Keyword Investigation: The Beginner’s Manual by Ahrefs

 If you're new to SEO, you may be wondering about the significance of keyword investigation and why it's so crucial. Well, this short chapter is designed specifically for you. Alternatively, you can skip to the next chapter.

What is keyword investigation?

Keyword investigation is the procedure of discovering valuable search queries that your target customers enter into search engines like Google to find products, services, and information.

Why is keyword investigation important?

If you publish a page on a topic that nobody is searching for, that article won't receive any traffic from Google (or any other search engines).Many website owners make this mistake, and it's one reason why 90.63% of pages on the internet get no traffic from Google, according to our study.Keyword investigation helps ensure that there is a search demand for the topic you want to write about. If your page ranks well in Google for its target keyword, you'll enjoy a consistent stream of highly targeted visitors.Keyword investigation begins with putting yourself in the shoes of your customers. What words and phrases might they use to find solutions to their problems? Enter these into a keyword investigation tool like Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer, and you'll discover thousands more relevant keyword ideas.It's a simple process, but you need two key things:

1. Deep knowledge of your industry
2. An understanding of how keyword investigation tools work

This chapter will delve into these topics.

1. Brainstorm "seed" keywords

Seed keywords are the starting point of your keyword investigation process. They define your niche and help you identify your competitors. Every keyword investigation tool requires a seed keyword to generate a vast list of keyword ideas.If you already have a product or business that you want to promote online, forming seed keywords is easy. Simply think about the words people enter into Google to find your offering.For example, if you sell coffee and coffee-making equipment, your seed keywords might be:

• coffee
• cappuccino
• french press
• nespresso
• etc

Note that seed keywords themselves are not necessarily worth targeting with pages on your website. They are used as "seeds" for the next steps in the process. Spend only a few minutes pinpointing them, and as soon as you have a handful of broad ideas related to your website's topic, move on to the next step.

2. Analyze your competitors' keywords

Looking at the keywords that already generate traffic for your competitors is the most effective way to accelerate your keyword investigation. You must first identify those competitors. Your brainstormed list of keywords will come in handy here. Search Google for one of your seed keywords and see who ranks on the front page.If none of the top-ranking websites for your seed keywords resemble your site or its goal, try searching for more specific terms.For example, if you sell coffee-making equipment on your website, you may find more direct competitors in the search results for "cappuccino maker" than for "cappuccino." That's because e-commerce stores like yours rank for the former, while blogs rank for the latter.Once you find a competitor website that fits the bill, plug it into a competitive intelligence tool like Ahrefs' Site Explorer to determine which pages drive the most traffic and the target keywords of those pages.After repeating this process with a few competitors, you'll have a sizable list of relevant keywords. And you've barely scratched the surface of keyword investigation.Whether these keyword ideas are purely informational (blog articles) or have commercial intent (product pages) will be determined in later stages of the keyword investigation process. For now, focus on collecting as many relevant keyword ideas as possible.Repeat this process with as many competitors as you can. Ahrefs' Site Explorer has a report called "Competing Domains" that helps you discover similar websites based on the common keywords they rank for in Google.DO YOU NOTICE MANY TOPICS THAT YOU'VE ALREADY COVERED?If you're conducting keyword investigation for an established website, you may find that you've already covered most, if not all, of your competitors' keywords. In this case, try using the Content Gap report in Ahrefs' Site Explorer. It identifies keywords that your competitors rank for, but you don't.To use it, enter a few of your competitors' websites in the top section, enter your own site in the bottom field, and click "Show keywords."You can learn more about content gap analysis in this video.

3. Utilize keyword investigation tools

Competitors can provide valuable keyword ideas, but it's highly likely that there are many keywords that your competitors haven't covered yet. Various keyword investigation tools can help you discover these untapped keyword opportunities.All keyword investigation tools operate in a similar manner. You enter a seed keyword, and they generate keyword ideas based on that keyword.Google Keyword Planner (GKP) is a well-known keyword tool that is free to use. While primarily designed for advertisers, it can still be used for SEO keyword investigation.Here are some keyword ideas generated by GKP for the seed keyword "coffee":It's important to note that GKP can generate keyword ideas that don't necessarily include your seed keyword. For example, the keyword "percolator" may not immediately be associated with coffee unless you're a coffee enthusiast. This makes GKP a useful tool for discovering non-obvious keyword ideas.Whenever you come across an interesting keyword, consider using it as your new seed keyword to generate even more keyword ideas.While there are several free keyword investigation tools available, they have limited data and functionality. If you're serious about driving search traffic to your website, investing in a professional keyword investigation tool like Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer is highly recommended.Enter a few of your seed keywords into Keywords Explorer to discover a multitude of keyword ideas:3.9 million keywords! No free tool provides access to such an extensive database of keyword ideas.This may seem overwhelming, but don't worry. Later in this guide, you'll learn how to narrow down the keyword ideas in Keywords Explorer.For now, let's briefly examine the two main types of keyword idea reports in Keywords Explorer.

Matching terms

This report shows keyword ideas that contain your seed keywords. It features two modes: "Terms match" and "Phrase match.""Terms match" displays keyword ideas that include all words of your seed keyword, regardless of their location or order. For example, if your seed keyword is "coffee machine," you'll see keyword ideas such as "coffee vending machine" and "machine gun kelly coffee shop.""Phrase match" only presents keyword ideas where the words are in the exact order you entered them. For example, "best coffee machine" and "coffee machine with grinder."

Related terms

This report shows keyword ideas that may not contain your seed keywords. It also has two modes: "Also rank for" and "Also talk about."

• "Also rank for" presents search queries that the top-ranking pages for your seed keyword also rank for.
• "Also talk about" displays words and phrases that are frequently mentioned on the top-ranking pages for your seed keywords.

4. Analyze your niche

Up to this point, you've generated an almost unlimited number of keyword ideas. But it's important to think outside the box and study the conversations happening in your target audience's forums, groups, and Q&A sites.For example, consider this thread on the /r/coffee subreddit:A search in Keywords Explorer reveals the search query "aeropress coffee to water ratio," which receives 150 searches per month. The fact that this topic garnered 42 upvotes on Reddit indicates that it's knowledge that people value. Additionally, the content of the Reddit thread can serve as the foundation for future content.Aside from browsing industry forums, your existing customers can also provide valuable keyword ideas. Pay attention to the language they use and the common questions they ask. This may lead you to original keyword ideas to include on your website.Access to millions of keyword ideas is helpful, but it's important to use SEO metrics to narrow down and prioritize them before adding them to your keyword list.Useful metric to consider includes:

Search volume

Search volume indicates the average number of monthly searches for a keyword. For example, "donald trump" has a monthly search volume of 3.1 million in the U.S. alone.There are a few important points to keep in mind regarding search volume:

1. It represents the number of searches, not the number of distinct searchers - One person may search for a keyword multiple times in a month, contributing to the search volume even if it's the same individual.
2. Search volume doesn't equate to the number of visits you'll get if you rank for a keyword - Even if you rank #1, your traffic from that keyword will rarely exceed 30% of its search volume.
3. It's an annual average - Search volume for a keyword may be high in December but nonexistent for the rest of the year. The reported monthly search volume will be an average based on the yearly total.
4. It's specific to a country - Keyword tools typically show search volume for a specific country, but some may provide global search volume, which encompasses search volumes across all countries.

Most keyword investigation tools offer search volume filters to help you focus on keywords within a specific popularity range. Filters have two main use cases:

1. Excluding high-volume keywords - If your website is new, keywords with 10K+ monthly searches are typically too competitive.
2. Targeting low-volume keywords - These keywords may not bring in substantial traffic individually, but they can add up if you target many of them. They are often referred to as "long-tail keywords."

Long-tail keywords are important in SEO but are often overlooked. Targeting such keywords allows you to capture highly specific and valuable search traffic.All search volume data may vary slightly across different tools due to variations in calculation and updates. It's important to keep this in mind.Search volume is a crucial metric in SEO. For a more in-depth understanding, we recommend reading our dedicated article on search volume.Monitor search volume trends because it's an annual average that may not accurately reflect future search demand. A keyword that experienced a spike in popularity may have inflated search volume. Google Trends is a free tool for analyzing trending searches, and it's useful for staying updated.

Traffic Potential

Two keywords may have nearly equal search volumes in the U.S.:One might assume that the search traffic potential for both keywords would also be comparable, right?Well, not exactly.Let's examine the U.S. search traffic for each of these keywords by analyzing the top-ranking pages and their search traffic using Ahrefs' Site Explorer.