How to Do Keyword Research for Your WordPress Blog

How to Do Keyword Research for Your WordPress Blog in 2024

Keyword research is the foundation of any successful content strategy. As a blogger, uncovering the words and phrases your audience is searching for allows you to create content that draws in highly targeted organic traffic from search engines.

The keyword research process has evolved significantly in recent years. Search engines are smarter, user behaviors have changed, and new tools and techniques have emerged. As we head into 2024, staying on top of the latest best practices is key to growing your WordPress blog‘s search traffic.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk through a proven step-by-step keyword research workflow you can implement this year. We‘ll highlight some of the top tools to streamline the process and share advanced tips to uncover hidden keyword opportunities your competitors are missing.

But first, let‘s start with the basics…

What is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is the process of discovering words and phrases (aka "keywords") that people enter into search engines like Google, then analyzing those terms to inform your content strategy.

The goal is to understand what your target audience is searching for and how much demand there is for those topics. You can then prioritize creating content around keywords that have high search volume but low competition.

Why is Keyword Research Important for Bloggers?

Organic search traffic is one of the most valuable traffic sources for bloggers. Unlike paid ads or social media, search engine traffic is highly targeted and consistent. If you rank well for relevant keywords, you can bring in a steady stream of new readers to your blog for months or even years with no additional effort.

Keyword research takes the guesswork out of deciding what content to create. Instead of relying on your gut instinct, you can use real data to understand your audience‘s needs and pain points. You can also analyze the keywords driving traffic to your competitors‘ blogs to find gaps and opportunities.

Without keyword research, you risk creating content no one is searching for. You could waste time and resources producing blog posts that bring in little to no organic traffic.

The Keyword Research Process for WordPress Blogs

While every blogger‘s approach will be unique, most keyword research can be broken down into a few key steps:

1. Brainstorm seed keywords
2. Expand your keyword list using keyword tools
3. Analyze keyword metrics like search volume and difficulty
4. Evaluate search intent and prioritize the best opportunities
5. Map keywords to your blog content plan
6. Monitor your rankings and adjust your strategy over time

Let‘s walk through each step in more detail.

Step 1: Brainstorm Seed Keywords

The first step is to create a list of broad topics related to your blog‘s niche. These are called "seed keywords." They define your blog‘s overall subject matter at the highest level.

For example, if you blog about yoga, your seed keywords might be:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Mindfulness
• Yoga poses
• Pranayama

If you already have some blog posts published, you can use Google Search Console to see which keywords you‘re showing up for. Look for keywords that are bringing in impressions but maybe not a lot of clicks yet.

You can also look at your top competitors‘ blogs to see which broad topics they cover frequently. Tools like Semrush or Ahrefs (more on these in a bit) can show you competitors‘ top keywords.

Step 2: Expand Your Keyword List

Once you have a handful of seed keywords, it‘s time to expand your list to find more specific keyword ideas. That‘s where keyword research tools come in.

Top Free and Paid Keyword Research Tools

There are dozens of keyword tools on the market, ranging from free to quite expensive. As a blogger, you don‘t need anything too advanced. Here are some of the top tools we recommend:

• Google Keyword Planner (free) – Google‘s own keyword tool, primarily for Google Ads but also useful for organic keyword research.

• Answer the Public (free) – A tool for finding question-based keywords, based on autocomplete data from Google and Bing.

• Semrush (paid) – An all-in-one SEO and keyword research tool. Provides keyword data, competitor research, rank tracking and more. Pricing starts at $120/month.

• Ahrefs (paid) – Another popular SEO suite with robust keyword research capabilities. Pricing starts at $83/month.

• KWFinder (paid) – An affordable and beginner-friendly keyword research focused tool. Pricing starts at $30/month.

Most keyword tools work similarly. You simply enter a seed keyword, and the tool will provide a list of related keyword ideas and metrics.

For example, if I enter "yoga" into Semrush‘s Keyword Magic Tool, it returns over 600,000 related keywords:

Now, you probably don‘t want to analyze 600,000 keywords. Most keyword tools allow you to filter the results based on factors like:

• Keyword difficulty
• Search volume
• Number of words in the phrase
• Inclusion or exclusion of certain terms
• Questions only

Filtering the results to only keywords with a max difficulty of 60% and a minimum search volume of 200 narrows the list to around 3,000 keywords which is much more manageable.

Step 3: Analyze Keyword Metrics

With an expanded list of potential keywords, it‘s time to narrow it down to the best opportunities for your WordPress blog. Most keyword research tools provide a variety of metrics to assess the potential and difficulty of ranking for a given keyword.

Search Volume – The average number of times the keyword is searched per month. Higher search volume means more potential traffic if you rank well.

Keyword Difficulty – An estimate of how hard it would be to rank on the first page for the keyword, expressed as a percentage. Factors in the authority of currently ranking pages. Lower difficulty scores are better.

Cost Per Click (CPC) – The average price advertisers pay per click for the keyword in Google Ads. Higher CPCs usually indicate more commercial intent.

Clicks Per Search (CPS) – The average number of clicks on the search results for this term. A higher number means more people are clicking through to websites vs just reading the search snippet.

Here are a few tips for interpreting these metrics:

• For newer blogs, target keywords with lower difficulty scores (under 40%). More established blogs can go after more competitive terms.
• Don‘t just chase search volume. A keyword with 50 searches per month that converts is better than one with 5000 searches that doesn‘t.
• Use CPC and CPS to infer search intent. Keywords with high CPCs are often more bottom-of-funnel terms that indicate high buying intent.
• Look at the full top 10 search results to assess difficulty, not just the keyword difficulty score. If niche-relevant sites with lower domain authority are ranking, that‘s a good sign.
• Don‘t discount very long-tail (4+ word phrases) with low search volume. These can add up to a significant amount of highly targeted traffic over time.

An easy way to organize your keyword data is in a spreadsheet. Most tools allow you to export your data to CSV. You can create columns for each metric, add notes, and sort the sheet to prioritize the best opportunities.

Step 4: Evaluate Search Intent

Search intent is the "why" behind a keyword – the reason someone is searching for it in the first place. To rank well and get traffic that converts, your content needs to align with the dominant search intent for your target keyword.

There are four main types of search intent:

1. Informational – The searcher is looking for information on a topic (how to bake a cake, who won the World Cup)

2. Navigational – The searcher wants to go to a specific website or page (Facebook login, WordPress.org)

3. Commercial – The searcher wants to investigate products or services (best email marketing software, Mailchimp vs ConvertKit)

4. Transactional – The searcher is ready to make a purchase (buy yoga mat, subscribe to Spotify)

Many keyword tools now include search intent classifications in the results. But you can also infer intent by looking at the current top ranking pages and analyzing the types of content that are performing well.

For example, if we Google "best yoga mat", the results make it clear this is a commercial investigation keyword:

Almost all of the top results are listicles comparing different yoga mat brands and models. If you wanted to target this keyword, you‘d want to create a similar roundup-style post.

On the other hand, a keyword like "how to clean a yoga mat" returns mostly informational blog posts and videos with step-by-step tutorials:

As a general rule, you want to target keywords with high purchase intent (commercial and transactional) with your "money pages" – core product/service pages or reviews. Informational keywords are better for top-of-funnel blog posts and resources.

Step 5: Map Keywords to Content

Now that you have a prioritized list of keywords, it‘s time to integrate them into your content strategy. Assign each keyword to either an existing page on your site that you want to optimize or a new piece of content you plan to create.

It‘s important to avoid keyword cannibalization – targeting the same keyword across multiple posts or pages. If you have several similar keywords, you may want to create one authoritative piece of content optimized for all of them.

For example, if you‘re targeting keywords like:

• How to clean a yoga mat
• Yoga mat cleaning tips
• How often to clean yoga mat
• Best way to wash yoga mat

You could create one comprehensive guide called "How to Clean Your Yoga Mat: Tips, Tools and Step-by-Step Instructions." Then optimize the page for all the related keywords.

At the same time, don‘t try to stuff every keyword into one mega-page if they would be better suited to separate pieces of content. A keyword like "how to clean a yoga mat" is distinct from "how to choose a yoga mat" and should have its own dedicated post.

Use your keyword research to build out a content calendar with a mix of keyword-focused and more general posts. Aim to publish new optimized content consistently to gradually build your topical authority.

Step 6: Monitor Rankings & Adjust

Keyword research isn‘t a one-and-done activity. As you publish content, you‘ll want to track how well you‘re ranking for your target keywords over time. Ideally your rankings and organic traffic will improve, indicating your strategy is working.

If you‘re not seeing movement after a few months, you may need to adjust your approach. Look for opportunities to improve your on-page optimization, build more links to your content, or target different keywords.

Pay attention to changes in search intent as well. If you notice a keyword‘s search results shifting significantly (e.g. from mostly informational blog posts to mostly product pages), you may need to refresh your content to better align with the new intent.

Advanced Keyword Research Tips for 2023

Now that we‘ve covered the basics, here are a few advanced strategies to level up your keyword research this year:

Optimize for Voice Search Keywords

With the rise of digital assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, an increasing share of searches are being done via voice. Voice searches tend to be longer, more conversational, and more question-based than text searches.

To optimize for voice search, focus on natural language, long-tail keywords and phrases starting with question words like "who", "what", "when", "where", "why" and "how."

For example, target "how do you clean a yoga mat" vs just "clean yoga mat".

You can also use Answer the Public to generate a list of questions related to your seed keyword:

Use FAQs, bullet points and featured snippets to concisely answer common questions about your topic. See our full guide to voice search SEO for more tips.

Target Keyword Clusters to Build Topical Authority

In 2024, it‘s not enough to just target individual keywords. To rank well, you need to build topical authority – cover a topic comprehensively across a series of interlinked pages.

Keyword clustering is the process of grouping related keywords together into "clusters". Usually there will be one broad "head" keyword and several more specific "long-tail" keywords in each cluster.

For example, a yoga-related keyword cluster might look like:

• Yoga poses (head keyword)
• Easy yoga poses
• Yoga poses for beginners
• Yoga poses for flexibility
• Yoga poses for back pain
• Two person yoga poses

The idea is to create content optimized for each keyword in the cluster and interlink the pages together. This helps establish to Google that you‘re an authority on the broader topic.

Tools like Semrush and Ahrefs have built-in keyword clustering features to make the process easier. You can also use keyword visualization tools to map out clusters:

Learn more about topic clusters and content hubs here.

Analyze Competitors‘ Keyword Strategies

Competitive research should be a key part of your keyword research process. By analyzing what keywords your top competitors are targeting and ranking for, you can discover new opportunities and potentially reverse-engineer their SEO strategies.

Most SEO tools have site explorer features that allow you to plug in a competitor‘s domain and see their top organic keywords. For example, here‘s yoga blog DoYouYoga.com‘s top keywords in Ahrefs:

From this report, we can see some potential keyword opportunities like:

• Yoga poses for two people
• Yoga for migraine relief
• Restorative yoga poses
• Yoga poses for abs

Once you have a list of competitor keywords, analyze the difficulty and search volume to prioritize the best ones to target.

You can also use tools like Semrush‘s Keyword Gap tool to compare your site‘s keyword rankings to multiple competitors at once:

This helps you easily spot keyword "gaps" – terms one or more of your competitors are ranking for that you‘re not.

Research Keywords for YouTube, Pinterest & More

Google is the biggest search engine, but it‘s not the only one. YouTube, Pinterest, Amazon and other platforms each have their own search features and algorithms.

If you‘re creating content for these platforms, you‘ll want to adapt your keyword research accordingly. The same keywords that work for Google won‘t necessarily be the best fit for other search engines.

For example, Pinterest keyword research should focus more on broad topics and themes vs specific long-tail keywords. Pinterest suggests using no more than 20 keywords per pin.

Tools like Ahrefs and vidIQ offer keyword research features specifically for YouTube which take into account YouTube ranking factors like video tags, descriptions, and retention rate.

If you have an ecommerce store connected to your WordPress blog, Amazon and Etsy keyword research can help you optimize your product listings. Tools like Jungle Scout and eRank specialize in keyword data for these platforms.

Localize Your Keyword Research

If your blog has a local focus or you‘re trying to attract customers in a specific geographic area, local keyword research is a must.

Local keywords usually include location-specific terms like:

• "Yoga classes New York"
• "Yoga retreats near me"
• "Yoga studios in San Francisco"

Google‘s Keyword Planner allows you to see search volumes for specific regions, cities or even ZIP codes. This data is especially important if you‘re trying to rank in the Google Local Pack (Google Maps results).

In addition to standard keyword research, you‘ll also want to focus on local citations and "NAP" (name, address, phone number) consistency across the web. Tools like Moz Local and Yext can help streamline the process.

Learn more about local keyword research from Backlinko.

Conclusion

Keyword research is an essential skill for any blogger who wants to drive organic search traffic. By targeting the right keywords, you can attract more qualified readers, build your brand authority, and even monetize your blog more effectively.

The key is to use data, not guesses, to inform your content strategy. Invest in keyword research tools, create a repeatable process, and always focus on aligning your content with search intent.

Remember, the goal of keyword research isn‘t just to rank #1, but to provide value to searchers. The best content puts the user first and targets keywords as a natural byproduct. Happy researching!