Keyword Research Checklist: Find Keywords That Actually Bring Traffic

‍Imagine working hard on your content, creating visuals, and publishing your creation only to find out that it ranks somewhere far from the first page.

‍If you’ve ever posted anything online, you know how frustrating this feels.

‍Still, here is a very important thing — this doesn’t mean that your content is bad. Not at all. What it means is that you’ve simply chosen the wrong keywords (or no keywords at all).

‍To avoid these heartbreaking situations, we’ve created this keyword research checklist. Frankly, it isn’t the easiest process, but by the end of this guide, you’ll know how to create an effective keyword list that brings real results.

‍Probably, answering “What is organic keyword research?” would be too elementary, so let’s skip this altogether. Instead, we’ll focus on how any business can build a keyword research process that actually makes sense and doesn’t waste your team’s resources.

‍Before you start working on the checklist itself, make sure you go through these things (if you haven’t already):

1. Don’t get too crazy about keyword research. It can get overwhelming quite fast if you don’t have a clear setup. So, whatever you do, be realistic, whether it comes to your team’s capacity or deadlines.
2. Define clear roles in your team. Who is responsible for what? Unless you have a dedicated person for particular tasks, the process will be a mess and lead you nowhere.
3. Prioritize consistency over anything else. Even if you make some mistakes along the way, don’t worry about that. In the end, the most important thing to realize is that SEO is a marathon. That’s why don’t try to treat it like a sprint session.

‍Have you ever asked someone how to build a keyword list, and they simply started talking about keyword volume? Well, they weren’t entirely wrong, but there is definitely more to it than that. Like what? Like these nine steps:

#1 Find Your Seed Keywords

‍🤔 What is it all about?

‍Seed keywords refer to a word or two that very concisely define your products or services.

‍For example, “dress” for a clothing store, “romantic dinner” for a fancy restaurant, or “project management” for PM software.

‍These might seem useless at first. In the end, ranking for these words is pointless (and very hard on top of it). So, why should you even define them in the first place?

‍Because they are the foundation of ALL the other keywords you will use. That’s why we couldn’t skip these guys from our checklist.

‍👉 Example:

‍How does this work in the real world? Let’s say you have a website with Italian recipes. In this case, some of your seed keywords might include “Italian recipes,” “ Italian food,” etc. You get the idea.

‍What do you do next? Turn these into keywords you can work with in your content. How? By adding more details. For example, “Italian food” can turn into “easy Italian food with few ingredients.”

‍This is how you can create more targeted long-tail queries that can bring actual relevant traffic (more on this later).

‍🔎 How to find it:

‍When it comes to searching for seed keywords, there are several options of how to discover them (and many of them are free):

• Think of some words that capture the main essence (idea) of your products or services.
• Use an SEO tool to snoop on your competitors. If you use Semrush, go to Domain Overview and enter your competitor’s URL. Once the results pop up, check the top organic keywords.

‍Source: Semrush

• Look through Google SERPs by typing the name of your products or words that describe them. You can also do the same with the words you brainstormed earlier. Don’t forget to check the “People also ask” section for more ideas.

‍Source: Google

• Go and see Google suggestions at the bottom of a Google search for your potential seed keywords.

‍Source: Google

• Use AnswerThePublic to search for phrases people use when looking for relevant topics and see what comes up.

‍Source: AnswerThePublic

• Try playing around with ChatGPT to come up with more seed keyword ideas, but be sure to check these using an SEO tool.

‍Source: ChatGPT

• Ask your customer service team what words people use a lot to describe your products or services.

#2 Account for Search Intent

‍🤔 What is it all about?

‍All the keywords in the world can be useless if you do not understand what the real purpose (search intent) of that keyword is.

‍People might not be talking too much about this SEO term, but the idea behind it is to understand what the user wants. Basically, Google is an algorithm that can’t comprehend every single thing we’re writing.

‍That’s why there is a system that helps it generate useful results for each query. One of those mechanisms is search intent.

‍👉 Example:

‍There are 4 different types of this intent. They range from informational and navigational to commercial and transactional. Each of these has its clear purpose, as you can see in the example below.

‍Source: Semrush

‍SThe most important thing is to keep the search intent in mind every time you create content. If you end up writing a salesy landing page for someone who simply wants to know the difference between two concepts, you will hardly get anywhere.

‍🔎 How to find it:

‍SMost SEO keyword research tools will include details about the search intent next to each keyword. You can see this in Semrush Keyword Magic Tool under the header Intent. The intent is represented by abbreviations I, C, N, and T.

‍Source: Semrush

#3 Come Up With Long-Tail Keywords

‍🤔 What is it all about?

‍Whenever SEO specialists describe how to create a keyword list, they highlight long-tail keywords. Why?

‍ – It is easier to rank high for them.

‍ – You target people who know exactly what they’re looking for.

‍Yes, these keywords typically have a lower search volume, but they also tend to convert more. This happens because people who search for “green straw summer hats” are more likely to buy right away than those who simply google “hats.”

‍👉 Example:

‍If one of your seed keywords is “skirt,” the long-tail keywords might look like this:

• How to style long silk skirts in autumn.
• Best skirt outfits for office work.

‍🔎 How to find it:

‍When searching for long-tail keywords, you can use:

• AnswerThePublic to find question-based search queries.
• Google search autocomplete is also a great resource. As you type in your seed keywords into the search box, take note of the autosuggestions.

‍Source: Google

• Most keyword tools like Google Planner, Ahrefs, and Semrush offer long-tail keyword suggestions.

‍Source: Ahrefs

#4 Peek at Your Competition

‍🤔 What is it all about?

‍Here’s something you need to be prepared for when asking the question, “How to create a keyword list?” Your competitors are one of your biggest sources of inspiration if you know how to tap into that. Competitor analysis is such a big thing for a reason.

‍First off, you can find many keyword ideas. On top of this, you will probably get tons of insights for your overall marketing strategy (if you’re attentive).

‍👉 Example:

‍Let’s say you run a fitness blog, and your thing is workout routines and diet tips. In this case, you could google for some of your topics or fitness blogs directly. All the pages that show up are your guys to research further.

‍Source: Google

‍🔎 How to find it:

‍We won’t even mention that you have to know your competitors. Let’s assume you do. What’s next? Take any SEO tool you’re using and find what keywords your competition is targeting successfully. Next, try to understand why they succeed. Another great thing you can do is search for the opportunities they’re missing.

‍Once you figure out their strategy and identify their gaps, it’s time to use all that to your advantage.

‍For example, if you see that your competitor succeeds with short-form videos and funny blogs with memes, why don’t you try something similar?

‍Ideally, you want to take the keywords they lack and create them in formats that work best for them. Yet, don’t stop using the tactics that are already effective for your brand. You don’t want to destroy one with another.

#5 Take a Closer Look at the Keyword Metrics

‍🤔 What is it all about?

‍We’re sorry, but we have a very lame thing to say — all keywords are not created equal. Yes-yes, it is the most obvious statement we could make in this blog. But it is still true, you know.

‍After all, how can you do any keyword research without checking the metrics? Right, you can’t.

‍Now, what keyword research metrics should you pay attention to? Apart from the search intent we’ve mentioned before, there are three other things to focus on: volume, difficulty, and CPC.

‍👉 Example:

• Search volume tells you how many times people have searched for that keyword online. For example, if Keyword 1 has a search volume of 1210 and Keyword 2 — 90, the first one is more likely to drive traffic. Obvious? Yes. Important? Absolutely!
• Keyword difficulty shows you whether it is easy or hard to rank for the keyword. Anything below 30 means it’s pretty easy to rank for, while everything above 70 is going to be complicated.

‍Of course, your chances also depend a lot on niche relevancy and your DA/DR.

• Cost per click (CPC) shows how much advertisers are willing to pay when users click on ads anchored by that keyword. Some might cost around a dollar or two. Still, others like “motorcycle injury lawyer” can get up to $210 per click.

‍The price will vary based on the location and other variables, but still, it’s pretty impressive how big the difference can be.

‍🔎 How to find it:

‍Most keyword tools list all the metrics you need next to each keyword. For example, in Semrush, you can find all that info in the Keyword Overview section.

‍Source: Semrush

#6 Create Keyword Clusters

‍🤔 What is it all about?

‍Wondering what to do after keyword research? At this point, you probably have a ton of promising keywords on your long list. Now, when it’s done, it’s time for some organizing.

‍Start by creating keyword clusters based on the search intent and the overall meaning. The idea is to group very similar keywords to target your content better.

‍👉 Example:

‍If you choose the keyword “easy Italian dinner ideas,” your keyword clusters might include keywords like these:

• Quick Italian dinner recipes;
• Fast Italian dinner ideas for weeknights;
• Simple Italian recipes for dinner;
• One-pot Italian dinner recipes;
• Quick pasta dishes for dinner.

‍🔎 How to find it:

‍Finding keyword clusters is not difficult at all when using any SEO tool. In Semrush, you can use the Keyword Magic Tool for this task. To form a cluster, create different word combinations with your “main” keyword.

‍You can use the modifiers (additional words on the left in the screenshot below) to add to your main keyword. Typically, these are adjectives and verbs that often appear alongside your keywords.

‍If you want to see what the tool suggests, enable the “Broad Match” search to find some useful ideas.

‍Source: Semrush

#7 Take Advantage of Trends and Local SEO

‍🤔 What is it all about?

‍Here’s another tip for how to build a keyword list — make sure that you use your keywords in a way that aligns with your local trends.

‍For example, some keywords do better in certain seasons than others, but even then, your location can also affect how you use them. This is very important, especially if you are looking to get dofollow backlinks from locally relevant sites.

‍Plus, make sure you actually pay attention to your local SEO. This is an extremely broad topic, so we won’t go into too much detail. If you are interested in the subject, we have a comprehensive guide on local optimization.

‍👉 Example:

‍Keywords like “best fashionable winter coats for women above 50” probably make sense if it’s actually wintertime.

‍Apart from the season, you have to pay attention to other local peculiarities. When you’re selling winter coats, targeting people who don’t even know what winter is isn’t the best idea.

‍This example might be exaggerated, but now you get how it works.

‍🔎 How to find it:

‍Finding “trendy” and locally relevant keywords works the same as searching for any other keywords.

‍First, you can use the Google search autocomplete feature to find suitable words people are looking for in your area. Another option is to go for filters in your SEO tool to find results from your target location.

‍Source: Semrush

#8 Use Your Keywords Strategically

‍🤔 What is it all about?

‍Hopefully, you’re still with us, learning how to make a keyword list. We’re pretty much done with the research itself. That’s why now is the right time to put all those keywords to good use.

‍This means learning how to use them in your content so that both search engines and your readers enjoy it.

‍👉 Example:

‍You know, a picture speaks louder than words. So, here is a little riddle for you. What do you think — why was this the first result we got when googling “how to choose mattress”?

‍Source: Sleep Foundation

‍🔎 What to do:

‍Ideally, you want to include your keywords in relevant pages, create valuable, unique content, and do quality link building. Don’t forget about your keyword clusters here, either.

‍This is the golden time to use all those SEO best practices you know. If you still have to work on those, start by including your keywords in your slug, headings, alt texts, etc.

‍Source: Semrush

#9 Track Everything (Again and Again)

‍🤔 What is it all about?

‍There’s only one more tip left on our how-to-build keyword list guide. We’re referring to the final step — tracking and monitoring. After you’ve been spending so much time to start ranking, losing that progress would be, at the very least, sad.

‍That’s why regularly check how each keyword is performing. This is especially important if you gain or buy backlinks to boost a particular keyword.

‍👉 Example:

‍A very typical situation that you might have faced yourself is losing ranking seemingly out of nowhere. Typically, your positions can drop when there is a new Google update, or your competitor did something extraordinary.

‍No matter what the reason is, you have to fix that ASAP. And the earlier you notice that decline, the better it is for you. That’s why constant audits and monitoring are out of the question.

‍🔎 What to do:

‍You can use pretty much any SEO tool to track your keyword rankings. There are also great free options like Google Search Console or Google Analytics. So, if you don’t have an SEO subscription yet, you can still monitor how your positions in search results are doing.

‍As you can see, creating a keyword research checklist actually takes some time and careful planning. That’s why we have compiled these steps to help make the process easier. What’s now? Take these suggestions and apply what you can.

‍There’s really no need to put pressure on yourself and try to get it perfect from the start. In fact, that is quite unrealistic. Another thing that people want to know is how long keyword research takes, but there’s no fixed time for anyone. It all depends on your situation.

‍Remember — the more you do this, the easier it will get. Maybe once, you will even create your keyword lists with both eyes closed…or almost as easy as that.