The Comprehensive Guide to Keyword Research for SEO: Everything You Need to Know

Tom Canterino • February 23, 2022

The Comprehensive Guide to Keyword Research for SEO: Everything You Need to Know

Do you want to dominate your competitors in search engines? Of course, you do! In order to achieve this, you need to be doing keyword research. Keyword research is one of the most important aspects of SEO, and it can be a bit overwhelming for beginners. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about keyword research so that you can start seeing results in your SEO campaigns!


What is keyword research?


Keyword research is the process of finding and targeting the right keywords for your website.


Why is keyword research important?


There are a few reasons why keyword research is so important: 

  • Keywords are the foundation of SEO. If you target the wrong keywords, you will not see results from your SEO campaigns.
  • When done correctly, keyword research can help you dominate your competitors in search engines.
  • Keywords can help you understand what your customers are looking for, which can help you create better content and products.


How do I do keyword research?


There are a few different ways to do keyword research: 


Google AdWords Keyword Planner:
This tool is great for finding keywords that are relevant to your industry.


Google Trends:
This tool will show you what people are searching for overtime, which can help you identify trends in the market and create content based on these trends.


How do I find long-tail keywords? 


Long-tail keywords are more specific than short ones (e.g., “Video Games” vs. “Xbox 360 Video Games”). Long-tail keywords tend to have lower competition and higher conversion rates than short ones, so it is important to use them when possible!


Google Suggest:
This tool will show you what people are searching for overtime, which can help you identify trends in the market and create content based on these trends.


Google Trends:
This tool can be used to find long-tail keywords that are relevant to your industry.


How do I optimize for local search? 


Local search optimization is important if you want people who live near your business location or service area. If someone searches for a business like yours, you want your website to show up in the results!


Google My Business:
This tool can help you optimize your website for local search.


Location keywords:
When targeting keywords, be sure to use location keywords (e.g., “Seattle plumbers”) to help improve your chances of ranking in local search results.


What are the best tools for keyword research? 


There are a number of great tools available, but these two are our favorites: 


The Google Keyword Planner Tool
: This tool is free and allows you to see what people are searching for overtime. It also provides some helpful insights into how likely someone is to click on your ad based on their search query.


SERPWoo
: This tool offers paid subscriptions that allow you access more data about what people are searching for overtime and other useful information like clicks per month. 


How do I use the keyword planner tool? 


The Google Keyword Planner Tool is a great way to find new keywords that are relevant to your industry. It gives you an estimate of how many people search for each term and what the competition is like (how many other businesses are bidding on those terms). You can also see historical data to get an idea of whether a keyword is trending up or down.

To learn more about how LevelUP Digital Solutions can help you grow your business

through happy customers, contact us today at 401-298-9361. Our automated feedback collection, management, and syndication platform makes you the authority for your reputation and turns your customers into your best marketers.

October 28, 2025
How to Build a High-Converting Website Design Providence, RI: Expert Tips & Best Practices
Boost Local Visibility with SEO Digital Marketing for Rhode Island Businesses in 2025
October 28, 2025
Explore essential SEO digital marketing strategies for Rhode Island businesses in 2025. Learn how to optimize your GMB, build citations, implement schema, acquire backlinks, and leverage reviews for better local search rankings.
October 25, 2025
Why Clients Love LevelUp Agency's Results: Proven Success, Testimonials, and Digital Marketing Impact 
October 25, 2025
Maximize Impact With Digital Branding Tactics: Effective Strategies to Build a Strong Online Brand 
October 24, 2025
Mastering Performance Marketing Strategies with LevelUp Agency for Maximum ROI
October 24, 2025
How to Measure Brand Success and ROI: Key Metrics and Practical Methods 
September 22, 2025
Discover how strategic landing page design, creative optimization, and well-built conversion funnels boost ROI for paid traffic. Learn expert tips for marketing managers.
September 22, 2025
Discover how daily PPC audits reduce wasted ad spend, optimize bids, improve creative testing, and scale campaigns for better ROI through human oversight.
August 26, 2025
Content marketing for business growth generates three times more leads per dollar spent than traditional advertising while costing 62% less, offering measurable ROI and sustainable audience engagement. This guide explains why content marketing unlocks high-quality lead pipelines, how to build a strategy, leverage semantic SEO for visibility, measure ROI precisely, and adopt emerging trends like AI, video, and voice search. Readers will learn actionable steps to attract, engage, and convert prospects, with supplementary pointers to elevate execution through comprehensive digital marketing services. Content Marketing ROI Content marketing generates three times more leads per dollar spent than traditional advertising while costing 62% less, offering measurable ROI and sustainable audience engagement. The average content marketing ROI is $7.65 for every $1 spent.
August 26, 2025
Effective social media marketing strategies align clear objectives, audience insights, platform selection, content pillars, and analytics to drive measurable growth and engagement. This guide maps foundational goal setting, audience research, platform choice, content planning, and performance optimization—each step reinforced by proven digital marketing services designed to elevate your campaigns. Whether you seek to boost brand awareness, generate qualified leads, or foster community loyalty, the following sections deliver actionable frameworks. Alongside strategic best practices, our comprehensive digital marketing services integrate seamlessly at every stage to ensure consistent, data-driven results. What Are the Key Goals for Effective Social Media Marketing? Key goals in social media marketing define outcomes that guide strategy— brand awareness expands reach through targeted engagement, lead generation converts interest into prospects, and customer retention fosters ongoing loyalty for sustained revenue. How Do You Set SMART Social Media Marketing Goals? Setting SMART social media marketing goals involves creating objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, ensuring each campaign aligns with overarching business outcomes.