Keyword Research: A Step-by-Step Guide with Free Tools (2026)
A six-step keyword research process, what every free tool really gives you, a copyable mapping template and the Hinglish and local quirks Indian sites must plan for.
Keyword research is the process of finding the exact words your customers type into Google and YouTube, checking how often they search them, and deciding which page on your site should answer each one. You can do all of it free with Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, Google Trends and the YouTube search bar.
This guide gives you a six-step process, a tool table that shows what each free tier actually gives, a keyword mapping template you can copy and the India-specific traps most global guides miss.
What is keyword research and why does it still matter in 2026?
Keyword research is the work of identifying the search terms your audience uses, measuring their demand and difficulty, and assigning each term to the one page that answers it best. It still matters in 2026 because every SEO, content and Google Ads decision starts with knowing what people actually ask, in their own words.
Google’s own SEO Starter Guide tells writers to think about the words a user might search for. It also points out that experts and beginners use different words for the same thing, like “charcuterie” versus “cheese board”.
The same guide says Google’s language matching is sophisticated, so you do not need every variation on the page. That is the real job of SEO keyword research: deciding which variation to lead with, not how many times to repeat it. If the difference between the two trips you up, read our explainer on SEO keywords vs regular keywords. For where this fits in the bigger picture, start with our complete SEO guide.
What are the types of search intent?
Search intent is the reason behind a query, and most keywords fall into four types: informational (learn something), navigational (reach a specific site), commercial (compare options before buying) and transactional (buy or book now). Matching your page type to the intent matters more than matching the exact words in the query.
| Intent | Indian example query | What usually ranks | Page you should build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Informational | what is gst composition scheme | Guides and explainers | Blog post or guide |
| Navigational | irctc login | The brand’s own page | Only worth it for your own brand |
| Commercial | best running shoes under 3000 | Lists, comparisons, category pages | Comparison or category page |
| Transactional | buy cotton kurta set online | Product and category pages | Product or category page |
The fastest way to read intent is to search the keyword and look at what ranks. If the top ten results are all product pages, a blog post will not break in, however good it is.
How do you do keyword research step by step?
You do keyword research in six steps: write a seed list, expand it with free tools, check volume and trend, judge difficulty by reading the live search results, group keywords into clusters, then map each cluster to one page. Each step below names the free tool to use and what to look for.
Step 1: Build a seed list
Seeds are the 10 to 20 broad terms that describe what you sell or teach. Pull them from your product names, the words customers use on sales calls and WhatsApp chats, and your competitors’ category names.
A Bangalore physiotherapy clinic might start with “physiotherapy”, “back pain treatment” and “physio home visit”. Do not judge the seeds yet.
Step 2: Expand the list with a keyword finder
- Google Keyword Planner: use “Discover new keywords” with a seed or a competitor URL.
- Google autocomplete: Google’s help page says predictions reflect real searches on Google and factor in query language, location, trending interest and, when you are signed in, your past searches. Search in a private window to cut the personal bias.
- Ahrefs Keyword Generator: a free keyword generator that takes up to ten words or phrases and returns ideas with volume estimates and difficulty scores.
- AnswerThePublic: turns one seed into question-style queries (“how”, “why”, “which”) for blog topics.
Step 3: Check volume and trend
Paste the expanded list into Keyword Planner’s “Get search volume and forecasts” to see estimated monthly searches. Then run your top terms through Google Trends to see whether demand is rising, falling or seasonal.
A keyword with modest volume that peaks every Diwali is worth more to a gifting brand than a bigger term that is flat and generic. Our Google Trends keyword research guide covers the filters in detail.
Step 4: Judge difficulty by looking at the SERP
Third-party difficulty scores are estimates built on each vendor’s own data. The live results page is the real test, so search each shortlisted keyword in a private window with India as your location and check four things.
- Who ranks: national brands, marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart, or small sites like yours?
- What format ranks: guides, product pages, videos or local map listings?
- How fresh it is: are the top pages from this year or five years old?
- What sits above the links: an AI Overview, a map pack, a video carousel or ads?
If the first page is wall-to-wall marketplaces and national brands, pick a longer, more specific variant. “Physiotherapy” is a fight. “Physiotherapy home visit in Whitefield” is winnable.
Step 5: Group keywords into clusters
A cluster is a set of keywords one page can satisfy. A practical test: search two keywords and compare the results. If Google shows mostly the same URLs for both, they belong on one page.
Step 6: Map each cluster to one page
Give every cluster exactly one URL, either an existing page or a new one to create. Two pages chasing the same keyword split your signals and confuse Google about which one to rank. The mapping template further down shows how to record this.
Pro tip: Run steps 1 to 6 for one product line or service at a time. A tight 40-keyword map you actually execute beats a 2,000-row spreadsheet nobody opens again.
How do you use the Google Keyword Planner tool for free?
The Google Keyword Planner tool is free inside a Google Ads account. Google’s help page says you must complete account setup with billing information, and Google’s Keyword Planner page says you also need a campaign and Expert Mode. Once inside, go to Tools, then Keyword planner, and pick one of the two research options.
- Create a Google Ads account. If the account opens in Smart Mode, switch to Expert Mode. Google’s Keyword Planner page says Smart Mode users must switch to get access.
- Finish setup. Enter billing details and create a campaign. If you only want research, pause the campaign so no ads run. Our guide on how to pause or remove a Google Ads campaign shows where the switch is.
- Open the tool. Click the Tools icon, then select Keyword planner.
- Discover new keywords. Choose “Start with keywords” (separate terms with a comma and a space) or “Start with a website”, then select Get results.
- Get search volume and forecasts. Paste your list, or upload a CSV with a single column headed “Keyword”, then select Submit.
- Set location and language. Before trusting any number, check that the targeting matches India, your state or your city.
Google’s help page says the tool shows estimated monthly searches, the average cost for an ad to show on a keyword, and competition, plus click and impression forecasts based on your spend. It also notes that very low-volume or sensitive keywords cannot be discovered or forecast, and you will see an error instead.
Watch out: The “Competition” column in Keyword Planner describes advertiser competition for ad slots. It says nothing about how hard a keyword is to rank for organically. Use the SERP check in Step 4 for that.
For bidding, budgets and the ads side of the same tool, see our Google Ads guide.
How do you find keywords in Google Search Console?
Open Google Search Console, go to the Performance report for Search results and click the Queries tab. You will see the actual search terms that showed your site, with clicks, impressions, CTR and average position for each, which makes it the most honest free keyword finder you have, because the data is about your own pages.
Google’s help page says the report defaults to the past three months and can be filtered by search type and date. Two ways to mine it:
- Find near-misses: sort by impressions and look for queries with high impressions and an average position between 8 and 20. These pages are close to page one and often need a better title, a new section or internal links.
- Catch cannibalisation: click a query, then the Pages tab. If several of your URLs share impressions for one query, merge or re-map them.
Export the table to a sheet before you start. Google notes that values shown as “~” or “-” download as zeros, so do not read those as zero searches. Our list of Search Console features most marketers never use has more filters worth knowing.
How do you use Google Trends for keyword search?
Use Google Trends to compare the relative interest in a handful of keywords over time and by region, not to read search volume. Google’s help page says Trends normalises data by time and location and scales it from 0 to 100 based on a topic’s share of all searches, so the numbers show popularity, not counts.
Use Trends for seasonality, for comparing two phrasings of the same need and for seeing which states care most. A wedding wear brand can spot when “lehenga” interest climbs and publish before the peak.
Two cautions from Google’s own page. Search terms with low volume appear as 0, and low-interest queries show statistical noise, so a one-off spike may not be real. Trends also filters out searches made by Google products such as AI Mode and AI Overviews.
How do you find YouTube keywords?
Find YouTube keywords by typing your seed term into the YouTube search bar and noting the suggestions, then confirming demand in YouTube Studio’s Trends tab under Analytics. Google’s help page says that tab shows top searches from your audience over the last 28 days, plus content gaps where viewers cannot find good results.
- Mine the search bar. Type “how to make” plus your topic, then add each letter of the alphabet after it. Note every suggestion that fits your channel.
- Open the Trends tab. In YouTube Studio, select Analytics in the left menu, then click Trends in the top menu.
- Read the content gaps. YouTube defines a content gap as a search where viewers cannot find enough quality results. These are your best video ideas.
- Add volume estimates. The free Ahrefs Keyword Generator lets you switch the search engine to YouTube for rough monthly volumes.
Google warns that some Trends tab insights are limited to certain countries, languages and devices. It also says an updated YouTube Studio experience has been rolling out gradually since July 2026, so the tab may look different on your account.
Can ChatGPT or Gemini do keyword research?
ChatGPT and Gemini are good at brainstorming seed keywords, questions, synonyms and Hinglish variants, and at grouping a long list into clusters. They are not keyword tools: a chatbot does not have Google’s keyword volume data, so any search volume it gives you without naming a tool is a guess. Use AI for ideas and Google’s tools for numbers, starting with this prompt:
I run a [business] in [city]. List 40 search queries my customers might type into Google, in English, Romanised Hindi and Hinglish. Group them by intent: informational, commercial, transactional and local. Do not give search volumes.
Paste the output into Keyword Planner’s “Get search volume and forecasts” and delete anything with no demand. For more prompts, see our ChatGPT prompts for SEO content.
Which free keyword research tools are worth using?
The free keyword research tools worth using are Google Keyword Planner for volume, Google Search Console for queries you already appear for, Google Trends for seasonality and YouTube Studio for video, plus the free tiers of Ahrefs, Semrush and AnswerThePublic for extra ideas. Each free tier has a catch, listed below from the vendors’ own pages.
10/daykeyword research queries on a free Semrush account, per Semrush’s blog (10 December 2025)
8 billion+queries in the database behind Ahrefs’ free Keyword Generator, per Ahrefs
28 dayswindow for top searches in YouTube Studio’s Trends tab, per YouTube Help
0 to 100Google Trends’ relative interest scale, not search counts, per Google
| Tool | What the free tier gives | The catch | Paid plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Keyword Planner | Keyword ideas, estimated monthly searches, ad cost and competition | Needs a Google Ads account with billing, a campaign and Expert Mode | Free |
| Google Search Console | Real queries for your site with clicks, impressions, CTR and position | Only shows queries your site already appears for | Free |
| Google Trends | Relative interest over time and by region | No absolute volumes; low-volume terms show 0 | Free |
| YouTube Studio Trends tab | Your audience’s top searches and content gaps | Needs a channel; some insights limited by country, language and device | Free |
| Ahrefs Keyword Generator | Ideas for up to ten seeds with volume and difficulty for Google, Bing, YouTube and Amazon | Deeper filters and full reports need a paid plan | Starter from $29 a month |
| Semrush free account | 10 keyword research queries a day across its keyword tools | Every new search counts toward the daily limit | See Semrush pricing |
| AnswerThePublic | Question and preposition ideas from one seed | A daily free limit, number not published | From US$10 a month billed yearly for 100 searches a month |
| ChatGPT or Gemini | Brainstorming, Hinglish variants, clustering | No real search volumes | Free tiers available |
How do you map keywords to pages?
Keyword mapping means assigning every keyword cluster to exactly one URL, so each page has one primary keyword, a few secondary keywords and a clear intent. A four-column sheet does the job: page URL, primary keyword, secondary keywords and intent. Copy the template below and fill one row per page.
| Page URL | Primary keyword | Secondary keywords | Intent |
|---|---|---|---|
| /sarees/silk-sarees/ | silk sarees online | pure silk saree, kanjivaram silk saree price | Transactional |
| /blog/how-to-identify-pure-silk-saree/ | how to identify pure silk saree | real silk saree test, silk mark meaning | Informational |
| /blog/kanjivaram-vs-banarasi-saree/ | kanjivaram vs banarasi saree | difference between kanjivaram and banarasi | Commercial |
| /stores/bangalore/ | saree shop in bangalore | saree shop near me, silk saree shop jayanagar | Local |
Use the primary keyword in the title, the H1 and the opening paragraph, and secondary keywords in subheadings. Then link informational pages to transactional ones, so readers move from learning to buying.
What changes for keyword research in India?
Keyword research in India has to account for three things global guides skip: Hinglish and Romanised Hindi queries, the same need searched in several regional languages, and heavy local intent such as “near me” searches. A list built only in standard English will miss part of the real demand in most Indian categories.
Hinglish and Romanised queries
Many Indians type Hindi in the Roman alphabet: “loan kaise le”, “sasta smartphone”, “ghar par physiotherapy”. Google’s help page says autocomplete predictions take the query’s language into account, so type your seeds in both English and Hinglish and compare what comes back.
Regional language queries
The same need gets searched in Tamil, Bengali, Kannada and Marathi, often in mixed scripts. Build a regional-language page only if you can actually serve customers in that language.
“Near me” and local intent
Google’s help page lists location as a factor in autocomplete, which is why “near me” queries return different results in Indiranagar and in Andheri. Do not stuff “near me” into your copy. Google’s SEO Starter Guide says keyword stuffing is against its spam policies. Build a proper city or area page, keep your Google Business Profile complete, and read our guide to voice search optimization, since spoken local queries behave the same way.
What are the most common keyword research mistakes?
The most common keyword research mistakes are chasing the highest-volume head term, ignoring search intent, trusting difficulty scores without checking the SERP, targeting one keyword with several pages and treating AI-generated volumes as data. Each one wastes months of content work on pages that cannot rank or do not convert.
- Chasing head terms: a new site will not rank for “keyword research” this year. It can rank for “keyword research for a dental clinic”.
- Misreading Keyword Planner: treating ad “Competition” as SEO difficulty.
- Cannibalising: publishing three posts on the same query instead of one strong page.
- Using the meta keywords tag: Google’s SEO Starter Guide says Google Search does not use it.
- Trusting chatbot numbers: volumes from ChatGPT or Gemini without a named source tool.
PingTalks verdict
For most Indian SMBs and early-stage brands, free tools are enough. Search Console tells you what is already working, Keyword Planner gives you volume, and ten minutes on the live results page tells you more about difficulty than any score. Add a paid tool only when you are researching competitors at scale or managing several sites.
What to do now
- Write 10 to 20 seed keywords for your main product or service today.
- Set up Keyword Planner in Expert Mode and pull volumes for the expanded list.
- Export the last three months of Search Console queries and flag positions 8 to 20.
- Check seasonality for your top five terms in Google Trends.
- Run a SERP check on every shortlisted keyword before you assign it.
- Fill the four-column keyword mapping template, one row per page.
- Add Hinglish, regional and “near me” variants where your customers use them.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Keyword Planner really free?
Yes. Google describes Keyword Planner as a free resource for advertisers, but you need a Google Ads account with billing details, a campaign and Expert Mode to open it. You can pause the campaign if you only want to research keywords.
How many keywords should one page target?
Give each page one primary keyword and a small group of closely related secondary keywords that share the same intent. If two keywords need different page types to satisfy them, they belong on separate pages.
Is keyword research still useful with AI Overviews in Google?
Yes. Keyword research tells you what questions people ask and in what words, which you need whether the answer appears as a blue link or inside an AI Overview. Check each SERP for an AI Overview so you know what you are competing with.
What is the best free tool for YouTube keywords?
Start with the YouTube search bar suggestions, then use the Trends tab in YouTube Studio Analytics, which shows your audience’s top searches over the last 28 days and content gaps. The free Ahrefs Keyword Generator can add rough YouTube volume estimates.
How often should I redo keyword research?
Review your keyword map every quarter and whenever you launch a new product or service. Check Google Search Console monthly for new queries your pages have started to appear for.
Sources
- Google Ads Help: Use Keyword Planner
- Google: Keyword Planner
- Search Console Help: Performance report (Search results)
- Google Trends Help: How Trends data is adjusted
- Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide
- Google Search Help: How Google autocomplete predictions work
- YouTube Help: Trends tab in YouTube Analytics
- Ahrefs: Free Keyword Generator
- Ahrefs: Pricing
- Semrush: What you can do with a free account
- AnswerThePublic: Pricing
Kousik BhattacharyaEditor, PingTalks
Digital Evangelist and Entrepreneur at Clickseek Digital. A results-oriented marketing leader with an 18+ year track record driving transformative growth for diverse global businesses. Expert in performance marketing, demand generation, customer acquisition, strategic partnerships, and market expansion within B2B SaaS, Consumer-Tech, Fintech, Travel/Hospitality, and CRM/ITES Solutions sectors. IIM alumnus with a strong analytical background and a string of accolades, including "Top 50 Most Influential E-Commerce Professional of India" and "Top 100 Digital Marketer of India."
