How to Do Keyword Research Like a Pro With Just Google

Intro

Keyword research is an essential part of SEO and for good reason. When done right, it can give you a better understanding of what your target audience is looking for in search engines and how to optimize your website accordingly.

Luckily, plenty of keyword research strategies don’t require fancy tools or expensive software. In fact, all you need is Google itself!

This guide will explore seven simple yet effective ways to do keyword research using just Google.

Are you ready? Let's get started!

What is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is the process of discovering which words and phrases your target audience uses to look for information in search engines.

In other words, it helps you discover the terms that people are most likely to use when looking for topics related to your online business and products.

This can help you create content optimized for SEO, as you’ll be targeting the words that your target audience is actually using to search.

Why is Keyword Research Important?

Keyword research is important for many reasons.

It can help you create content that is more relevant to your target audience, which can in turn help you drive more organic traffic to your website.

It also helps you determine the best ways to optimize your content for search engines, making it easier for people to find your website when they search.

7 Keyword Research Strategies Using Google

Do you know that you can research keywords and topics just by using Google?

Here are seven simple yet effective keyword research strategies that you can use just with the help of the most popular search engine.

1. People Also Ask

If you’ve ever done a simple search, chances are you’ve seen this section.

People Also Ask provides related questions to your original query and can be incredibly useful for discovering potential keywords or topics that people may be searching for.

What you need to do is simply type a broad topic into Google search, and scroll down to this section.

Take a look at the questions and think about how you can use them in your content.

If you click on a question, more will be revealed, so you can get even more ideas that way.

Do you know that, starting from April 2023, a new feature called "Others want to know" will be replacing the People Also Ask box for specific queries?

Currently, Google is experimenting with a new design, layout, and user experience for the PAA box in the search results of Google.

And it does not end here!

Other alternatives that Google is testing include the "More to Ask" box.

If you want to dig even further, you can try Question Analyzer by BuzzSumo. It's a great complementary tool to People Also Ask, as it shows you other relevant customer questions that are asked across hundreds of thousands of forums (ie. the ones that might not always be surfaced on the SERP).

2. Google Autocomplete

This is another feature that provides suggestions for searches based on what other people have searched for related to your query.

Simply type in a keyword or phrase into the search bar and Google will provide you with some suggested autocomplete options. This can give you great ideas for topics and keywords that you may not have considered before.

The autocomplete predictions are based on actual Google searches.

The system selects the best matches for what users are typing into the search bar while taking into account the:

• Language used
• Location of the query
• Interests of the user
• Past searches

In other words, autocomplete can display the most useful predictions that are specific to a location or time, such as breaking news events, for example.

It may also predict individual words and phrases based on real searches and web-based word patterns, in addition to providing full search predictions.

3. Related Searches

At the bottom of a Google search results page, you'll find a section labeled "Searches related to."

This section is incredibly useful for finding related topics and long-tail keyword ideas that people are searching for.

These related searches often provide insight into what people may be looking for when they search for a particular topic.

By exploring this section, you can get a better understanding of the subjects that resonate with your target audience and come up with ideas for content that your readers may be interested in.

You can also use this section to find more specific keywords and phrases that you can work into your content to make it more SEO-friendly.

4. Google Trends

Google Trends is an incredibly powerful tool that can help you identify the keywords and topics that are trending in your industry.

It’s a great way to stay up-to-date on what people are searching for and allows you to easily compare search terms over time.

You can also use it to identify emerging topics and gain insights into how popular a particular keyword or topic is.

What you need to know is simply enter one or more terms into the search bar and Google will provide you with real-time data on how often each term is searched for.

For example, if you are looking to get more data about prop trading firms, just enter this query with your target location (in this case, the U.S.):

As you can see, you can also narrow down results by location, time frame, and category to get a more accurate picture of what’s trending about this subject.

In short, Google Trends can be helpful with keyword research and should be part of your regular SEO strategy.

5. Google Search Console

Google Search Console is an essential tool that any site owner should use.

It provides comprehensive data on keywords people are using to find your content, as well as insights about how those terms are performing in the SERPs.

You can also leverage GSC to identify any potential issues with your SEO efforts and make sure to solve them, so your site doesn’t lose potential rankings.

So, what does this mean for you?

The information you can find in GSC can be used to fine-tune your content strategy and make sure that you’re focusing on the right keywords for maximum reach.

What you want to do is visit the "Performance" section of your GSC, then select "Search Results" to view the list of queries your content has been found for.

You can then use this data to find new keyword opportunities and identify any potential issues with your keyword targeting strategy.

For example, you can find new terms you are not targeting and implement them in your content strategy (both for your new or existing articles).

6. Google Image Tags

Google Images is another excellent resource for finding relevant keywords and topics that a few are thinking about.

Simply search for a broad term or keyword related to your industry and scroll through the results.

You can see what other terms people are using to find images related to that topic, as well as get ideas for related subjects and long-tail keywords you can use in your content.

Moreover, if you click on any image, you can find the associated tags which people are using for that specific image.

These tags can be used to find related topics and new terms, giving you even more ideas for your content.

You can also group two or more tags to create even more specific and relevant content ideas.

And if you keep digging, you may even be able to find a low-competition gem for your next affiliate niche site!

7. Google Keyword Planner

Keyword Planner is another powerful tool that can help you find the right keywords and phrases to target in your content.

It gives you detailed insights into search volume, competition, and cost-per-click for different keywords.

Simply enter a keyword or phrase related to your topic and Google will generate a list of related terms.

You can then select the keywords and phrases that have high search volume and low competition, allowing you to easily identify the best keywords for your content.

GKP is a great resource for keyword research and should be part of your regular SEO strategy.

It’s also important to note that you can use the data from Google Keyword Planner to optimize existing content.

You can simply search for the keywords and phrases you’re targeting in your completed writing pieces and adjust your copy to include more relevant terms.

This will help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and make sure that your content has more chances to rank better in the SERPs.

Are You Ready to Power Up Your Keyword Research Using Google?

These are just some of the ways that you can use Google to power up your keyword research and find relevant terms for your content.

By taking advantage of these tools and strategies, you can quickly identify the best terms and phrases to target in your writing for maximum reach and visibility, so your content can gain quality backlinks like the ones provided by Speed Backlinks.

So, what are you waiting for?

Start optimizing your content and get more traffic, leads, and conversions with the help of Google.