How to Do Keyword Research (Free & Beginner-Friendly)

30 June 2026·4 min read

Quick answer: Free, beginner-friendly keyword research is really three steps done properly: find the phrases people actually type (not the ones you'd type), check what Google thinks the searcher wants (the intent), and pick the ones that match a page or post you can genuinely write well. No paid tool required to get started — Google itself gives you most of what you need. ✨

"Keyword research" sounds like a spreadsheet full of jargon, but at its core it's just replacing guesswork with evidence — writing the words your future client actually searches, instead of the words that sound good in a meeting. Here's the free version, done properly. 💖

What most people get wrong

Chasing search volume alone — a keyword with 5,000 searches a month is useless if none of those searchers want what you sell.
Only researching "head" terms — "family lawyer" is brutally competitive; "what happens to superannuation in a divorce settlement" is winnable and just as valuable.
Ignoring search intent — writing a sales page for a keyword where Google is clearly rewarding blog-style explainer content (or vice versa) means you're fighting the algorithm instead of working with it.
Never checking who already ranks — if the first page is all government sites and Wikipedia, that's useful information before you spend three hours on a post.

The 5-minute free keyword research script

Repeat this for every topic idea before you write a word:

1. Type your topic into Google exactly as a client would say it out loud.
2. Screenshot the autocomplete suggestions and every "people also ask" box — these are real queries with real demand.
3. Scroll to "related searches" at the bottom of the page and add those too.
4. Look at what's actually ranking on page one — blog posts, product pages, or listicles? Match that content type, don't fight it.
5. Cross-check volume for free in Google Keyword Planner (works without running ads) or Google Trends for relative interest over time.
6. Pick the phrase that best matches a page you can genuinely write better than what's currently ranking.

That's the whole method. Paid tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush add precision and competitor gap analysis later, but they're not required to start writing keyword-informed content today.

Three real examples

Same script, three different practices — notice how the intent behind each phrase shapes what actually gets written. 📈

Law firm: "conveyancing" alone is a crowded, generic term. Autocomplete surfaced "how long does conveyancing take in Queensland" — specific, answerable, and exactly the anxiety a buyer feels mid-transaction. That became the post, not a generic "our conveyancing services" page.

Financial planning practice: "financial planner" is dominated by big-brand comparison sites. "how much super should I have at 40" had lower competition, clear informational intent, and a natural link straight to a retirement planning consult.

Dental practice: Page one for "tooth pain" was all hospital and health-department sites — too authoritative to outrank quickly. "why does my tooth hurt when I chew" was more specific, matched a real patient question, and was realistic to rank for within a few months.

Mistakes that waste the research

Stuffing every found phrase into one post — pick one primary phrase per page; related terms belong naturally in the sentences, not forced in as a list.
Ignoring local modifiers — "near me" and suburb-specific searches often carry far higher intent to book than the generic version of the same term.
Researching once and never again — search behaviour shifts with seasons, regulation changes and news events; revisit key topics every six to twelve months.
Skipping the "who already ranks" check — writing to compete with a government resource page on page one is a much harder fight than most businesses realise going in.

💡 Heads up: Free tools estimate volume, they don't measure it exactly — Google Keyword Planner in particular rounds many small-business keywords into broad ranges once you're not running active ad spend. Treat the numbers as "roughly bigger or smaller than this other term," not gospel, and let real client questions carry equal weight to whatever the tool says.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a paid tool to do keyword research?

No — Google's own autocomplete, "people also ask," related searches, and the free Keyword Planner cover everything a small business needs to start. Paid tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush become worth it once you're managing dozens of pages and want to see exactly what a competitor ranks for.

What's the difference between a keyword and search intent?

The keyword is the phrase typed into Google; the intent is what the searcher actually wants when they type it — to learn something, compare options, or buy right now. Matching your content format to that intent matters more than matching the exact phrase.

How many keywords should one blog post target?

One clear primary phrase, with a handful of closely related terms woven in naturally as the post genuinely covers the topic. Trying to rank one page for five unrelated keywords usually means it ranks well for none of them.

Is it worth targeting keywords with very low competition?

Often yes, especially early on — low-competition, specific phrases are realistic to rank for within months rather than years, and they compound as you build topical authority for the broader, harder terms around them.