Complete Guide to Keyword Research

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel, Ciaran, and Louise take a deep dive into the often-misunderstood world of keyword research - one of the most foundational yet complex elements of digital marketing.

What starts as a seemingly simple task (“just pick some keywords, right?”) quickly unravels into a minefield of audience intent, brand positioning, search behaviour shifts, and the sometimes soul-crushing reality of traffic that doesn’t convert. The trio break down the full process with real-world insight, humour, and some very candid reflections on what not to do.

From teaching postgraduate students at Imperial College to running real commercial SEO campaigns, Daniel shares his evolving approach to keyword strategy - highlighting how brand clarity, buyer personas, and mapping the full user journey are essential to getting keyword research right.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why volume-based keyword selection is a trap

• How to balance traffic, intent, and competition in your keyword choices

• Why middle-of-the-funnel content is often your secret weapon

• How to prune and optimise your existing content for better conversions

• The problem with vanity metrics (and what to track instead)

• How new AI-powered tools like Content Raptor and Keywords Everywhere are changing the game

• The role of search across Google, YouTube, social and even email

• What to look for in competitor analysis and how to use keyword clustering effectively

Louise brings sharp insight into modern search behaviour and the growing importance of voice, conversational search, and featured snippets, while Ciaran opens up about years of chasing traffic volume before realising conversions are what truly count. (Spoiler: a blog about banana peels and Botox might bring in traffic—but probably not sales.)

The episode ends with a step-by-step process for approaching keyword research in 2025, including content ideation, testing, SEO hooks, and how to integrate what you learn across multiple marketing channels.

Key Takeaways:

• Keyword research isn’t about finding more keywords - it’s about finding the right ones.

• Strategic alignment between brand, content, and intent is critical.

• Most marketers overinvest in top-of-funnel traffic and neglect conversion-focused content.

• Updating and optimising your existing content can often move the needle more than publishing something new.

• A good keyword is one that drives results - not just visits.

With tools, frameworks, and honest advice, this episode is your ultimate keyword research sanity-check. Whether you’re building a content strategy from scratch or refining an existing one, this is the guide you didn’t know you needed.

Useful Links:

Content Raptor: 

https://contentraptor.com Use code ROWLES for 20% off

Competitor.app:

https://app.competitors.app/c/TARGETINTERNET 50% off for 3 months!

UberSuggest:

https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/ 

Keywords Everywhere:

https://keywordseverywhere.com/ 

Neil Patel LinkedIn Post New Vs Updating Content:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/neilkpatel