What is the best way to research keywords? Our 9 proven methods to find high-intent keywords
- newleadin
- Aug 8
- 4 min read
What’s the best way to research keywords in 2025?
It’s not about stuffing blog posts with high-volume search terms anymore. Today, it's about understanding user intent, selecting long-tail keywords that align with your audience's goals, and creating strategic content that earns visibility, traffic, and conversions.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through 9 proven methods to find high-intent keywords, updated with the latest SEO techniques, tools, and best practices, all backed by real-world insights.
Let’s dive in.
Why keyword research still matters in 2025
Keyword research is the foundation of every successful SEO strategy. It tells you:
What your audience is searching for
How competitive a keyword is
What type of content ranks
Where you can insert your business into the conversation
But here’s the thing: not all keywords are created equal.
If you want to generate leads, sales, or engagement, you need to focus on intent, not just volume.
1. Start with search intent (not just search volume)
Before using any tool, you need to understand why someone is searching.
There are four main types of keyword intent:
Informational: “What is solar energy?”
Navigational: “SEMrush login”
Transactional: “Buy noise-cancelling headphones”
Commercial investigation: “Best project management software for startups”
💡 Pro Tip: Go for commercial and transactional long-tail keywords. These users are ready to take action.
2. Use Google’s autocomplete and people also ask, this might be really the best way to research keywords
One of the easiest ways to find long-tail keywords is through Google itself.
Start typing your primary topic into the search bar.
Look at the autocomplete suggestions.
Scroll to the bottom of the page for related searches.
Click into "People Also Ask" for long-tail questions.
Example: Type “how to do keyword research” → Suggestions like:
“how to do keyword research for SEO”
“how to do keyword research for free”
“how to do keyword research for google ads”
3. Spy on your competitors' keywords
Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Ubersuggest allow you to:
Enter a competitor's domain
See what keywords they rank for
Filter by position, intent, difficulty, or content type
You’ll uncover keyword gaps and content opportunities they haven’t fully optimized.
Look especially at pages ranking in positions 4–20, they may be easier to beat.
4. Use keyword tools, but focus on long-tail, low competition
Popular keyword research tools (with free versions):
What to look for:
Keyword Difficulty (KD) under 40
Search volume over 100/month
Long-tail phrases with 4+ words
Intent match with your content offer
🔎 High-Intent Long-Tail Keyword Example:
“best CRM for freelance designers 2025” → Low competition, high buying intent.
5. Explore Reddit, Quora, and forums
These platforms are goldmines for unfiltered, real-world questions.
Go to subreddits in your niche (e.g., r/digitalmarketing)
Search for “struggling with”, “how do I”, “recommendations for”
Browse Quora threads in your industry
You’ll find keyword phrases your audience actually uses, perfect for optimizing blog posts, landing pages, or lead magnets.
6. Reverse engineer top-ranking pages
Use Google or Ahrefs to search your target keyword. Then:
Analyze the top 10 results
Look at H1s, subheadings, meta titles
Extract the related terms, questions, and keyword variations
Tools like Surfer SEO and Frase automate this by showing you which terms appear most across top-ranking content.
7. Organize keywords by funnel stage
Map your keywords to different points in the customer journey:
Funnel Stage | Example Keyword |
Awareness | “What is keyword research” |
Consideration | “Keyword research tools comparison” |
Decision | “Best keyword research agency for ecommerce” |
This helps you write content that converts, not just ranks.
8. Group keywords into content clusters
Instead of targeting isolated keywords, group related ones together into topic clusters.
Example:
Main keyword: “keyword research”
Supporting: “keyword research for ecommerce”, “free keyword research tools”, “keyword intent types”
Then create:
1 pillar article (main keyword)
3-5 supporting blog posts
Internal links between them
This builds authority and improves SEO performance across all pages.
9. Track, test, and refine over time
SEO isn’t a one-time job. Use tools like:
Google Search Console
SEMrush Position Tracker
Ahrefs Rank Tracker
Track:
Keyword positions
Click-through rates (CTR)
Impressions vs. clicks
Content that’s declining
Refresh underperforming articles by updating them with new keywords, better headlines, and deeper value.
BONUS: 7 expert tips to level up your keyword research
Use filters to exclude branded terms in competitor tools.
Check the SERP before choosing a keyword, does it match your content format?
Don’t ignore keywords with 0–10 searches/month if they’re super relevant.
Localize keywords for your country/region.
Use Google Trends to validate seasonality and demand.
Create templates and SOPs to streamline your keyword research workflow.
Ask your customers: “What would you Google to find us?”
Recap: Our 9 proven methods to find high-intent keywords
Here’s a quick summary of the best keyword research techniques for 2025:
Start with Search Intent
Use Google Autocomplete + “People Also Ask”
Spy on competitors’ keywords
Use long-tail keyword tools
Check Reddit, Quora, and forums
Reverse engineer top-ranking pages
Map keywords to the funnel stage
Group into content clusters
Track and refine continuously
Final Thoughts
Doing keyword research right means thinking like your audience, targeting long-tail keywords with intent, and creating content that matches real-world questions.
Whether you're launching a new blog, optimizing a product page, or building a full SEO strategy, these keyword research techniques will future-proof your growth.
Want some help with that? You can ask us! Request a free marketing consultation
If you want to know more about how to rank on Google first page, check this article!
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