How to Choose Keywords for SEO and AI Search in 5 Simple Steps

Most agencies overcomplicate keyword selection. They chase high-volume terms they cannot realistically rank for, ignore the long-tail keywords that convert, and forget entirely about the AI Search Results that now appear above every organic listing.

According to Keywords Everywhere, over 94% of keywords get 10 or fewer searches per month—and 15% of Google searches every day have never been searched before. That means new keyword opportunities emerge constantly, and the agencies that find them first win visibility before competitors even know the terms exist.

Here are the five steps every agency should follow when Choosing Keywords for SEO and AI Search for every client, every campaign, every time.

Step 1: Collect Keyword Ideas from Every Available Source

The first step in How to Choose Keywords for SEO is building a raw list of Keyword Ideas before making any decisions about which ones to target. Most agencies pull from one or two sources. The strongest keyword lists come from at least four. According to Link Assistant, search volume alone does not guarantee clicks. Pairing volume with intent, difficulty, SERP features, and conversion data is what separates the Best Keywords for SEO from high-volume dead ends that bring traffic without results.

Analyze competitor keyword gaps

Your competitors are already doing keyword research. Their rankings tell you which terms are worth targeting in your client's category. A Keyword Research Tool that compares your client's domain against three to five competitors surfaces two critical lists: keywords competitors rank for that your client does not, and keywords where competitors outrank your client despite your client having a page for the same topic.

The missing list shows entirely new content opportunities. The weak list shows existing pages that need optimization. Both produce faster results than building a keyword strategy from scratch because the competitive intelligence is already in the Search Results—you just need a tool to surface it.

Use a Seed Keyword to expand your list

A Seed Keyword is a broad term related to the client's business. Enter it into a Keyword Research Tool, and it returns dozens or hundreds of related SEO Keyword Suggestions grouped by topic and subtopic. For example, entering "accountant" as a Seed Keyword surfaces terms like "small business accountant," "accountant near me," "how to find an accountant," and "online accounting software." Each group represents a separate content opportunity.

Repeat this with three to five Seed Keywords per client. The goal at this stage is volume—build the largest possible list of candidate keywords before applying any filters. You narrow the list in Steps 2 and 3, not here.

Review keywords already ranking in Google Search Console

Google Search Console shows every query that brought impressions to the client's site, including queries the client is not actively optimizing for. Filter the Queries report to positions 11 through 20 and you have a list of near-miss keywords: terms the site is close to ranking for on page one that need one focused optimization push to get there. These are the fastest keyword wins available in any SEO campaign because the content already exists, and the page already has some authority.

Find prompts users type into AI Tools

Choosing Keyword targets for AI Search requires a different research method from traditional Search Engine Optimization. Users ask AI Tools questions in natural, conversational language—not keyword strings. Identifying which prompts your client's audience uses in tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity shows you which questions your content needs to answer to appear in AI Summaries and AI Search Results.

Look at the AI Overviews that appear for your client's core topics on Google. The sources cited in those overviews are your competitors for AI visibility. Study their content structure, the specific questions they answer, and the format they use. That analysis tells you exactly what your client's content needs to include to compete in AI search.

Step 2: Group Keywords by Topic and Search Intent

A raw list of Keyword Ideas is not a strategy. Step 2 is organizing that list into groups of terms that share the same intent, so one piece of content can target multiple keywords at once—improving efficiency without creating content that tries to do too many things at once.

For example, an agency researching keywords for a fitness client might find these terms in their raw list: "strength training exercises," "resistance training exercises," "best strength training workouts," and "full body resistance training." These four terms have different wording, but the same underlying intent—the user wants a list of exercises to follow. One well-structured page can target all four simultaneously, multiplying the total search volume the page competes for without needing four separate pieces of content.

Use this two-question test before grouping any keywords together:

Question 1: Are the majority of SERP listings the same for these keywords? If the top-ranking pages are the same across multiple terms, they share the same intent and can be targeted on one page. If the SERPs are different, create separate pages.

Question 2: Do the AI Overviews for these terms cite the same sources? If AI Search Results reference the same pages for multiple queries, Google's AI considers those terms to have the same intent. Target them together. If AI Summaries cite different sources, the terms serve different needs and need separate content.

Real-World Example

An agency managing SEO for a legal firm grouped "employment lawyer," "employment attorney," and "wrongful termination lawyer" onto one page after confirming the SERPs showed nearly identical results for all three terms. That single page now ranks in the top five for all three keywords, tripling its total organic reach without requiring additional content production.

Step 3: Identify Search Intent Behind Every Keyword Group

Selecting Keywords for SEO without understanding intent is one of the most common and costly mistakes agencies make. A keyword with high search volume means nothing if the content format your client produces does not match what searchers want to find.

Every keyword falls into one of four intent categories. Knowing which one applies determines the content format, the call to action, and the business value of ranking for that term.

• Informational intent: The user wants to learn something. Keywords like "how to choose keywords for SEO" or "what is a seed keyword" signal informational intent. The right content format is a guide, how-to article, or explainer. These keywords bring traffic and build authority but convert at lower rates than commercial or transactional terms.

• Commercial intent: The user is researching before making a decision. Keywords like "best keyword research tool" or "keyword tool comparison" signal commercial intent. The right content format is a review, comparison, or best-of list. These keywords attract users close to a purchase decision and convert at significantly higher rates than informational terms.

• Transactional intent: The user is ready to act. Keywords like "buy keyword tool" or "sign up for SEO software" signal transactional intent. The right content format is a product page or landing page with a clear conversion path. These are the highest-value keywords for direct revenue impact.

• Navigational intent: The user wants to find a specific website or page. Keywords like "Agency Dashboard login" signal navigational intent. These terms are primarily valuable for protecting brand visibility, not for attracting new audiences.

For AI Search specifically, informational intent keywords trigger AI Overviews most frequently. Structuring informational content with direct answer sentences and FAQ sections gives it the best chance of appearing in AI Summaries above the organic SERPs.

Step 4: Analyze SERPs and AI Search Results Before Committing

Before locking in a keyword group, look at the actual Search Results for those terms. The SERP tells you two things: how competitive the keyword is and what content format Google rewards for that specific query.

Read the SERP before writing a single word

Open Google and search for each target keyword. Note which content types dominate the first page: are they listicles, guides, product pages, or videos? The format that appears most often is the format Google prefers for that intent. Building content in a different format—no matter how good the writing—puts the page at a structural disadvantage from the start.

Pay close attention to SERP features. AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, and local packs all occupy screen space above or alongside the traditional organic listings. Appearing in any of these features generates visibility without needing to rank at position one. Optimizing for SERP features is now as important as optimizing rankings.

Check AI Search Results for the same queries

Enter the same keyword into ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google's AI mode. Look at which sources the AI Tools cite in their response. Those sources are your competitors for AI visibility. Study their structure—how they open the page, how they organize information, which specific questions they answer, and whether they use lists, tables, or numbered steps.

If the sources cited in AI Search Results are different from the pages ranking at position one in traditional SERPs, your client needs two different optimization strategies—one for traditional search and one for AI Search. Most agencies only build the first one. The agencies that build both earn visibility in every channel where their clients' customers are searching.

Step 5: Place Keywords Strategically in Every Piece of Content

Choosing Keywords is only half the work. Step 5 is using them correctly inside the content, so both search engines and AI Tools understand what each page covers and who it is for.

Where to place keywords for maximum impact

These are the five locations where keyword placement has the strongest impact on how search engines and AI systems read and rank a page:

• Title tag: Place the primary keyword near the beginning of the title tag. This is the single most direct signal of page topic to both search engines and AI systems that scan titles to categorize content. For our target keyword, this means a title like "How to Choose Keywords for SEO and AI Search in 5 Simple Steps"—focus keyword appears first, benefit is clear, step count sets expectations.

• H1 heading: The H1 should match or closely mirror the title tag and include the primary keyword. Every additional H2 and H3 subheading is an opportunity to use related keywords and signal the full topical coverage of the page without keyword stuffing that makes the content read unnaturally.

• First paragraph of body content: Mention the primary keyword within the first 100 words. This tells search engines and AI models immediately what the page covers before they need to scan the full document to determine relevance.

• Meta description: Include the primary keyword in the meta description because it appears in SERPs and AI Search Results when the page is cited. A clear meta description that matches the page's content improves click-through rates from both traditional Search Results and AI Summaries.

• URL structure: Use the primary keyword as part of a clean, readable URL. A URL like agencydashboard.io/how-to-choose-keywords-for-seo tells search engines, AI Tools, and users exactly what the page covers before they visit it.

What to avoid when placing keywords

Forcing the same keyword into every paragraph—called keyword stuffing—makes content read unnaturally and signals to search engines that the page is optimized for bots rather than readers. Google's 2025 core updates specifically penalized content that prioritized keyword density over genuine usefulness.

The goal of keyword placement is clarity, not repetition. Use the primary keyword where it fits naturally. Use related terms and variations throughout the rest of the content. Let the topic's coverage and the quality of the answers determine search visibility—not the number of times a specific phrase appears.

Choose Keywords That Win Visibility in Google and AI Search

The five steps above work for every client, every campaign, and every industry. They are not complicated—but most agencies skip at least two of them. Agencies that skip competitor gap analysis miss the fastest keyword wins. Agencies that skip AI search prompt research miss a growing channel that is reshaping how clients' customers find information.

Start with Step 1 for your next client. Build the full keyword list before filtering anything. Then group by intent, check the SERPs, verify AI Search Results, and place keywords where they create the clearest possible signal for both traditional and AI search systems.

Use competitor gap analysis, a Seed Keyword in your Keyword Research Tool, Google Search Console near-miss data, and AI search prompt research. Each source reveals keyword opportunities the others will miss.

Apply the two-question SERP and AI search test before grouping keywords onto one page. If the Search Results and AI Summaries differ significantly between terms, create separate pages. If they match, one well-structured page targets all of them.

Frequently Asked Questions