The digital world is more competitive than ever. Over 8.5 billion Google searches happen every day, and if your brand isn’t showing up in the results, you’re missing out. As someone who works directly with clients to shape high-performing content strategies, I’ve seen firsthand how a solid keyword research strategy can transform visibility and growth.In this post, I’m sharing our team’s real-world approach to building a keyword research strategy that works—tailored specifically for your industry.
Why Keyword Research Matters More Than Ever
Let’s be honest: it’s not just about ranking. It’s about understanding what your audience is looking for—in their own words—and delivering content that answers those questions. Keyword research gives you that insight.
When we work with clients across industries—from SaaS to consumer goods—we don’t just look at volume. We look at:
- Search intent (Is the user looking to buy, learn, or compare?)
- Competition level (Can you realistically rank for this keyword?)
- Industry trends (Are new terms or questions emerging in your space?)
Start with Your Audience, Not a Tool
Too many guides jump straight into tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs. But before we even open a tab, we ask our clients: Who is your audience, and what keeps them up at night? That question uncovers gold.
Here’s how we dig in:
- Talk to your sales or customer service teams. What questions do they hear every day?
- Review industry forums or Reddit threads to find real language people use.
- Check your own site search data—yes, people are already telling you what they want!
Tailor Your Research to the Industry
Every industry has its quirks. In B2B, the sales cycle is longer and keywords like “best accounting software for manufacturing” matter more than broad terms like “accounting software.” In eCommerce, users are much closer to making a purchase, so product-led keywords dominate.
For example, when we worked with a health tech startup, we discovered that their audience was searching for “HIPAA-compliant telehealth tools” rather than just “telehealth platforms.” That subtle difference made a huge impact on traffic quality.
Tools Are Helpful—But Not the Whole Story
Yes, we love tools. At RI Digital Research, we use:
- Ahrefs for keyword difficulty and competitive research
- Google Search Console to mine existing performance data
- AnswerThePublic for voice-of-customer phrasing
- Trends.google.com for seasonality and emerging topics
But we always come back to real human insights first. The tools help us validate, not dictate.
Prioritize and Plan Your Content
Once you have a list of relevant keywords, it’s time to make it actionable. Here’s our basic prioritization formula:
High Intent + Manageable Difficulty + Relevance to Product = Priority Keyword
From there, we map those keywords into content clusters. A high-value keyword like “cloud security compliance” becomes a pillar page, with subtopics like “SOC 2 explained” or “cloud risk assessments” feeding into it.
Closing Thoughts: It’s Not One-and-Done
Your keyword research strategy should evolve with your audience. Revisit it quarterly. Refresh stale pages. Watch your competitors. At RI Digital Research, we treat keyword strategy like a living document—because that’s how you stay ahead.
If you’re unsure where to begin or need help refining your approach, let’s talk. Our team is here to guide you with data, empathy, and real-world experience.
