How to Do Keyword Research Step by Step: The Practical Guide for Catalan Businesses

If you want your website to appear on Google when your potential customers search for what you offer, you need to know how to do keyword research strategically. It's not about finding random words, but understanding exactly how people search and targeting queries that actually convert. In this guide I explain the complete process, with examples applied to businesses in Barcelona, Girona, Tarragona and throughout Catalonia.

1. What is keyword research and why it matters

Keyword research (or keyword search) is the process of identifying what queries people type into Google when searching for products, services or information related to your business. Without this foundation, any SEO strategy is like building a house without foundations.

What I often find when auditing Catalan SME websites is that they've created content intuitively, without checking if anyone actually searches for those words. The result: well-written pages that receive no organic traffic.

2. Tools I recommend (free and paid)

You don't need to spend a fortune to do good keyword research. Here are the tools I regularly use on projects in Catalonia:

• Google Search Console (free): essential if your website already has traffic. Shows which queries already generate impressions for you.
• Google Keyword Planner (free): provides volume ranges and related keyword ideas.
• Ubersuggest (freemium): useful for quick initial exploration, with difficulty and CPC data.
• Semrush or Ahrefs (paid, €80–130/month): the most comprehensive for competitive analysis and reliable volumes.
• AnswerThePublic (freemium): excellent for finding questions people ask around a topic.

3. Step 1: Define your business's main topics

Before opening any tool, you need a mind map of the topics your business covers. Call them seed topics. For example:

• A dental clinic in Sabadell could have: dental implants, orthodontics, teeth whitening, dental emergencies.
• A law firm in Girona: divorce, inheritance, labor law, insurance claims.
• An e-commerce for eco-friendly products in Barcelona: organic food, natural cosmetics, superfoods, home delivery.

Write down between 5 and 10 seed topics. These will be the starting point for the entire process.

4. Step 2: Generate keyword ideas

Now open the tools. Enter each seed topic and extract all possible variations. Pay special attention to:

1. Informational keywords: the user wants to learn ("how does invisible orthodontics work").
2. Transactional keywords: the user wants to buy or hire ("invisible orthodontics price Barcelona").
3. Local keywords: very relevant for physical businesses ("dental clinic Sabadell center").
4. Long-tail keywords: lower volume but much easier to rank and better conversion ("how much does a dental implant cost in Sabadell").

A trick that works very well: look at the related searches that appear at the bottom of Google's results page and the "People also ask" section. They're goldmines for new content.

5. Step 3: Analyze volume, difficulty and intent

With the generated list, now you need to filter. For each keyword, analyze three factors:

I recommend discarding keywords with KD above 60 if your domain has low authority. In many SME projects in Lleida or Terrassa, we've achieved much better results by targeting local long-tails with modest volume but high purchase intent.

6. Step 4: Prioritize and organize keywords

With the filter applied, organize keywords into thematic groups (keyword clusters). Each group will correspond to a page on your website: a landing page, a blog article, a service sheet, etc.

• Assign one primary keyword per page (the one with the most volume and relevance).
• Add 3–5 secondary keywords semantically related to strengthen the page.
• Mark the priority: high (clear opportunity), medium (to work on in 2–3 months) or low (backlog).

If you'd like us to help you organize your keyword map and identify the fastest ranking opportunities, contact us for a free initial review.

7. Common mistakes to avoid

These are the mistakes I see most often when reviewing keyword research strategies for Catalan businesses:

• Targeting keywords that are too generic: "restaurant Barcelona" has thousands of competitors; "restaurant with terrace for groups in Gràcia" is much more achievable.
• Ignoring search intent: creating a sales landing page for an informational keyword (or vice versa) is a mistake that penalizes ranking.
• Not reviewing the SERP: always check which pages appear in the top 3 for the keyword you want to target. If they're all huge authority sites, reconsider the keyword.
• Doing keyword research only once: the market changes, trends change. I recommend reviewing your keyword list every 3–6 months.
• Forgetting Catalan: many Catalan businesses ignore searches in Catalan, which often have less competition and a very loyal audience.

Conclusion

Doing good keyword research doesn't require expensive tools or advanced knowledge: it requires method and consistency. Following these four steps—defining topics, generating ideas, analyzing and prioritizing—any business in Catalonia can build a solid SEO foundation. If you prefer us to do it and deliver you a ready-to-implement keyword map, write to us and we'll explain how we work.