Skip to content
seo.bargains

How-to guide · 6 steps

How to Do Keyword Research (Step-by-Step)

Keyword research is the foundation of every SEO campaign. Get it wrong and you'll spend months creating content nobody searches for. Get it right and you'll rank faster with less effort. Here's the process step by step, with a suggested tool for each stage.

Which keywords to target first

  • High value Business value, Low difficulty Ranking difficulty: Start hereValuable terms you can realistically rank for. Write these first.
  • High value Business value, High difficulty Ranking difficulty: Build towardsValuable but contested. Earn links and supporting pages first.
  • Low value Business value, Low difficulty Ranking difficulty: Quick extrasEasy but low value. Cover them inside broader pages.
  • Low value Business value, High difficulty Ranking difficulty: Skip for nowHard to win and little payoff.
A prioritisation grid for the shortlist you build in steps 2 and 6: plot each keyword by how much it is worth to you and how hard the current results look.

  1. Step 1: Start with seed keywords from your niche

    Open your tool's keyword explorer and type in 3-5 broad terms that describe what your site is about. For a coffee blog, that's 'best coffee beans', 'how to brew coffee', 'coffee grinder reviews'. Don't overthink this — you're casting a wide net.

    Tool for this stepSemrush

    from $139/mo

    Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool is built to expand a single seed term into a long list of related keywords, with volume and difficulty filters to narrow it down to realistic targets.

    Semrush plans and catches

    Alternative to consider: Ubersuggest (price not verified)

  2. Step 2: Filter by search volume and keyword difficulty

    Sort your keyword list by volume (highest first), then filter out anything with a keyword difficulty above 30 if your site is new. You want keywords with at least 100 monthly searches and a difficulty you can realistically compete for.

    Tool for this stepMangools

    from $49/mo

    KWFinder shows volume, trend, and difficulty on one screen. The difficulty score is colour-coded — green means you have a real shot, red means don't bother unless your domain is strong.

    Mangools plans and catches

    Alternative to consider: KeySearch (from $24/mo)

  3. Step 3: Analyse the SERP for each target keyword

    Don't just trust difficulty scores. Click through to the SERP and look at what's ranking. Are they all DR 80+ authority sites, or are there forums, Reddit threads, and small blogs? If the top 10 is full of weak pages, that keyword is a genuine opportunity.

    Tool for this stepLowFruits

    from $29.90/mo

    LowFruits is built specifically for this — it scans SERPs and flags keywords where forums and weak domains rank. It saves you the manual work of checking every SERP.

    LowFruits plans and catches

    Alternative to consider: Mangools (from $49/mo)

  4. Step 4: Check competitor content for gaps

    Find your top 3 competitors and run a content gap analysis. This shows keywords they rank for that you don't. These are proven opportunities — someone is already getting traffic from them, and you can create better content.

    Tool for this stepAhrefs

    from £23/mo

    Ahrefs' Content Gap tool is designed for this job: enter your domain and a few competitors, and it lists keywords they rank for that you don't, which you can sort by volume.

    Ahrefs plans and catches

    Alternative to consider: Semrush (from $139/mo)

  5. Step 5: Group keywords into topic clusters

    Don't create one page per keyword. Group related keywords into clusters — one pillar page targeting the main term, supported by 3-5 articles targeting long-tail variations. This builds topical authority and prevents keyword cannibalization.

    Tool for this stepWriterZen

    $135 one-time

    WriterZen's Topic Cluster feature groups your keywords into content-ready clusters with parent topics and subtopics, which replaces a lot of manual spreadsheet sorting.

    WriterZen plans and catches

    Alternative to consider: Semrush (from $139/mo)

  6. Step 6: Prioritise and create your content calendar

    Rank your keyword clusters by: (1) business value — will this keyword make money? (2) difficulty — can you rank for it? (3) volume — is there enough traffic to matter? Start with high-value, low-difficulty keywords. Save the competitive terms for when your domain is stronger.

    Tool for this stepSE Ranking

    from £95/mo

    SE Ranking combines keyword grouping and rank tracking, so you can plan, execute and monitor your keyword strategy in one place. Compare its current plan prices with Semrush's in the plan tables.

    SE Ranking plans and catches

    Alternative to consider: KeySearch (from $24/mo)