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By Ruchi Pardal
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~ 9 minutes read
~ 9 minutes read
Did you know 68% to over 90% (BrightEdge) of online activity starts with a search? SEO in the US is a thriving 80-billion-dollar industry! Sites like Instagram, YouTube, and Google now drive huge web traffic.
But here is a twist! Simple keyword tools will no longer work in 2026. Voice search, user intent, AI, and semantics have changed the world of keyword research.
Now is the time to be creative.
Need to know more? This blog will guide you to the next-generation keyword research strategies beyond Google Keyword Planner.
Let’s unlock the hidden treasure together!
It is more than keyword identification; it is about deeply knowing your audience. By choosing the best keywords, you enhance the visibility of your website. This results in increased rankings and attracts targeted visitors to your site.
Google handles over 8.5 billion searches daily, amounting to 5 trillion annually. Astonishingly, half of those searches contain four words or more, highlighting the importance of a different strategy for keyword research that focuses more on long-tail keywords.
Do you know that 70% of all search traffic comes from long-tail keywords, indicating that users are becoming more focused?
Discovering keywords with fewer competitors is crucial to being heard more, and exploring untapped content niches is vital to finding keywords.
Search engines—particularly Google—have become smarter. It’s not all about keywords anymore. It’s about what people actually want when they search. This is referred to as user intent, and in 2025, it’s among the most crucial SEO considerations.
So here’s the question of the day:
Are you writing content for keywords or humans?
Let’s examine why knowing user intent is now the key to getting your content seen and clicked.
What Is User Intent?
User intent is the purpose behind a search query. It’s what a person really wants to do when they Google something.
Types of User Intent
Today, SEO winners are those who prioritize human intent over raw keywords.
Instead of focusing on outdated concepts like LSI keywords, analyze SERP patterns. Look at the top-ranking pages to identify:
Content format (guides, lists, tools)
Dominant intent (informational, commercial, transactional)
SERP features such as People Also Ask or featured snippets
Tools like Google Search Console and SERP analysis tools provide more reliable intent insights than standalone NLP tools.
AI keyword research utilizes computer science and artificial intelligence to find, examine, and maximize keywords for SEO.
Manually searching for words used by audiences in search engines constitutes traditional keyword research, but AI takes this to the next level by automating and enhancing it.
AI tools can analyze user activity, identify trends in search terms, and recommend keywords based on predictive models.
These tools often use machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to accurately determine how the audience looks for information.
Due to this, AI keyword research assists them in discovering more effective, relevant, and precise keywords that match the content strategy.
AI-powered keyword research tools analyze search behavior, identify semantic relationships, and predict emerging topics using machine learning and natural language processing.
You can utilize a prompt in RankBot’s Prompt Library, and AI will examine related keyword ideas.
Developing keyword clusters is necessary for improving your content and ranking it better on search engines.
Also Read: 6 Effective Keyword Research Lenses
As voice assistants and smart speakers gain popularity, voice search has been the latest trend.
With 8.4 billion voice assistants estimated worldwide as of 2025, being relevant requires adapting your content to how people speak.
As voice search adoption increases, conversational keywords are becoming more critical. Since users typically ask full questions using natural language, targeting longer, conversational phrases can help attract this type of traffic.
Example:
A user may type “best pizza restaurants in New York” into a search engine, but with voice search, they are more likely to say, “What are the best pizza restaurants near me?”
Pay attention to natural language and question-based search. Consider how folks would actually ask questions out loud as opposed to typing.
Optimize for local search. As voice searches tend to be location-based, ensure your business location is included in your website’s metadata and Google My Business listing.
Tools to Monitor Voice Search:
| Tool | Purpose |
| Google Analytics | Identify conversational and question-based search queries. |
| BrightLocal | Track the performance of local SEO. |
| SEMrush | Discover long-tail voice keywords. |
Looking at your competitors’ keyword strategy is an excellent method for discovering gaps and opportunities in your content strategy. Knowing which keywords your competitors rank for can lead you to find new content ideas or SEO opportunities.
Mastering competitor analysis is not so much about mimicking and more about learning from what your competitors are getting right.
Example:
Let’s say that you have a travel blog with a focus on hiking and outdoor adventure. From looking at your competition, you might see that they are getting high rankings for phrases such as “best Swiss Alps hikes” or “hiking trails of New Zealand.”
By knowing which keywords are getting traffic to their site, you can write on the same type of topics but with more value, like “best budget Swiss Alps hikes” or “New Zealand’s best-hidden hiking trails.”
Competitor keyword research should focus on identifying gaps and underserved intent—not copying keywords blindly.
Successful keyword research relies on targeting long-tail keywords for your SEO efforts. These detailed keywords aim at a specific niche or user intent. They might be less frequently searched than head terms. Yet, they have less competition, thus easing the ranking process.
Long-tail keywords can get you more highly qualified visitors to your site and drive up conversion levels. The precise keywords bring in people prepared to buy. They can reduce your cost per click within PPC advertising and provide a financially advantageous benefit.
They are better for page content than umbrella keywords. Long-tails target specific user needs, representing a wide spectrum of opportunities.
Tools such as Google’s Keyword Planner or Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer will assist in searching for these opportunities. Evaluate long-tail keywords based on search intent, SERP competition, and conversion potential rather than search volume alone.
The goal is to identify long tails with decent competition.
Look at what your competitors are doing. Investigate on Reddit and Quora. Google’s autocomplete and related searches option is worth it. Conduct a keyword gap analysis and use tools such as SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool for an all-around approach.
SERP analysis is key to identifying long-tail targets. Fewer competitors in the search results equal more chances. Using keyword tools with thorough SERP analysis is a surefire winning combination.
As of 2025, just being on page one of Google isn’t sufficient. The true strength is having control over SERP features—richer search results such as featured snippets, People Also Ask (PAA) boxes, image packs, and video carousels.
These features occupy more visual real estate and naturally capture user attention. The higher your presence here, the more clicks you receive — even if you’re not technically in the #1 organic position.
Let’s talk about featured snippets or position zero. These are the brief answers Google extracts from sites to answer a user’s query directly. To claim them, your content must be as clear as crystal, well-organized, and extremely relevant.
Example:
If you’re writing for the keyword “What is a neural engine in laptops?”, begin your content like this:
A neural engine is a specialized processor for executing AI workloads. It enables laptops to perform activities like facial recognition, voice, and real-time translation faster and more efficiently than traditional CPUs.
This type of answer is direct, useful, and crawl-friendly — all search engines’ favorite things.
By optimizing for SERP features, you are extending your brand’s visibility and increasing organic traffic without battling for the number one classic position.
Most SEOs forget zero-search-volume keywords because programs such as Ahrefs or SEMrush have no data. But in real life, no data doesn’t equal any demand.
With rapid technological growth and the constant emergence of niche industries, users increasingly search for highly specific terms that have not yet reached mainstream keyword tools.
These are frequently long-tail, super-specific, and super-relevant to decision-makers across B2B, SaaS, and technology industries.
Let’s say you’re operating within the AI hardware industry. The “AI chip vs neural processing unit” keyword might report zero search volume. But this expression:
Better yet, writing content on these topics earns topical authority. It tells search engines that you are an expert in this field, which can elevate the whole domain’s visibility.
Bottom line? Don’t disregard zero-volume keywords. Rather, leverage them to grab dormant traffic, respond to questions no one else asks, and build authority in your niche.
In 2026, keyword research goes beyond identifying high-volume keywords and focuses on intent, context, and real user value.
It’s about knowing users’ wants, predicting trends, and providing value through intelligent, organized, contextual content.
From AI software to human platforms such as Reddit, from semantic SEO to zero-volume targeting—you now have 6 strong methods to take your keyword strategy to the next level.
Master these methods, and you won’t just beat your competition—you’ll be the expert in your niche.
Want more clicks, leads, and loyal visitors? Let ResultFirst design a user journey that drives action. Your success story starts with an optimized experience.
Advanced keyword research techniques provide several important advantages to your SEO. They enable you to discover significant opportunities to drive targeted traffic. They also enhance your search engine rankings and help you stay one step ahead of competitors.
Seek new subjects in forums, Reddit, specialist communities, and Google's "People Also Ask" area. These tend to represent genuine user questions before they emerge in keyword tools.
Utilize a combination of tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Search Console, AnswerThePublic, and even AI-based tools such as ChatGPT to find question-based and intent-based keywords.
Long-tail keywords are longer phrases with a specific topic or user intent. Long-tail keywords provide less search volume but compete less. Using long-tail keywords, you can attract higher-quality visitors to your website. It can increase your conversion rates and establish you as an authority in your industry.
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