SEO Basics: Intro to Keyword Research

Article Summary

• SEO helps your website show up in search results by using the keywords your audience is actually searching for.
• Good keyword strategy brings in the right visitors by targeting different search phrases and user intent.
• SEO must be tracked and updated over time to build authority and keep your site visible.

You have likely heard the term “SEO” at least once in your life. That’s probably why you’re here. In simple terms, SEO, short for search engine optimization, is the practice of getting your website higher, near the top of search results. (Or in search results period, if you’re having a rough time of it.)

It is important to keep in mind that this is not a quick process. You will not show up #1 the next day. . . or week. . . or month. You must build authority. Authority is built through backlinks, good content, and time.

Keywords are words that people type into the search bar to find information, products, or services. The job of effective SEO is to create a net for your website to catch the words that apply to your business, to get people to click on your website, understand what you have to offer, and hopefully use your service/product.
You create that net through SEO.

Years ago, Google ranked based on keyword frequency: how many times a keyword appeared on your site. This led to practices such as hiding text and overloading pages with repetitive terms (“keyword stuffing”). Modern search algorithms can detect these tactics and may suppress rankings for pages that appear manipulative. So, today, if you have too many of one keyword on your site, Google sees it as keyword stuffing and ranks you lower.

Search engines evaluate whether a page reads naturally and whether it satisfies what a user is trying to accomplish. Your content needs to be valuable. When the same words are forced into every page, the content can feel repetitive, less useful, and even spammy, which can hurt rankings.

It also limits who can find the site. People describe the same need in many ways, using different synonyms, questions, and location modifiers. If you optimize for only a narrow set of terms, you will miss relevant traffic.

Think about it: if you are craving a burger in Toledo, Ohio, and you want to find somewhere near you that sells them, you could search:

• Burger near me
• American restaurant Toledo
• NW Ohio best burger place
• Hamburger near me
• Cheeseburger near me
• Non-fast-food burger restaurant

And many more.

Most of these searches would show very similar results. If a company used only a single keyword, such as “Burger Restaurant,” it would miss out on other traffic that would also be interested in the company.

In most cases, long-tail keywords (more specific phrases) outperform short-tail keywords (broad, one- to two-word terms) in terms of relevance and conversion. Broad terms may have higher search volume, but they often attract mixed intent and are more competitive—making it harder to rank and less likely that the visitor is looking for exactly what you offer.

For example, someone searching “dogs” could be looking for breeds, training tips, adoption options, or images. By contrast, a search such as “how to train a Doberman to hoop” is highly specific. If your page addresses that topic, you are more likely to earn the click and satisfy the user. Long-tail keywords are often easier to rank for and tend to bring in more qualified visitors.

To go slightly more in depth, a good keyword is not just about search volume. You also need to understand search intent, or why someone is searching for that phrase. Two keywords can have the same volume but totally different intent.

The four types of intent are:
• Informational (learn something)
• Navigational (find a specific site)
• Commercial (compare options)
• Transactional (ready to buy)

Make sure the intent matches what you are meaning to do.

Great, you have your list of keywords. Now you’re probably asking what to do with them. I have made you a list of where to put them. Each page needs one primary keyword and 2-3 secondary keywords.

1. Title tag – primary keyword first
2. URL slug – short, includes primary keyword
3. H1 heading/Title –includes primary keyword
4. First paragraph – use primary keyword early (If your title is a question, answer it in the first sentence)
5. H2 / H3 subheadings – include secondary keywords and primary keyword once
6. Body text – natural use of primary + related keywords
7. Image file names – keyword in filename
8. Image alt text – describe image with keyword but also make it relevant to the image
9. Meta description – include primary keyword once and a CTA
10. Internal links anchor text – use keyword when linking
11. Conclusion / last paragraph – repeat primary keyword naturally
12. Tags / categories (if blog) – keyword + variations

Once you have completed this process for each page of your site, the next step is making sure search engines can find and index your updates. You can run an on-demand crawl through Google Search Console to help your new or updated pages appear in search results more quickly.

You should also review your Google Business Profile and incorporate relevant keywords into your company description and services. This helps your business show up in both search results and local listings.

Keyword research is not something you do once and forget. Search trends change, your rankings change, and your competitors change. Continue tracking your keywords, updating your content, and building authority over time. The more consistent you are, the better your chances of showing up when people search for what you offer.

In the COACT process, we focus on building growth in a structured way. We define the market, clarify the message, build the right content, and measure performance over time so results can improve instead of starting over. SEO is part of this process because business growth depends on being found by the right people at the right time. If your website and content are not aligned with what your audience is searching for, even good messaging will not get seen. Keyword research helps make sure each page, topic, and update is based on real search behavior, so the work being done supports visibility as well as strategy.

SEO also belongs in the process because it provides measurable feedback, which is necessary for long-term growth. We track performance, adjust content, and continue building authority instead of making random changes. This matches the way COACT approaches every part of business development: define the objective, execute with discipline, measure the results, and improve over time. When SEO is included as part of the process, the website becomes a tool that supports growth, helping the company show up in search, reach the right audience, and create opportunities consistently instead of relying on chance.