Final answer:
The initial stage of keyword research entails conducting an ideation session or brainstorming to create a list of ideas and relevant key terms associated with your topic.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first stage of keyword research is d) Conduct an ideation session. This involves brainstorming a range of ideas related to your topic and narrowing down these ideas to identify relevant key terms. During ideation or brainstorming, you list down all possible ideas, thoughts, and word associations that you can think of that is connected to your research subject. This creative process is essential as it sets the foundation for subsequent steps such as extending the keyword list, analyzing the value of keywords, and eventually selecting the best keywords for your research.