How to Do Keyword Research Like a Pro (Without Wasting Hours)

Keyword research is one of those things in SEO that everyone knows is important, but few people actually enjoy doing. Let’s be honest it can feel like a time-sink. Hours spent scrolling through endless lists of terms, trying to figure out what your audience really wants. It’s easy to feel like you’re playing a guessing game.

But here’s the truth: when done right, keyword research isn’t guesswork at all. It’s the difference between writing random content that goes nowhere and building a content strategy that actually ranks, attracts the right audience, and drives results. Over the years, I’ve refined how I approach keyword research and I’ll walk you through my process, the best tools I use, and how Nest Content fits in.

Why Mastering Keyword Research Matters

Keyword research isn’t just about chasing search volume. It’s about finding the sweet spot where:

• People are actually searching for it
• Competition is manageable
• It aligns with your content and business goals

When you get this right, keyword research unlocks:

• The exact language your audience uses (not what you think they use)
• Topics with genuine demand so you don’t waste time writing content no one wants
• Competitor weaknesses keywords they rank for poorly (or not at all)
• Untapped opportunities long-tail phrases and questions you can own

The end result? Instead of throwing content out and hoping something sticks, you build a system that attracts traffic steadily and predictably. 🚀

Types of Keywords (and How to Use Them)

Not all keywords are created equal. Here are the main types to know and how I use them:

• Short-tail keywords: Broad terms like “coffee machines” or “digital marketing”. Great for pillar content, but highly competitive.
• Long-tail keywords: More specific phrases like “best espresso machine under £200”. Less competition, often higher intent.
• Question keywords: “How”, “what”, “why” queries perfect for blog posts, FAQs, and capturing voice search.
• Intent-based keywords:
  • Informational (“what is SEO”)
  • Navigational (“LinkedIn login”)
  • Commercial (“best laptops for students”)
  • Transactional (“buy iPhone 15 online”)
• Competitor keywords: Terms your competitors rank for but you don’t—gold for spotting gaps.

A strong SEO strategy usually mixes all of these.

Mapping Keywords to the Funnel

One of the biggest mistakes I see is treating all keywords the same. In reality, keywords sit at different stages of the buyer’s journey and you need to cover the funnel top to bottom:

• Top of Funnel (TOFU): Broad, educational, and informational searches. Example: “what is keyword research” or “benefits of cold rooms”. These build awareness and attract a wide audience.
• Middle of Funnel (MOFU): Comparison and solution-focused searches. Example: “best keyword research tools for small businesses” or “cold room installation vs walk-in freezer”. This is where people are researching options.
• Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): High-intent, ready-to-buy searches. Example: “affordable keyword research service UK” or “commercial cold room installers near me”. These drive conversions directly.

By balancing TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU keywords in your strategy, you build a pipeline: educating at the top, nurturing in the middle, and converting at the bottom.

My Step-by-Step Keyword Research Process

Here’s the exact process I use (and recommend if you want to do it like a pro):

1. Brainstorm Seed Topics

Start broad: what’s your business about, what problems do you solve, what questions do customers ask?
👉 Don’t worry about volume yet just capture ideas.

2. Define Search Intent

Before you pick a keyword, ask: What’s the user’s goal?
Check what’s ranking already blogs, product pages, videos? Match your content format to the intent.

3. Expand With Tools

Now take your seed ideas and run them through keyword research tools. Look for:

• Search volume patterns
• Keyword difficulty
• Related terms / long-tail variations

4. Competitor & SERP Analysis

• See which keywords competitors rank for that you don’t.
• Check the top 10 results for your target keyword what formats and content types dominate?
• Spot gaps: could you do it better (more depth, fresher, more useful)?

5. Group & Prioritise

Cluster related terms into themes (pillar pages + supporting blogs). Prioritise based on effort vs payoff:

• Quick wins (low-competition long tails)
• Long-term plays (high volume, tougher competition)

6. Create & Monitor

Plan your content around those keywords, track performance, and update regularly. Keyword research isn’t “one and done” search behaviour changes.

The Best Tools for Keyword Research

I’ve tested pretty much everything over the years. Here’s my shortlist:

• Ahrefs – brilliant for competitor analysis and backlink data.
• SEMrush – my go-to for all-round SEO and keyword research.
• KWFinder (Mangools) – perfect for long-tail, low-competition keywords.
• Google Keyword Planner – free, straight from Google. Great for starting out.
• AnswerThePublic / AlsoAsked – goldmines for question keywords.
• Ubersuggest – budget-friendly alternative with decent data.
• Google Trends – see if a topic is seasonal or growing.

Pro tip: don’t rely on just one tool. Cross-check data to avoid blind spots.

How I Use Nest Content for Keyword Research

Here’s where things have changed for me. Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush give you the hard numbers (volume, CPC, competition). But I also use Nest Content—because it takes keyword research from “just data” to “actionable insights.”

Ways Nest Content helps:

• Brainstorming keyword ideas: Generate long-tail and question-based terms in seconds.
• Clustering by intent: Automatically groups keywords into informational, commercial, or transactional buckets.
• Content outlines: Suggests subtopics and structures that match search intent.
• Spotting opportunities: Highlights less obvious variations competitors often miss.

My workflow:

1. Use Nest Content to generate a raw keyword pool.
2. Validate those keywords in Ahrefs/SEMrush for volume and difficulty.
3. Use Nest Content to cluster and build content briefs.
4. Prioritise based on funnel stage (TOFU, MOFU, BOFU).

The result? Faster research, better organisation, and content that doesn’t just rank but converts.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Chasing volume over relevance (better to rank for “best tennis coach in London” than never crack “tennis”).
• Ignoring intent if Google’s top 10 is all product pages, your blog post won’t rank.
• Over-optimising with awkward keyword phrases no human would type.
• Treating research as a one-off instead of an ongoing process.

Final Thoughts

Keyword research isn’t glamorous. It’s not the part of SEO that gets headlines or awards. But it’s the quiet engine that powers everything else. Get it right, and your content doesn’t just rank it resonates, drives traffic, and builds authority.

Whether you’re using Ahrefs, SEMrush, or just starting with Google Keyword Planner, the key is to combine solid data with human insight. And yes, with tools like Nest Content, you can turn keyword research into a faster, smarter, and more strategic process.

At the end of the day, keyword research is about understanding people—not just search engines. Do that well, and the rankings will follow.