Keyword research

The keyword research workflow

1. Seed keywords — brainstorming 10–30 main terms for the topic.
2. Tool expansion — using keyword tools to collect long tails, related terms and "People Also Ask" questions. The list grows to hundreds of terms.
3. SERP check — manually reviewing the top 10 for the most important terms: which content type ranks? Which search intent?
4. Assessment — estimating search volume, difficulty, intent and conversion value for each keyword.
5. Prioritisation — quick wins (medium SV, low KD, clear intent) first, money keywords over the long term.
6. Cluster building — grouping related keywords into topic clusters, with one pillar page plus spokes per cluster.

Combining tools and sources

• Google Keyword Planner — original Google estimates, free with a Google Ads account.
• Ahrefs / Semrush / DataForSEO — commercial tools with rich filter options.
• Google Search Console — what already ranks and where the quick wins are (positions 11–20).
• Google Suggest and People Also Ask — what the target audience is actually searching for.
• Google Trends — seasonality and trend movements.
• Competitor pull — which keywords competitors rank for that you do not yet cover.
• Reddit, Quora, forums — how the target audience really talks about the topic.

Classic research mistakes

• Looking only at search volume — ignoring KD and intent.
• Including brand terms without marking them — this distorts the top list.
• English data for German-language markets — check tool data per language region.
• One-off research — the keyword landscape changes; refresh at least every six months.
• Ignoring long tails — the sum of long tails often exceeds the money keywords.
• No connection to content briefs — research data ends up in a spreadsheet rather than in content production.