Module 7 · 7.2

English

Nederlands English Deutsch Français Español

Keyword research without paid tools

Module 7: Content that gets found · Reading time: 12 minutes

Learning objective: After this lesson you can use free sources to find out which words your customers use, you know what each source does and does not tell you, and you can make a short keyword list with one page for each keyword.

Key concepts: keyword, long-tail keyword, queries in Search Console, autocomplete, related searches, Google Trends (relative figures), Google Ads Keyword Planner (account required, rounded figures), Keyword Research in Bing Webmaster Tools, customer questions, search volume with a pinch of salt

Why research, and why not a paid tool?

You know your trade so well that you use your own words. Bloemenatelier Lotte talks about "rouwwerk" (funeral work), while customers search for "rouwboeket" (funeral bouquet) or "bloemen voor een begrafenis" (flowers for a funeral). Google puts it like this in its SEO Starter Guide: think about the words a user might use to look for your content. Keyword research means finding out which words those are.

Paid SEO tools give you neat tables of search volumes, but those figures are the tool's own estimates. For a small or local site you do not need them. The sources below will take you a long way, and some of them (Search Console, Bing) even show real figures for your own site.

Source 1: what your customers say

The best source costs nothing and is not online: the questions you get every week. For two weeks, write down what customers ask, on the phone, in the shop and by email. Pay attention to their words, not yours. "Kunnen jullie ook op zondag bezorgen?" (Can you also deliver on Sunday?) is a search query in the making: "bloemen bezorgen zondag amersfoort".

Also look at reviews (your own and those of competitors), questions on forums and the search function on your own site if you have one.

Source 2: Search Console, the real queries

If you have set up Search Console (module 2), open the Performance report and choose the Queries tab. You see which searches your site already appeared for (impressions) and which ones got clicks. These are real figures from Google for your site, not estimates.

Three things to know:

Google leaves rare queries out of the table to protect searchers' privacy (anonymised queries). The totals in the chart do include them. That is why the rows never add up to the total.
The table shows at most 1,000 rows. The data goes back 16 months.
Queries with lots of impressions and a low average position (say 15 to 30) are your opportunities: Google already considers your page somewhat relevant. A better page for exactly that question can make the difference.

Source 3: Google itself, in the search box and on the results page

Autocomplete. Type "rouwboeket" into Google and see what appears: "rouwboeket bestellen", "rouwboeket prijs", "rouwboeket tekst lint". According to Google, these predictions reflect real searches, although they are not simply the most popular ones, and Google filters some out (offensive ones, for example). Add a letter after your word ("rouwboeket a", "rouwboeket b") to see more variations.

Questions and related searches. Many results pages show a block of questions that people also ask, and a row of related searches at the bottom. Every question is a possible heading or a possible article.

Search in a private window: your own search history then counts for less.

Source 4: Google Trends, for comparisons and seasons

Google Trends shows how interest in a word develops over time. Important: Trends shows no absolute numbers. Google divides each data point by the total number of searches in that area and period, and puts it on a scale from 0 to 100. A 100 is the highest point in your chart, not 100 searches. Words with too few searches show as 0.

What is Trends good for?

Comparing. "rouwboeket" versus "rouwstuk": which word do people use more often?
Seasons. "valentijnsboeket" (Valentine's bouquet) peaks every February, "kerststuk" (Christmas arrangement) in December. That tells you when your page needs to be ready: well in advance.
Regions. Do people in Flanders use a different word than people in the Netherlands?

Source 5: the Google Ads Keyword Planner

The Keyword Planner is part of Google Ads. Google describes how it shows an estimate of how often a keyword is searched each month (by default averaged over 12 months), plus keyword ideas. What you need to know:

You need a Google Ads account with the account setup completed (including billing details). You do not have to run an ad to open the planner.
The figures are rounded. Words with very few searches return no result.
Without active campaigns, many users only see ranges (such as 100 to 1,000) instead of a number. Google's help pages give no fixed rule for when this happens, so expect it.

Use the planner to compare words with each other, not to predict exactly how many visitors you will get.

Source 6: Keyword Research in Bing Webmaster Tools

In Bing Webmaster Tools (lesson 2.5) you will find Keyword Research under SEO. You type a word and see related keywords, questions containing the word and how often it is searched on Bing, filterable by country, language and device. Bing has fewer users than Google, so the numbers are lower, but the proportions and especially the questions are useful. All you need is a free Bing account.

Choosing: long-tail keywords and realism

A short word like "bloemen" (flowers) gets lots of searches, but you are competing with national web shops and the intent is unclear. A long-tail keyword like "bloemen bezorgen zondag amersfoort" (flower delivery Sunday Amersfoort) is searched less often, but whoever types it knows exactly what they want, and it fits what you offer. For a small or local business, these are almost always the best opportunities.

Ask three questions for every keyword:

Does the intent match what I offer? (lesson 7.1) Search for it and look at the results.
Can I make the best page for this question? Do you have real knowledge, experience or an offer for it?
Which page will it be? Improve an existing page or create a new one. Never two pages for the same question.

A search volume is a direction, not a promise. A word with "10 to 100" searches a month for which you have the best answer brings in more than a word with 10,000 where you never become visible.

Your keyword list

Keep it small and practical, for example in a spreadsheet:

Keyword	Intent	Source	Page	Action
rouwboeket bestellen amersfoort	transactional, local	autocomplete, customers	/rouwbloemen	adjust title and text
tekst rouwlint	informational	questions block, Bing	new: /blog/tekst-rouwlint	write article
bloemen bezorgen zondag	transactional	customers	/bezorgen	mention Sunday

In practice: giving words a place

In the AI Builder and in WordPress you adjust the title and description for each page (in the AI Builder under SEO in the left-hand bar, in WordPress with an SEO plugin), and you write the text yourself. Other website builders work in a similar way. Use the keyword where it fits naturally: in the title, the main heading and the first paragraph. No more often than a reader finds comfortable.

Summary

The best sources are free: customer questions, Search Console, autocomplete, question blocks, Google Trends, the Keyword Planner and Bing Keyword Research.
Search Console shows real queries for your own site, but leaves out rare ones and shows at most 1,000 rows.
Trends gives relative figures from 0 to 100, not absolute numbers. The Keyword Planner rounds its figures and often shows ranges.
Choose long-tail keywords that match your offer and give each keyword one page.

Quiz

Exercise

Exercise D7.2: Your keyword list. Collect keywords for your own site (or for Bloemenatelier Lotte if you do not have a site) from at least four of the six sources in this lesson. Make a list of eight to fifteen keywords, with the intent, the source, the matching page and what you are going to do on each row. Then answer the questions in the exercise.

Exercise D7.2: Your keyword list

You do this exercise yourself; no one checks it. Tick off what you've done and mark the exercise as done.

At least four of the six sources used
Eight to fifteen keywords
Intent for each keyword
One page for each keyword
At least three keywords searched yourself in a private window
No two pages for the same intent

Your list (keyword, intent, source, page, action)

Which source gave the most surprising words?

Which keyword will you tackle first, and why?

Which word do you deliberately leave out, and why?

Your ticks and notes only stay in this browser; we don't send them anywhere. If you're signed in, we only save in My courses that you've done the exercise.

Cookies at WebOké

Cookie settings

Necessary

Marketing