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Keyword Research

Keyword Research is the process of finding and analyzing search terms that people use to find information, products, or services related to your business. This basic SEO practice helps you understand what your audience searches for. It also shows you how to create content that matches their needs. Good keyword research guides your entire Content Strategy and forms the basis for Implementation decisions.

While the goal is traffic, the best target is not always the highest search volume, which is often a recipe for disaster. Every site has words they rank for (or none) and these help paint a picture of the level of competition the site can compete with. Good practice involves setting a competition difficulty of roughly 10 points higher than your "current weightclass" and not much higher. Then look at the highest search volume in this range and find the intent behind the term to be sure you can deliver for users.

This simple formula helps avoid wasting resources on words out of your league, though the homepage and pages it links to can target any competition difficulty since they rank better than most pages on your site.

The research process involves checking Search Volume to understand how many people search for specific terms. You also look at Competition levels to see ranking difficulty. Intent Analysis helps you understand what users want when they search. This makes sure your content matches their goals. The process also includes finding Long Tail opportunities that offer less competition and more specific targeting.

Modern keyword research goes beyond basic terms through Semantic Research that finds related concepts and topics search engines connect with your main keywords. Competitor Analysis shows what terms your rivals target and reveals content gaps you can fill. Together, these research methods create a complete picture of search opportunities and help you build content that both users and search engines value.

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How This SEO Knowledge Base Works

The pages in this section are structured as an interconnected knowledge graph, designed to be both comprehensive and easy to navigate:

  • Self-contained - Each page fully explains its concept, with links to background reading
  • Interconnected - Internal links show you how concepts relate and naturally connect
  • Layered depth - Start with broad overviews or dive straight into specific topics
  • Visual navigation - The linkmap above shows how the SEO structure fits together
  • Information-dense - No fluff or filler, just the information you need in as few words as possible

The goal is reference content that respects your time without sacrificing depth.

Recent Articles

Competition

Competition shows how hard it is to rank for keywords based on other sites already targeting those terms.

SERP Analysis

SERP Analysis means looking at Google search results for your keywords to see which sites rank first and why they win.

SERP Volatility

When volatility is high, you see websites jumping up and down in rankings more often than usual.

Long Tail

Long tail keywords are longer, specific phrases that people search for when they know exactly what they want.

Algorithm Updates

Algorithm updates create wide ranking chaos where existing positions shuffle randomly across search results.

Ranking Factors

Ranking factors are signals search engines use to decide page positions in search results, though Google does not publish a clear list of what these are.

Popular Articles

Topical Relevance

Topical relevance measures how well your content matches and sits adjacent to a specific topic.

Semantic Keywords

Semantic keywords are related words that mean the same thing as your main keyword

Backlink Gap Analysis

Backlink gap analysis finds link opportunities by comparing your site's backlinks to those of your competitors.

CTR

CTR measures how often people click on your search result when they see it. You calculate it by dividing clicks by impressions.

Body Content

Body content encompasses the main text and media within web pages that communicates your message to users and search engines.

Pogosticking

Reducing pogosticking requires improving content relevance, page speed, and user experience to ensure visitors find what they're looking for on first click.

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