What Are SEO Keywords?
SEO keywords are words or phrases that you optimize your website for to rank higher in search results.
Search engines like Google use complex algorithms to determine rankings, and keywords are a core part of that process.
Using SEO terms on your website signals to search engines what your pages are about, so they can be shown for relevant queries.
For example, if you have an ecommerce store that sells outdoor gear, relevant SEO keywords could be:
- "hiking backpacks"
- "camping tents"
- "lightweight sleeping bags"
- "trail running shoes"
Ranking for these keywords on Google puts your content and products in front of motivated shoppers searching for those exact terms and can lead to more potential leads, customers, and revenue.
How to Find SEO Keywords for Your Website
Use a Keyword Research Tool
Keyword Magic Tool
Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool helps you find SEO keywords based on a single seed term—a broad topic related to your business.
Suppose you have a blog. Enter a seed keyword related to your blog’s niche into the search box and click "Search."
The tool displays a list of related keywords that people search for on Google.
How do you know which keywords to choose?
First, consider the search intent—the reason why users perform a search.
There are four main search intent categories:
- Navigational: Users are looking for a specific website or page (e.g., "[brand name] website")
- Informational: Users want to learn something (e.g., "how to [niche-specific action]")
- Commercial: Users are researching products or services (e.g., "best [product type]")
- Transactional: Users want to buy something (e.g., "buy [product type]")
For a blog, you’ll mostly create informational content. Focusing on keywords with informational search intent will be important.
Next, consider keyword difficulty (KD%)—a measure of the difficulty of ranking on the first page of Google results for a given keyword.
If your blog is new, target terms with low difficulty scores (under 30%) because ranking for highly competitive terms may not be feasible yet.
However, the general keyword difficulty metric only provides basic information.
Enter your domain at the top of the page to get your Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD%) score—a measure of the difficulty of ranking your specific domain for a particular term.
Apply a search intent filter set to “Informational” and a PKD% filter set to “0-29%” in the Keyword Magic Tool to narrow down your options.
Lastly, consider the search volume—the average number of monthly searches a term gets. While you shouldn't focus solely on search volume, choose terms that have at least a decent number of searches.
Using the Keyword Magic Tool and applying filters is just one method for finding keywords. We’ll explore other methods below.
Keyword Planner
Google's Keyword Planner is a free tool designed for advertisers who use Google Ads, but it can also help in finding keywords for SEO.
To use Keyword Planner, sign in to Google Ads, click the "Tools" menu, and select "Keyword Planner."
Then click "Discover new keywords."
Enter a seed keyword related to your website and click "Get results."
The tool generates related keyword ideas along with helpful metrics like:
- Average monthly searches: How many times the keyword is searched each month
- Competition: The level of competition in paid campaigns for a given term
- Top of page bid: Approximate cost per ad click needed for ads to show at the top of search results for a given term
The search volume metric gives you a sense of potential traffic you could attract with a top-ranking result.
While the competition and top of page bid metrics are more relevant for ad campaigns, they can reveal which terms advertisers consider most valuable.
You can filter, sort, and download the entire list of keyword ideas.
Analyze Competitor Keywords
Your competitors are likely targeting SEO keywords on their websites that are related to you, which means you can target some of those same terms (without having to do all your research from scratch) to attract relevant traffic.
Open the Organic Research tool, enter a competitor's domain, and click "Search."
Go to the "Top Keywords" section and click "View all # keywords."
You'll see a list of the SEO keywords your competitor is targeting and ranking for.
Look at metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, and intent to determine which ones are worth pursuing.
Get Ideas from ChatGPT
ChatGPT is an AI chatbot by OpenAI that will generate responses to prompts and can be used to come up with keyword ideas for your website.
Just know that it's not a dedicated keyword tool.
Sign up for ChatGPT and start entering prompts.
For example, you could ask, "What are some good keywords for a [niche type] website?"
ChatGPT will provide a list of relevant keyword suggestions.
The suggestions don't come with data to help you determine whether they're good options, so think of the list as a starting point in your keyword research process.
Then use specialized tools like Keyword Overview to expand on those keyword ideas and get richer data.
Use Google's Autocomplete Suggestions
Google Search can be a valuable tool for finding relevant SEO keywords because, as you type, the autocomplete function shows keyword suggestions based on factors like your search history and trending interests.
For example, if you type a seed term in the search box, you might see any number of suggestions:
Add a space before your query to get even more ideas:
Once you have some keyword ideas, use a tool like Keyword Overview to analyze their metrics.
Open the tool, enter your keywords one by one, add your domain name, and click "Search."
You'll see each query's search intent, search volume, and Personal Keyword Difficulty.
Use the information you see in the tool to determine which keywords are most worthwhile to target.
Evaluate Existing Keyword Rankings
Your site may already rank for numerous SEO keywords, and you can optimize your content and website to improve your rankings if you know what those keywords are.
To find the search terms you already rank for, use Google Search Console (GSC).
Log in to GSC, go to the "Search results" report, and check the box for "Average position."
Scroll down to the "Queries" table and set a filter to show only keywords where your position is greater than 10.
You'll see a list of SEO keywords that you rank for but not very well.
You can then optimize the content you already have in an effort to improve your results for terms you already rank for.
How to Use SEO Keywords
Once you've found promising keywords, the next step is to target them on your website by following these main tips:
Create Quality Content
The best way to rank for your target SEO keywords is to create high-quality content that satisfies search intent.
For informational keywords, create detailed blog posts, guides, or other informative content types that thoroughly answer the query. Cover the topic in depth, cite expert sources, and make it better than other content on the same topic.
For keywords with commercial and transactional intent, create detailed product or service pages that provide all the important information users will need, such as features, pricing, and comparisons with competitors.
This brand’s product page is a good example. The page features reviews, product details, information on where to buy the product, and more.
The more useful your content is, the more likely it is to rank highly.
You can also integrate multimedia elements like images, videos, graphics, and illustrations to enhance your content and make it more engaging.
Further reading: Quality Content: What It Is + 10 Actionable Tips for Success
Include Target Keywords in Strategic Places
Strategically optimize each webpage for its target keywords to help search engines understand your pages and make them eligible to show for relevant queries.
Include keywords in the following places:
- Title tags: Add each page's primary keyword to its title tag—the HTML that specifies a page's title and can show in search results
- Meta descriptions: Use each page's primary keyword in its meta description—the HTML page summary that can show in search results. While meta descriptions don't influence rankings, they can entice users to click through to your site.
- Headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.): Include your SEO keywords in the headings when appropriate
- Body content: Naturally work in your target keywords throughout the body content, but avoid keyword stuffing—a spam tactic that can hurt rankings
- URL slugs: Ensure that each page's URL slug (the end portion of the URL) uses the primary keyword. For example, “https://example.com/blog/keyword.”
To check your existing content for keyword use, try the On Page SEO Checker.
The tool highlights which best practices you've applied and which you need to work on, such as incorporating your primary keyword in your body text.
Track Your Progress
After implementing these tips, your rankings should start improving.
Use Semrush's Position Tracking tool to monitor your progress.
Once you set up a project in the tool, go to the "Overview" tab and scroll down to the "Rankings Overview" section.
Monitor your website's rankings for each of your SEO keywords, and note any declines that may indicate a need to update your content.