Boost Your SEO: Grab Your Keyword Planner!

Keyword planning is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. But before you invest in SEO services, make sure your internal team is aligned. Do they have similar goals, strategy and expectations? Choosing the right keywords isn’t just about ranking higher on Google — it’s about driving the right traffic that supports your business objectives.  

By doing some research internally, you’ll set yourself up for success and maximize the value of any SEO investment. Here’s how to make sure your keyword strategy works for you.  

1. Why keyword planning matters 

Keywords are more than just search terms — they’re a direct link between what people are looking for and what your business offers. We call this “intent”. Are the visitors to your website real potential customers or students doing research for a class project? One is infinitely more valuable than the other. A well-planned keyword strategy helps:  

• Increase visibility by ranking for the terms your ideal customers are searching for.  
• Drive meaningful traffic that converts into leads or sales.  
• Ensure consistency across all marketing channels, from website content to paid ads. 

But keyword planning isn’t just about search volume. The best keywords align with your business and marketing goals, whether that’s building brand awareness, attracting leads, or closing sales.  

2. Aligning keywords with your business goals 

Before you start researching keywords, take a step back and define what success looks like. Ask yourself:  

• Are you trying to increase brand awareness? If so, focus on educational, top-of-funnel keywords.  
• Do you want to generate leads? Then consider targeting solution-based searches.  
• Is your goal to drive direct sales? In that case, prioritize transactional keywords with purchase intent. 

This is also the time to get internal buy-in. Make sure leadership, marketing, and sales teams are aligned on keyword priorities and budgets. You can start out with a small budget, but if your goal is to push into Pay-Per-Click advertising, you need to research how much your definition of “success” could cost. This avoids wasted effort and ensures your SEO strategy supports your broader business objectives while aligning with budgetary constraints.  

3. Research first, then invest 

Before outsourcing your SEO needs, it is a good investment to spend some time exploring keywords internally. There are many free tools that can help you get started, such as:  

• Google Keyword Planner – Great for basic search volume and competition insights.  
• Google Trends – Learn the breakout keywords around your key terms, optimize for Local SEO, and find new keyword ideas. 
• Google Search Console – See what terms you’re already ranking for, and how you appear to prospective customers. 
• SEMrush or Ahrefs (Free Versions) – Useful for competitive keyword research and keyword metrics. 

As you research, avoid common mistakes like:  

• Chasing high-volume keywords that don’t align with your business.  
• Ignoring long-tail keywords – these will help drive highly-targeted traffic.  
• Failing to optimize for intent—informational searches need different content than transactional ones. 

Conclusion & next steps 

Keyword planning is an essential first step before investing in SEO services. By aligning your team, defining your goals, determining a budget, and researching potential keywords, you’ll set yourself up for long-term success.  

When you’re ready to take your SEO and search engine ranked page (SERP) strategy to the next level, we’re here to help. Our team can refine your keyword approach, optimize your content, and ensure your strategy drives real results.

This article first appeared on our sister site, Carlton PR & Marketing.