Keyword research sounds technical, but at its heart it's simple: find out what your customers type into Google, then make sure you have a page that answers it well. You don't need to analyse thousands of keywords. A small business usually wins by doing a few dozen properly.

Start with your customers, not a tool

Before you open any software, write down the questions customers ask you on the phone, by email and in person. Note the exact words they use. "How much does a kitchen refit cost?" is far more useful than "kitchen services". These real phrases are the backbone of your list.

Group keywords by intent

Every search has a purpose behind it. Sort your list into three simple buckets:

• Ready to buy: "emergency plumber near me", "book accountant for small business"

• Comparing options: "best CRM for small teams", "Kit vs Mailchimp"

• Looking for information: "how to claim VAT back", "what is a CRM"

Ready-to-buy searches belong on your service pages. Comparison and information searches are perfect for articles and guides that build trust and lead people back to those service pages.

Check demand and competition

Now use a tool. Free tools such as Google Search Console show which searches already bring you visitors. Paid tools add search volume estimates and a difficulty score. Treat both as rough guides rather than exact numbers. A search with modest volume but clear buying intent is often worth more than a big, vague one.

Favour the long tail

Longer, more specific phrases have less competition and convert better. "Wedding photographer in Surrey for small weddings" is far easier to rank for than "wedding photographer", and the person searching it is much closer to booking.

Map one main keyword to one page

Give every important page a single main topic. If two pages chase the same search, they compete with each other and both can suffer. A simple spreadsheet with columns for keyword, intent and target page keeps this tidy.

A simple rule: if you can't name the page that should rank for a keyword, you've found either a gap to fill or a duplicate to fix.

The short version

List your customers' real questions, sort them by intent, sense-check demand with a tool, favour specific phrases and give each one a home. See my SEO tool picks if you're ready to add a paid tool to the process.