Keyword Research Template Guide
Before heading over to download the template, I want to explain the columns you’ll find inside of the sheet, and what they mean.
- Keyword – self explanatory
- Search volume (target country) – this column is typically pulled from Google Ads keyword planner, and it shows an approximate number of people searching for the particular keyword in any particular month
- Search volume (global) – you may experience certain keywords pulling in international traffic, you can duplicate the sheet and delete this column if not relevant for you. But bear in mind that as you do SEO, you will likely pull some of the global traffic as well.
- Keyword difficulty is being pulled from tools like: SEMRush, WriterZen or some other keyword. They typically evaluate the number of pages ranking on the first page and how many backlinks are pointing to those specific pages.
- CPC – Cost Per Click – this is pulled from Google Ads Keyword planner, and it allows you to estimate how much are advertisers spending on this particular keyword. You are trying to find keywords where people spend money on Google Ads, but aren’t that competitive on organic side.
- Search intent – you will use your God’s given pattern recognition capabilities to assume what person wants. If you can’t figure that out on your own, you may want to disregard that keyword. Searchers intent is decoding what the user is looking for, so you can figure out which content needs to be tackled later on.
- Cluster – as you are doing keyword research, you want to organize your topics in clusters. Clusters organize Content Sprints and help you refine your pillar pages.
While you can do most of the keyword research for free with the help of Google Ads Keyword planner, I do prefer to use SEMRush for these type of operations. Feel free to grab their free trial here.
This tool is precise, and has been a part of my tool belt for the last 10 years.