Which keywords should you optimize your site for?

Start with a Seed List of Search Phrases

Every keyword strategy begins with a handful of ideas that feel right to you - words and phrases that you think people might type when they’re hunting for what you offer. Rather than guessing or hunting a random string of single words, put a pen to paper or open a simple note and write down everything that comes to mind in the context of your business. For instance, if you run a tour company that sends travelers to Australia, jot down terms like “tourism in Australia,” “travel to Australia,” “Australian travel agencies,” “Australia holiday packages,” and “visiting Sydney tours.”

Notice how each phrase pinpoints a location, a type of service, or a specific destination. This is a deliberate move away from generic words such as “tourism” or “travel.” A single word carries a high level of competition and attracts a broad audience that might be searching for destinations worldwide, not just Australia. Even if you managed to secure a top spot for “tourism,” the visitors that land on your site would be a mix of people from every country, most of whom won’t convert to a booked trip in Australia.

By anchoring your search phrases to a place and a purpose, you capture intent. Someone typing “Australia holiday packages” is actively looking for a tour package, while a user who enters “travel to Australia” likely wants to plan a trip. These phrases carry a higher probability of turning a click into a lead. The more specific you can get without diluting the search volume, the better your chance of capturing qualified traffic.

It helps to think about the different stages of a customer’s journey. Early in the funnel, people might use broader terms like “Australia travel guide.” As they narrow their focus, they’ll search for “Australia adventure tours” or “budget trips to Melbourne.” Write down as many variations as you can. Don’t shy away from repeating the same core phrase with different modifiers. The goal here is quantity, not perfection.

Once you’ve compiled a list that feels exhaustive, put it on a spreadsheet. This step sets the foundation for all later analysis; without a solid seed list, your research will drift. The act of writing out each phrase forces you to consider how you want to rank for each search and whether the phrase truly aligns with your offerings. Trust that the act of listing will surface the most valuable and realistic keywords for your niche.

Organize Your Data in a Spreadsheet

With your seed list ready, the next step is to bring structure to the data. Open your favorite spreadsheet tool - Excel, Google Sheets, or any program that lets you work with columns. Create four columns labeled:

Leave the first row blank to keep the header visible. Below it, paste your list of keywords in the first column. The spreadsheet is your command center; all other data will feed into it. If you prefer a pre‑made template, you can find downloadable files online that already include the column titles and a placeholder formula for KEI. That saves a few keystrokes, but the core concept remains the same.

Think of this sheet as a living document. You’ll be updating it several times as you gather search volume data, count competitors, and calculate KEI scores. Keep it organized, and always double‑check that each keyword sits in the right row to avoid misalignment between popularity and competitor counts.

When you’re done, you should have a clean table that looks something like this:

Keyword | Popularity | No. of Competitors | KEI

This structure will make the next steps - gathering data and scoring - much smoother. It also gives you a single place to monitor progress and compare results across different keyword sets.

Expand Your List with Keyword Research Tools

Seed lists are useful, but they’re often too small to uncover all the search phrases that can drive traffic. To broaden the net, use a keyword research tool that can suggest related terms, provide search volumes, and give you an idea of how many competitors exist for each phrase. WordTracker, Google Keyword Planner, and other paid services are all viable options.

Start by creating a trial account on the chosen platform. When you sign up, you’ll be prompted to enter the first keyword from your spreadsheet - say, “tourism in Australia.” The tool will return a list of related queries, usually arranged by relevance. For each suggestion, you’ll see a search volume number, which indicates how many times the phrase is typed in a given period.

Take care to filter out phrases that don’t match your niche. A suggestion like “Australian cuisine” might have high volume, but it doesn’t align with travel services. Copy only the relevant keywords into your spreadsheet’s first column, and paste the associated search volume into the second column next to the right keyword. Do this for every suggestion that feels like a good fit.

Tools often limit the number of free results. If you hit a wall and feel like you’re missing potential keywords, consider upgrading to a paid plan. A subscription typically removes these caps and gives you a richer dataset. The investment is worthwhile if you’re serious about finding high‑intent search terms.

As you iterate through each keyword in your seed list, repeat the process: search, capture, paste. By the end, your spreadsheet should contain a robust catalog of phrases - each paired with its search volume. This data set will form the backbone of your optimization strategy.

Gather Competition Metrics from Search Engines

Popularity alone doesn’t paint the whole picture. You also need to understand how many other sites are fighting for the same keyword. The simplest way is to perform an exact match search on a major search engine. Wrap the phrase in quotation marks - e.g., “tourism in Australia” - to force the engine to return results that contain the entire string.

When the results load, scroll to the top of the page where the search engine displays the estimated number of results. This figure is an indicator of the competitive field. Record it in the third column of your spreadsheet beside the matching keyword.

Do this for every keyword. It may sound tedious, but the data you collect is invaluable. A phrase that has a moderate search volume but a low number of competitors can be a goldmine. Conversely, a high‑volume keyword that attracts thousands of competitors may be a tougher battle to win.