{"id":12268,"date":"2017-10-31T22:33:21","date_gmt":"2017-10-31T22:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/seo-checklist-the-keyword-research-process-9\/"},"modified":"2024-02-28T20:45:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T20:45:00","slug":"seo-checklist-the-keyword-research-process-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/seo-checklist-the-keyword-research-process-9\/","title":{"rendered":"SEO Checklist: The Keyword Research Process"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"set-up-a-spreadsheet-template\">\n<h2> Set up a spreadsheet template <\/h2>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/heryDPBREMEaylzrKs5BWA.png\" alt=\"Set up a spreadsheet template\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/heryDPBREMEaylzrKs5BWA.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><strong>Create a fresh copy of your keyword research template.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Remember to<strong> record the details<\/strong> of it using the<strong> form fields<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\">\n   <label> Google Sheet Link <\/label><br \/>\n   <input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" disabled=\"disabled\" class=\"form-control\" \/>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Grab one I made for you in Google Sheets by clicking <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1SrtiW1LMyuW006Ad0gU5VIqw9zXHzzCki8JTJpqhdbI\/edit?usp=sharing\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>, or download the Excel file below.<\/p>\n<p><em>If you're making your own, make&nbsp;sure to freeze the first row!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"enter-the-pages-topic-in-the-spreadsheet\">\n<h2> Enter the page's topic in the spreadsheet <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>This one's an easy start because you know what you're writing about.<\/p>\n<p>Just <strong>describe the topic you're writing about in a few words<\/strong>. <strong>Record<\/strong> it in both the <strong>spreadsheet<\/strong> and the <strong>form field<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\">\n   <label> Page Topic <\/label><br \/>\n   <input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" disabled=\"disabled\" class=\"form-control\" \/>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Examples of related topics that are keywords include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Network security checklist<\/li>\n<li>Learn cryptography<\/li>\n<li>Information security process<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"google-your-first-keywords\">\n<h2> Google your first keywords <\/h2>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/kouSip-4AZw3B7xCmeNGNw.png\" alt=\"Google your first keywords\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/kouSip-4AZw3B7xCmeNGNw.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>By <strong>Googling your keywords<\/strong>, you can see what Google suggests at the bottom of the page. Remember to <strong>record<\/strong> your<strong> initial keywords<\/strong> using the <strong>form field<\/strong>&nbsp;below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"textarea-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\">\n   <label> Initial Keywords <\/label><br \/>\n   <textarea placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" rows=\"3\" disabled=\"disabled\" class=\"form-control\"><\/textarea>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/k4eAp0Zwb9OHrosd_HdNvQ.png\" alt=\"Google your first keywords\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/k4eAp0Zwb9OHrosd_HdNvQ.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Some suggestions are just obvious variations, but some are related topics and totally different keywords.<\/p>\n<p>Add all relevant suggestions to your sheet.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"substitute-in-synonyms\">\n<h2> Substitute in synonyms <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>While some words just mean exactly what they mean \u2014 especially specific jargon terms \u2014 some are more universal.<\/p>\n<p>In my list, I find I have 'network security issues', so check for <strong>synonyms<\/strong> of 'issues'.<\/p>\n<p>Then, I add 'network security problems' and 'network security questions' to my list.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/qgVff3N2b6sioAkxpDBJUw.png\" alt=\"Substitute in synonyms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/qgVff3N2b6sioAkxpDBJUw.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"get-keywords-from-the-wikipedia-article\">\n<h2> Get keywords from the Wikipedia article <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wikipedia.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Wikipedia<\/a> is perfect for well-written content that explains concepts in terms people understand and search for.<\/p>\n<p>Go to Wikipedia and search the topic of your page.<\/p>\n<p>Quality related <strong>keywords will be both in the text and as suggested categories<\/strong>. For example:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vNSqsgpzuVvI2SxmowNKzw.png\" alt=\"Get keywords from the Wikipedia article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vNSqsgpzuVvI2SxmowNKzw.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><strong>Add these categories and keywords as new entries to your sheet<\/strong>, and see if you can create new keywords by combining them with existing entries.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/kYTuqdkdujPD6F1l8bJAnw.png\" alt=\"Get keywords from the Wikipedia article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/kYTuqdkdujPD6F1l8bJAnw.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"use-ubersuggest-to-generate-variations\">\n<h2> Use UberSuggest to generate variations <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><a href=\"ubersuggest.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UberSuggest<\/a> scrapes the suggested searches from Google for a seed keyword.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Put in UberSuggest your shortest, broadest, most relevant keyword<\/strong>. For me, it's network security.<\/p>\n<p>Here's what I got, and what I did with it:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/iWmXaidR6lZH4VGofPhM_A.png\" alt=\"Use UberSuggest to generate variations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/iWmXaidR6lZH4VGofPhM_A.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><strong>Grab all the +'d keywords and paste them in your sheet.<\/strong> Don't check for duplicates, don't calculate anything else, just build the list.<\/p>\n<p>Repeat this for other derivative keywords if you like.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"search-in-quora\">\n<h2> Search in Quora <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Using the same seed as you chose for UberSuggest, <strong>search in <a href=\"quora.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Quora<\/a> to find questions real people have about your topic<\/strong>. Add new keywords and phrases to your sheet.<\/p>\n<p>Repeat this for other derivative keywords if you like.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vx22oliJm_K_yQvhqc9FQA.png\" alt=\"Search in Quora\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vx22oliJm_K_yQvhqc9FQA.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"search-boardreader\">\n<h2> Search BoardReader <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>BoardReader scrapes a huge network of forums for conversations matching your keyword. <strong>Search your keyword in BoardReader<\/strong> and get ideas for quality keywords people will search for.<\/p>\n<p>Add the keywords to your sheet.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/lKimrpzP3coKBtBPt6xDfQ.png\" alt=\"Search BoardReader\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/lKimrpzP3coKBtBPt6xDfQ.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"reverse-lookup-with-google-keyword-planner\">\n<h2> Reverse lookup with Google Keyword Planner <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Search for one or more of your target keywords in Google, and <strong>note down a high-ranking page's URL<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Set&nbsp;it as 'your landing page' in <a href=\"adwords.google.com\/keywordplanner\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google Keyword Planner<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;to see the keywords it is ranking for as well as suggested terms.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/p8ci3wbRUl9aoufyv5VPXA.png\" alt=\"Reverse lookup with Google Keyword Planner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/p8ci3wbRUl9aoufyv5VPXA.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"reverse-lookup-with-site-explorer\">\n<h2> Reverse lookup with Site Explorer <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ahrefs Site Explorer<\/a>&nbsp;offers a powerful way to get competitor information.<\/p>\n<p>Using the same competitors as in the task above, <strong>search a competitor's&nbsp;URL in Site Explorer<\/strong>&nbsp;to get a list of keywords like this:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/g2oeXaCrQ9PGQqjHgXZDbw.png\" alt=\"Reverse lookup with Site Explorer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/g2oeXaCrQ9PGQqjHgXZDbw.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Add any relevant keywords to your sheet, repeat as many times as you feel is necessary, then go to the next step.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"use-keyword-shitter-to-create-long-tail-keywords\">\n<h2> Use Keyword Shitter to create long tail keywords <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Open the delightful&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/keywordshitter.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Keyword Shitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Take your current list of keywords and paste them into the <strong>'Positive filter'<\/strong> box of this gracefully named tool.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Type your root keyword<\/strong> into the <strong>main box<\/strong> then click the <strong>'Shit Keywords!'<\/strong> button.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/oqYdGVP2zHfgUifDwx5IBg.gif\" alt=\"Use Keyword Shitter to create long tail keywords\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/oqYdGVP2zHfgUifDwx5IBg.gif\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>There will be a lot of duplicates, but these will be removed in bulk next.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"use-the-ahrefs-keywords-explorer-to-get-relevant-keywords\">\n<h2> Use the Ahrefs Keywords Explorer to get relevant keywords <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">keywords explorer<\/a> is an awesome solution for getting&nbsp;related \u2014 not just exact or phrase match \u2014 keywords for any term you can imagine.<\/p>\n<p>Use it to generate more keywords from your less specific topic areas, and, checking out the Keyword Difficulty, you'll be able to quickly see some easy pickings, like how there's a KD 16 option here:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/khurLQpvBcLzfS5URQxGpA.png\" alt=\"Use the Ahrefs Keywords Explorer to get relevant keywords\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/khurLQpvBcLzfS5URQxGpA.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Either export and filter the full list, or just grab a few you like.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"remove-duplicate-keywords\">\n<h2> Remove duplicate keywords <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Since we\u2019re working inside Sheets, this is easily done with the <a href=\"https:\/\/chrome.google.com\/webstore\/detail\/remove-duplicates\/bckmhokpcdnhhjldhhfpebhdfipmlbog?hl=en\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Remove Duplicates addon<\/a>. Install that, then go to the Add-ons menu in Sheets and select the '<strong>Remove Duplicates<\/strong>' section.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/qUHXVwr7k5ic9GicmIJLww.png\" alt=\"Remove duplicate keywords\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/qUHXVwr7k5ic9GicmIJLww.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Press 'Next' the whole way through, then 'Finish'.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vLSx5OlAtr1R8UZ1TIxDQg.png\" alt=\"Remove duplicate keywords\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vLSx5OlAtr1R8UZ1TIxDQg.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"copy-the-remaining-keywords-into-google-keyword-planner\">\n<h2> Copy the remaining keywords into Google Keyword Planner <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>The fastest way to narrow down your keywords further is to <strong>get rid of the ones that don't have any search volume<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Get all your keywords out of Sheets, then paste them into Google Keyword Planner, like this:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ihGsCZHOkH0E2GShzh1MHA.gif\" alt=\"Copy the remaining keywords into Google Keyword Planner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/ihGsCZHOkH0E2GShzh1MHA.gif\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Once the keywords are in Google Keyword Planner, hit Download as shown above.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"tidy-up-the-downloaded-sheet-and-merge-it-with-your-original\">\n<h2> Tidy up the downloaded sheet and merge it with your original <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Open your downloaded Google Keyword Planner sheet.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Delete everything apart from the Keyword, Volume and Competition columns, then paste it back<\/strong>. If there\u2019s no volume data, then don\u2019t bother. Those keywords aren\u2019t popular enough and that really helps us narrow down our list.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"remove-the-keywords-that-dont-make-sense\">\n<h2> Remove the keywords that don't make sense <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>You are certain to get a lot of keywords from the automatic generators that <strong>aren't grammatically correct<\/strong> English. <strong>Remove<\/strong> these keywords, <strong>recording your progress<\/strong> with the <strong>sub-checklist<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"multi-select-content form-field-content\">\n<ul class=\"items\">\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       1\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Keywords that don't make sense\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       2\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Branded keywords\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"item\">\n<div class=\"step-number-container\">\n<div class=\"step-number\">\n       3\n     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"step-checkbox-container\">\n<div class=\"step-checkbox\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"item-name-static\">\n      Non-evergreen keywords\n    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p><strong>Remove keywords that don't make sense in a sentence.<\/strong> For example, 'network security how to' and 'network security basics youtube'.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Remove keywords that are branded.<\/strong> For example, 'apple network security' or 'microsoft network security'.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Remove non-evergreen keywords.<\/strong> For example, 'network security best practices 2012'.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"filter-by-search-volume\">\n<h2> Filter by search volume <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Your list undoubtedly contains several highly competitive search terms which we wouldn't have a shot at ranking for, so by<strong> filtering by search volume<\/strong>, we can gloss over these and get to the slightly less competitive, but most effective keywords.<\/p>\n<p>In Google Sheets, click the small arrow that appears when you hover over Column B's header (the cell where it says '<strong>Volume<\/strong>' and go 'Sort sheet Z-A'.<\/p>\n<p>There you'll see the more reasonable options at a glance, which I highlighted in the picture below:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/osxuEcZk005rjdDX7SNNMw.png\" alt=\"Filter by search volume\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/osxuEcZk005rjdDX7SNNMw.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"remove-irrelevant-keywords\">\n<h2> Remove irrelevant keywords <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>If you're writing a post about network security tools, then having 'network security best practices' isn't 100% relevant.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get rid of anything which doesn't accurately describe the page you're optimizing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"remove-highly-competitive-keywords\">\n<h2> Remove highly competitive keywords <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>A big part of deciding if a keyword is worth targeting is looking who is already ranking for that term.<\/p>\n<p>If you find that<strong> hugely popular and authoritative sites are ranking<\/strong> for your target term, you're in for a<strong> tough time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>A quick way to judge how difficult it would be to rank for a keyword is by using the <a href=\"http:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ahrefs Keywords Explorer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Take your <strong>top picks<\/strong> that you still have left after the filtering, and paste them into the tool, like this:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-content\">\n<figure>\n   <a href=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jJfDLiaXbyN74xjAxkRBNg.png\" alt=\"Remove highly competitive keywords\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.process.st\/templates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/jJfDLiaXbyN74xjAxkRBNg.png\" \/> <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Pages with a <strong>low PR or DR<\/strong>&nbsp;(less than 30), or a <strong>low backlink count<\/strong>, are <strong>prime for overtaking<\/strong>! By writing better content, optimizing it properly and building quality links, you could knock an inferior page off of the top spots.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"remove-low-volume-keywords-if-there-are-better-options\">\n<h2> Remove low volume keywords (if there are better options) <\/h2>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>At this point, it's likely you're down to just 1 or 2 options. The <strong>final<\/strong> decision, all else being equal, goes to the keyword with the <strong>highest volume<\/strong>. <strong>Record<\/strong> the final keyword, along with a <strong>copy<\/strong> of the final keyword research <strong>document,<\/strong> using the<strong> form fields<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\">\n   <label> Final Keyword <\/label><br \/>\n   <input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Something will be typed here...\" disabled=\"disabled\" class=\"form-control\" \/>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"file-field-content form-field-content\">\n<div class=\"form-group\">\n   <label> Keyword Research Sheet <\/label> <\/p>\n<div class=\"file-container\">\n    <button type=\"button\" disabled=\"disabled\" class=\"btn btn-default\"> <i class=\"fa fa-upload btn-icon\"><\/i> File will be uploaded here <\/button>\n   <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-content\">\n<p>Highlight that in a triumphant shade of green on your sheet. 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