Keyword Brainstorming for SEO (how to find good keywords)

Let’s talk about keyword brainstorming. Because choosing good keywords makes for a great blog. But choosing the wrong ones makes growing your site that much harder.

So this is my playbook. It’s how I’m growing my personal brand using keywords.

Keyword research is how you attract the right traffic and grow your blog. There are billions of phrases being searched everyday, and millions of them are completely new.

And with all this keyword opportunity, there’s more than enough to go around — even in competitive niches.

Put another way, blogging is definitely not dead. You just need the right keywords.

So let’s do this!

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Keywords 101

Here’s a crash course on keywords and related terms.

What Are Keywords In Blogging?

Keywords are specific phrases typed into search engines like Google. And there are lots of different types:

• Informational vs transactional

• Branded vs unbranded

• Primary vs. secondary

My primary keyword is “keyword brainstorming”, which is informational.

But I also used secondary ones, like “keyword research”, “blog topics” and “how to find good keywords”. These are all supporting phrases related to my primary keyword.

When you right a solid post, you’ll start ranking for lots of different queries (often ones you didn’t even mean to).

Blogging compounds and has a snowballing effect.

Explore more:
➤ Personal Blogging 101

What Is Keyword Brainstorming?

Keyword brainstorming is keyword research. It’s the discovery of specific and relevant search terms you can use to write blog content with.

Keyword brainstorming is different from content research, which is more general and focused on niche or topic reconnaissance (like preliminary research).

“As a blogger, good keyword research translates to good blog growth, and it’s something you’ll never stop doing.”

(but don’t worry, it’s actually fun and creative once you find your rhythm!)

How to do Keyword Research (5 best moves)

1. Use Professor Google

Google is usually my first stop when keyword brainstorming.

It’s the number one search engine in the world (with over 80% of the market share) and gives you a ton of free insights (if you know where to look).

Here’s how to find good keywords with Google:

1. Type in a seed keyword

1. For example, “keyword”

2. Hit the spacebar and type “a”

1. For example, “keyword a”

3. Look at the suggested phrases

1. These are keyword ideas

4. Do the same for each letter

1. For example, “keyword a/b/c…”

5. Use prepositions and synonyms

1. For example, “keywords in” or “topics for”

6. Review the results

1. Use People also ask and Related searches for more ideas

7. Analyze the ranking articles

   1. What topics are they covering?

   2. How can you improve or differentiate?

2. Explore Community Forums

If you need inspiration, community forums are a great place to look for keyword brainstorming.

Places like Quora, Reddit and Facebook groups are full of people sharing real questions, problems and solutions. These are all potential blog topics and keyword ideas.

For example, if your blog is about travel, start exploring travel groups and threads. Look for commonly asked questions and popular topics.

Try to find patterns and unique ideas or questions you’ve never considered. After you have a list of ideas, go to Google and turn them into searchable phrases.

And bonus points if you step in and start engaging. This can be a great way to start growing your socials and attract readers to your blog.

3. Check Out Social Media

Social media is awesome for topic brainstorming, especially if you’re doing social blogging.

Whether you’re using Instagram, TikTok or X, your niche will have specific phrases that represent trending, important or high-performing content.

So here are a few tips on how to find keywords with social media:

• Analyze relevant influencers and the keywords they use

• Use the search feature and look what’s suggested (like Google)

• Use tools like this TikTok tool to find what’s trending

• Follow influencers in your niche for more ideas

4. Use Keyword Research Tools

You don’t need to use a keyword research tool. But they can help a lot — especially for keyword research.

For example, whenever I’m in a creative rut, the ‘Related terms’ feature in Ahrefs gives me hundreds of new ideas and inspiration.

Luckily, there are plenty of free options. My go-to keyword research tools are:

• Ahrefs Keyword Generator (free)

  • They also have a Starter Plan for just $29/month

• Semrush keyword tool (free)

  • They have a new AI writer, ContentShake, that finds you keyword opportunities and writes branded, SEO-friendly posts

• machined.ai (free)

  • Automate your content clusters, keyword research and more

• Scalenut (free)

  • A one-stop shop for SEO, keyword research and planning

• Google Keyword Planner (free)

• You’ll need to set up a Google Ads account

• Frase ($15/month)

• Optimize your posts, find semantic keywords and more

5. Use AI

AI is great. It can automate processes and make blogging way easier, quicker and better.

For example, you can quickly prompt ChatGPT to:

• “Give me 100 unique blog topics for a new travel website. My audience is solo travelers, millennial and gen Z, who prefer off-the-beaten-path adventures and unique locations in Southeast Asia”

This is just a simple starting point too. There are plenty of other AI tools (like the ones I mentioned above) that have even better features for keyword research.

So do some digging and don’t be afraid to dabble.

But avoid using cheap, generic AI-written fluff, which could get penalized by Google. Always add your touch and human edit!

Tip: Digital isn’t the only source. Books, shows and cafe conversations are also great for keyword inspiration.

How to Choose the Right Keywords

To choose good keywords, I look at four key things:

• The search volume

  • Are people actually searching this keyword?

• The competition

  • Can I realistically rank for this keyword?

• The search intent

  • What are people expecting to read about?

• The relevance

  • Does it make sense for my brand and content?

The goal is to find the perfect balance — low competition, high search volume and relevant search intent for your goals or niche.

Check the Monthly Search Volume (MSV)

• Check the MSV with a keyword research tool

• e.g., Ahrefs, Semrush or Keywords Everywhere

• Find keywords with at least some search volume

Check the Competition

• Check the keyword difficulty score

  • Any keyword research tool will give you this data

• Explore the SERP (search engine results page)

  • Check the domain authority (DA) of ranking sites

  • I use Ahrefs, but Moz has a free tool too

  • Look for smaller sites with lower authority ranking

• Analyze the articles currently ranking

  • Are they super short? Unhelpful?

  • Do they answer the query in full?

  • How can you make something better?

  • If most articles are ‘thin’ or unhelpful, that’s good for you

Check the Search Intent

• Why are people searching for this term?

• Always check for double meanings

• For example, the keyword “solo blog” appears to be all about traveling, not personal blogging

• Explore currently ranking articles

• What sub topics are they covering?

• Is the content informational, transactional, branded?

Check the Relevance

I used to struggle with this. I would find amazing keyword opportunities and felt like I just had to make a blog about it — because more traffic, right?

Not necessarily.

If a keyword doesn’t make sense for your brand, content or audience, it could do more harm than good.

Even if it brings you tons of juicy traffic, confusing your audience (or Google’s crawl bots) isn’t worth it.

So just use your best judgment. And follow these simple (somewhat obvious) signs that a keyword may not be relevant for your site:

• Zero internal linking opportunities

• It feels jarring, like your audience would be confused

• It’s far outside your brand mission or goals

• It’s in a different niche

Later ✌️

The better your keywords, the more aligned your content will be.

The right terms can bring you quality traffic, authority and trust. But the wrong ones can confuse your audience and prevent your blog from growing.

Luckily, it’s pretty simple to learn.

Tools like Google, AI and Ahrefs make keyword brainstorming pretty easy. But it’s also pretty fun and creative once you find your rhythm.

So stay the course and keep track of all your ideas by storing them in a separate doc.

And remember, keyword research is never done. But you will get better and faster at it.

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