Intermediate level · Module 2: Search Visibility: SEO and Google Business Profile · Lesson 1 of 3
How Search Works and Keyword Research
Understand crawling, indexing and ranking and find the words customers actually search.
In this lesson you will
- Describe crawling, indexing and ranking
- Build a keyword list from customer language
Key concepts
crawling and indexingsearch intentkeywordlocal search
The lesson
Search engines find (crawl), store (index) and rank pages to answer people's queries. People searching have intent — they already want something — which makes search traffic valuable.
Keyword research finds the words customers really use. Google autocomplete, 'People also ask' and related searches show common queries; local terms such as 'tailor in Munuki' or 'laptop repair Juba' often matter most.
Group keywords by intent: informational ('how to clean a laptop fan'), commercial ('best laptop repair Juba') and navigational (a business's own name).
Step by step
- List ten seed terms for the client's business.
- Expand each with autocomplete and related searches.
- Group 20 keywords by intent.
- Choose the priority keywords for each page.
Practice activity
Create a keyword list of 20 terms for your client grouped by intent, using Google autocomplete, 'People also ask' and customer survey language.
Expected result: A grouped keyword list of 20 terms.
Check your understanding
-
What is search intent?
Show answer
The goal behind a search, such as finding information, comparing options or buying/visiting.
Further learning
Taught live by an instructor — online or in person. Free course lessons are for self-study and do not lead to a certificate — see registration options.