How to Conduct Keyword Research for Your New Website with Semrush

This blog post will provide a step-by-step guide on how to conduct keyword research for your new website using Semrush, a powerful SEO tool. By following these steps, you can identify relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for and use them to optimize your website content, ultimately improving your website's ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Step 1: Gather Your Existing Keywords

There are a couple of ways to gather your existing keywords. You can use a paid tool like SEMrush or by using Google Search Console.

• SEMrush: SEMrush is a powerful SEO tool that can help you find your existing keywords, as well as your competitor's keywords.
• Google Search Console: Google Search Console is a free tool that provides you with data on how your website is performing in search results. You can use Search Console to see which keywords your website is already ranking for.

Step 2: Categorize Your Keywords Based on Their Position in Search Results

Once you have gathered your existing keywords, you need to categorize them based on their position in search results. This will help you identify which keywords are low hanging fruit (ranking positions 2-15) and which ones need more work.

• Low-hanging fruit: These are the keywords that you are already ranking for in positions 2-15. These are the keywords that you should focus on first, as they are the easiest to improve your ranking for.
• Needs work: These are the keywords that you are ranking for in positions 16 or lower. These keywords will require more work to improve your ranking, but they can still be valuable if they have a high search volume.

Step 3: Filter Out Navigational Keywords

Navigational keywords are terms that people use to navigate to a specific website, such as a brand name. These keywords are difficult to rank for and won't generate much traffic, so you can filter them out.

Step 4: Prioritize Your Keywords Based on Relevance, Search Volume, and User Generated Signals

Once you have filtered out your navigational keywords, you need to prioritize your remaining keywords. Here are three factors to consider:

• Relevance: How relevant is the keyword to your website and your target audience?
• Search volume: How many people are searching for the keyword each month?
• User generated signals: Are there any forums or social media groups where people are talking about the keyword?

User generated signals are indicators of how much interest there is in a particular topic. You can find these signals by searching for the keyword on forums and social media.

Step 5: Create an SEO Content Dashboard

Once you have prioritized your keywords, you need to create an SEO content dashboard. This dashboard will help you see which keywords you should go after and will help you prioritize your content creation efforts.

Your SEO content dashboard should include the following information:

• Keyword
• Search volume
• Current ranking
• Target ranking
• Content gap
• Status

The content gap is the difference between your current ranking and your target ranking. The status is whether you have created content for the keyword yet.

Conclusion

Keyword research is a fundamental aspect of SEO. By following these Steps and using Semrush's powerful tools, you can identify valuable keywords to optimize your website content and attract your target audience. Remember, consistent effort and following SEO best practices are essential for achieving sustainable organic search ranking success.

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