SEO · Lesson 2 of 7
Keyword Research with AI: Find What People Are Searching For
The words your audience uses are not always the words you use. Research bridges that gap.
After This Lesson, You Will Be Able To
Use AI to build a keyword list for your niche — including long-tail keywords your competitors are overlooking.
What Keyword Research Is Really About
The mistake most beginners make is targeting high-volume keywords immediately. A new site trying to rank for 'graphic design' is competing with thousands of established sites. A new site trying to rank for 'affordable logo design for sari-sari stores in Cavite' has almost no competition — and exactly the right audience.
The 3 Types of Keywords You Need
Short-tail keywords
1-2 words. High volume, high competition. Example: 'SEO Philippines'. Hard to rank for as a new site, but important to know so you understand your niche.
Long-tail keywords
3+ words. Lower volume, much lower competition, higher intent. Example: 'how to do SEO for a small business in the Philippines'. These are where new sites win.
Question keywords
Searches that start with 'how', 'what', 'why', 'best'. High intent — the searcher wants a specific answer. Perfect for blog posts and guides.
The AI Keyword Research Workflow
Step 1: Seed keyword brainstorm
Tell ChatGPT your niche and target audience. Ask for 20 seed keywords — the broad topics your content should cover.
Step 2: Expand into long-tail
Take 3 seed keywords and ask ChatGPT to generate 10 long-tail variations of each. Focus on questions people actually ask.
Step 3: Validate with Google
Type your best keywords into Google. Look at the autocomplete suggestions and the 'People Also Ask' section. These are real search queries from real people.
Step 4: Check competition
For each keyword, Google it and look at the top results. Are they huge sites with thousands of backlinks? Or smaller sites with thin content? The latter means opportunity.
Exercise
~10 minutes · ChatGPT or Claude
Prompt to use
I'm building a website about [your niche]. My target audience is [describe them]. Help me with keyword research: 1) Give me 15 seed keywords I should be trying to rank for, 2) For 3 of those keywords, give me 5 long-tail variations each, 3) Suggest 5 question-based keywords my audience would search, 4) Identify which keywords are likely to have lower competition for a new website. Explain why for each recommendation.
Your audience searches in their language, not yours. What words does your target client use to describe their problem — and are those the same words you use to describe your solution?
Key Takeaways
Target long-tail keywords first as a new site. Less competition, more specific intent, faster wins.
The best keyword research tool for beginners is Google itself — autocomplete and 'People Also Ask' are gold.
AI generates keyword ideas fast but can't verify real search volume. Always check keywords against actual Google results.
One keyword, one page. Don't try to rank one page for 10 different keywords — it dilutes your signal.
Build a keyword list of 30 targets in your niche.
Use the AI workflow above to generate 30 keyword targets across all three types (short-tail, long-tail, question). Pick your top 5 for the next piece of content you'll create.
Next Lesson
Writing SEO Content That Ranks and Reads Well
SEO · Lesson 3 of 7 · 15 min