The New Rules of SEO Keyword Research
By Mark Aspillera, Senior SEO Strategist at BMG360
This article was originally published here.
A lot of SEO advice simplifies keyword research or makes it sound easy... open a tool, type your service, and chase the highest search volume, maybe cross-checked with competition level. But that playbook falls apart fast in 2025’s AI-powered SERPs, semantic search, and localized results.
So what does real, revenue-driving keyword research look like now, and how do you build a strategy that stays relevant? Your keyword research strategy should go beyond volume and focus more on intent, relevance, and revenue.
A Smarter Approach to Keyword Research
Search engines are smarter than ever. You don’t need exact keyword matches to rank anymore, but that doesn’t mean keyword research is dead. It's still the foundation of effective SEO if you’re using it to understand:
What your ideal customer is actually searching for
Why they’re searching (intent)
Where your brand can compete and win
Mirror your keywords to how people think, and your site will show up with value at every stage.
The 4 Keyword Types that Drive Real Strategy
Every keyword reflects intent. The best SEO strategies map these types across the funnel, attracting, educating, and converting in sync.
Here’s the breakdown:
Informational – “What is SEO?” → Guides, blog posts, FAQs
Navigational – “BMG360 agency” → Homepages, branded content
Commercial – “Best SEO agency for SaaS” → Comparison pages, reviews
Transactional – “Buy SEO audit online” → Product/service pages, landing pages
Seed Keywords Are the Start (Not the Full Strategy)
“SEO” is a seed.
“How to do keyword research for SEO” is a long-tail keyword with real intent.
Long-tail terms may have lower volume, but they convert better, rank faster, and often tell you exactly what your audience needs.
Why Most Keyword Lists Are a Waste of Time
A giant keyword list pulled from Ahrefs means nothing if it’s not:
Mapped to real user intent
Prioritized by business value
Anchored to specific content types
Validated against competitive benchmarks
How to Be More Strategic with Keyword Selection
It’s tempting to chase big-volume keywords, but they’re usually competitive, generic, and low-intent.
Instead, balance:
Difficulty – Can you realistically rank here?
Intent – Is the searcher ready to act?
Business value – Will this term drive revenue?
Pro tip: Reverse-engineer your top-converting pages in GA4 and Search Console to see which keywords are doing real work, then scale what’s working.
Competitive Research Isn’t Cheating. It’s Smart.
If competitors are outranking you, here’s what to look at:
What keywords they’re ranking for
What types of pages are ranking
How they structure titles, headlines, and content
You’re not copying. You’re studying what search engines reward, then outdoing it.
Local SEO? Don’t Skip Geographic Intent
“[Service] near me” might not wow on a volume report, but it can move real revenue. Whether you're regional or national, geo-specific keywords help you rank in map packs, localized results, and AI-generated snippets.
Final Thought: Keyword Research Isn’t a One-Time Task
Search behavior changes, algorithms evolve, and competitors move fast. Treat your keyword strategy like a living system and revisit it often, refine it based on results, and never stop learning from how your audience searches.
Want the Full Step-by-Step Framework?
We put together a complete guide that covers:
How to brainstorm and validate your seed keywords
The best tools (and how to actually use them)
How to map keywords to intent and funnel stage
How to prioritize what drives business impact
How to reverse-engineer your competitors’ SEO wins
[Download the full guide: How to Do SEO Keyword Research — Step-by-Step for 2025]