Keyword research

Recommended

• Start from the customer's own words

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  Build the first keyword list from what customers say and type. Collect at least 50 phrases from support tickets, sales calls, reviews and your own site search before you open a keyword tool.

• Expand seed terms with free tools

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  Expand each seed term into the phrases people search, from at least two sources. Use free sources such as Search Console queries, autocomplete, "People also ask", Google Trends and a keyword planner.

• Read today's results page to judge intent

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  Before you write for a phrase, search it and read the first results page. Label its intent as informational, commercial, transactional or navigational, and plan the page type that ranks there.

• Give each page one main topic

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  Give every page one primary phrase and at most five close variants with the same intent. When two phrases need different answers, give them two pages.

• Weigh difficulty against your site's strength

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  Choose phrases a site of your size can win. A new site starts with long, specific phrases of three or more words, and moves to broad ones once those pages rank.

• Keep a keyword map from topic to one page

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  Keep one keyword map that gives each primary phrase exactly one address. Check the map before you create any new page.

Avoid

• Two pages chasing the same search

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  Two of your pages written for the same phrase and intent. They split clicks and links, and the search engine may show the weaker one.