How to Do Keyword Research for SEO (2025 Edition)

Learn how to find and group the exact phrases your customers are searching for — so you can create content that gets seen, gets clicks, and brings in business.

Before You Begin: What Are Keywords?

Keywords are the words or phrases that people type (or speak) into Google when they’re looking for something — whether that’s a yoga studio in Bristol, vegan dog treats, or how to fix a leaky tap.

Your goal with SEO is to figure out what your ideal customers are searching for, then make sure your website shows up when they do. That’s what keyword research is all about.

Tools You’ll Need

There are lots of keyword tools out there, and many do similar things. Here are a few we recommend:

Tool	Free?	Notes
Google Keyword Planner	Yes (with a Google Ads account)	Good for rough search volume
Keywords Everywhere	Freemium	Great Chrome extension
LowFruits.io	Freemium	Easy to use, good for beginners
Ubersuggest	Freemium	Clean interface
Semrush / Ahrefs	No	Expensive but powerful

For this guide, we’ll use Ubersuggest (because it’s beginner-friendly), but the method applies to any tool.

Step-by-Step: How to Do Keyword Research

Let’s say you’re a massage therapist in Leeds and want more local customers. Here’s how to find the right keywords to target.

1. Think Like Your Customer

What would someone type into Google if they were looking for your service? For example:

• “massage in Leeds”
• “deep tissue massage near me”
• “best massage for back pain”

Start with obvious phrases — you’ll expand later.

2. Use a Tool to Find More Keywords

Go to ubersuggest.com and enter one of your ideas (e.g. “massage Leeds”).

You’ll see:

• Search Volume – how many people search that term each month
• SEO Difficulty – how competitive the keyword is
• Related keywords – other phrases people also search

Tip: Look at the “Related” and “Questions” tabs too. These show real questions people ask — perfect for blog content.

3. Save the Good Ones

Pick keywords that:

• Match your service
• Have clear intent (someone looking to book or learn)
• Aren’t too competitive (medium difficulty is fine)

You can save them in a Google Sheet or CSV file.

Understanding Search Intent

Not all keywords are equal. Some are for browsing, some are for buying. Understanding the difference is key.

Intent Type	Example	Best Used For
Informational	“benefits of massage”	Blog content
Commercial	“best massage Leeds”	Service pages
Transactional	“book massage appointment”	Booking page
Navigational	“Gavin’s Massage Studio Leeds”	Brand SEO

Match your content to the right intent. Don’t try to rank your contact page for a “how-to” question — it won’t work.

Organise Keywords into Buckets (Keyword Mapping)

Once you’ve collected your keywords, it’s time to group them.

Step-by-step:

• Open your keyword list in Google Sheets.
• Create a new sheet called “Keyword Map.”
• Start sorting keywords into groups (aka “buckets”) based on intent and topic.

Example for a massage therapist:

Bucket	Keywords	Page Type
Massage in Leeds	massage Leeds, back massage Leeds, massage therapy Leeds	Homepage or main service page
Sports Massage	sports massage Leeds, injury massage Leeds	Dedicated subpage
FAQs/Blog	what does a massage do, massage for stress	Blog posts

Use colours to visually group similar topics. This map will help you plan your website structure and content.

Optional: Forecast Your SEO Potential

If you want to get fancy, you can use your keyword data to estimate how many leads or sales SEO could bring you.

• Add up the search volume for a bucket.
• Estimate click-through rate (CTR) — assume 30–40% if you rank in the top 3.
• Multiply to get potential visits.
• Multiply by your average conversion rate (maybe 1%–3%) to estimate leads or sales.

For example:

Metric	Value
Total monthly searches	1,000
CTR	40%
Visits	400
Conversion rate	2%
Leads per month	8

This is back-of-the-envelope maths, but it helps you understand what SEO could deliver when done well.

Keep Your Research Updated

SEO is not a “set it and forget it” game. People change how they search all the time. Review and refresh your keyword research every few months.

Also look for:

• Seasonal trends (e.g. “massage gift voucher” near Christmas)
• New services you offer
• Gaps where your competitors are ranking and you’re not

Final Tips

• Start small. You don’t need 500 keywords. Just find 10–20 good ones and build from there.
• Use real language. Your customers probably won’t search for “therapeutic musculoskeletal manipulation.” They’ll search for “back massage near me.”
• Don’t chase volume. A keyword with 20–50 searches a month and high intent can be worth more than one with 1,000.

What’s Next?

Once you’ve done your keyword research:

• Use it to guide your website pages
• Create blog posts that answer real questions
• Include these keywords in your headings, URLs, meta descriptions, and image names
• Internally link between pages with relevant anchor text

Summary

• ✅ Use tools to find what people search for
• ✅ Understand the intent behind the keyword
• ✅ Map keywords to specific pages on your site
• ✅ Revisit and update your research over time
• ✅ Focus on being helpful, not just ranking