Keyword Research

Target the searches that actually matter

We identify the exact terms your customers use when they are ready to act, so every page you build has a clear target, a measurable opportunity and a real chance of ranking.

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SplinterSEO File View
11:32
Keyword Research Competitors Gaps
🔍 Search keywords...
Keyword
Vol/mo
Difficulty
Intent
Priority
SEO agency Belfast
320
42
Commercial
High
local SEO Northern Ireland
210
28
Commercial
High
technical SEO audit UK
480
51
Transactional
High
what is schema markup
1,900
22
Informational
Medium
GA4 setup service
170
19
Transactional
High
how does AI search work
2,400
24
Informational
Medium
ecommerce SEO Shopify
590
63
Commercial
Medium
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Keyword Research

The foundation every SEO strategy depends on

Every page you create, every piece of content you publish and every optimisation decision you make should start with keyword research. Without it, you are guessing at what your customers search for, how competitive those terms are and whether ranking for them would actually generate leads or sales.

Good keyword research goes well beyond search volume. We analyse search intent, commercial value, competitive difficulty, seasonal patterns and the gap between what you currently rank for and what you should be ranking for. The output is a prioritised map of opportunity that drives every decision in your SEO strategy.

Whether you are building a strategy from scratch, expanding into new markets or auditing an existing approach, keyword research is the work that makes everything else more effective.

Talk to us about keyword research
Search intent analysis Understanding whether searchers want to buy, compare, learn or find a location shapes every page we recommend building or optimising.
Competitive gap analysis We identify the valuable keywords your competitors rank for that you do not, surfacing the opportunities with the clearest path to measurable traffic gains.
Priority scoring Every keyword we identify is scored by difficulty, volume and commercial value so you know exactly which opportunities to target first for the fastest return.
Actionable keyword mapping Keywords are mapped to specific pages on your site, new pages to build or content to create, giving your team a clear brief rather than a list of terms with nothing to do with them.
What's included

What our keyword research covers

A comprehensive keyword research engagement that goes beyond a list of search terms and gives you a clear, prioritised strategy for what to build, what to optimise and what to target next.

Seed keyword discovery Building a comprehensive starting list from your services, products, audience language, competitor terms and industry vocabulary before filtering for opportunity.
Search volume and trend analysis Accurate monthly search volume data combined with seasonal trend analysis so you understand not just how often a term is searched but how that changes across the year.
Search intent classification Every keyword classified by intent: transactional, commercial, informational or navigational. This determines what type of page should target each term and what the visitor expects to find.
Keyword difficulty assessment Honest difficulty scoring that accounts for your site's current authority, so you understand which terms are genuinely achievable in the near term and which require longer-term investment.
Competitor keyword gap analysis Identifying the terms your main competitors rank for that you do not, with analysis of how strong their rankings are and how realistically you could compete for the same terms.
Long-tail keyword identification Surfacing the lower-volume, highly specific search terms that are easier to rank for, convert at higher rates and are often missed by competitors targeting only the obvious head terms.
Keyword to page mapping Each keyword cluster mapped to a specific existing page to optimise or a new page to create, with a clear brief on what each page needs to rank and convert effectively.
Prioritised opportunity report A deliverable you can act on immediately: keywords ranked by a combination of volume, difficulty and commercial value, with clear guidance on what to tackle first.
Start with keyword research
Good vs bad

What poor keyword research costs you

Most keyword research mistakes are not obvious until months later, when you have invested in content that does not rank or pages that rank but do not convert. These are the differences that matter.

Poor keyword research
✕
Targeting only high-volume head terms The most searched terms are typically the most competitive. Targeting them without the authority to rank means pages sit on page three or four indefinitely with no traffic.
✕
Ignoring search intent Ranking an informational blog post for a transactional keyword, or a sales page for an informational query, means visitors leave immediately. Rankings drop, conversions stay at zero.
✕
No competitor gap analysis Without knowing what competitors rank for, you miss the easiest wins: terms with proven search demand that your site could realistically target with the right page.
✕
No mapping to pages A list of keywords without clear assignment to existing or new pages results in keyword cannibalisation, gaps in coverage and no clear action for the team to take.
Thorough keyword research
✓
Balanced head and long-tail targeting A mix of aspirational head terms for long-term growth and realistic long-tail opportunities that can generate traffic and leads in the near term.
✓
Intent-matched content types Every keyword matched to the right content format so pages meet what searchers actually expect when they arrive, improving both rankings and conversions.
✓
Competitor-informed opportunity list A prioritised list of gaps where competitors are ranking and you are not, with difficulty assessment so you know which gaps are worth closing first.
✓
Clear page-level mapping Every keyword cluster assigned to a specific page with a brief on what the page needs to contain, how to structure it and what the user expects to find.

Keyword research is not a one-off exercise. Search behaviour changes, new competitors appear and your own site grows. We treat keyword research as an ongoing input to your SEO strategy, revisiting and expanding it as your rankings and business evolve.

Get your keyword research done properly
Why SplinterSEO

Why trust SplinterSEO with your keyword research?

Keyword research tools give you data. What you need is judgement: knowing which numbers to trust, which opportunities to prioritise and how to turn a spreadsheet of search terms into an SEO strategy that generates real results.

Judgement, not just data

Any tool can pull search volume numbers. We apply experience and context to decide which opportunities are genuinely worth targeting for your site, your market and your current authority level.

Commercial focus throughout

We weight our recommendations towards keywords that generate leads and sales, not just traffic. High-volume informational terms are included where they serve a strategic purpose, but commercial intent drives the priorities.

Directly actionable output

Our keyword research deliverable is not a raw data export. It is a structured, prioritised document that tells you exactly what to build, what to optimise and what to target first, with the reasoning explained clearly.

Part of a broader strategy

Keyword research with us is not a standalone output that sits in a folder. It feeds directly into the content, technical and on-page work we do, ensuring every recommendation gets implemented and measured.

70% of search queries are long-tail
terms missed by basic research
3.5x higher conversion rate for
long-tail vs head term traffic
60% of marketers say keyword research
is their top SEO challenge
Work with SplinterSEO

Contact Us For Keyword Research

FAQs

Keyword research questions, answered

What is keyword research and why does it matter?
Keyword research is the process of identifying the specific search terms your target customers use in Google and other search engines. It matters because every SEO decision you make, from the pages you build to the content you write to the on-page optimisation you implement, should be driven by an understanding of what people actually search for and how competitive those terms are. Without it, you are guessing.
How long does keyword research take?
A thorough keyword research engagement for a typical business website takes between 5 and 10 working days. Larger sites, more competitive markets or businesses operating in multiple sectors or locations may take longer. We will always give you a clear timeline before starting.
Can I do keyword research myself?
Basic keyword research is possible with free tools like Google Keyword Planner or Google Search Console. However, the value in professional keyword research comes from the depth of analysis, the competitive intelligence, the intent classification and the strategic prioritisation that turns raw data into a clear action plan. Many businesses find that self-conducted research misses the most valuable long-tail opportunities and leads to targeting terms that are either too competitive or too low-intent.
How often should keyword research be updated?
We recommend revisiting keyword research at least once a year, and any time you significantly expand your services, enter a new market or notice a meaningful change in your organic traffic patterns. Search behaviour evolves, competitors change their strategy and new opportunities emerge. Keyword research is not a one-off exercise.
What is the difference between head terms and long-tail keywords?
Head terms are short, high-volume search queries like "SEO agency" or "running shoes". They attract a lot of searches but are highly competitive and often have mixed intent. Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific queries like "SEO agency Belfast for small business" or "best trail running shoes for beginners". They have lower individual search volumes but are easier to rank for, have clearer intent and typically convert at higher rates. A good keyword strategy targets both.
Do you provide keyword research as a standalone service?
Yes. Keyword research can be commissioned as a standalone deliverable if you have an in-house team or agency that will handle implementation. We provide a complete, prioritised keyword research document with intent classification, difficulty scores, competitor gap analysis and page-level mapping. Many clients use this as the foundation for a broader SEO engagement with us.
Other services

Put your keyword research to work

Keyword research is the start, not the finish. Here are the services we use to turn your keyword strategy into rankings, traffic and leads.

SEO

Keyword research feeds directly into a full SEO strategy covering technical foundations, content, on-page optimisation and link building to turn your targets into rankings.

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SEO Audits

Combine keyword research with a full site audit to understand both the opportunity ahead and the technical barriers currently holding your rankings back.

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Technical SEO

Knowing which keywords to target is only useful if Google can crawl and index the pages you build. Technical SEO ensures the foundations are in place for your keyword strategy to work.

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AI Search Optimisation

Keyword research for AI search requires understanding how AI tools retrieve and surface information. We extend traditional keyword research to cover GEO opportunities too.

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Google Analytics (GA4)

Once you start ranking for your target keywords, GA4 tells you which ones are actually generating leads and revenue, so your next round of keyword research is even sharper.

Learn more