Keyword Research

The right searches for your size, market, and resources

One of the most common mistakes in SEO is targeting the wrong keywords. Small businesses either go after searches that are far too competitive — where they have little realistic chance of appearing — or they make assumptions about how their customers search that turn out to be wide of the mark.

Good keyword research cuts through that. It tells you how your audience is actually searching, where your website has a genuine chance to be visible, and where your effort and investment will have the most impact.

What this work involves

Rather than a one-off project, I include keyword research as part of my ongoing retainer, applying it when it’s most valuable and revisiting it as your visibility grows and priorities shift.

As such, it’s not about producing the longest possible list of search terms. It’s about identifying the right opportunities — the searches that are relevant to your business, reflect genuine demand, and are realistically within reach given where your website currently stands and what resources you have available.

As part of an ongoing engagement, keyword research typically involves:

• Mapping the search landscape — building a clear picture of how people search for what you offer, including the language they use, the questions they ask, and how search behaviour varies across different parts of your audience.
• Identifying realistic opportunities — assessing search volume, competition, and your current visibility to identify the searches where focused effort is most likely to pay off.
• Competitor analysis — looking at which websites are currently ranking for the searches that matter to your business, what’s making them competitive, and where gaps exist that you could realistically exploit.
• Informing content decisions — translating keyword insight into clear direction for your content strategy — what to create, what to optimise, and in what order.

This work isn’t a one-off exercise. Search behaviour shifts over time, competitors evolve, and new opportunities emerge. So, keyword strategy is something we revisit and refine as your visibility grows and priorities change.

Why this matters

Without keyword research, content decisions tend to be based on instinct rather than evidence. That often means investing time and resources in content that targets searches nobody is making, or competing for terms where the realistic chance of appearing is low.

Keyword research replaces that guesswork with clarity. It ensures that whatever content we work on is grounded in real search demand and focused on opportunities where your business can genuinely compete.

It’s a core part of the Clarity pillar of my SEO Framework — giving you an honest, evidence-based understanding of the landscape before committing effort in any particular direction.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an SEO Review before keyword research?

Not always, but it helps. The SEO Review gives us a clear picture of your current visibility and technical foundations, which makes keyword research significantly more accurate. If we’re starting from scratch without that context, we build in more caution around early recommendations and revisit them as data builds up.

Does this include local or national keywords?

It can include local, regional, or national searches — or a combination. Geographic focus is agreed at the start based on your business, your audience, and where the realistic opportunities are.

Will this tell me exactly which keywords to target?

Yes, within reason. The output is a clear set of prioritised opportunities — the searches most worth focusing on, and why. How we pursue them, whether through new content, optimisation, or other work, is the natural next conversation.

Will this guarantee rankings?

No. Search performance depends on many factors beyond keyword selection — content quality, site authority, competition, and more. What keyword research does is ensure that effort is directed at the right targets. That significantly improves the chances of results, but it doesn’t guarantee them.

How often does keyword research need to be revisited?

Search behaviour evolves, and so does competition. As part of an ongoing engagement, we’ll revisit and refresh keyword strategy periodically — typically when there’s a meaningful shift in your visibility, when you’re expanding into new areas, or when the data suggests priorities should change.