Keyword Research Basics
Master the fundamentals of keyword research to identify the right terms to target for your SEO campaigns. This is a foundational concept in search engine optimization that professional developers rely on daily. The explanations below are written to be beginner-friendly while covering the depth and nuance that comes from real-world SEO experience. Take your time with each section and practice the examples
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing search terms that people enter into search engines. It's the foundation of any successful SEO strategy.. This is an essential concept that every SEO developer must understand thoroughly. In professional development environments, getting this right can mean the difference between code that works reliably and code that breaks in production. The following sections break this down into clear, digestible pieces with practical examples you can try immediately
Long-tail first. Low competition + high intent = wins.
Types of Keywords
- Short-tail Keywords: 1-2 words (e.g., 'marketing', 'shoes')
- Long-tail Keywords: 3+ words (e.g., 'best running shoes for women')
- Branded Keywords: Include your brand name (e.g., 'Nike shoes')
- Commercial Keywords: Indicate purchase intent (e.g., 'buy', 'price', 'review')
- Informational Keywords: Seek information (e.g., 'how to', 'what is', 'guide')
- Navigational Keywords: Look for specific websites (e.g., 'Facebook login')
Keyword Research Process
- Step 1 — Brainstorm Seed Keywords: List main topics related to your business, think from your customer's perspective, use industry terminology, consider synonyms and variations
- Step 2 — Use Keyword Research Tools: Google Keyword Planner (free), SEMrush (comprehensive), Ahrefs (backlink analysis), Ubersuggest (budget-friendly), Answer The Public (question-based)
- Step 3 — Analyze Search Volume: High volume (10,000+) is competitive but high potential, Medium (1,000-10,000) is a good balance, Low volume (100-1,000) is less competitive and easier to rank for
- Step 4 — Assess Competition: Check top 10 results for each keyword, analyze domain authority of competitors, look at content quality and length, check for featured snippets
- Step 5 — Evaluate Intent: Informational (educational content), Navigational (brand or site-specific), Commercial (comparison or research), Transactional (ready to buy)
Keyword Research Tools Comparison
- Google Keyword Planner: Free, basic data, good for beginners
- SEMrush: comprehensive, expensive, great for competitors
- Ahrefs: Best for backlinks, good keyword data, mid-range pricing
- Ubersuggest: Budget-friendly, good for small businesses
- Answer The Public: Free, great for content ideas
- Google Trends: Free, shows search trends over time
Tip
Tip
Practice Keyword Research Basics in small, isolated examples before integrating into larger projects. Breaking concepts into small experiments builds genuine understanding faster than reading alone.
Practice Task
Note
Practice Task — (1) Write a working example of Keyword Research Basics from scratch without looking at notes. (2) Modify it to handle an edge case (empty input, null value, or error state). (3) Share your solution in the Priygop community for feedback.
Quick Quiz
Common Mistake
Warning
A common mistake with Keyword Research Basics is skipping edge case testing — empty inputs, null values, and unexpected data types. Always validate boundary conditions to write robust, production-ready seo code.
Key Takeaways
- Master the fundamentals of keyword research to identify the right terms to target for your SEO campaigns.
- Short-tail Keywords: 1-2 words (e.g., 'marketing', 'shoes')
- Long-tail Keywords: 3+ words (e.g., 'best running shoes for women')
- Branded Keywords: Include your brand name (e.g., 'Nike shoes')