Keyword research is finding the exact words people type into search engines when they look for what you offer, then choosing which ones a page should target. You can do it well without paid tools, using Google autocomplete, People Also Ask, Google Trends, Search Console and an AI assistant to group the results into topics.
Why does keyword research matter?
A page can only rank for searches it actually matches. If a Karachi bakery writes about "artisanal confectionery" while customers search "birthday cake delivery Karachi", the page misses the people it was written for. Keyword research closes that gap. It tells you what to call things, which questions to answer and which pages to create.
It is also the first step in most SEO work, as covered in What is SEO and how does it work in 2026?.
What makes a keyword worth targeting?
- Intent: what the searcher wants. "What is a VPN" wants an explanation; "buy VPN Pakistan" wants to pay.
- Demand: whether people search it at all. Free tools show this roughly, not exactly.
- Competition: who ranks now. If page one is all national newspapers, a new site should aim for a narrower term.
- Fit: whether the page you can write is the best answer for that search.
How do you do keyword research for free?
Work through these six steps for one topic at a time.
1. Start with seed words
Write down five to ten plain words for what you offer, the way a customer would say them. For a tuition academy: "O level tuition", "maths tutor", "home tutor Lahore". Ask real customers how they describe what they needed, and add those words too.
2. Mine Google autocomplete
Type each seed into Google and note the suggestions. Google says autocomplete predictions reflect real searches, shaped by language, location and trending interest. Add letters after your seed ("maths tutor a", "maths tutor b") to surface more. Use a private window so your own history does not skew the results.
3. Read People Also Ask and related searches
On the results page, open the People Also Ask boxes and scroll to the related searches at the bottom. These are the questions your page should answer. Each good question can become a heading or an FAQ.
4. Compare interest in Google Trends
Google Trends compares how popular searches are over time and by region, including Pakistani provinces and cities. Its Trends FAQ explains that the numbers are scaled from 0 to 100 relative to all searches, so they show relative interest, not search counts. Use it to choose between two phrasings, or to spot seasonal peaks like school admissions or Ramadan.
5. Check what already ranks
Search each shortlisted term and study page one. Are the results blog posts, product pages, videos or map listings? That tells you what kind of page Google thinks fits the search. If you cannot make something better than what is there, pick a more specific term.
6. Group keywords into topics with AI
Paste your list into ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude and ask it to group the terms by search intent, with one group per page. Then check the groups yourself against the results you saw in step 5. AI tools are good at sorting, but they can invent search volumes, so never trust a number an AI tool gives you without a source.
What if you already have a website?
Then your best free keyword tool is Google Search Console. Its Performance report shows the queries your pages already appear for, with impressions, clicks and average position. Look for queries with many impressions but few clicks, or positions between 8 and 20. Those are pages close to page one that a better title or a new section might lift.
What about Google Keyword Planner?
Keyword Planner is part of Google Ads and gives volume ranges and new keyword ideas. Google notes on its Keyword Planner help page that you must complete account setup, including billing information, to use features like keyword ideas. You do not have to run ads, but many beginners skip it for that reason. The free method above is enough to start.
Common keyword research mistakes
- Chasing the biggest keyword instead of the one you can realistically rank for.
- Ignoring intent, and writing a blog post for a search that wants a product page.
- Targeting the same keyword on several pages, so they compete with each other.
- Stuffing the keyword into every sentence instead of writing naturally.
- Trusting made-up volume numbers from AI tools.
How do you turn research into a page?
Put the main keyword in the page title, the H1 and the first paragraph. Use the People Also Ask questions as subheadings, answer each directly, and add a short FAQ at the end. Keep one main keyword per page and link related pages together.
Keyword research without paid tools is a full module in the SkillsVerx AI-Powered SEO course, where you research and plan pages for a real site rather than a made-up one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do keyword research without any tools?
Yes. Google itself, with autocomplete, People Also Ask and related searches, gives you most of what a beginner needs. Trends and Search Console are free and add more context.
What is a long-tail keyword?
A longer, more specific search, such as "affordable O level maths tutor in Johar Town". Each one is searched less, but the searcher knows what they want, and there is usually less competition.
How many keywords should one page target?
One main keyword plus a handful of close variations and related questions. If two keywords need different answers, they need different pages.
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