SEO is not a volume contest.
It's not a hunt for the most popular keywords. It's not a matter of fashion or intuition.
It's a targeting strategy. A way of making yourself visible to the right people, at the right time.
The keyword is a filter. It determines who arrives on the site.
And above all: why this person is coming.
But you still need to choose the right ones.
What most professionals do (and why it doesn't work)
In many sectors - law firms, medical professions, technical services - the reflex is always the same: aim high.
We position ourselves on "lawyer", "employment law", "legal advice".
And we hope that customers will follow.
But these ultra-competitive, ultra-vague words are rarely effective.
They attract everyone but the good customers.
Those who :
- are looking for a simple definition,
- compare dozens of service providers,
- or click with no real intention.
Results Traffic, perhaps. But few, if any, qualified contacts.
A good keyword isn't popular. It's precise. It engages.
Let's take two concrete requests:
- "difference between dismissal for serious misconduct and dismissal for gross misconduct".
- "redundancy lawyer Geneva
The first attracts the curious. The second brings in potential customers.
In one case, it's about learning. In the other, it's about action.
And that's the difference between a keyword that informs... and a keyword that converts.
Criteria for choosing the right words
A relevant keyword ticks several essential boxes:
- Business relevance it must reflect a real performance, not a vague theme
- Research intention informative (to learn), commercial (to buy), navigational (to find a brand)
- Level of competition some words are inaccessible to small structures
- Location for a local business, geography is key
- Long tail longer, more precise and often more effective expressions
A law firm in Lausanne will have more results on :
- "family law lawyer Lausanne"
- "fees for amicable divorce" than on a generic "Swiss lawyer".
Simple methodology to avoid mistakes
It's not about technology. It's about logic.
Here's a basic method that works:
- Analyze existing queries in Google Search Console (if site is active)
- Look for automatic suggestions in Google by typing the beginnings of typical customer phrases
- Note the "other questions asked" displayed by Google
- Use a free tool like Ubersuggest to expand your variants
- Create a simple table with: keyword / volume / intent / competition / target page
And above all: confronting ideas with reality on the ground. A word that appeals is not necessarily a word that attracts the right customers.
A keyword without a dedicated page is useless
It's a classic trap: identify a good keyword, but don't dedicate a clear page to it.
A relevant keyword deserves :
- an explicit title,
- content that responds to the request,
- a readable structure (without unnecessary jargon),
- a logical connection with the rest of the site.
Example: "rupture conventionnelle Genève lawyer" → a dedicated page, explaining the procedure, deadlines, risks, fees.
Not a catch-all page. Not a general blog. A real, targeted answer.
Things to remember
The right keyword is not the one that gives pleasure. Nor is it the one that creates volume.
He's the one who attracts the right visitor, at the right time, with the right need.
A professional who chooses his keywords well also chooses his future customers.
And in a sector where visibility is no longer enough, this is perhaps where the difference begins.
Mini-guide: how to find the right keywords for your business
1. Use the right tools to explore opportunities
To find relevant keywords aligned with your offers, we recommend the following tools:
- Google Search Console - to see which queries are already generating impressions
- Google Keyword Planner - to estimate monthly volumes
- Ubersuggest - good entry point, free for basic needs
- SEMrush - very useful for seeing what the competition is targeting
- Ahrefs - powerful for cross-referencing keywords with backlinks and traffic
2. Check competition using the Golden Keyword Ratio (KGR) method
Visit Keyword Golden Ratio allows you to identify keywords that are easy to rank for, especially for recent or low-authority sites.
🔢 Formula KGR :
KGR = Number of Google results containing the exact keyword
in the title (using the intitle: "keyword" command)
÷
Monthly search volume (≤ 250)
✅ Example:
Keyword : breach of contract lawyer Geneva
- Google query to enter :
intitle: "avocat rupture conventionnelle Genève" (in French)
- Results displayed in "tools": 48 results
- Estimated monthly volume (via SEMrush or Ahrefs): 300 searches
KGR = 48 / 300 ≈ 0.16
🟢 Interpretation:
- KGR < 0.25 → excellent keyword to target immediately
- KGR between 0.25 and 1.0 → correct potential, especially if the content is solid
- KGR > 1.0 → highly competitive, difficult to classify without strong authority
3. Bonus: validate results structure
Also type the keyword without filter in Google (in private browsing) and observe :
- Type of results (authority sites, blogs, forums, etc.)
- Level of optimization (do they use the word in the title, URL, content?)
- Whether the results match your offer: is it really the right terrain?
Co-founder of Smart Impact.Passionate about the web from the outset, he launched his first project in 2006: an online music magazine that is still running today. With almost 20 years' experience in SEO, a federal diploma in marketing and a solid geek culture, he and his team transform customers' (sometimes vague) ideas into concrete digital projects.