What you look at for each keyword
- Volume: roughly how many people search it each month.
- Intent: whether they want to learn, compare, buy or find a place.
- Difficulty: how strong the pages already ranking are.
- Fit: whether your business can honestly answer it.
Intent matters most. "What is SEO" wants a definition. "SEO course in Lahore" wants a course page. One page cannot serve both well.
Tools you can start with
Google’s Keyword Planner shows estimated monthly searches and cost-per-click for a keyword, and forecasts clicks and conversions for a budget (Google Ads Help). It sits inside a Google Ads account. Google Search Console, Google Trends and the "People also ask" box in a normal search are free ways to see what people ask.
A simple way to start
Write down what your customers ask you in person or on WhatsApp. Search each question, note what ranks, and group questions that the same page could answer. That list is the start of a keyword map, and it costs nothing. The SkillsVerx guide to keyword research without paid tools walks through it step by step.