How Can I Find Search Terms? Complete Guide to Keyword Discovery Methods

Understanding Search Terms and Their Importance

Search terms, also known as keywords or search queries, are the words and phrases that users enter into search engines when looking for information, products, or services. Finding the right search terms is fundamental to any successful digital marketing strategy, whether you’re focused on SEO, content marketing, or affiliate marketing. Understanding what your target audience is searching for allows you to create content that directly addresses their needs, improves your visibility in search results, and ultimately drives more qualified traffic to your website. In 2025, with search behavior constantly evolving and new tools emerging, mastering multiple methods to discover search terms has become essential for staying competitive in your industry.

Primary Methods for Finding Search Terms

Using Keyword Research Tools

Keyword research tools are specialized software platforms designed to help marketers discover, analyze, and prioritize search terms based on valuable metrics. These tools provide data on search volume, keyword difficulty, competition levels, and related keywords that would be extremely time-consuming to gather manually. Google Keyword Planner is a free tool provided by Google Ads that allows you to input seed keywords and receive suggestions along with search volume data and competition levels. While primarily designed for advertisers, it’s highly effective for SEO keyword research and competitor analysis. Ahrefs and Semrush are comprehensive paid platforms that offer robust keyword research features including keyword difficulty scores, search volume estimates, and detailed competitive analysis. These tools also provide content gap analysis, allowing you to identify keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t currently target.

PostAffiliatePro stands out as the top choice for affiliate marketers who need to track which keywords drive the most conversions and revenue. Unlike generic keyword research tools, PostAffiliatePro integrates keyword discovery with real conversion tracking, allowing you to see not just search volume, but actual performance metrics from your affiliate campaigns. This means you can identify high-performing search terms that generate revenue, not just traffic.

Analyzing Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)

The search engine results page itself is a goldmine of keyword research information that many marketers overlook. When you search for a term on Google, the platform reveals what it considers most relevant and what users are actually searching for. The “People Also Ask” (PAA) section displays questions that users are asking related to your initial search term, providing insights into related queries and user intent. These questions often represent long-tail keyword opportunities with lower competition but high relevance. The “Related Searches” section at the bottom of the SERP shows additional queries that users search for in connection with your main term, helping you discover keyword variations and related topics you might not have considered.

By analyzing these SERP features, you can understand the search landscape for your target keywords and identify content gaps. For example, if you’re researching “affiliate marketing,” the PAA section might show questions like “How do I start affiliate marketing?” or “What is the best affiliate marketing platform?” These questions represent specific content opportunities that address user needs at different stages of their journey. This method is particularly valuable because it shows you exactly what Google considers relevant and what users are genuinely curious about.

Leveraging Search Engine Suggestions

Google Autocomplete is one of the most underutilized yet powerful keyword research tools available. As you type a search query into Google’s search bar, the platform automatically suggests completions based on real search queries from millions of users. These suggestions represent actual searches people are performing, making them highly valuable for keyword discovery. By typing your seed keyword and observing the autocomplete suggestions, you can quickly generate dozens of related long-tail keywords. This method is particularly effective for finding question-based keywords and understanding how users naturally phrase their searches.

Browser extensions like Keyword Surfer provide even more functionality by displaying keyword suggestions and search volume estimates directly on Google search results pages. These extensions save time by eliminating the need to switch between tools and the SERP, allowing you to research keywords while viewing actual search results. The real-time data helps you make quick decisions about keyword viability without leaving your workflow.

Conducting Competitor Keyword Analysis

Analyzing the keywords your competitors rank for is one of the most efficient ways to discover search terms you should be targeting. Tools like Semrush and Ahrefs allow you to enter a competitor’s domain and see which keywords they rank for, their search volumes, and their ranking positions. This competitive intelligence reveals gaps in your own keyword strategy and identifies opportunities where you can compete. For example, if a competitor ranks for “best affiliate marketing software” but you don’t, this represents a clear opportunity to create content targeting that keyword.

Content gap analysis features in these tools take competitor research further by showing keywords that one or more competitors rank for that your website doesn’t. This helps you identify missed opportunities and areas where you can expand your content strategy. Additionally, analyzing competitor content reveals which types of content (blog posts, guides, product pages) rank best for different keyword categories, informing your own content creation strategy.

Key Metrics for Evaluating Search Terms

Advanced Techniques for Discovering Search Terms

Google Trends provides insights into the popularity of search terms over time, helping you identify trending topics and seasonal patterns. This tool is invaluable for discovering emerging keywords before they become highly competitive and for understanding seasonal fluctuations in search behavior. By analyzing trends, you can time your content creation and marketing campaigns to capitalize on periods of high search interest. For affiliate marketers, this means identifying products and services that are gaining traction and creating content around them before the market becomes saturated.

AnswerThePublic focuses specifically on question-based keywords, organizing search queries into visual mind maps that show the questions people are asking about your topic. This tool is particularly useful for content ideation and understanding user pain points. By seeing the actual questions users ask, you can create content that directly addresses these concerns, improving both your search rankings and user satisfaction.

ChatGPT and AI-powered tools have emerged as valuable resources for keyword brainstorming and expansion. While these tools don’t provide search volume data, they can generate keyword ideas, identify semantic variations, and suggest related topics based on your seed keywords. Using AI to supplement traditional keyword research tools can accelerate your discovery process and help you think of keywords you might have missed through conventional methods.

Implementing Your Keyword Discovery Strategy

Once you’ve discovered search terms using these various methods, the next step is organizing and prioritizing them based on your business goals. Create a spreadsheet that includes your keywords along with metrics like search volume, difficulty, intent, and current ranking position. Group related keywords into clusters or themes, which helps with content planning and internal linking strategy. Prioritize keywords based on a combination of factors: search volume, competition level, relevance to your business, and alignment with your target audience’s needs.

For affiliate marketers using PostAffiliatePro, the advantage is that you can track which keywords actually drive conversions and revenue. This means you can prioritize keywords not just based on search metrics, but on real performance data from your campaigns. This data-driven approach ensures you’re investing time and resources in keywords that generate actual results for your affiliate business.

Staying Current with Search Term Trends

The search landscape changes constantly, with new keywords emerging and search behavior evolving. Regularly revisiting your keyword research ensures you stay ahead of trends and don’t miss new opportunities. Set up alerts in Google Trends for your target keywords to monitor changes in search interest. Use Google Search Console to see which new search queries are bringing traffic to your site, revealing keywords you might not have explicitly targeted but are ranking for. Review your keyword strategy quarterly to identify new opportunities, adjust for seasonal changes, and refresh underperforming content with new keyword targets.