How to do keyword research in 2026 (the process we run for clients)
Keyword research isn't a list of high-volume words any more — it's a map of intent across Google and AI search. Here's the exact process our team runs, the tools we actually pay for, and the mistakes that quietly cap your rankings.
Keyword research is the process of finding the exact words and questions your customers type into a search engine — then mapping them to pages you can realistically rank and convert. Done well, it's the difference between traffic that compounds into revenue and traffic that looks nice in a dashboard and does nothing. We run it before we write a single page for a new SEO client.
The mechanics have changed since most "how to do keyword research" guides were written. Search volume matters far less than it used to; intent, topical depth and being the answer an AI engine cites now matter far more. This is the process our team runs in 2026 — copy the parts that fit your business.
A keyword with 200 searches a month and clear buying intent will out-earn one with 20,000 searches and none. We optimise for revenue per ranking, not vanity volume.
What keyword research actually is now
It used to be a spreadsheet of head terms ranked by search volume. Today it's an intent map: a structured view of every question, comparison and buying phrase across a topic, grouped so each cluster points at one page. That shift is what lets you build topical authority — the signal that tells Google (and ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews) you're the credible source on a subject, not a one-page tourist.
If you'd rather we did this for you, it's the first thing we do in every free audit. But the method is no secret — here it is.
Start with intent, not volume
Every search sits in one of four intent buckets. Get this wrong and you can rank beautifully for a term that never converts.
- Informational — "what is local SEO". Top of funnel. Win these with guides and FAQs; they feed your brand and your AI citations.
- Commercial — "best SEO agency Sydney". Comparison stage. Win these with comparison pages, case studies and proof.
- Transactional — "SEO services pricing". Ready to buy. Win these with sharp service and landing pages.
- Navigational — "Whitehat Agency". They already want you. Make sure nothing stands between them and the page they're after.
Map every target keyword to its intent first. Then you'll know whether it needs a blog post, a service page or a case study — and you'll stop pointing buying-intent searches at articles that can't close them.
Long-tail vs head terms
Head terms (one or two words like "SEO") are high-volume, brutally competitive and usually low-intent. Long-tail terms (four or more words like "SEO agency for Shopify stores in Sydney") have lower volume individually, but they're specific, far less contested, and convert several times better.
The trap is dismissing long-tail keywords because each one looks small. Collectively they're the majority of all searches — and as your topical authority grows, ranking for hundreds of them compounds into serious, durable traffic. We target the long tail first and let the head terms follow.
"Chase the 200-search buying phrase before the 20,000-search vanity term. One pays the invoice; the other pays your ego.
— Whitehat SEO playbook
Our 6-step keyword research process
- ✓ Seed the topics. Start with what you sell and the problems you solve — not keywords yet, just themes. Pull language from sales calls, support tickets and reviews; that's how real customers phrase it.
- ✓ Expand each seed. Run seeds through a keyword tool to surface related terms, questions and search volumes. Mine "People also ask", autocomplete and the related searches at the foot of the SERP.
- ✓ Sort by intent. Tag every term informational / commercial / transactional / navigational. This is the step most people skip — and it's the one that makes the difference.
- ✓ Cluster into pages. Group terms that share an intent into one target page. Ten variations of the same question are one page, not ten thin posts.
- ✓ Score the opportunity. Weigh volume against ranking difficulty, your current authority and commercial value. Prioritise winnable, valuable clusters — not just big numbers.
- ✓ Map to the funnel. Assign each cluster to a service page, a pillar article or a case study, and plan the internal links between them before you write.
The tools we actually use
You can start with free tools and graduate as you scale. What matters is the thinking, not the subscription.
- Free to start: Google Keyword Planner for volume, Google Search Console for the terms you already rank for (a goldmine most businesses ignore), and the SERP itself — "People also ask" and autocomplete are free intent research.
- Paid, when you're serious: Ahrefs or Semrush for difficulty scores, competitor gaps and at-scale clustering. We run Ahrefs across our client book.
- For AI search: watch what ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews actually answer for your topics — those answers reveal the questions worth owning.
We'll map the keywords your buyers actually use in a free audit.
A senior strategist builds your intent map and a 90-day priority plan — yours to keep, whether or not you work with us.
Researching for AI search (AEO)
Answer Engine Optimisation is keyword research's fastest-growing frontier. AI Overviews now sit above the organic results for a large share of commercial queries in Australia, and ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude increasingly send qualified traffic. They don't reward volume — they reward being the cleanest, most direct answer to a specific question.
So alongside traditional keywords, we research the questions people ask conversationally, and write self-contained 40–60 word answers an engine can lift wholesale. It's the same discipline we apply on the technical side — see our 2026 technical SEO checklist for the schema that makes you citable.
For every important question, write one paragraph that opens with the keyword and answers it completely in 40–60 words. Stuffed, hedged or vague answers get skipped; clean ones get quoted.
Mistakes that quietly cap your rankings
- Optimising for volume over intent. Ranking for a popular term that never buys is expensive theatre.
- One keyword per page obsession. Pages rank for hundreds of related terms — write for the topic and the cluster, not a single phrase.
- Ignoring Search Console. The terms you already rank on page two for are the fastest wins you have.
- Keyword stuffing. It reads badly to humans and AI alike, and it hasn't worked since well before 2016.
- Never revisiting. Intent and competition shift. We review target clusters quarterly — see how that compounds for our clients.
Get the research right and everything downstream — content, links, conversions — has something solid to stand on. Get it wrong and you're optimising a map to the wrong destination.
Frequently asked questions
What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of finding the words, phrases and questions your customers type into search engines, then mapping them to pages you can rank and convert. In 2026 it's less about search volume and more about matching the intent behind each search to the right page.
How do I do keyword research for free?
Start with Google Keyword Planner for search volumes, Google Search Console for terms you already rank for, and the search results themselves — "People also ask", autocomplete and related searches are free intent research. Paid tools like Ahrefs add difficulty scores and scale, but the free stack proves the method first.
What are long-tail keywords?
Long-tail keywords are specific phrases of roughly four or more words, like "SEO agency for Shopify stores in Sydney". Each has lower search volume than a head term, but far less competition and much higher buying intent — so they're easier to rank for and convert better.
How is keyword research different for AI search?
AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews reward direct answers, not volume. Research the conversational questions people ask, then write self-contained 40–60 word answers an engine can quote. Clean structured data makes your page the source the AI cites.
How often should I redo keyword research?
Review your target keyword clusters at least quarterly. Search intent, competition and AI behaviour shift over time, and Search Console constantly surfaces new terms you're starting to rank for — the fastest wins usually sit on page two right now.