How to Do Keyword Research in 2025 (Step-by-Step Tutorial)

Keyword research in 2025 isn’t about stuffing your content with popular search terms or chasing the highest volume. It’s about understanding how your ideal customer thinks, searches, and makes decisions online and aligning your content strategy around that.

Keyword Research Guide

As someone who works in SEO every day running SEO Vizon, I’ve helped dozens of businesses go from invisible to top-ranking just by getting keyword research right. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the exact process I use, step by step.

Step 1: Know Why You’re Doing Keyword Research

Before opening any tool, you need to understand the goal behind keyword research. It’s not just about rankings. It’s about:

• Reaching people who are actively looking for what you offer.
• Getting found by the right audience (not just anyone).
• Aligning your content with business goals traffic that converts.

And in 2025, search intent matters more than ever. Google is getting better at understanding what people mean, not just what they type.

• The 4 Types of Search Intent: Informational: “What is keyword research?”
• Navigational: “SEMrush login” or “SEO Vizon blog”
• Commercial: “best SEO tool for small business”
• Transactional: “hire SEO consultant near me”

🔎 My advice: When you research keywords, don’t just think about what people are searching for think about what action they want to take next.

Step 2: Start With Core Topics (Seed Keywords)

Before you dive into tools, map out your core topics. These are the main areas your business covers. Ask yourself:

• What services do I offer?
• What problems do I solve?
• What questions do customers ask me all the time?

If you run an SEO agency like I do, your core topics might include:

• On-page SEO
• Local SEO
• Keyword research
• Link building
• Technical audits

These seed topics help guide all the keywords you’ll discover later.

🧠 Pro tip: I like to start a simple Google Sheet to organize this. One tab for each core topic. You’ll thank yourself later.

Step 3: Use Keyword Tools to Find Opportunities

This is where most people get overwhelmed but it’s easier when you know what to look for.

Here are the tools I personally use (and recommend to clients):

• ✅ Free Tools: Google Search Console shows what you’re already ranking for (and how to improve).
• Google Keyword Planner: Good for search volume & CPC (even better when paired with ads).
• Google Autocomplete: Just start typing and let Google suggest real searches.
• ✅ Paid Tools (worth it if you’re serious): SEMrush or Ahrefs excellent for keyword difficulty, competition analysis, and seeing what your competitors rank for.
• Ubersuggest: Beginner-friendly alternative with solid insights.
• AnswerThePublic / AlsoAsked: Great for discovering related questions and topics.

What I look for when choosing keywords: Search Volume, Are enough people searching for it monthly?

🧠 Pro tip: Don’t just chase high-volume keywords. Look for low competition, high intent keywords that are closely tied to your offer.

Step 4: Spy on What’s Ranking (Competitor Analysis)

Let’s say you found a keyword like “best local SEO strategies 2025.” Before creating content, you need to check what’s already ranking.

Here’s what I look at:

By doing this, I can see what Google considers high-quality for that keyword, and I use that to build a better, more useful version.

🧠 Pro tip: Don’t copy aim to outdo what’s already out there by being clearer, more helpful, and more current.

Step 5: Dig Deeper with Long-Tail Keywords

In 2025, long-tail keywords are where most of the real opportunity lives. What are they? They’re longer, more specific phrases like:

• “how to rank on Google Maps for local services”
• “best SEO tools for coaches and consultants”

They may have lower search volume but they bring qualified, high-intent traffic. People typing these in already know what they need. Where I find long-tail gems:

• Google Autocomplete
• People also ask
• Reddit and Quora threads
• Client questions I’ve heard over and over

🧠 Pro tip: I often use these as blog post titles or H2s inside longer guides.

Step 6: Organize Your Keywords (Intent + Funnel Stage)

Once I have a list of potential keywords, I group them based on:

• Intent (Informational, commercial, etc.)
• Funnel stage (Top, Middle, Bottom)

This helps me plan what kind of content to create:

Funnel Stage Intent Example Keyword Best Format TOFU Informational “What is SEO?” Blog post, guide MOFU Commercial “Best SEO tools for small businesses” Comparison post BOFU Transactional “Hire SEO agency in Texas” Landing page, sales page

🧠 Pro tip: Use this grouping to build a content map. It keeps your site structured and focused on the buyer journey.

Step 7: Build a Strategic Content Plan

Now that you’ve got your keywords grouped, it’s time to make a plan not just a to-do list.

Here’s what I usually map out for clients:

• Primary keyword for each piece
• Supporting keywords (related terms, variations)
• Search intent match
• Content format (guide, blog, list, landing page)
• Deadline or publish date

This ensures I’m not just creating random content I’m building a system where each page has a job, and every keyword supports a bigger goal.

🧠 Pro tip: Include keywords naturally in titles, headers (H1, H2), and the first 100 words. But don’t force it write for humans first.

Final Thoughts

Keyword Research Isn’t Just Data, It’s Strategy Keyword research in 2025 is less about “hacking the algorithm” and more about understanding people. If you can:

• Know what your audience needs,
• Find what they’re searching for,
• And create genuinely helpful content and you’ll win.

I’ve helped clients increase their traffic by 3x or more just by getting this part right. If you want real results from SEO, don’t skip the research that’s where your edge starts. If you’d like a custom keyword strategy built around your business, I’d love to help. At SEO Vizon, I focus on giving you a clear, honest plan that brings in the right traffic not just clicks.

Want Help With Your Keyword Strategy? I offer 1:1 consultations, done-for-you research packages, and full SEO audits that uncover exactly where your growth opportunities are.

Let’s find the keywords that actually grow your business.