Keyword research is the key to SEO and content strategy. Determining what users search for, how they search, and what intent drives their queries is crucial before you start writing your website content.
Without a structured keyword research approach, businesses risk targeting irrelevant terms and miss out on target customers. Failing to meet user expectations will also result in the website’s rank drop.
This guide provides a step-by-step keyword research checklist, covering seed keywords, search intent variations, topical clustering, and competitor gap analysis. This keyword research checklist also includes advanced strategies such as Google’s Knowledge Graph, NLP-based keyword discovery, and featured snippet optimisation to help websites increase rankings, improve traffic quality, and establish topical authority.
Whether you’re an SEO professional, content marketer, or business owner, this checklist ensures your keyword research process is data-driven, intent-focused, and aligned with Google’s evolving ranking algorithms.
Key takeaways
1️⃣ Keyword research – ensures that businesses align content with search demand, intent, and user expectations to maximise visibility.
2️⃣ Topical authority matters more than keyword difficulty – Covering an entire topic with structured content clusters increases credibility and improves rankings.
3️⃣ Search intent must be addressed at the start – Matching informational, commercial, transactional, and navigational queries to the right content format improves conversions.
4️⃣ Competitor analysis reveals keyword gaps – Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush help identify missing ranking opportunities to refine SEO strategy.
5️⃣ Use free Google tools for keyword discovery – Autocomplete, People Also Ask (PAA), related searches, and Google Trends offer valuable insights without paid SEO tools.
6️⃣ Long-tail keywords drive targeted traffic – These lower-competition keywords cater to voice search, niche queries, and high-conversion search intent.
7️⃣ LSI keywords strengthen topical relevance – Using semantically related terms ensures better content structure and helps Google understand page context.
8️⃣ Keyword clustering improves search rankings – Grouping similar intent keywords into a single page enhances SEO and internal linking.
9️⃣ Tracking keyword performance is essential – Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and heatmaps help monitor rankings, engagement, and user behaviour.
🔟 Avoid keyword cannibalisation with a structured approach – Consolidate duplicate pages, use canonical tags, and ensure unique search intent for each page.
Table of Contents
Why Does Keyword Research Matter?
Keyword research is the cornerstone of SEO. A well-designed data-driven keyword strategy helps businesses understand search demand, ranking potential, and competitive opportunities. In 2024 and 2025 (especially after the helpful content update), Google’s semantic search and NLP algorithms continue to prioritise relevance, search intent, and content depth. Without proper keyword research, businesses risk losing organic visibility and failing to establish topical authority.
Key Reasons Keyword Research is Essential:
✔ Identifies Search Demand & Ranking Potential
- Over 94.74% of keywords receive 10 or fewer searches per month, making precise keyword selection crucial (Source: AIOSEO).
- 52.65% of Google searches are informational, requiring a strategy that balances educational and conversion-driven content (Source: Exploding Topics).
It indicates that a website needs to know what are the pain points of its target customers and informative contents need to be published to convert the website visitors.
✔ Builds Topical Authority & SEO-Driven Content Strategies
- Google rewards websites that fully cover a topic, ranking topical clusters over individual pages.
- Businesses with structured, intent-driven content experience higher engagement and trust signals.
So, rather than focusing on a particular keyword, a website needs to target relevant keywords within a particular topic. Here comes the necessity of the keyword research checklist.
✔ Aligns with Google’s NLP & Semantic Search Algorithms
- BERT & MUM algorithms assess content context, relationships, and intent, making keyword clustering essential.
- Entity-based SEO ensures search engines understand content relationships, increasing ranking chances.
Keyword Research Checklist: Step-by-Step Process
Here’s Our Step-by-Step Keyword Research Checklist:
✔ Find Seed Keywords – Identify broad industry terms and core topics.
✔ Expand Keywords into Topics – Group queries into clusters for better topical authority.
✔ Analyse Search Intent – Classify keywords as informational, commercial, transactional, or navigational.
✔ Use Google’s Free Tools – Extract insights from Autocomplete, PAA, and Trends.
✔ Leverage Paid SEO Tools – Use SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Google Keyword Planner.
✔ Evaluate Keyword Metrics – Assess search volume, keyword difficulty, and CPC value.
✔ Check Competitor Keyword Gaps – Identify ranking opportunities.
✔ Prioritise Long-Tail Keywords – Capture voice search and specific queries.
1. Discover Seed Keywords
Seed keywords are the main query from a macro aspect. Seed keywords are broad, industry-specific terms that serve as the starting point for keyword research. Seed keywords help define a niche, expand into more targeted keyword variations, and build topical authority for SEO success.
How to Find Seed Keywords?
✔ Brainstorm Industry Terms & Common Search Queries
- Identify broad service or product-related keywords that customers commonly search for.
For example, for an accountancy firm, “tax accountant” is a seed keyword that expands into “small business tax accountant”, “corporate tax accountant” and “let property tax accountant”
✔ Analyse Competitor Homepages, Product Pages & Category Structures
- Reviewing competitor websites helps identify high-ranking seed terms.
For example, a small solicitor may target “affordable legal services,” while a luxury law firm may optimise for “high-profile corporate legal advisors.”
✔ Use Google Autocomplete, Wikipedia, Quora & Reddit Discussions
- Google Autocomplete: Displays real-time search suggestions when typing a keyword.
- Wikipedia’s Table of Contents: Shows related subtopics under broader categories.
- Quora & Reddit Discussions: Reveal questions users ask in specific industries.
2. Turn Seed Keywords into Keyword Topics
To turn seed keywords into keyword topics, you need to group related queries into structured content clusters that align with search intent. For example, I have grouped all of the keyword research related queries and made a structure that offers a proper knowledge flow to the reader.
You can also bring variation of your seed keywords by screening out the seed keyword with who, when, how, what, etc. ChatGPT is a great tool to find keyword variations and search intent identification.
Why Do Topic Clusters Matter?
Google ranks websites that fully cover a topic higher than those targeting individual keywords in isolation. Creating keyword clusters helps:
✔ Improve Search Visibility – Content depth signals expertise and relevance, boosting rankings.
✔ Enhance User Experience – Users find related answers easily, reducing bounce rates.
✔ Strengthen Internal Linking – Connecting subtopics reinforces topical authority.
How to Create Keyword Topics?
✔ Use Google’s Knowledge Graph & NLP Insights
- Extract related entities and topics using Google’s NLP API to build a content hierarchy.
✔ Find Subtopics in Google’s “People Also Ask” (PAA) & Related Searches
- PAA questions and related searches reveal additional user queries that support content clustering.
✔ Expand Categories Using Wikipedia & Industry Research
- Wikipedia’s table of contents provides structured topic breakdowns.
- Industry whitepapers and research papers highlight relevant subtopics.
3. Find Related Search Terms
Finding related search terms helps to expand keyword research, gather keyword variations, and align content with broader search intent for topical authority.
Businesses can identify high-value keywords that match searcher needs by analysing Google’s autocomplete suggestions, People Also Ask (PAA) results, and trending searches. Paid SEO tools further enhance this process by offering keyword variations, search trends, and competition analysis.
Free ways to gather related search terms
✔ Google Autocomplete & Related Searches
- Google suggests real-time search variations as users type.
- Example: “Best payroll software” → “Best payroll software for small businesses UK.”
- Related searches at the bottom of SERPs suggest user intent variations.
✔ People Also Ask (PAA) Box
- Displays follow-up queries based on user searches.
- Found in Google SERPs, tools like AnswerThePublic, and competitor FAQ pages.
- Example: Searching “How does tax planning work?” may show “What are the benefits of tax planning?”
✔ Google Trends for Seasonal Keywords
- Tracks search volume changes over time.
- Example: Accountant-related searches spike in January due to self-assessment tax deadlines.
- Helps optimise content for seasonal trends and emerging keyword variations.
Paid ways to gather related search terms
✔ SEMrush/Ahrefs
- Provides keyword variations, competition data, and search trends.
- Identifies ranking gaps and competitor keyword usage.
✔ Google Keyword Planner
- Shows search volume, CPC, and competition levels for PPC and SEO.
- Helps discover new related terms based on industry searches.
✔ SurferSEO/Frase
- Uses AI-driven analysis to suggest entity-based keyword variations.
- Helps create content aligned with Google’s NLP expectations.
4. Find Long-Tail Keywords for Targeting Specific Search Queries
Long-tail keywords target highly specific search queries. By targeting long-tail keywords, you can you can address search intent, increase conversion rates, and reduce competition.
These keywords often contain three or more words and focus on niche-specific, voice search-friendly queries.
Here’s how you can find long-tail keywords:
✔ Google’s “People Also Ask” (PAA) & AnswerThePublic
- Extract common user questions and expand topic coverage.
- Example: Searching “tax relief” may show PAA results like “How can small businesses get tax relief?”.
✔ Google Search Console
- Find easily rankable keywords with low competition by identifying long-tail queries already bringing impressions. Simply visit your Google Search Console and find keywords that are having high impressions.
✔ Niche Forums
- Consumer-driven platforms and niche forums help uncover product-related search phrases.
For example, visit Reddit, Quora, and other niche-related platforms where people ask and discuss.
✔ Use Ahrefs or SEMrush
- Tools like Ahrefs & SEMrush show which keywords your competitors are raking for. You may filter long tail keywords that you are competitors are already ranking in without focusing intent-driven content.
You can target one long tail keyword in the title of your content, and bring other similar long keywords in the sub headings (H2, H,3 & H4). Google sometimes directly shows contents from subheadings, if the subheadings are independently crawlable. You may usethe Table of Contents plugin to have crawlable sub-headings.
5. Find LSI Keywords
LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords are conceptually related terms that help Google understand the context of a page. For example, in ‘keyword research’ – related terms can be ‘how google decides topical authority!’
LSI keywords improve semantic coverage, enhance content relevance, and strengthen topical authority. Semantically relevant terms make an increase in the topical depth of your content, which helps search engines understand your webpage better than your competitors.
Here’s how you can find LSI keywords:
✔ Use Google Bolded Terms in SERPs
- Google bolds related words in search results and meta descriptions. Google bolds any phrases only when it matches with the query.
✔ Extract Keywords from Wikipedia & Industry Definitions
- Wikipedia’s table of contents and glossary sections reveal relevant LSI terms.
✔ Use LSI Tools like LSIGraph & SurferSEO NLP Analysis
- LSIGraph suggests conceptually relevant words based on search intent.
- SurferSEO NLP Analysis extracts semantic terms used in top-ranking content.
✔ Use ChatGPT to Generate LSI Variations
- Prompt Example: “List conceptually related terms for ‘keywords you are targeting’ that Google’s NLP may recognise.”
- Train ChatGPT by adding competitor headings and keyword clusters for deeper analysis.
6. Connect Keyword Intent for Better Rankings
Keyword intents are the purpose behind the search query. Offering what your visitors are asking is the secret to winning SEO rank.
Also, aligning keyword intent with content structure improves search engine ranking, user engagement, and lead conversion.
For example, if anyone is searching for How to find keyword intents, I would prefer to address the intent at the beginning of the article. But, I will add relevant information that can be a supplementary offering to the initial query. For instance, I will include how to optimise a content with target keywords and how to interlink between the keywords.
There are mainly four types of keyword intents, those are: informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional.
But, you can only convert keyword intents into traffic when your webpage is ready to satisfy the readers. And, the satisfaction will come from:
- getting the right information,
- Adding visual elements,
- Making the article easy to read and understand
- Linking them to other valuable resources
- Enabling engagement tools such as a survey, a form submission, chat, or CTA.
7. How to Extract Keywords from Competitors & Find Content Gaps
Extracting competitor keywords and identifying content gaps ensures your website offers more than the others. Finding a keyword gap will ensure topical coverage, which improves rankings and visibility.
Google’s core updates prioritise comprehensive content clusters, meaning the website with deeper, more structured coverage will win higher search impressions. Analysing competitor keywords helps identify missed ranking opportunities, ensuring content relevance and SEO strength.
Here’s how you can find competitors keywords:
✔ Use SEO Tools Like Ahrefs & SEMrush
- Enter competitor domains to extract ranking keywords and search intent insights.
- Identify high-traffic pages and most valuable keywords competitors target.
✔ Analyse Competitor Sitemaps & Headers
- Extract content structure and LSI keywords competitors use.
- Use Chrome extensions like Detailed SEO Extension, SEO Meta in 1 Click, and Keyword Surfer for heading and keyword extraction.
✔ Examine Content Formats
- Identify SERP-winning structures—Are competitors ranking with guides, lists, or service pages?
- Adapt content format for better intent matching and search visibility.
After getting competitors’ keyword & topical idea, you need to focus on the gap by publishing better content and user experience.
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How to Analyse Keyword Metrics: Difficulty, Volume, Trends & Related Keywords?
Keyword metrics help assess ranking potential, but for new websites, prioritising topical coverage is more important than keyword difficulty.
Before competing for high-search volume terms, a website must establish topical depth by covering all relevant subtopics including LSI. Google’s algorithm evaluates content depth, meaning a well-structured content cluster can outrank competitors even for competitive keywords. Renowned SEO blog ‘Holistic SEO’ also suggests that – Google compares a topic cluster with another website’s topic cluster during the core algorithm update. It means, your website becomes comparable upon creating topical depth. So, If any keyword has 10 search volume and 100 keyword difficulty, you should write a content around that keyword if that contextually connects with your website’s core operation.
For example, I know that my new website’s article on keyword research will compete with strong brands such as ‘Backlinko’ & ‘SEMrush’. But, I am writing on this topic because it is needed and related to what our website does.
However, once topical authority is built, analysing keyword difficulty, search volume, trends, and associations helps refine SEO strategy for long-term growth.
For example, a luxury brand may focus on high value keyword intents after establishing the brand footprint through implementing a topical map. But, focusing on the high value keywords initially will never help the brand to rank (unless heavy expenditure on paid marketing).
How to Cluster Keywords Using a Topical Map?
Clustering keywords using a topical map ensures Google recognises content depth and ranks websites for entire topics rather than isolated keywords. Instead of targeting single keywords on different pages, a topical map organises related search queries into structured topic clusters, improving search visibility and authority.
For example, a dentist may have a plan to publish content on dental services such as cleaning, filling, cosmetic dentistry, and implants. Additionally, supplementary contents would be required on dental care, healthy habits, and other dentistry terms.
For better SEO rank, a dentist website needs to contextually interlink (relate) topics to each other. A well-researched topical map will help write, focus, and connect content contextually rather than randomly picking up a blog topic based on low SEO difficulty score.
Creating a cluster depends on the website nature. For an accountant – service page gets connected with industry pages, and blog topics links with both service pages and industry pages.
In short, a cluster supports a pillar page (parent of the cluster pages). A website may have multiple clusters depending on the SEO focus. However, A topical MAP connects all o the cluster pages horizontally and vertically to offer a clear view and transparent meaning of the website to the search engines.
How to Prioritise Keywords for SEO Strategy?
To prioritise keywords effectively, focus on building topical authority first, then gradually target more competitive terms as the website gains credibility. This structured approach ensures sustainable rankings and organic traffic growth.
✔ First Priority: Cover the Entire Topic for Topical Authority
- Before targeting keyword difficulty, ensure complete content coverage within your niche.
- Google prioritises websites that comprehensively cover a subject, boosting rankings across related queries.
✔ Second Priority: Target Medium to Low-Competition Keywords First
- Focus on long-tail and low-difficulty keywords to generate initial traffic.
For example: Instead of “SEO” (high competition), we focused on “monthly SEO Package for Small Business”. We narrowed down the target audience by using a long tail keyword. However, we wrote on keyword research to support that page from the topical coverage angle.
✔ Final Priority: Compete for High-Difficulty Keywords After Gaining Authority
- Once topical authority is established, target competitive terms with stronger domain trust.
- Sites with well-structured internal linking and strong content clusters rank better for high-volume searches.
How to Implement Keywords into Content for Maximum Impact?
To maximise SEO impact, keywords must be strategically placed throughout the content while maintaining a natural flow. Proper keyword placement ensures better rankings, improved user experience, and higher chances of appearing in Google’s featured snippets.
If you already have your blog topic lists, a group of the keywords needs to be prioritised for selected blog posts.
One thing to notice: do not dilute the flow and the meaning of the content while focusing on semantically relevant keywords. For example, this article talks about keyword research technique, for which we wrote about the topical map. Still, more than 60% of the focus in this article is on the keyword research. What if we start writing about how to optimise a website for another 2000 words?
In this context, writing those 2000 words would be contextually irrelevant.
✔ Use Keywords Naturally in Title Tags, H1s, Subheadings & Body Text
- Primary keywords should appear in title tags, H1s, and subheadings to reinforce topic relevance.
- Distribute LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords across H2s and H3s to expand semantic coverage.
✔ Optimise Image Alt Text & Meta Descriptions
- Include descriptive keywords in image alt text for better image search rankings.
- Meta descriptions should feature primary keywords to improve click-through rates (CTR).
✔ Place Keywords Early in the Introduction & Within Anchor Text
- Using high-traffic keywords in the first 100 words improves ranking signals.
- Anchor text linking should use relevant keywords to strengthen the internal linking strategy.
Smenatic SEO brings faster SEO rank
We implement semantic SEO techniques to ensure better topical coverage through organised clustering
Semantic SEO is a process of optimizing your website for topics, not for the keywords.
How to optimise keywords for voice search?
Optimising keywords for voice search involves focusing on natural language queries, long-tail conversational phrases, and local intent to match how people speak rather than type. Nowadays people search using voice and speaking pattern is different than writing.
Unlike traditional keyword searches, voice search users ask full questions in a conversational tone, making it essential to structure content accordingly. For example, instead of searching ‘top running speed of tiger’ – People asks ‘How fast a tiger can run?’
✔ Use Conversational, Long-Tail Keywords
- People ask full questions instead of typing short queries.
- Example: Instead of “best dentist London,” they ask “Where is the best dentist near me?”
✔ Optimise for Question-Based Queries
- Voice searches often start with Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
- Example: “How can I reduce my tax bill as a freelancer?”
✔ Optimise for Local Keywords
- Most voice searches have local intent, so include location-based keywords.
- Ensure Google Business Profile is updated with accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number).
How to determine the keyword focus on a content?
In a content, the primary focus keyword/topic has to be the majority portion. You can bring LSI keywords for better topical coverage, but excessive use of high distant LSI will destroy the meaning, context, and the flow of the article.
A recommended approach is to allocate approximately 60% of the focus to the main keyword, with the remaining 40% incorporating related Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords that address various user intents and include clear calls to action.
How to Track Keyword Performance?
You can track keyword performance by using tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics tool, and other third-party tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Ubersuggest.
Google search console always provides the actual results, whereas the third-party tools such as SEMrush and Ahrefs provide predictive performance.
However, third party tools will allow you to identify keyword gaps with competitors, whereas the Google search console will only provide insights of your own website.
In addition, you may also use Heatmaps (Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity) to Track User Behaviour. Heatmap tools, Analyse where users drop off, signalling keyword or content misalignment
How to Avoid Keyword Cannibalisation?
Keyword cannibalisation happens when a website focuses different pages on the same keywords. The best way to avoid cannibalisation is to avoid repetitive keywords for many web pages.
In case you need to make separate pages to illustrate the topic, use a canonical tag to signal the primary URL.
We suggest you audit pages focusing on similar keywords. If needed, consolidate the pages.
You may still use the same keyword in different pages, if there is a variation of the context. For example, Keyword research includes – how to select keywords, how to write content using keywords, and how to filter LSI keywords.
Keyword cannibalisation won’t happen if your contents address different search intents.
How to Do Keyword Research Without SEO Tools?
You may still find your targeted keyword without using paid SEO tools. Techniques such as Google autocomplete, related searches, people also ask section, analysing competitors’ sitemap and competitors’ table of content will give you a solid base for your keyword research.
You may also visit Wikipedia, forums, e-commerce websites, along with visitors’ comments to find keywords.
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Just loved the article. I have been looking for a detailed keyword research guideline. This article really stands out. I especially loved the way you related different examples while describing steps of the keyword research. I appreciate your asking to write articles even if they have zero search volume. Keep sharing valuable SEO related resources.
Thanks Kaelam.
I believe this keyword research checklist will add value into your SEO strategy. One thing: Always convert the keyword into intent, then convert the intent into a question. This is how a keyword gets ready for voice search optimisation.
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