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 exact process I use, step by step, with the tools I reach for at each stage.
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.
Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool generates thousands of variations from a single seed. Type in your main topic, filter by volume and difficulty, and you'll have 50+ potential keywords in under a minute.
Budget alternative: Ubersuggest (from $29/mo)
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.
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.
Budget alternative: KeySearch (from $17/mo)
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.
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.
Budget alternative: Mangools (from $49/mo)
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.
Ahrefs' Content Gap tool is the best implementation of this. Enter your domain and up to 3 competitors, and it shows keywords they rank for that you don't — sorted by volume.
Budget alternative: Semrush (from $139.95/mo)
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.
WriterZen's Topic Cluster feature automatically groups your keywords into content-ready clusters with parent topics and subtopics. It saves hours of manual spreadsheet work.
Budget alternative: Semrush (from $139.95/mo)
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.
SE Ranking's keyword grouping and rank tracking make it easy to plan, execute, and monitor your keyword strategy in one place — at half the price of Semrush.
Budget alternative: KeySearch (from $17/mo)