- For beginners
- 10 minutes
- No SEO knowledge needed
Keyword research: find search terms and choose the right page
Build a free initial shortlist from customer questions, your own search queries and search results. Match suitable terms to existing pages. Additional data requests are an optional next step.
Let's startIn a nutshell
A keyword is what someone types into Google.
Your client might say custom furniture. A customer might search for a fitted closet for a sloped ceiling. Keyword research finds those searches and evaluates the question, available demand and page needed to answer it.
Why it matters: A useful page answers the search and offers the format the visitor needs. Use the reader’s language naturally, and review the results before deciding what to write.
Try the method with the free question finder. For a broader set of related searches, continue with Keyword Discovery.
First things first
What to look out for first
1.Start with the offer, not the tool
Do thisWrite it down first: what does the client sell, where, and to whom? Your first words come from that.
Not thisTyping in random terms and hoping something useful turns up.
2.Specific beats big
Do thisA specific phrase such as fitted closet for a sloped ceiling may fit a carpenter’s offer better than furniture. Verify the demand and search results in the target market.
Not this“Furniture”: huge search volume, but hardly anyone searching it wants a carpenter in Denver.
3.Ask yourself: what does this person want?
Do thisSomeone searching “stair renovation cost” wants to see prices. So prices belong on the page.
Not thisAnswering a question about cost with an image brochure.
Start keyword research for free
You do not need a paid data request to make an initial shortlist. Collect terms, check search intent and choose suitable pages. This gives you a working list even while search volume and difficulty are unknown.
1. Collect services and real questions
Write down your services and questions from customer conversations. If you already have Search Console access for your website, add queries with impressions. For a new website, start with customer questions. Search suggestions provide more candidates, but do not establish search volume.
2. Check search results and existing pages
Review results in the target market. Does the search need a service page, a comparison or a guide? Assign similar tasks to the same suitable page. Plan a new page only when it answers a distinct task.
3. Keep the shortlist in a spreadsheet
Record the term, source, target market, search intent, target page and next action. Leave unknown metrics blank. Search Console impressions apply to your website and selected period. They are not monthly search volume for the whole market.
You can then investigate specific data gaps. Crawl Foundry data requests are optional and show a price before you start. Request extra data only for terms where it could change your decision. The product steps below explain that workflow.
Open the CSV example and spreadsheet workflowKeyword research example: choose the page before writing
Suppose a carpenter builds fitted closets. Cost questions, measurements and project examples need different answers. Review the search results in the target market before deciding which pages to create.
Find candidate searches
Start with fitted closet and look for related questions such as fitted closet for a sloped ceiling, fitted closet cost and how to measure a sloped ceiling. Keyword discovery gives you a set to examine.
Match the search to a useful answer
A service page can explain the offer and show examples. A cost question needs price factors and a quote process. A measurement question needs an instruction. Inspect the results to decide whether one page or several distinct pages best serve these tasks.
Choose and record the working set
Compare available demand, difficulty, your offer and the work needed for a useful answer. Select the terms that fit, keep the page decision with the list and review clicks and impressions after publication.
What does keyword discovery mean?
It means finding search terms related to a starting topic, for example through observed suggestions and questions. Keyword research then evaluates those candidates and decides what your pages should answer.
Must a page repeat the exact keyword?
Use the words your readers understand, but explain the topic and answer the task naturally. Repeating a phrase or creating one page for every wording does not make an answer more useful.
Step by step
How to do it in Crawl Foundry
1Step 1 of 3
Enter your starting words
Open Keyword Research and click “Discover ideas”. Enter two to five words that describe the offer. “Quick research” is enough to start.
Done when: The price is shown and you've clicked “Start discovery”.
Simplified sketch with sample data 2Step 2 of 3
Tick the ideas that fit
Review the candidate searches and the evidence available for them. Check the results and intent before selecting a term. Request search-volume or difficulty data for the candidates that need it; a missing value is not zero demand.
Done when: You have selected terms that fit the offer and the page’s task.
Simplified sketch with sample data 3Step 3 of 3
Save them to a list
Click “Import keywords”. In the dialog, choose “Create a new list” and name it after the page the terms are meant for. Only now do they land in your Keyword Database.
Done when: The terms sit in a list named after the matching page.
Simplified sketch with sample data
Common mistakes
Mistakes that happen a lot at the start
Looking only at the highest search volume.
Better: A term with 50 searches that fits exactly is often worth more than one with 5,000 that has nothing to do with the offer.
Importing hundreds of keywords at once.
Better: Only keep what you really need for a page. A small, clean list is easier to use.
Starting with the biggest research run.
Better: Start with Quick research. Deep research pays off later for a topic that looks promising.
Mini glossary
Terms you need here
- Keyword
- A search term people type into Google.
- Search volume
- How often a keyword is searched per month. An average, not an exact count.
- Search intent
- What the person wants from their search: to learn something, to compare, or to buy.
- Starting keyword
- The word you begin your research with. Crawl Foundry looks for related terms from there.
Done
Find the search terms for your next project.
Enter two or three starting words and see what your client's customers really search for.