How to Find Keywords for SEO (EP33)

From tools like Keywords Everywhere and Answer The Public, to sneaky tricks like keyword stretching and digging into forums, there’s no shortage of strategies to discover new content ideas and find keywords for SEO. I share my favorite way plus 5 more strategies you can try.

Resources

Keywords Everywhere
Reddit Insights
Answer The Public
AlsoAsked.com
Google Search Console

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Welcome back to The Small Business Sweet Spot, where I get into strategies that make your business thrive online. While the most common way to discover keywords is using a tool like Keywords Everywhere (my go-to Chrome extension), I’ll also walk you through five other strategies that can help you uncover valuable keyword ideas.

1. My Go-To – Keywords Everywhere

Let’s start with the most straightforward method—using a keyword tool. My personal favorite is Keywords Everywhere, a Chrome plugin that simplifies keyword research. Here’s how I use it:

  • First, I type in my main topic in Google.
  • Keywords Everywhere takes over, showing me the search volume for that keyword—so I know right away if it’s popular.
  • On the search results page, it reveals how many keywords each site ranks for, giving me more ideas to explore. I can click and open a list of additional keywords that might be relevant to my content.
  • I also love that I can right-click to see all the keywords for an entire domain, which opens up even more keyword opportunities.

2. Keyword Stretching

Another fun trick is keyword stretching. It’s simple:

  • You type two or three words into Google, but replace one word with an asterisk (*). For example, if I want to explore content marketing strategies, I might type “content * strategies” into Google. Google fills in the blank, showing you variations that people search for, offering more keyword options.

3. Forums –> Quora, Reddit, and More

Forums are a goldmine for finding out what people are actually talking about. Sites like Quora, Reddit, and even Yahoo Answers (yes, it’s still around) can inspire your next blog post or content piece. You just have to dive in and explore the questions people are asking.

  • If you don’t want to spend hours scrolling through these forums, there are tools like Reddit Insights that will scrape relevant data for you and present trending topics—so you don’t get too lost in the rabbit hole.

4. AnswerThePublic.com

AnswerThePublic is another tool I use frequently. You type in a keyword, and it spits out questions and phrases related to that term—organized visually in a circle, or as a list. This is especially useful for brainstorming blog topics because it groups questions like “how,” “why,” and “what,” so you can find out exactly what your audience wants to know.

5. AlsoAsked.com

Similar to “People Also Ask” in Google, AlsoAsked.com takes a keyword and breaks it down into a web of related questions. This tool visually maps out phrases people have searched for, showing you how queries evolve. It’s a perfect resource for expanding on a topic and discovering related subtopics to explore.

6. Google Search Console

Lastly, one of my favorite free tools: Google Search Console. It’s a direct line into how people find your website. It tells you which keywords are generating the most traffic, which ones have the most impressions, and where you might be missing out.

  • Recently, I discovered that people were searching for “where to find keywords for SEO,” even though I hadn’t specifically targeted that phrase on my site. That insight led me to create this very episode!

Final Thoughts

There you have it—six ways to find keywords for SEO. From tools like Keywords Everywhere and AnswerThePublic, to sneaky tricks like keyword stretching and digging into forums, there’s no shortage of strategies to discover new content ideas.

*I am a tool geek. I love me a useful tool. I personally use, have used or review every tool recommended in my articles. I am an affiliate of some and earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Barb Davids - SEO Consultant

Barb Davids is an SEO consultant and owner of Compass Digital Strategies. Driven by data and analytics, she works hard to get business-changing results for her clients, such as 256% more website traffic and 22% more leads. Connect with her: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube
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