Keywords, how to choose them correctly

A keyword is the phrase a person enters into Google. For a business, it signals what problem that person has, what they already understand and how close they are to a solution. “ERP” is a broad and vague search. “ERP for warehouse and deliveries” points to a specific process and a clearer need.

So do not start with a list of popular words. Start with the services, products and questions that generate revenue. Then check how people in Bulgaria search for them, what results Google shows and what answer your website should provide.

Why isn’t search volume enough?

High volume does not mean high value. Someone searching for “CRM” may want a definition, a free template, a comparison or a ready-made system. With “custom CRM system”, the intent is more specific and the business need clearer, even if there are fewer searches.

Check three things before adding a phrase to your plan: whether the searcher is a potential customer, whether you offer a solution to their problem and whether you can create a page that answers their query better than the existing results.

What types of keywords are there?

Phrase length is only a guideline. Intent, context and relevance to a specific service matter more. A short phrase can be valuable, while a long phrase may be completely unsuitable for your business.

The terms “head”, “body” and “long-tail” are useful in conversation, but they should not dictate the strategy on their own. A longer phrase does not guarantee a high conversion rate, and a short one is not useless. Always check what Google expects to find on the results page.

How do you understand the intent behind a search?

Enter the important phrase in Google and review the first page. If guides, questions and videos dominate, the intent is probably informational. If you see product pages, prices, catalogues and enquiry forms, the person is closer to making a purchase.

Check the autocomplete suggestions, the “People also ask” section and the searches at the bottom of the results. They show the language users actually use. For the Bulgarian market, pay attention to words such as “price”, “quote”, “near me”, the city name, the specific problem and urgency.

Do not mix different intents just to include more phrases. A page for “online store development” should not also be a complete guide to choosing a platform and a technical guide to setting up cash on delivery. These are different questions and often require different pages.

Which tools are enough to get started?

For an existing site, start with Google Search Console. The Performance report shows queries, impressions, clicks, CTR and average position. A site often already appears for useful phrases, but the page does not meet the search intent well enough. In that case, improving the title, copy, internal links and call to action may make more sense than writing new content.

Google Keyword Planner is useful for new ideas, seasonality and approximate search volume. The tool was created for Google Ads, so volumes may be shown as ranges. Cost per click indicates advertising competition, but does not directly measure SEO difficulty.

Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz provide additional information about competing pages, related phrases, backlinks and approximate difficulty. They do not make decisions for you. A low-difficulty phrase may have no business value, while a competitive keyword may be important because of the value of a single customer.

For advertising, also use real data from Google Ads. Searches that lead to calls, forms and deals are more valuable than those that simply bring visits. SEO planning should be connected to Google advertising when both channels support the same service.

How do you conduct keyword research step by step?

1. 01
   Describe your services and customers

   Write down what you sell, who you sell it to, which cities you serve and what problem people are looking to solve when they find you. Add synonyms, professional terms and the words your team uses. Then review the list from the perspective of someone who is unfamiliar with your internal jargon.

2. 02
   Collect real searches

   Use Search Console, Keyword Planner, Google Suggest, related searches and questions from conversations with customers. Add queries containing a price, timeframe, city, product type, urgency or specific problem. Do not delete unusual wording immediately-it often shows how people actually speak.

3. 03
   Check the results in Google

   For each important group, note what appears: services, online stores, guides, maps, ads or forums. If your page type does not match the results, the problem will not be solved by mechanically repeating the keyword.

4. 04
   Group closely related phrases

   Combine queries that can receive one clear answer. “SEO price”, “how much does SEO cost” and “SEO prices Sofia” can often be covered by one well-made page. This way, you do not create several nearly identical URLs that compete with one another.

5. 05
   Assign each group to a URL

   Determine whether the group belongs on a home page, service page, category page, product page, article or FAQ. If there is no suitable URL, note the need for a new page. This turns research into a site plan rather than a spreadsheet nobody uses.

6. 06
   Prioritise tasks by business value

   Evaluate groups based on intent, lead potential, relevance, competition and current position. Start with keywords that are close to a sale and can be covered convincingly. Broader topics come later.

How do you prioritise keywords?

A practical spreadsheet should contain at least the keyword, topic group, intent, target URL, volume, current position, difficulty, business value and next action. Not every field needs a mathematically precise score. It is more important to use the same rules for all phrases.

Prioritise queries that can lead to a specific conversation. “Warehouse management software” is a more useful starting point for an ERP provider than the generic “software”. The same applies to local searches: add cities and areas only if you actually serve those locations.

Do not create dozens of city pages with identical copy. If there are no different conditions, team, address, timeframe or content for a specific city, the page will not help the visitor. For an online store, consider categories, brands, features and searches for a specific model separately.

How are keywords used in content?

The primary phrase should appear naturally in the title, main copy and page description. If necessary, it can also be part of the URL. Do not repeat it mechanically. A clear answer, specific terms, proof, internal links and the next action matter more than keyword density.

A service deserves a separate page when it has a different process, customer type or buying argument. An article is suitable for questions and comparisons, but it should not hide important commercial information. Plan your service, website and blog content together with content for SEO and advertising.

Also watch for cannibalization. If three pages are optimized for almost the same group, Google may not understand which one is the primary page. Merge them, redirect the unnecessary URL, or give each page a clearly different intent. When the site structure is part of the assignment, it should be described in the SEO optimization plan from the outset.

How much does keyword research cost?

The price depends on the number of services, languages, cities, competition, and whether you receive only a list or a ready-made site structure. For a marketing service such as SEO research, the price is determined by the scope and is €250-€2,500. A more complex analysis with more categories, languages, and advertising data tends towards the upper end.

This is not the price for the entire SEO process. Technical changes, writing, uploading, link strategy, and monthly analysis are calculated separately. For Google Ads, the research is also affected by the budget, campaign type, and the need to separate searches by product, city, or intent.

How do you know whether the research has done its job?

A good result is not an Excel file with lots of rows. You should be able to answer which page you are creating, who it is for, what question it answers, and what action you expect visitors to take.

After publication, track impressions, clicks, rankings, submitted forms, calls, and actual deals. This will show you which queries generate business, not just traffic. Review the plan when you launch a new service, the market changes, you enter a new city, or you run a seasonal campaign.

For an active website, periodically compare your initial assumptions with data from Search Console, advertising, and conversations with customers. Real search queries often provide better ideas than the initial list and show which pages should be improved next.