Paid keyword tools are good, but you do not need one to find out what your customers search for. Most of what you need is already in your inbox, your analytics and the search results themselves. The method below uses free sources and a spreadsheet, and the result is usually more relevant than a list of high-volume phrases that nobody who might buy from you ever types.
Start with relevance, not volume
A phrase searched a thousand times a month by people who will never buy is worth less than one searched thirty times a month by people ready to book you. For a small business the useful keywords are specific, local or niche, and tied to a problem you solve. Keep that filter in mind throughout.
The method
- List the questions your customers ask. Go through emails, calls, messages and sales notes. Write the questions as they were phrased, not as you would phrase them. This gives you the vocabulary people actually use.
- Expand with the search box. Type the start of each question into Google and note the autocomplete suggestions. Then look at the People also ask box and the related searches at the bottom of the page, and add the useful ones to your list.
- Mine your own data. If your site is verified in Google Search Console, open the performance report and look at the queries that already bring impressions. Phrases where you appear on page two, roughly positions 8 to 20, are the quickest wins, because a better page for that query can move you up.
- Check seasonality and trends. Google Trends is free and shows whether interest in a phrase is rising, falling or seasonal, and it lets you compare two phrases directly.
- Look at rough volume ranges. Google's Keyword Planner is free with an advertising account and shows ranges rather than exact numbers when you are not running ads. Ranges are enough to tell a phrase with a handful of searches from one with thousands.
- Read the results page. For each candidate, search it and look at who ranks. If the first page is full of large brands, government sites and national publications, the phrase is hard. If it shows forums, thin pages or out-of-date articles, there is room.
- Group and map. Cluster phrases that mean the same thing and give each cluster one page: one main keyword per page, with the variations used naturally in the text.
- Prioritise. Score each cluster from one to three on relevance to what you sell, closeness to a purchase, how beatable the results are and how much effort the page needs. Write the highest totals first.
Match the intent
Every search has a purpose. Some people want to learn, some want to compare, some want to buy and some want to find a place. A page that answers a buying question with a long explanation, or an information question with a sales pitch, disappoints the visitor and performs poorly. Look at the format that already ranks, whether a guide, a list, a service page or a map, and match it.
Searching in French
If your customers are French, research in French. Direct translations of English phrases often miss the terms people really use, and accents, plurals and synonyms change the results. Use the autocomplete and related searches in French, and test two or three variants of the same idea, such as the different words for quote, estimate and price.
Keep the list working
Put everything in a spreadsheet with columns for the phrase, the intent, the page it belongs to, the priority and the date you last reviewed it. Check Search Console monthly to see which pages are gaining impressions and which phrases you are close to ranking for. Update older pages instead of writing duplicates, and never target the same phrase with two pages, because they compete with each other.
What AI can and cannot do here
An assistant is good at clustering a long list of phrases, suggesting variations, drafting outlines and writing first versions of titles and descriptions. It cannot tell you real search volumes, and if you ask for them it will produce plausible numbers that are made up. Take volumes and rankings from your tools and use the assistant for the thinking and the drafting. Mirage Cloud includes a marketing agent covering SEO, content and digital presence, which fits that second role.
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