Find Keywords

Build a prioritized keyword universe from a seed topic using intent mapping, difficulty-adjusted opportunity scoring, and cluster seeding.

Before You Start

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. Domain and goal. What site is this for? What is the primary conversion (leads, sign-ups, sales, traffic)?
2. Seed topic. The core subject area — not a single keyword but the business category (e.g., "project management software", "personal injury law Chicago").
3. Existing rankings. Does the site already rank for terms in this area? Existing rankings tell you where to defend vs. expand.
4. Constraints. Budget, team size, content velocity — these determine whether to chase head terms or focus on long-tail.

Step 0: Cannibalization Screen

Before building a new keyword list, check what the site already targets. Creating a new page for a keyword you already rank for can split authority and hurt both pages.

For each keyword you're considering:

1. Search site:yourdomain.com [keyword] — does an existing page already target this term?
2. Check Google Search Console — is an existing page already getting impressions for this keyword?
3. If yes: update the existing page instead of creating a new one.
4. If multiple pages rank for the same keyword: you have a cannibalization problem. Consolidate before expanding.

Low-Hanging Fruit Check

Before chasing new keywords, look for existing wins:

• Positions 11-20 — You're almost on page 1. These keywords need content improvements or better internal linking, not new pages.
• High impressions, low clicks — Title/meta description optimization can unlock traffic without new content.
• Declining positions — Keywords where you're losing ground may need content refreshes (see recover-content).

Address these before building net-new keyword lists.

Keyword Universe Construction

Build the universe in three tiers:

Tier 1 — Head Terms (high volume, high difficulty)

• Typically 1-2 words
• Define the category
• Target with pillar pages or the homepage
• Realistic timeline: 6-18 months for new sites

Tier 2 — Body Terms (medium volume, medium difficulty)

• Typically 2-3 words, specific enough to indicate intent
• Target with dedicated landing pages or cluster articles
• 3-6 month window for established sites

Tier 3 — Long-tail Terms (lower volume, low difficulty)

• 3+ words, specific intent
• Fastest to rank, highest conversion rate
• Target with blog posts, FAQ sections, supporting content
• 4-12 week window for fresh content

For each tier, produce:

Keyword	Monthly Volume	Difficulty (0-100)	Intent	Tier	Priority
...	...	...	informational / transactional / navigational / commercial	1/2/3	high / medium / low

Intent Classification

Classify every keyword by search intent and sub-category:

Informational (user wants to learn)

Sub-category	Signal Words	Example	Content Type
Educational	what, why, definition, explain	"what is SEO"	Guide, explainer
Instructional	how to, steps, tutorial, guide	"how to set up GA4"	Step-by-step tutorial
Exploratory	types of, techniques, strategies	"link building techniques"	Comprehensive roundup
Troubleshooting	not working, fix, error, why is	"why is my site not ranking"	Diagnostic guide

Commercial Investigation (user is evaluating)

Sub-category	Signal Words	Example	Content Type
Comparison	vs, compared to, or	"Ahrefs vs SEMrush"	Side-by-side comparison
Review-seeking	review, worth it, honest	"Ahrefs review"	In-depth review
Best-of	best, top, tools for	"best SEO tools"	Curated list
Evaluation	for [audience], features, pricing	"SEO tools for small business"	Buyer's guide

Transactional (user is ready to act)

Sub-category	Signal Words	Example	Content Type
Purchase	buy, price, discount, deal	"buy Ahrefs subscription"	Product/pricing page
Signup/Trial	free trial, sign up, demo	"Ahrefs free trial"	Landing page
Download	download, template, PDF, checklist	"SEO checklist PDF"	Gated resource
Hire/Engage	hire, agency, near me, book	"SEO agency near me"	Service page

Navigational (looking for a specific brand)

Sub-category	Signal Words	Example	Content Type
Brand search	[brand name]	"HubSpot"	Homepage/brand page
Feature search	[brand] + [feature]	"Ahrefs keyword explorer"	Feature page
Support/docs	[brand] + login, docs, help	"Ahrefs API docs"	Support content

SERP Feature Correlation by Intent

Use this to anticipate which SERP features you can target per keyword:

SERP Feature	Informational	Commercial	Transactional	Navigational
Featured Snippet	Very High	High	Low	Low
People Also Ask	Very High	Very High	Low	Medium
AI Overview	Very High	High	Low-Medium	Low
Shopping Results	Very Low	Medium	Very High	Low
Local Pack	Low	Low	High	Low
Sitelinks	Low	Low	Medium	Very High

Conversion Potential by Intent

Intent	Avg Conversion Rate	Nurture Length
Informational	0.5-2%	Long (weeks to months)
Commercial Investigation	2-5%	Medium (days to weeks)
Transactional	5-15%	Short (immediate to days)
Navigational	N/A — brand-dependent	N/A

Common Classification Mistakes

Mistake	Correct Classification
Treating "best CRM software" as informational	Commercial Investigation
Treating "how much does X cost" as informational	Commercial / Transactional
Ignoring local intent in "SEO services"	Transactional (local)
Assuming single intent for "SEO tools"	Mixed — check the SERP to confirm

Two keywords with different intents should never target the same page.

Opportunity Scoring

Score each keyword:

Opportunity Score = (Volume x (1 - Difficulty/100)) x Intent Multiplier

Intent multipliers:

• Transactional: 1.5
• Commercial investigation: 1.3
• Informational: 1.0
• Navigational: 0.2

This surfaces low-competition, high-intent targets over vanity volume plays.

Cluster Seeding

Group the keyword universe into topic clusters:

Cluster Name	Pillar Keyword	Supporting Keywords (3-5)	Total Volume
...	...	...	...

Each cluster needs one pillar page (head term) and 3-8 supporting pages (body + long-tail).

Output Format

Keyword Research: [topic or domain]

Summary

• Total keywords: [count]
• Total addressable volume: [sum]
• Difficulty range: [min]-[max]
• Clusters identified: [count]

Priority Matrix [Tiered keyword table]

Cluster Seeds [Cluster table]

Start Here — Top 5 Keywords

For each of the 5 highest-opportunity keywords:

• Why this keyword now (difficulty, intent, business value)
• What page type to create
• Which cluster it anchors or supports

---

Pro Tip: Use the free Blog Keyword Generator and Autocomplete Research tools at seojuice.com for seed keyword discovery. SEOJuice MCP users can run /seojuice:keyword-analysis for live ranking data and /seojuice:content-strategy to see content gaps — keywords your competitors rank for that you don't.