Keyword Research Checklist
For site owners and marketers starting a new site, a new section, or a content plan. Work through it before you commission or write content, and repeat it twice a year.
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- critical
Why and how
- Why it matters
- Keywords that do not match an offer bring visitors who never convert.
- How to check or fix it
- List products, services and customer problems in a sheet. Add the exact words customers use in sales calls, emails and support tickets.
- important
Why and how
- Why it matters
- Queries you already get impressions for are the cheapest wins and show what Google associates with your site.
- How to check or fix it
- Open Performance, set the last 12 months, and export queries with clicks, impressions and position.
- important
Why and how
- Why it matters
- Competitors and autocomplete reveal phrasing you would not guess and topics you have missed.
- How to check or fix it
- Use Ahrefs Organic Keywords or Semrush Organic Research for 3 to 5 competitors. Add Google autocomplete, People Also Ask and related searches.
- important
Why and how
- Why it matters
- Without numbers you cannot compare options or judge effort.
- How to check or fix it
- Pull volume from Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs or Semrush. Treat volume as an estimate and compare keywords relative to each other.
- critical
Why and how
- Why it matters
- Tools cannot show whether you can realistically compete or which page types win.
- How to check or fix it
- Search in a private window. Note who ranks, which formats appear, and whether results are mostly large brands, forums or small sites.
- critical
Why and how
- Why it matters
- A page that does not match intent rarely ranks, however well optimized.
- How to check or fix it
- Mark each term informational, commercial, transactional, navigational or local, based on what the top results actually are.
- important
Why and how
- Why it matters
- Separate pages for close variants split signals and create cannibalization.
- How to check or fix it
- Compare the top 5 URLs for two similar keywords. If the same pages rank for both, target them with one page.
- important
Why and how
- Why it matters
- High volume terms with no buying intent waste production budget.
- How to check or fix it
- Add a 1 to 3 value column based on how close the searcher is to buying. Sort by value, then difficulty, then volume.
- critical
Why and how
- Why it matters
- A mapped list prevents two pages chasing the same term and shows gaps where no page exists.
- How to check or fix it
- Create columns for keyword, target URL, intent and status. Mark each as new page or existing page to update.
- nice
Why and how
- Why it matters
- Specific phrases are easier to win and often convert better.
- How to check or fix it
- Filter your tool by questions, or words like how, best, vs and for. Add the best ones to the matching page brief.
- nice
Why and how
- Why it matters
- Search behavior, competitors and your own rankings change.
- How to check or fix it
- Add a calendar reminder. Re-export Search Console queries and check for new terms you now rank for on page two.
Checklist complete. Re-run it after your next release or major change, and use the related lists below to keep going.
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Common questions
How many keywords should I target per page?
Target one primary keyword plus a small set of close variants and related questions. Google ranks pages for many queries, so the aim is to cover one topic well rather than repeat a single phrase.
Is keyword difficulty reliable?
It is a vendor estimate, usually based mainly on backlinks, and each tool calculates it differently. Use it to compare keywords within one tool and confirm by reading the actual results.