Definition
Keyword research is a fundamental step in SEO that involves identifying, analyzing, and selecting the terms and expressions your target audience uses in search engines. The process involves analyzing search volume, ranking difficulty (keyword difficulty), search intent, traffic potential, and commercial relevance of each keyword. Keyword research uses tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, Semrush, Ubersuggest, and Google Trends to discover opportunities. It then feeds content creation, site architecture, internal linking, and link building strategy. Effective keyword research identifies a mix of short terms (generic, high volume) and long-tail terms (specific, less competition) aligned with business objectives.
Key Points
- Identification of terms searched by your target audience
- Analysis of volume, difficulty, intent, and commercial potential
- Feeds content strategy, site architecture, and link building
Practical Examples
Research process
For a link building platform, keyword research identifies: primary terms ('link building', 'buy backlinks'), long-tail ('affordable French link building platform'), questions ('how to improve link building'), and related terms ('quality backlinks').
Prioritization
Rank your keywords by volume/difficulty matrix. First target keywords with good volume and low difficulty (quick wins), then gradually increase difficulty as your authority grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Begin by listing the main topics of your business, then use a tool like Semrush or Ahrefs to discover associated keywords, their volume, and difficulty. Also analyze your competitors' keywords to identify opportunities.
Not necessarily. High-volume keywords are often very competitive. For a new site, first target long-tail (specific phrases of 3+ words) with less competition, then gradually move toward more generic terms.
Go Further with LemmiLink
Discover how LemmiLink can help you put these SEO concepts into practice.
Last updated: 2026-02-07