Keyword Strategy For Beginners [2025]
- surremorinsights
- Feb 4
- 3 min read
Keyword Research Strategy: Building a Strong Foundation
When conducting keyword research, it's important to explore a wide range of topics related to your primary keyword to strengthen its impact. Think of your keyword strategy as a tree—your main keyword acts as the trunk, while supporting topics branch out to reinforce its relevance.
Step 1: Start with a Primary Keyword
Begin by identifying a central keyword that represents your niche.
Example:
Primary Keyword: Baseball
Step 2: Identify Supporting Topics
These are core categories that provide depth and context to your main keyword.
Example:
Supporting Topics: Batting, Pitching, Fielding
Step 3: Expand Using Google & SEO Tools
To refine your keyword list, leverage Google’s Autocomplete Suggestions and "People Also Ask" sections to discover high-relevance keywords.
Example Queries:
“Best baseball batting drills”
“How to improve pitching speed”
“Fielding techniques for beginners”
Now that you have a foundation of keywords, the next step is to expand them using SEO tools and refine your strategy based on metrics.
Mapping Out & Documenting Keyword Research
At Surremor, we use a structured keyword mapping template that follows the "keyword tree" approach. The first page is designed to branch out supporting topics from the primary keyword. This method helps visualize content gaps and opportunities to strengthen your SEO efforts.
Once your keyword structure is in place, you can utilize marketing tools to analyze trends, search volume, and competitive difficulty.
Balancing Keywords for SEO & Content Strategy
A strong keyword strategy involves a mix of high-volume and niche keywords:✅ 60-70% Suggested Keywords: Popular search queries with significant traffic potential.✅ 30-40% Related Topics: Niche or semantic keywords that add depth.
Example Breakdown for "Baseball":
Suggested Keywords (60-70%) | Related Topics (30-40%) |
"Best baseball bats for power hitters" | "MLB hitting mechanics" |
"How to throw a curveball" | "Velocity training for pitchers" |
"Baseball fielding drills for youth" | "Soft hands fielding technique" |
Key SEO Metrics to Consider
1. Search Volume 📊
What it is: The average number of monthly searches for a keyword.
Why it matters: Higher search volume means more traffic potential but also more competition.
Ideal Balance:
Use a mix of high and medium-volume keywords for broad content.
Target low-volume, high-intent keywords for faster rankings.
Tools: Google Keyword Planner, Serpstat, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest.
2. Keyword Difficulty (KD) 🔥
What it is: A score (0-100) indicating how hard it is to rank for a keyword.
Why it matters: High-KD keywords require strong backlinks and domain authority.
Strategy:
New sites → Focus on low to medium-difficulty keywords (0-40).
Established sites → Compete for higher-difficulty keywords (40+).
3. Cost-Per-Click (CPC) 💰
What it is: The price advertisers pay per click in Google Ads.
Why it matters: High CPC indicates strong commercial intent.
Use case: If running paid ads, prioritize high-CPC, low-competition keywords.
4. Click-Through Rate (CTR) Potential 🎯
What it is: The percentage of people clicking a search result after searching.
Why it matters: Some high-volume keywords have low CTR due to featured snippets, ads, or direct answers.
How to optimize:
Target keywords with clear search intent (e.g., “best running shoes for flat feet” vs. “what is a running shoe?”).
Use compelling meta titles and descriptions to increase clicks.
5. Search Intent 🔎
What it is: The reason behind a search—what users are actually looking for.
Types of Intent:
Informational – “How to hit a baseball” (great for blogs).
Navigational – “ESPN baseball stats” (brand searches).
Transactional – “Buy baseball bats online” (best for sales).
Commercial Investigation – “Best baseball bats for power hitters” (ideal for affiliate and product reviews).
Case Study: Adjusting Search Intent at Surremor
At Surremor, we worked with a client whose content ranked well on Google, especially for long-tail keywords related to fertilizers and maple products. However, their top-ranking pages were purely informational, lacking direct calls to action for purchasing.
To fix this, we integrated transactional pages alongside high-value content, ensuring that search traffic converted into actual sales. This is the same approach you should take when refining your keyword strategy—align your content with your business goals.
6. Keyword Trends Over Time 📈
What it is: The seasonal or long-term trend of a keyword.
Why it matters: Some keywords peak during certain seasons (e.g., “Christmas gifts for dads” in November/December).
Best Tool: Google Trends helps identify rising vs. declining keywords.
I know this is a lot of information, which is why I’ve put together a free Excel sheet to help you structure and document your keyword research.
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