Keyword research is the process of finding specific words and phrases that people actually use in search engines when looking for content like yours. It involves expanding your generic head terms into more specific long-tail keywords that you can naturally incorporate into your content.
What you’ll learn:
- How to conduct basic keyword research.
- Why keyword research is valuable for your content.
- Free tools to find potential keywords — including Google’s “People also ask” and autocomplete.
- How to find question-based keywords that work for both traditional and AI-powered search.
When people search online, they typically use specific phrases rather than generic terms. For example, instead of searching simply for “shoes,” someone might search for “size 8 women’s leather hiking boots” to find exactly what they need.
By researching and including these specific phrases in your content:
- You align your content with what people are actually searching for.
- You increase your chances of ranking for those specific terms.
- You attract visitors who are looking for exactly what you’re offering.
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As covered in the previous lesson, generic head terms have higher search volume but they also face much more competition, making them difficult to rank for (especially for newer sites). Long-tail keywords are easier to rank for.
You don’t need expensive software to start researching keywords. Here are two accessible options:
- Search for your head term in Google (for example, “chocolate chip cookie recipe.”)
- Scroll to the bottom of the results page to find the “People also search for” section. These suggestions are based on actual user searches and Google’s algorithms.
- Click on one of these related searches and repeat to discover even more specific phrases:
These aren’t just keyword ideas — they’re the specific questions that AI Overviews and featured snippets are trying to answer. If you create content that directly answers one of these questions (with a clear, concise answer in the first paragraph), you have a strong chance of being cited in AI-generated results for that query.
How to use it:
- Search for your question in Google.
- Look for the “People also ask” box — it often appears in the top half of results.
- Click on any question to expand it and reveal more related questions.
- Copy the questions most relevant to your content.
- These become your H2 headings — phrased as questions, answered directly beneath them.
Start typing your topic into Google’s search bar (but don’t press Enter) and note the suggestions that appear. These reflect real queries people are searching for, including many question-based ones starting with “how,” “what,” “why,” and “best.” These are also useful targets for AI Optimization:
This free tool generates keyword ideas from multiple platforms:
- YouTube search – Particularly helpful for “how-to” content.
- Google question search – Shows real questions people ask about your topic.
- Amazon search – Useful for product-related content and finding related terms.
- And several more.
Tip: When using KeywordTool.io, you can select and copy multiple keyword suggestions at once to add to your list.
When you find a question your audience is asking and answer it clearly and directly in your content, you’re doing keyword research and AI Optimization at the same time.
While researching keywords, you will notice that many of the best long-tail keywords are phrased as questions — “how to,” “what is,” “why does.” A long-tail keyword is a longer, more specific search phrase — usually three or more words. For example, instead of searching “cookies,” someone might search “what are some easy chocolate chip cookies for kids.”
These question-format keywords are especially valuable because they match exactly what AI chatbots are designed to answer.
Build upon your previous exercise with these steps:
- Take your 1-2 head terms from the previous lesson.
- Use Google or KeywordTool.io to find related long-tail keywords.
- Add these keywords to your document under their respective head terms.
- Remove any duplicates or irrelevant terms.
- Aim for 10-20 long-tail keywords for each head term.
Remember: Keyword research doesn’t need to be done for every piece of content. Focus on your most important pages first, particularly your “cornerstone content” that provides essential information and attracts the most traffic.
Your next step will be learning how to incorporate these keywords naturally into your content to improve your search visibility while maintaining reader-friendly content.
