u/dhinesh__dj_

I’ve noticed that writing a blog is one thing, but getting the right people to see it is another.

In my own SEO work, I’ve been working on things like keyword research, understanding search intent, optimizing blog content, and improving on-page SEO. Writing blogs has actually helped me understand these things better because I get to apply what I’m learning instead of just reading about it.

I’ve also started sharing some of the content I work on through LinkedIn. For me, it’s not only about getting traffic. It’s a way to share what I’m learning, get different perspectives, and connect with others working in SEO and digital marketing.

I’ve found that adding a personal takeaway or asking a genuine question works much better than simply dropping a blog link.

Has working on SEO content helped you understand SEO better too?

Keyword research is usually associated with tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Ubersuggest. But tools aren't the only way to find useful keywords.

If you don't have access to SEO tools, you can still do a good amount of keyword research manually by using Google's search results.

Start with the main topic

First, identify the main topic or service you want to research. This gives you a starting point for finding related search queries.

Use Google Autocomplete

Start typing your main topic into Google and pay attention to the suggestions that appear. These can give you different variations and long-tail queries that people search for.

Look at People Also Ask

The People Also Ask section is useful for understanding the questions people have around a particular topic. These questions can also help you discover content ideas and supporting keywords.

Check Related Searches

Don't skip the Related Searches section at the bottom of the SERP. It can reveal closely related queries that you may not have considered initially.

Study the SERP

Search for your target query and look at the pages currently ranking. Pay attention to:

< Page titles

< H1 and H2 headings

< Content topics

< Search intent

< Featured snippets

< People Also Ask

< Other SERP features

The goal isn't to copy the ranking pages. It's to understand what Google considers relevant for that query.

Analyse competitor websites

Go through relevant competitor websites and check their service pages, blog topics, page structure, headings, and URLs.

This can help you find keyword opportunities and understand how competitors are covering the topic.

Understand search intent

Before selecting a keyword, understand what the searcher actually wants.

A keyword can have informational, commercial, transactional, or navigational intent. The keyword should match the purpose of the page you're planning to create.

Create keyword groups

Once you've collected enough keywords, group similar queries based on topic and intent.

This helps avoid targeting several very similar keywords on separate pages when they could potentially be covered by one strong page.

Choose the primary and supporting keywords

After grouping, select the keyword that best represents the main purpose of the page. Other closely related queries can be used naturally as supporting keywords.

One limitation of manual research

Manual research is great for discovering keyword ideas and understanding search intent, but it doesn't give you reliable data for metrics like monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, traffic estimates, or backlink profiles.

So I see manual research as the first stage of keyword research, while SEO tools are useful for validating the opportunities with actual data.

In short:

Google Autocomplete → People Also Ask → Related Searches → SERP Analysis → Competitor Research → Search Intent → Keyword Clustering → Primary & Supporting Keywords