How to find hidden keywords for SEO

A step-by-step guide to uncover valuable keywords that your competitors might be missing, using real customer conversations as your secret weapon.

The hidden goldmine in customer conversations

Finding the right keywords doesn’t always mean chasing high-volume search terms. Sometimes, the most valuable keywords come from the questions your customers are already asking. Here’s how to turn those conversations into SEO success.

Step-by-step process

1. Get your hands on customer interviews or anything similiar

• Find recorded sales calls, support tickets, or customer interviews
• Look for one-on-one conversations where customers explain their problems
• Focus on longer conversations where pain points are discussed in detail

2. Extract pain point questions

• Use AI tools to analyse the conversation
• Look for specific questions customers ask about their challenges
• Note down the exact language they use to describe their problems

3. Google the questions

• Search for each question exactly as customers phrase them
• Pay attention to the top-ranking pages
• Note which websites consistently appear in the results

4. Analyse top-ranking URLs

• Put the best-performing URLs into Ahrefs
• Look at all keywords these pages rank for
• Focus on keywords with clear commercial intent

5. Find relevant keywords

• Filter keywords by search volume and difficulty
• Look for terms that align with your product solution
• Pay special attention to long-tail keywords

6. Select your target keywords

• Choose keywords with the best balance of volume and competition
• Ensure they match your customer’s language
• Group related keywords together

7. Expand your research

• Put your chosen keywords back into Ahrefs
• Look for related terms and variations
• Build clusters of related keywords

8. Find competitor content

• Analyse the top URLs ranking for your chosen keywords
• Study their content structure and approach
• Look for gaps you can fill with better content

9. Create better content

• Write comprehensive content that answers customer questions
• Use your customer’s exact language
• Focus on solving specific pain points
• Include real examples and solutions

Why this method works

This approach works because it starts with real customer problems rather than guesswork. You’re finding keywords that:

• Have genuine buyer intent
• Match how your customers actually speak
• Often face less competition
• Connect directly to your product’s solutions