The Full Process. Start to Finish.
Everyone teaches keyword research in fragments. A bit about tools here, a bit about intent there.
Nobody gives you the COMPLETE workflow in order.
Until now.
After 20+ years and 500+ campaigns, this is the exact process we use. Every time.
Phase 1: Foundation (Day 1)
Step 1: Define business goals. What does your business need? More traffic? More leads? More sales? This determines which keywords matter. Our SEO strategy fundamentals guide helps you set the right goals.
Step 2: Identify seed keywords. Brain dump everything. Talk to customers. Review your products and services. Aim for 15-25 seeds.
Step 3: Understand your audience. Who are you targeting? What problems do they have? What language do they use?
Phase 2: Expansion (Days 2-3)
Step 4: Expand seeds with tools. Use Ahrefs, SEMrush, Google Keyword Planner, or free alternatives. Aim for 500-1,000 keyword ideas.
Step 5: Mine additional sources. Google autocomplete, People Also Ask, related searches, forums, Reddit, competitor sites.
Step 6: Competitor gap analysis. Input 3-5 competitors into a gap analysis tool. Add their keywords to your list.
Phase 3: Analysis (Days 4-5)
Step 7: Pull metrics. Volume, difficulty, CPC for every keyword.
Step 8: Categorise by intent. Tag each keyword: informational, commercial, transactional, or navigational.
Step 9: Score business relevance. Rate each keyword 1-5 for how closely it relates to your product or service.
Step 10: SERP analysis for top candidates. For your top 50 keywords, analyse page one. Can you compete? What content type is needed?
Phase 4: Organisation (Day 6)
Step 11: Cluster keywords. Group related keywords using SERP overlap analysis.
Step 12: Map to pages. Assign each cluster to an existing or new page.
Step 13: Identify cannibalisation. Fix any pages competing for the same keywords.
Step 14: Prioritise. Rank keyword clusters by expected ROI (volume x difficulty x intent x business relevance).
Phase 5: Execution Plan (Day 7)
Step 15: Create content calendar. Schedule content creation based on your prioritised keyword clusters.
Step 16: Set up tracking. Configure rank tracking for all target keywords.
Step 17: Document everything. Your keyword strategy is a living document. Keep it updated.
That's It
Seven days. Seventeen steps. One complete keyword strategy.
Not glamorous. Not "growth hacky." Just proven process that works across 500+ campaigns.
Shortcut the Process
SEO Checkup gives you 113 tasks that include this entire workflow. Step by step. In order. Free. No credit card. 30 seconds to start.
Stop improvising. Start executing.