Getting Started with Keyword Research
Our Keyword Research toolset was designed to help during the keyword research process.
Start by entering a seed keyword in the top right-hand corner of the dashboard:
For each keyword you enter, Positional returns information in a few fields, including Monthly Search Volume, Trend, Competition, Volume By Region, and Parent Topic:
Note that each keyword entered will have unique data returned. For example, the keywords “SEO tool” and “SEO tools” are considered different keywords, and the data returned will be unique to each. You can use our Keyword Clustering toolset to split and combine related keywords. For more information about this workflow, please see the documentation for our Keyword Clustering tool.
You can select from multiple different countries when doing research if you’re interested in keyword data outside of the U.S. (which is the default):
In addition, Positional provides a number of suggested keywords in the Keyword Ideas, Autocomplete Keywords, and People Also Rank For tabs. It also has a Questions tab, which contains People Also Ask questions and top posts on Quora and Reddit for the keyword entered.
Keyword Ideas are keywords that are closely related to the keyword entered. Autocomplete Keywords are closely related keywords that Google suggests as the searcher types the primary keyword into its search engine. People Also Rank For keywords tend to be a bit broader — these are keywords that the top five webpages ranking for the keyword entered are also ranking for in organic search.
As you’re doing your research, you can select keywords and save them to a Keyword List:
And you can apply filters to refine the list of suggested keywords. For example, you could filter on Competition or Monthly Search Volume to narrow your focus:
You can also sort the columns — for example, by Monthly Search Volume in descending order:
You can quickly return to previous keyword searches using the History dropdown on the right-hand side of the dashboard.
Keyword Research FAQs:
Is there a limit on the number of searches I can perform?
No.
Where does the keyword data come from?
You’ll see the Semrush logo on many of the tooltips attached to our different keyword research tools. That logo on a tooltip means that Semrush powers some or all of the data presented. We are thrilled to be working with Semrush as a data partner for several toolsets.
In addition, we work with a number of other data providers who provide SERP data and social data to enrich our toolset.
What is a good keyword?
Generally, you want to prioritize keywords that are relevant to the customers you’re trying to reach. When doing keyword research, you should think about the different stages of the funnel. For example, there are likely keywords at the bottom of the funnel, where purchase intent is very high, but there are also likely keywords at the top of the funnel, where potential customers are still very much in the research phase or might not know exactly what they’re looking for.
You can use metrics like monthly search volume and competition to figure out which keywords to go after first.
We’ve written about keyword research extensively on our blog, including articles about keyword search volume and competitor keyword research.
The search volume seems really low. How could that be right?
The data and results presented in Positional are just estimates and may change over time.
Keep in mind that most Google searches are for long-tail keywords — and that for certain searches, there may be a large number of long-tail keywords that ultimately add up to something more significant. For other keywords, people might be searching with a smaller number of words or variations.
How is the Trend score calculated?
This is a relative score showing a particular keyword’s search volume over the course of a month:
