Keyword Research Checklist: 10 Easy Steps to Boost Your SEO

If you’ve ever Googled something before, you’ve probably noticed how popular brands are ranked higher on your search page. 

You may ask yourself, “Where do I start?” Or, “How can I get users to see my page on top of search results?” 

We’ll guide you through our 10-step keyword research checklist to help answer those questions and create a solid foundation for your SEO content strategy. 

What Is Organic Keyword Research & Why Is It Important?

Organic keyword research is the process of analyzing data on user search queries and determining what phrases are key to use in your content. Doing this helps enhance your site’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO), naturally boosting it higher on search results without paying a cent. 

It’s important because people are constantly searching for words or phrases to find what they’re looking for. That’s essentially your job when doing organic keyword research – to give people the information they’re looking for. 

You can also rank higher on paid search results, but for this blog, our focus is on your organic keyword strategy. 

Benefits Of Organic Keyword Research

1. Increase Organic Traffic 

Organic keyword research will help you rank higher in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords. When you rank higher, you’ll likely see an increase in organic traffic to your site. 

2. Increase Conversion Rate

After an increase in organic traffic, you’ll likely see an increase in conversion rates because your keywords will be specific to your user’s needs. They’ll find what they’re looking for on your site and will be more likely to take an action, such as purchasing your product or service. 

3. Stay Up-To-Date With User Behavior  

After following our keyword research checklist, you’ll be able to keep up with your target audience’s current search behaviors. By analyzing keywords your users are actively searching for, you’ll gain valuable insights into your audience’s current interests or needs to create effective marketing strategies.

10-Step Keyword Research Checklist

Want to learn how to do keyword research? Follow these 10 steps to build a foundation for your SEO content strategy. 

Step #1: Brainstorm Topics Or “Seed Keywords”

To start your keyword research process, think about your business goals. You understand your business the best, so make a list of potential topics to target. 

Seed keywords are broad topics related to your business. Put together a list of words or phrases you think users will search to find your website.  

How To Start Brainstorming Seed Keywords: 

• Use Google SERP features by typing in one of your seed keywords. You’ll see what ranks high or low based on your search term. 

You can also scroll down to the bottom of the search page to see what “People also search for…” 

• Google Autocomplete shows you what users are searching based on the word or phrase you’re using.

• Browse your seed keywords in an incognito window. 

• Use Google Trends to see trending keywords over time.

• Use free SEO tools on Semrush to check keyword ranking, website authority, and more.

• Use ChatGPT to find relevant topics. 

We do not recommend relying on ChatGPT to give you a finalized set of keywords because it can give you misinformation. It also limits you on keyword relevance because AI can’t give you search volume. Use ChatGPT as a guide to help brainstorm ideas, and remember to fact-check answers. 

Brainstorming is the starting point – keep following our keyword research checklist to reach the finish line. 

Step #2: Understand Keyword Intent

After brainstorming topics to rank you higher on SERPs, it’s time to understand your user’s keyword intent. 

Keyword intent helps you know where your user is in their decision-making process. Determine the purpose behind your user’s search using the 4 different types of keyword intent.

1. Informational 
2. Navigational
3. Commercial
4. Transactional

You can narrow this down by further understanding the different marketing funnel stages. Are they showing awareness, consideration, conversion, loyalty, or advocacy? 

Ask yourself “Who exactly am I writing to, and why are they searching for x, y, z…?”

Understanding your user’s keyword intent helps you target keywords to meet their needs and improve your website visibility. 

Step #3: Use Long-Tail Keywords 

Long-tail keywords are specific phrases or questions targeting more unique and detailed searches. 

They have less volume and less competition because they’re more precise and less commonly searched. This makes visitors searching for these terms more likely to make conversions because they’re interested in what you have to offer. 

Once you know your user’s keyword intent, prepare a list of long-tail keywords they might search to find an answer. 

Step #4: Understand What Search Engines Are Ranking 

Google ranks websites based on relevance, authority, and volume. There are also some other ranking factors to take into consideration. 

Your keywords and phrases must be relevant to your business, but most importantly to your target audience. Focus on what the user wants, not the search engine. Use keyword intent to impress Google with relevant content. 

Use internal and external links to boost your topical authority and expertise. Have your external links going to reputable sources, and create concise content that’s easy to read. 

Focus on the search volume for keywords you want to use in your content. Knowing the volume for keywords helps you gauge the relevance and demand for your topic. 

Step #5: Take Note Of The Metrics For Each Keyword Or Phrase

Now we must measure the metrics for Google ranking factors. 

Focus On Monthly Search Volume (MSV) And Keyword Difficulty. 

MSV is the average number of searches per month. Keyword difficulty shows how competitive it is to rank for a specific keyword or phrase. 

Websites like Nike and Apple rank higher on SERPs because their brand is well-known to users and Google. Their topical authority is strong, and they most likely use keywords with high volumes and higher difficulty percentages. 

If you know your topical authority isn’t as strong as Nike’s or Apple’s, prioritize long-tail keywords. 

*General rule: choose keywords with a high volume and low difficulty. 

Step #6: Compare With Competitor Keyword Research

Find what your competitors are ranking for with competitor keyword research. Search for terms you want to use in your content and compare them with current keywords competitors are using. This will help you compete for keywords and identify keyword gaps. 

Step #7: Finalize Your Keyword List 

After completing steps #1-6 of our keyword research checklist, you’ll have a strong list of keywords and phrases to use in your content. 

Tips to finalize your keyword list:

• Have 1 primary keyword with high volume and low competition.
• Have a longer list of secondary keywords to use throughout your content.

Secondary keywords must be relevant to your primary keyword and should help you create sections within your content. They can have higher difficulty percentages since your focus is ranking for your primary keyword. 

Step #8: Incorporate Keywords Into Your Website 

Want to learn how to incorporate your list of keywords and phrases into your website? Use strategies like keyword clustering and writing for featured snippets. 

Keyword Clustering 

Cluster your keywords by grouping them together into similar categories. Your primary keyword is the main topic you want to rank for, while secondary keywords are meant to complement and enhance your primary. 

For example, if your primary keyword is “home workouts,” secondary keywords might be “cardio workouts at home” or “work out equipment for home.” You can take those keywords and organize them into clusters to build your content and rank for multiple search terms at once. 

Avoid Keyword Cannibalization 

Although keyword clustering is beneficial, you want to avoid keyword cannibalization. 

Keyword cannibalization is when multiple pages on a website target the same keywords. This confuses search engines because they won’t know which page to show in SERPs, leading to reduced rankings. To avoid this, create unique and individualized pages with separate keywords.

Write For Featured Snippets

A featured snippet is another Google SERP feature used to boost ranking. For a chance to have Google highlight your page as a featured snippet, include simple bullet points, numbered lists, short concise paragraphs, and of course, your primary keyword.

Step #9: Use Free Keyword Research Tools 

Resources are available to help complete your keyword research checklist. Many of these have both free and paid plans.

• Semrush free SEO tools
• Ubersuggest
• Keyword Surfer
• AnswerThePublic
• Ahrefs Keyword Generator
• Google Trends 
• SpyFu 

Step #10: Track Your Positioning 

After publishing your website page, we recommend tracking your progress to see any changes in current marketing trends. 

Ask yourself:

• Are your keywords still effective? 
• Are they relevant? 
• Are they still ranking high on SERPs?
• Do they enable you to show up for any SERP features?

Tracking allows you to improve future SEO efforts. We recommend using Google Search Console to monitor this.