Welcome back to the blog! As a copywriter for wedding vendors, performing keyword research is a huge part of my job. But so many of you have expressed interest in learning to do your own keyword research, so I’ve decided to bring an expert in!

Tianna is an SEO strategist and founder of SMB Marketing, where she helps small business owners simplify search and scale sustainably. Known for her no-fluff approach, she teaches practical SEO that drives real traffic—and isn’t afraid to call out what’s outdated. When she’s not optimizing websites, you’ll find her breaking down algorithms over coffee or cheering on entrepreneurs behind the scenes.

If you’re serious about ranking on Google, you need more than good content—you need a smart keyword strategy. That means knowing what people are actually searching for and using that to get in front of them organically (without paying for ads).This isn’t a fluffy “just pick long-tail keywords” guide. This is the keyword research process I use for client sites and my own.

Before we dive into the process let’s talk about what type of keywords you should have on your keyword list.

What Is an Organic Keyword?

Organic keywords are the words or phrases people type into Google (or any search engine) that bring them to your website. When your content shows up naturally in search results and gets clicks, that’s an organic keyword.

Not all organic keywords do the same thing. Some bring in traffic. Others bring in people ready to buy. That’s where keyword intent comes in—and why it matters.

Informational vs. Transactional Keywords

Understanding search intent helps you match the right keyword to the right page.

Informational keywords are used by people looking to learn something. These belong in blog posts, guides, and FAQ sections.

Example:

• best chocolate cake recipe
• how to store cupcakes overnight

Transactional keywords are used by people looking to do something, like buy, book, or hire. These belong on your service or product pages.

Example:

• custom birthday cakes [your city]
• order chocolate cake delivery

Pro tip: Make sure you’re not trying to rank a blog post for a transactional keyword (or vice versa). Google’s smart, and it won’t show a how-to article when someone’s clearly looking to buy.

Good, Better, Best Keyword Examples

Now that we know the type of keywords we use on each page let’s talk about the quality of a keyword. Here are a few quick examples of good, better, and best keywords for a local bakery.

Good keywords are broadly related to your business, but don’t directly sell your offer. They’re helpful for building authority and casting a wide net.

• Example: how to frost a cake with buttercream
• Great for: blog posts, tutorial videos, content that builds trust and search visibility

Better keywords speak more directly to what you do, and usually show clearer intent—but they’re still a bit general or competitive.

• Example: birthday cake delivery near me
• Great for: blog posts with a sales angle, or broader service pages

Best keywords are hyper-relevant, location-specific (if applicable), and directly tied to your offer. These are the ones that drive conversions.

• Example: custom cakes [city]
• Great for: homepage, service/product pages, or landing pages for paid traffic

Now let’s talk about how to increase organic keywords on your site by creating the right keyword list!

How to Build a Keyword List (My Actual Process)

A good keyword list is the foundation of SEO. It drives your content, helps you rank, and brings in people who are actually looking for what you do. Here’s how to build a list that works:

1. Start with a Keyword Dump

Before you open any tool, just do a raw keyword dump. Write down everything your audience might type into Google. Think about your services, your products, the problems your clients have, the words they use on calls—dump it all into a spreadsheet.

Don’t clean this list, just keep it as a brain dump.

2. Steal From Your Competitors

This is hands-down one of the fastest ways to find gold. Use tools like Ubersuggest – which is my recommendation to anyone starting in SEO – to see which keywords your competitors are ranking for. Here is a step-by-step on how to Steal Your Competitor’s Keywords.

Pro tip: Focus on keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t. These gaps are your opportunities.

3. Industry keyword Research Tools

Google isn’t keeping secrets. It literally shows you what people are searching for:

Use a good old Google search and look at the Autocomplete suggestions, People Also Ask box, and Related Searches to see what real people are actually typing

Other great keyword tools: 

• Answer Socrates
• Google Trends
• Answer The Public
• Spyfu

These tools show real questions and topics your audience is searching for. When using these tools you are looking for any keywords you may have missed in your initial dump and competitor research.

4. Read Your Website

No one loves hearing this tip but I believe this is what makes your keyword list more useful. Take the time to read your homepage and scan the rest of your website.

You are looking for any services or keywords you may be missing. But the most important part of this step is to also note if your seeing the keywords you just looked up on your site. If you aren’t, that is likely why you aren’t currently ranking.

5. Clean Your List

Now take that big list of keywords you just found and pop them into a tool like the Ubersuggest keyword list tool. It will take your keywords, add search volume and add keyword difficulty.

Remove any keywords that have zero search volume.

Remove any keywords that have a difficulty above 75. Unless you have average search traffic above 100 searches a day I recommend starting with a difficulty score of 75 or less. Difficulty means how hard it is to rank in the top 10 spots on Google.

With smaller traffic it’s better to start with high volume keywords with the lowest difficulty.

Want a step by step guide on making your keyword list? Grab this Free Keyword Course by SMB Marketing.

How to Actually Rank for These Keywords

Once your list is ready, it’s time to start using your keywords. I recommend optimizing your site. Here are the main sections you should focus on:

• In meta tags (meta titles & meta descriptions still matter)
• In headings (H1s, H2s)
• In image alt tags
• In the URL (when it makes sense)
• In internal links between related pages

No stuffing. Just natural, intentional placement.

Next it’s time to start your content creation:

• High quality keyword focused articles that your clients would be excited to read
• Service pages or products you may be missing
• Case studies that tell a real story about your happy clients (that are keyword focused of course!)

Data Tracking Matters

Once you’ve started building out your keyword list, you need to track what’s working. Guessing doesn’t cut it—data does.

Two tools every small business owner should be using:

• Google Analytics (GA4) to see who’s visiting your site, how long they’re staying, and what content is performing
• Google Search Console (GSC) to see what search keywords (queries) you’re showing up for on Google and how often you’re getting clicks

These tools are free and give you direct insight into how your content is performing and if you’re attracting your actual target audience.

For example, you might write a blog targeting a specific keyword like best bakeries that use fondant—but GSC might show you you’re actually ranking for bakeries in [city] instead.

That’s valuable intel.

You can go back and adjust your headings, add internal links, or even create a second post focused on the keyword you want to focus on — in this case your target keyword is fondant.

Tracking tools also help you make better content decisions. Instead of guessing what to write next, let the data guide you:

• Which keywords are bringing traffic?
• Which pages convert best?
• What search queries aren’t you ranking for yet?

Good SEO isn’t just about keywords. It’s about creating useful content and making sure your potential clients can search for it and find it when they need it most.