: https://porteur.ai/glossary/keyword-research ## What it means for a small site 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. ## Sources that give you real queries - 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. ## From words to pages: a quick process 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. **Map intent from the SERP** Search each seed. Note what ranks: guides, lists, product pages, videos. Assign informational, navigational, commercial investigation or transactional. 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. **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. **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. > One page per intent, not per spelling variant. Do not split “pricing”, “prices”, “cost” when the SERP shows the same results. ## How to size demand and difficulty 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. ## What to do next and the traps to avoid - 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. ## Questions ### What is keyword research? It is the process of finding real queries people type, sizing their demand, reading intent from the results page, and deciding which pages to build. The output is a page plan with clustered queries and an order of work. ### Can I do keyword research for free? Yes. Use Search Console for your own queries, Google’s autocomplete, People also ask, the results page, and rivals’ sitemaps and titles. For rough volumes, use Google Ads Keyword Planner or Bing Webmaster Tools as of 2026. ### How do I start keyword research for a new SaaS? List your category, jobs, integrations, and brand. Search each and read intent. Plan pages for best X lists, X vs Y, alternatives, how to do Z, and integration pages. Ship three pages you can support with proof and a signup path. ### Which keyword metric should I trust? Treat volume as directional and compare across clusters, not as a target. Read the SERP for intent and features that suppress clicks. Use your own impressions and clicks to validate where to double down. ### How often should I update my keyword research? Review it every 28 days when you check Search Console. Google says about 15 percent of daily searches are new, and your site will expose new angles as pages gain impressions. ### What is a quick way to check rivals’ keywords without a suite? Open rival.com/sitemap.xml, scan their titles, and run site:rival.com queries. Note which page types they invest in, then search those terms and read the intent yourself. ## Read next - [Keyword research from Search Console alone](https://porteur.ai/guides/search-console-for-keyword-research): Use Search Console alone to find queries you already earn, gaps with impressions and no page, long questions, and pages that compete. Build a plan. - [Keyword research with Google autocomplete: the method and its limits](https://porteur.ai/guides/google-autocomplete-keyword-research): Use Google autocomplete to find real queries, sort by intent, and turn them into pages. Learn the letter-by-letter method, switches, and the limits. - [Keyword search volume: where the number comes from and how far to trust it](https://porteur.ai/guides/keyword-search-volume): What search volume really is, how tools make the number, where it misleads, and how to use it to rank pages against each other, not as a forecast. - [Keyword intent: read it from the results page, then match the page](https://porteur.ai/guides/keyword-intent): Learn the four intent types, read intent from the results page, map each query to the right page, avoid mismatch, and see six worked mappings. - [Competitor keyword analysis by hand, with free data](https://porteur.ai/guides/competitor-keyword-analysis): Choose the right rivals, read their sitemaps, pull free keyword clues, find the gaps, and turn them into pages you can ship this week. - [Keyword gap analysis: the searches your rivals hold and you do not](https://porteur.ai/guides/keyword-gap-analysis): See how to find rivals’ search traffic you could win, filter it to your product, group it into pages, and turn gaps into briefs you can ship. Paste your homepage URL to get a free check that reads your site, the searches around it and the rivals on them in about thirty seconds, and shows three findings. Free check: https://porteur.ai/