Keyword Research & Competitive Analysis
Keyword Research Process
- Seed keywords — Start with obvious terms for the topic
- Expand — Find related terms, questions, long-tail variations
- Analyze — Check search volume, difficulty, intent
- Prioritize — Balance volume, difficulty, and business value
- Map — Assign keywords to pages (one primary per page)
Keyword Metrics
| Metric | What It Means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Search volume | Monthly searches | Higher = more potential traffic |
| Keyword difficulty | Competition level | Higher = harder to rank |
| CPC | Ad cost per click | Higher = more commercial value |
| SERP features | Snippets, maps, images | Affects CTR potential |
Keyword Types
By intent:
- Informational: "how to", "what is", "guide"
- Navigational: brand names, specific sites
- Transactional: "buy", "price", "discount", "best"
- Commercial: "vs", "review", "alternative"
By length:
- Head terms: 1-2 words, high volume, high competition
- Long-tail: 3+ words, lower volume, easier to rank, higher conversion
Competitive Analysis
What to Analyze
- Who ranks — Top 10 for target keywords
- What they cover — Topics, subtopics, depth
- How they structure — Format, headings, media
- Where they link — Internal and external links
- Why they rank — Authority, content quality, technical
Gap Analysis
Find opportunities competitors miss:
- Topics they don't cover
- Questions they don't answer
- Formats they don't use (video, tools, calculators)
- Depth they lack
Content Comparison
| Factor | Competitor A | Competitor B | Your Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word count | |||
| Subtopics covered | |||
| Media (images, video) | |||
| Freshness | |||
| E-E-A-T signals |
Keyword Mapping
One primary keyword per page. Related keywords support the primary.
/page-url/
├── Primary: main target keyword
├── Secondary: related keyword 1, related keyword 2
└── LSI: semantically related terms
Tracking
Track rankings over time:
- Weekly for competitive terms
- Monthly for long-tail
- Note algorithm updates that affect rankings
Tools
Free options:
- Google Search Console — actual queries driving traffic
- Google Trends — relative search interest
- Google autocomplete — real user queries
- People Also Ask — question-based keywords
- Related searches — bottom of SERP
The skill does keyword research without external tools by analyzing SERPs and using public Google data.