An easy, jargon-free guide for beginners (with video walkthrough)
If you’re trying to grow your website traffic and appear on Google for the right searches, keyword research is your first step. The good news? You don’t need expensive software to get started.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to do a keyword search using Ubersuggest, a beginner-friendly SEO tool with a free version that’s perfect for small business owners.
What is Ubersuggest?
Ubersuggest is an SEO tool created by Neil Patel. It helps you find keywords that your ideal customers are searching for on Google, and shows you how easy (or difficult) it might be to rank for them.
Even with the free version, you can:
- Search 3 keywords per day
- View monthly search volume
- Check SEO difficulty scores
- Explore keyword suggestions and trends
Example: Wedding Photographer in Kerry
Let’s say you’re a wedding photographer in Kerry and want your homepage to rank when someone types that phrase into Google.
Let’s check how easy or difficult it is to rank for this keyword.
The results from the Ubersuggest keyword search for wedding photographer in Kerry are:
* 140 Search Volume. This means 140 people searched for this keyword in the previous month.
*17 SEO Difficulty. This means that it is relatively easy to rank for this keyword. You should aim for keywords with an SEO Difficulty of under 25-30. The lower the better.
This means that if you create content around this keyword and include it naturally in your page title, headings, and meta description—you have a solid chance of ranking on page one.
The search volume graph can be useful for products or services that tend to have trends throughout the year.
For example, traditionally there are a lot of engagements around Christmas, which results in a spike in search volume for wedding suppliers in January & February.
Why Context Matters
Let’s compare that with a broader keyword like:
“wedding photographer”
It has a much higher search volume, but the traffic is less targeted. People from all over Ireland (or even internationally) may land on your website, even though you only serve Kerry.
That might sound like a good thing, but here’s the catch:
- If visitors click your link and realise you’re too far away, they’ll leave quickly.
- Google notices this “bounce” and interprets it as a poor match for that keyword.
- That can negatively affect your ranking over time.
In short: attracting the wrong traffic can hurt your SEO.
Google wants to give people what they are looking for, if they are spending mere seconds on your website, Google will think that your site does not match that keyword. The longer people spend on your website, the more credible search engines think you are.
What About Keywords with Zero Search Volume?
Let’s try another example:
“Yankee Candles in Tralee”
You might see that the search volume is 0. But that doesn’t necessarily mean no one is searching, it just means the number is too low to register in the tool’s data.
Here’s the thing: if that’s something your ideal customer would type into Google, it’s still a valid keyword.
These ultra-specific phrases are called long-tail keywords. They may have low volume, but they tend to bring in high-intent, local traffic, and that often leads to more conversions.
What to Look For in Ubersuggest
When you search for a keyword, pay attention to:
Search Volume: Monthly average number of searches – Aim for SEO difficulty scores under 30 (ideally under 20 if you’re just starting out)
SEO Difficulty (SD): How hard it is to rank (0–100)
Trends: Look at the graph to spot seasonal peaks (e.g. wedding-related searches often spike in Jan–Feb)
Relevance: Does the keyword reflect your location and offering?
Don’t ignore low-volume, high-intent keywords. Always think about what your customers would type, not what sounds clever or catchy.
