Ranking first for a keyword nobody searches is worthless. Good keyword research finds the terms your actual potential customers are typing into Google.
Start With What You Already Know
Write down the exact words a customer would use to describe what you offer — not internal jargon, but how a real person searching would phrase it.
Think Local
Kenyan searchers often include location terms — "web hosting Nairobi", "wedding photographer Mombasa" — even when searching from a phone that already knows their location. Include these variations.
Look at Question-Based Searches
Many searches are phrased as questions — "how much does X cost", "what is the best X for Y" — which is exactly the format this blog is built around. These often have less competition than short, generic keywords.
Check Search Volume and Competition
Free tools like Google's own Keyword Planner give a rough sense of how often a term is searched, and how competitive it is to rank for — useful for prioritising where to focus first.
Target a Mix of Difficulty Levels
Highly competitive, generic keywords are hard to rank for as a newer or smaller site. Longer, more specific phrases ("long-tail keywords") are usually easier wins early on.
Map Keywords to Actual Pages
Each important keyword or topic should have a dedicated page or post genuinely built to answer it well — not force-fitted into an unrelated page.
Put This Into Practice
See our full SEO fundamentals guide for how keyword research fits into the bigger picture.