Keyword Research Framework

Use this framework when building or refreshing your keyword strategy. Run through the full process once per quarter. Between quarterly refreshes, use the prioritization matrix to evaluate new keyword opportunities as they come up. This framework assumes you have access to at least one SEO tool (Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz).

Phase 1: Seed Keyword Generation

Start by building a raw list of 100-200 seed keywords from these five sources. Do not filter or prioritize yet — just collect.

Source 1: Product & Feature Terms

List every feature, use case, and integration your product offers. Each becomes a seed keyword.

Product Term	Seed Keywords
{{Feature 1}}	{{feature name}}, {{feature name}} software, {{feature name}} tool, best {{feature name}}
{{Feature 2}}	{{repeat}}
{{Use Case 1}}	how to {{use case}}, {{use case}} for {{persona}}
{{Integration}}	{{your product}} + {{tool name}} integration

Source 2: Customer Language

Pull exact phrases from:

• Sales call transcripts (Gong, Chorus) — search for “I need help with…”, “our biggest challenge is…”, “we’re looking for…”
• Support tickets — top 20 most common questions
• G2/Capterra reviews (yours and competitors’) — language buyers use to describe the problem and solution
• Customer interviews — direct quotes about pain points

Source 3: Competitor Keywords

For each of your top 3 competitors, pull their organic keyword list from Ahrefs or Semrush:

Competitor	Total Keywords	Keywords You Don’t Rank For	Top Pages by Traffic
{{Comp 1}}	{{X}}	{{Y}}	{{list top 5 URLs}}
{{Comp 2}}
{{Comp 3}}

Export the “keywords you don’t rank for” list. These are your content gap opportunities.

Source 4: SERP Features & Related Searches

For your top 20 seed keywords, check Google for:

• “People Also Ask” questions — add each question as a keyword
• Related searches at bottom of SERP — add relevant ones
• Autocomplete suggestions — type each seed keyword and note suggestions

Source 5: Industry & Trend Terms

• Google Trends: rising topics in your space
• Industry publications: topics being covered in trade media
• Conference agendas: session titles from relevant conferences
• Analyst reports: terminology from Gartner, Forrester, etc.

Phase 2: Keyword Data Collection

Take your full seed list and pull data for each keyword:

Keyword	Monthly Search Volume	Keyword Difficulty	CPC	Current Rank	SERP Intent	Content Type Needed
{{keyword}}	{{MSV}}	{{KD}}	{{CPC}}	{{rank or N/A}}	{{info/commercial/transactional}}	{{blog/landing/template}}

Data sources:

• MSV + KD + CPC: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer or Semrush Keyword Magic Tool
• Current Rank: Google Search Console or Ahrefs Site Explorer
• SERP Intent: Manual check (look at the top 5 results — what type of content ranks?)

Phase 3: Keyword Clustering

Group related keywords into clusters. Each cluster maps to one piece of content (or one content hub).

Clustering rules:

1. Keywords that trigger the same SERP results belong in the same cluster
2. One primary keyword per cluster (highest MSV with reasonable KD)
3. All other keywords in the cluster become secondary keywords
4. Each cluster gets assigned a content type based on SERP intent

Cluster Name	Primary Keyword (MSV)	Secondary Keywords	Content Type	Funnel Stage
{{topic}}	{{keyword}} ({{MSV}})	{{kw1}}, {{kw2}}, {{kw3}}	Blog Post	TOFU
{{topic}}	{{keyword}} ({{MSV}})	{{kw1}}, {{kw2}}	Comparison Page	MOFU
{{topic}}	{{keyword}} ({{MSV}})	{{kw1}}, {{kw2}}, {{kw3}}, {{kw4}}	Template	MOFU

Phase 4: Prioritization Matrix

Score each keyword cluster on four dimensions. Use a 1-5 scale for each.

Cluster	Business Value	Search Volume	Competition	Existing Assets	Total Score	Priority
	1-5	1-5	1-5 (5=easy)	1-5 (5=have related content)	/20

Scoring guide:

• Business Value (1-5): Does this keyword attract your ICP? Would a ranking here drive pipeline? A keyword with 200 MSV that your exact buyer searches is worth more than a 10K MSV keyword that attracts students.
• Search Volume (1-5): 1 = under 50 MSV, 2 = 50-200, 3 = 200-1000, 4 = 1000-5000, 5 = 5000+
• Competition (1-5, inverted): 5 = KD under 20, easy to rank. 1 = KD over 70, very hard. Factor in domain authority comparison with current Page 1 results.
• Existing Assets (1-5): 5 = you have a related page already ranking that can be updated. 1 = starting from scratch with no topical authority in this area.

Priority tiers:

• Score 16-20: Publish this quarter. High impact, favorable conditions.
• Score 12-15: Plan for next quarter. Good opportunity, moderate effort.
• Score 8-11: Backlog. Worth doing eventually, but not urgent.
• Score below 8: Skip or revisit in 6 months.

Phase 5: Content Mapping

Map each prioritized cluster to a specific content piece and add it to your content calendar.

Priority	Cluster	Content Piece	Target URL	Assigned Writer	Target Publish	Brief Status
1	{{cluster}}	{{title}}	/blog/{{slug}}	{{name}}	{{date}}	Brief
2
3

Keyword Tracking Setup

After publishing, track performance:

Keyword	Publish Date	Rank: Week 1	Rank: Month 1	Rank: Month 3	Traffic: Month 3	Leads: Month 3

Review rankings monthly. If a piece has not reached Page 2 within 60 days, revisit the content quality, backlink profile, or technical SEO. Feed this data into your GTM metrics dashboard for leadership reporting.

How to Customize

• For early-stage companies with low domain authority (DR under 30), focus exclusively on keywords with KD under 25. You will not rank for competitive terms until your domain authority improves through backlinks. Prioritize long-tail keywords and link building in parallel.
• For companies in crowded markets, weight the “Business Value” score at 2x in the prioritization matrix. It is better to rank #3 for a keyword your buyer searches than #1 for a keyword that attracts the wrong audience.
• For product-led growth companies, add a “Product Proximity” score to the prioritization matrix. Keywords where the product can be shown as part of the solution (e.g., “how to automate GTM reporting” when your product does exactly that) convert at 3-5x the rate of pure informational keywords.