How To Do Keyword Research In Only 5 Minutes

Hey there! Are you looking for a way to do keyword research in just 5 minutes?

Then you're in the right place. In this blog post, I'm going to show you how to do keyword research quickly and effectively, no matter what your experience level is.

With the right tools and strategies, it doesn't take long at all!

If you're too lazy to read, here's a quick video guide:

So let's dive into my step-by-step guide on how to do keyword research in only 5 minutes.

1. Identify Your Target Audience and Topic

The key to effective keyword research is a deep understanding of your target audience and topic.

Start by pinpointing the interests, demographics, and geographical location of your audience.

For example, if your focus is on professionals in the tech industry, aged 30-45 in Silicon Valley, appropriate keywords might include “latest tech innovations” or “Silicon Valley tech startups.”

This approach ensures your keywords are closely aligned with the specific interests and location of your intended audience.

Use search engines to discover commonly asked questions and related searches in your topic area.

This insight helps in understanding your audience's search behavior, thereby refining your keyword selection.

Incorporate keyword modifiers for deeper insights related to your main topic.

2. Utilize Keyword Research Tools

Leverage tools such as Semrush, Ahrefs, Google Keyword Planner, and Answer the Public for comprehensive keyword suggestions.

These platforms offer insights into monthly search volumes, aiding in the selection of high-potential keywords for SEO optimization.

Organize your findings in a spreadsheet, categorizing keywords by relevance, difficulty score, and search volume.

3. Explore Google People Also Asked and Related Searches

Google's Auto Suggest feature offers a wealth of keyword ideas based on popular search queries.

Typing a topic into Google's search bar reveals associated keywords and phrases, providing a broader scope for your research.

The “related searches” section further expands your keyword list, ensuring a well-rounded approach to content creation.

The Search Generative Experience also shows "follow up" questions:

4. Analyze Search Volume and Competition

Understanding the balance between search volume and competition is key. Utilize tools such as Surfer SEO or Ahrefs Explorer to gain insights into the difficulty and potential ranking of keywords.

Prioritize those with significant search volumes but manageable competition.

Consider the effectiveness of long-tail keywords for focused, targeted content.

These keywords, though lower in search volume, often have higher conversion rates and less competition.

For example, instead of a broad keyword like “fitness,” a long-tail keyword such as “home yoga workout for beginners” targets a more specific audience, tapping into precise interests and needs.

5. Incorporate Google Trends

For example, if you conduct a Google Trends search for “vegan protein recipes,” and notice a substantial uptick in searches at the start of each year, particularly in urban areas known for health-conscious populations, this indicates that “vegan protein recipes” is a potential target keyword during those times.

Such a trend not only signifies seasonal relevance but also suggests geographic specificity, positioning it as a strategic and impactful keyword for your content planning.

6. Select Your Target Keywords

Combine long-tail, mid-tail, and short-tail keywords for a balanced approach.

Choose keywords that best represent your service or product, have high search volumes, and offer a realistic chance of ranking.

Consider both the potential traffic and the level of competition for each keyword.

What's an easy way to check what keywords are good to target?

Use a scoring formula that will weight keyword metrics against each other.

For instance, if you want to give more importance to keyword difficulty than to volume, you might assign a weight of 0.7 to the keyword difficulty and 0.3 to the volume.

The weights should add up to 1 (or 100%).

Here's how it will look in excel / sheet formula:

= (A2 * 0.7) + (B2 * 0.3)

What To Do After Keyword Research

After finalizing your keywords, optimize your website and create content aligned with these keywords.

This includes adjusting meta tags, meta descriptions, and engaging in link-building activities.

Content mapping involves aligning each web page with relevant keywords.

Evaluate existing content for keyword optimization and create new content to address uncovered keyword opportunities.

Tools for Keyword Research

This is just a sample list, there's many more on the market, go out there and research what works for you!

• Semrush
• Google Keyword Planner
• SEO Surfer
• Inlinks
• Keyword Insights
• Ahrefs

Importance of Refining Keyword Strategy

Constantly refining your keyword strategy ensures it remains effective.

Regularly review your keyword performance, adjusting your approach as needed.

This proactive stance keeps your content strategy aligned with evolving search trends and audience behaviours, such as SGE.

SGE's key feature is the prioritisation of AI-generated panels at the top of search results, adding a new dimension to the already complex SEO landscape.

For example, in the context of e-commerce, SGE results are reshaping how products and services are presented to users.

This evolution signifies a dual-focus approach for SEO: catering to both traditional search results (the familiar "10 Blue Links") and these new generative results.

Consider a keyword like "sustainable fashion brands."

With SGE, this keyword might trigger generative panels that highlight top brands or new industry trends:

Therefore, your content must be optimised not only for traditional search results but also to potentially feature in these AI-curated snippets.

This requires staying abreast of SGE developments and continuously analyzing how your keywords perform in this new context.

Conclusion

By following this structured, step-by-step guide outlined above, you can conduct thorough keyword research in just 5 minutes, regardless of your experience level.

This process includes understanding your audience, leveraging advanced tools, exploring Google's features, analyzing metrics, and incorporating trends.

Once you start doing keyword research actively, you'll build an instict and naturally get faster; you could even do it in 1 minute!

Related Reading

How to Choose The Right Keywords for Your Website - StudioHawk Blog

Hawk Academy (Keyword Research Module)

How to Use Keyword Modifiers to Enhance Your SEO - StudioHawk YouTube Video