Keyword research is the foundation of any SEO strategy. But there’s a mistake most businesses make: they use tools configured for Spain or the US and assume the search volumes apply the same way. They don’t.
Why keyword research in Colombia (and Latin America) is different
Colombia has considerably lower search volume than Spain or Mexico for most terms. But that doesn’t mean there’s no opportunity — it means competition is also lower, and ranking is more achievable if you know what to target.
There are also local terms that don’t appear in any international tool: local expressions, neighborhood names, secondary cities, cultural references. These are zero-competition opportunities that most consultants miss entirely.
Tools I use (and how I configure them)
Google Search Console
If you already have traffic, GSC is the best source of real keywords. Filter by country: Colombia (or your target market). Review queries with high impressions but low CTR — that’s where quick optimization opportunities hide.
Ahrefs or SEMrush
Always set the location to your target country. Volumes will look small compared to larger markets, but they’re real. A term with 300 monthly searches can generate 80–100 visits if you rank in the top 3.
Google Suggest + People Also Ask
Underrated. Type your root keyword in Google from within your target country and review the autocomplete suggestions. The PAA box gives you real user questions without any filter — straight from Google’s data.
How to classify keywords by intent
Before choosing what to target, classify each keyword by search intent:
- Informational: the user wants to learn (“what is technical SEO”)
- Navigational: they’re looking for a specific brand or site
- Commercial: evaluating options (“best SEO consultant Colombia”)
- Transactional: ready to act (“hire SEO audit”)
For a business that wants sales, transactional and commercial keywords are the priority. The frequent mistake is investing all effort in high-volume informational keywords that never convert.
Keyword research framework for a business
- Seed keywords: 5–10 core terms for your business
- Expansion: long-tail variants, synonyms, local expressions
- Classification: intent + volume + keyword difficulty (KD)
- Prioritization: high intent + low KD = quick win
- Mapping: assign each keyword to a URL (or create a new one)
A well-executed keyword research for a mid-size business takes 4–8 hours. If it takes 30 minutes, you’re probably skipping steps that will cost you later.
A real example
For a law firm in Bogotá, we found that “labor lawyer Bogotá” had high competition but “wrongful dismissal lawyer Bogotá” was attackable with quality content. In 4 months, that term reached position 2 and generated 3–5 qualified consultations per week.
That’s what good keyword research does: find where user intent and ranking opportunity intersect.