FIND THE SEARCHES
YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE MAKING.
Most keyword research deliverables look impressive and still send teams after the wrong terms. The real job is to help you focus on what your buyers actually search before they are ready to act.
Google Keyword Planner // Google Search Console
Intent First
Match each search to the right type of page instead of forcing every keyword into a blog post.
Business Value
Prioritize searches that can actually bring in leads, customers, or revenue for your business.
Organized Topics
Group related keywords into topics that build your authority instead of your pages competing against each other.
"Content is getting published, but it targets the wrong topics or misses the search terms that actually turn into revenue."
That's exactly what I fixYou have content ideas, but no confidence that they match commercial search intent.
Past keyword research produced giant spreadsheets instead of useful prioritization.
Your team keeps publishing around the edges while competitors own the terms that drive actual deals.
GOOD KEYWORD RESEARCH FILTERS OUT THE NOISE. IT DOES NOT JUST GIVE YOU A BIGGER LIST.
Keyword research is not just a list-building exercise. It should help the business decide what to publish, what pages deserve investment, and where the fastest route to qualified demand actually is.
Stop chasing high-volume terms that never turn into pipeline or sales.
Map the search journey so service pages, supporting content, and conversion paths reinforce one another.
Give the team a practical sequence of topics instead of another sprawling spreadsheet.
THIS SERVICE IS BUILT FOR...
You know your customers are searching for your type of service but you don't know exactly what they're typing into Google.
You have a website but you built the pages based on what you wanted to say, not what your customers are searching for.
You've tried blogging or creating content but you're guessing at topics instead of using real search data.
You're ready to invest in SEO or content but need to know where to focus your budget for the best return.
Your competitors keep showing up in search results and you want to understand what they're doing differently.
You've been given keyword research before but it was just a spreadsheet with no clear plan for what to do with it.
WHAT THE RESEARCH COVERS
What Good Keyword Research Reveals
The useful insights are usually not the obvious head terms. They live in the intent patterns, the content gaps, and the commercial modifiers your team has been overlooking.
- Where buyers are searching with clear problem awareness or purchase intent.
- Which topics belong on service pages versus supporting educational content.
- How competitors are winning visibility with better clustering and intent coverage.
How I Turn Research Into Direction
The output should make the next few quarters of content and page work easier to plan, not more confusing.
- Cluster terms by intent, buying stage, and page type.
- Prioritize the topics that can realistically move the business forward.
- Translate the research into a roadmap your writers, SEOs, and stakeholders can all use.
How I Turn Research Into Direction
The output should make the next few quarters of content and page work easier to plan, not more confusing.
- Cluster terms by intent, buying stage, and page type.
- Prioritize the topics that can realistically move the business forward.
- Translate the research into a roadmap your writers, SEOs, and stakeholders can all use.
How I Turn Research Into Direction
The output should make the next few quarters of content and page work easier to plan, not more confusing.
- Cluster terms by intent, buying stage, and page type.
- Prioritize the topics that can realistically move the business forward.
- Translate the research into a roadmap your writers, SEOs, and stakeholders can all use.
HOW I RUN KEYWORD RESEARCH
Phase 01Understand Your Market
Start with how your customers search, what your business actually sells, and what your website already covers.
Understand Your Market
Start with how your customers search, what your business actually sells, and what your website already covers.
- A list of core topics based on your services and your customers' language
- A review of what your existing pages currently target
- A comparison of what your competitors rank for that you're missing
The research starts from your real business context, not just a keyword tool.
Phase 02Expand and Organize
Build the full picture of what people search for in your space, then organize it into clear topic groups and page assignments.
Expand and Organize
Build the full picture of what people search for in your space, then organize it into clear topic groups and page assignments.
- Organized topic groups showing related keywords together
- Labels for each search showing what the person actually wants (to buy, learn, compare, etc.)
- A page map showing which page should target which searches
Your team gets an organized plan, not just a spreadsheet of 5,000 keywords.
Phase 03Prioritize the Rollout
Sequence the opportunities based on business value, competition, and how quickly your team can execute.
Prioritize the Rollout
Sequence the opportunities based on business value, competition, and how quickly your team can execute.
- Priority tiers so you know what to tackle first, second, and third
- Starting notes for content briefs on top-priority topics
- A recommended publishing order based on impact and feasibility
The highest-value work moves first, and you know exactly what to do next.
DELIVERABLES
The deliverables are custom to your market, but the end result should always be clearer prioritization and less wasted publishing.
A keyword opportunity map showing every valuable search your business could target
Labels for each keyword showing what the searcher actually wants and what type of page should serve it
Organized topic groups so you can see how searches cluster together
Clear recommendations for which searches need a new page versus updating an existing one
Priority tiers ranking every opportunity by business value, not just search volume
Starting inputs for content briefs and service pages so execution can begin immediately
KEYWORD RESEARCH DRIVES REAL OUTCOMES WHEN IT IS TIED TO REVENUE.
Good keyword research reduces wasted effort and gives the business a clearer path to pages that can actually rank and convert.
ServiceChannel
Keyword-led content strategy that turned research into rankings and pipeline.
For ServiceChannel, keyword research identified high-intent searches across facility management verticals. The research informed a content strategy that drove non-brand organic growth and directly contributed to qualified demo requests.
FAQ
How long does keyword research take?
A keyword research project takes 2-3 weeks from kickoff to final deliverable. Results from acting on the research — ranking improvements and traffic gains — appear within 2-4 months.
- •Week 1 covers business context, market positioning, and existing site coverage analysis.
- •Week 2 covers keyword expansion, intent classification, and topic clustering.
- •Week 3 covers opportunity prioritization, page mapping, and deliverable preparation.
- •Ranking improvements from implementing the research appear within 2-4 months of page creation or updates.
How much does keyword research cost?
Standalone keyword research costs $1,500-$4,000. 2 factors determine pricing: market breadth (local vs. national) and number of service lines covered.
- •Focused research for a single service area or location runs $1,500-$2,500.
- •Broader research covering 3+ service lines or national scope runs $2,500-$4,000.
- •Keyword research bundled with a content strategy engagement is priced at a reduced combined rate.
How do I know if I need keyword research?
4 situations signal keyword research is the right next step: pages built on assumptions instead of search data, unknown competitor keyword gaps, SEO budget without a clear focus area, and previous keyword data that came without an action plan.
- •Pages built without verified search demand behind them waste production budget on topics nobody searches for.
- •Unknown competitor keyword gaps mean you are missing revenue-generating searches your competitors capture daily.
- •SEO investment without keyword prioritization spreads budget across low-impact terms instead of concentrating on high-ROI opportunities.
- •Previous keyword exports delivered as raw spreadsheets without intent labels, page assignments, or prioritization are unusable.
How is your keyword research different from what I could get from a free tool?
Free tools export raw search volumes. Professional keyword research delivers 3 layers free tools lack: intent classification per keyword, page-type assignment, and a prioritized action plan ordered by revenue potential.
- •Free tools display search volumes without classifying what the searcher wants — informational, commercial, or transactional.
- •Free tools do not map keywords to specific page types or identify which opportunities match your business model.
- •Professional research delivers prioritization, intent analysis, page mapping, and a sequenced action plan — not a data export.
Can I do keyword research myself?
2 tasks are manageable with free tools: checking search volumes for known terms and identifying basic related keywords. 3 tasks require professional expertise: discovering unknown opportunity gaps, classifying search intent, and organizing keywords into a prioritized page-level action plan.
- •Google Keyword Planner and Ubersuggest surface basic volumes for terms you already know about.
- •Discovering opportunities you did not know existed, classifying intent, and organizing findings into a plan require professional tools and interpretation.
- •Professional research pays for itself by converting raw data into an action plan — the strategy layer that makes keyword data usable.
What do I actually get from keyword research?
Keyword research delivers 4 outputs: an organized opportunity map of all valuable searches in your space, intent labels and page-type assignments for every keyword, priority tiers ranking opportunities by revenue potential, and starting notes for content briefs on top-priority topics.
- •An organized opportunity map covering every valuable search your business targets, grouped by topic.
- •Intent labels and page-type assignments for each keyword — informational, commercial, transactional — with the specific page format each requires.
- •Priority tiers ranking every opportunity by revenue potential, not search volume alone.
- •Starting notes for content briefs on top-priority topics so page creation begins immediately after delivery.
Do you only do keyword research for Ottawa businesses?
No. Keyword research covers local Ottawa searches, national markets, and specific industry niches. The methodology adapts to 3 market types: local service-area businesses, national/online brands, and B2B industry verticals.
- •Local businesses receive research focused on service + location keyword combinations across their target geography.
- •National or online businesses receive research covering broader industry, product, and comparison search patterns.
- •Past keyword research spans 4+ industries: SaaS, healthcare, logistics, and professional services.
Can keyword research feed directly into content briefs?
Yes. Keyword research feeds directly into content briefs and shortens the path from research to published page by 40-60%. Each keyword group includes page-level notes on target intent, required subtopics, and competitive benchmarks.
- •Each keyword group delivers notes on target intent, subtopics to cover, and competitive content benchmarks.
- •Priority topics include starting inputs for content briefs — headings, questions to answer, and source requirements.
- •Pairing keyword research with a full content strategy engagement produces the fastest research-to-ranking pipeline.
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Explore serviceSTART WITH BETTER PRIORITIES.
If you're creating pages or content without knowing what your customers actually search for, I can help you get clarity fast.
