Keyword research for beginners: how to find the right search terms

You have a lovely website, but hardly anyone finds it through Google? Often that is not down to the technology, but to the words. If your page does not use the terms your customers actually type into the search box, you simply pass one another by. This is exactly where keyword research comes in. It sounds like a complicated marketing discipline, but at its heart it is an honest question: how do people search for what I offer? In this article I show you step by step how to find that out yourself, without jargon and without expensive tools.

What a keyword actually is

A keyword is simply the term someone enters into Google. That can be a single word, but usually it is a short phrase: «painter near me», «accountant Winterthur cost» or «bake sourdough bread yourself». For your business, the most interesting keywords are the ones behind which there is a concrete intention, someone ready to buy, book or make an enquiry.

Important is the difference between short and long search terms. «Website» is very general and fiercely contested. «Have a website built for a joinery» is longer, more specific, and it is exactly these longer terms (they are called «long-tail») that often bring the better enquiries, because the person already knows what they want.

Step 1: Put yourself in your customers' shoes

Before you open any tool, take pen and paper. Think quite concretely: how would a customer search for your service if they did not yet know you? Write down everything that comes to mind, unfiltered.

• Your services: Which services do you offer? Name each one individually.
• Your customers' problems: People often search for the problem, not the solution, «tap dripping» instead of «plumber».
• Your region: Place and surroundings belong here too, for example «Schaffhausen» or «Winterthur region».
• Your customers' language: Use the words your customers use, not the internal technical vocabulary.

This first store of words is your foundation. No one knows your business better than you do.

Step 2: Let Google help you

Now it gets concrete, and free. Google itself reveals what people are searching for. Enter one of your terms into the search and observe:

• Autocomplete: As you type, Google suggests real, common searches. That is worth its weight in gold.
• «People also ask»: In the middle of the results Google shows a box with questions other users ask. Here you find topics for whole sections.
• «Related searches»: Right at the bottom of the results page are related terms you might not have thought of.

Note down everything that fits your offer. After half an hour you usually have a surprisingly long list.

Step 3: Choose the right terms

Now you sort. Not every term is equally valuable. When choosing, I look at three things:

• Relevance: Does the term really match what you offer? A hit with no matching service does you no good.
• Intent: Does the person want to buy or just browse? «Hairdresser book appointment» is more valuable than «hair trends 2026».
• Realistic chance: Very general terms are dominated by the big providers. As a small business you win far more easily with specific, local terms.

My tip: rather bet on ten concrete long-tail terms with clear buying intent than on one huge, general word where you have no chance. If you want a free look at search volumes, use the Google Keyword Planner (in the free Google Ads account), but that is not necessary to begin with.

Step 4: Keywords become content

A list alone brings no visitors. The decisive step is to build the terms naturally into your page, where they belong:

• In the page title and in headings: These are the places Google gives the most weight to.
• In the body text: Write for people, not for the machine. A term that appears naturally always works better than ten forced ones.
• One page per topic: Ideally give each important term its own well-described page, that is clearer for Google and for your visitors.

Important: do not artificially repeat a keyword over and over. Google spots this «keyword stuffing» immediately and is more likely to penalise it. Write honestly and helpfully, that is the best SEO strategy today.

Keep at it

Keyword research is not a one-off. The way people search changes, new terms come along. Look at your list once or twice a year and add what strikes you in contact with customers. Over time you develop a good feel for how your customers tick.

If you like, I will help you find the right terms and build them cleanly into your website, so that you appear exactly when someone searches for you. Feel free to browse other articles or get in touch directly via the contact form. I look forward to your project.