ck, it's like trying to compete with McDonald's by opening a restaurant called "Food."
Keywords are simply the words and phrases people type into Google when they're looking for something. But here's what most beginners get wrong: they go after the most obvious, competitive terms and wonder why they're not getting results.
I spent three months writing articles targeting "fitness" and "exercise" and got nowhere. Then I tried something different. Instead of thinking like a website owner, I started thinking like my potential readers. What would someone actually type into Google at 2 AM when they can't sleep and are worried about their health?
That's when I discovered long-tail keywords – longer, more specific phrases that might get fewer searches but are way easier to rank for. Instead of "fitness," I started targeting phrases like "beginner workout routine for busy moms" or "how to exercise when you hate the gym."
The results were immediate. Within a week, I started seeing my articles appear on the first page of Google for these specific searches. Sure, each phrase might only get 100 searches per month instead of 10,000, but here's the kicker: those 100 people were exactly the right people. They weren't just browsing – they had a specific problem I could solve.
My favorite keyword research method doesn't require any fancy tools. I call it the "conversation method." I think about how my friends would describe their problems when we're chatting over coffee. They don't say "I need fitness optimization." They say stuff like "I'm so out of shape, I get winded walking up stairs."
Another goldmine is the "People also ask" section on Google search results. Type in a basic term related to your topic, and Google will show you a bunch of related questions people are actually asking. Each one of these is a potential keyword opportunity.
Here's something that changed my whole approach: I started keeping a running list of questions my readers asked me in emails and comments. These real questions from real people became some of my best-performing keywords because they represented genuine search intent.
The sweet spot for beginners is finding keywords with decent search volume (maybe 100-1,000 searches per month) but low competition. Think of it as finding a conversation that's happening but isn't overcrowded yet. You can actually make your voice heard.