Want better keyword research? Many people waste hours finding keywords that bring little traffic. Meanwhile, their rivals take over Google search results. I'll show you exactly how pros use SEMrush to discover hidden keyword chances that deliver actual visitors and sales.
You need to know about three main keyword types before diving into research. Short keywords like "cars" have lots of searches but unclear intent - someone typing that could want anything from car news to repair tips. These terms face huge competition and rarely convert well.
Medium keywords such as "used cars" make the intent clearer. They show that the person likely wants to buy a vehicle, not read about manufacturing. These terms have decent search numbers and better conversion rates than short keywords. They work well for service pages or product groups.
Specific phrases like "used red Ford car in Brighton" show exactly what someone wants. These long-tail keywords prove easier to rank for and convert much better. Most searches actually use these specific terms, yet many businesses ignore them. Start with these longer phrases for quick ranking wins.
Begin research with medium keywords for a strong foundation. Enter "oven cleaning" in SEMrush's Keyword Overview tool. You'll see it gets 5,400 monthly UK searches with medium competition and 41% difficulty. The intent appears commercial—people want to buy services rather than read articles.
To plan your content calendar, look deeper at seasonal patterns and cost-per-click data. Next, check keyword variations, questions, and related terms. Most researchers stop here, but professionals dig further, using three special methods to find untapped opportunities.
First, use SEMrush's Keyword Magic Tool with advanced filters. Set keyword difficulty low (try 0-30% for newer sites) and sort by search volume. This reveals patterns others miss. The term "oven cleaning cost" might seem small individually, but together, they represent 1,000 monthly searches that rank easily.
Second, try the Reddit hack. Enter "reddit.com" in SEMrush's Domain Overview, check Organic Research, and filter for your topic. This shows real questions people ask because Reddit ranks high for many terms. Our example discovered gems like "Can you use oven cleaner on an air fryer?" with little competition.
Third, study competitor keywords. Find site ranking for your terms, analyze their organic keywords, and look for accidentally ranked terms or topics they expanded into. We found a competitor ranking for "bicarbonate of soda for oven cleaning" and terms about specific oven types like "Aga cleaning."
After gathering keywords, organize them into groups using SEMrush's clustering feature. Our oven-cleaning research found 57 keywords totaling over 45,000 monthly searches. The tool automatically grouped related terms based on search result similarity, creating clear content categories.
We discovered clusters around pricing (1,700 searches), how-to content (15,000 searches), component-specific guides (5,000 searches), and products/methods (3,200 searches). Some valuable terms stood alone, like "clean an oven with a dishwasher tablet," with 590 monthly searches.
The real power comes from building topic authority. When you publish content covering every aspect of a subject, search engines see your site as an expert resource. Each page targets multiple related terms, not just one keyword. Your content supports itself through internal linking, creating a strong network.
Order your content creation based on difficulty, search volume, and commercial intent. Start with easier wins like pricing pages, then create how-to guides for specific components before tackling the main high-volume terms. Make detailed outlines including all related keywords from each cluster.
Connect your content with smart internal linking. Link from information pages to sales pages. Join related guides together. Build hub pages that link to detailed articles. Track rankings and traffic after publishing, then update regularly. Your best strategy finds valuable keywords others missed.
You need to know about three main keyword types before diving into research. Short keywords like "cars" have lots of searches but unclear intent - someone typing that could want anything from car news to repair tips. These terms face huge competition and rarely convert well.
Medium keywords such as "used cars" make the intent clearer. They show that the person likely wants to buy a vehicle, not read about manufacturing. These terms have decent search numbers and better conversion rates than short keywords. They work well for service pages or product groups.
Specific phrases like "used red Ford car in Brighton" show exactly what someone wants. These long-tail keywords prove easier to rank for and convert much better. Most searches actually use these specific terms, yet many businesses ignore them. Start with these longer phrases for quick ranking wins.
Begin research with medium keywords for a strong foundation. Enter "oven cleaning" in SEMrush's Keyword Overview tool. You'll see it gets 5,400 monthly UK searches with medium competition and 41% difficulty. The intent appears commercial—people want to buy services rather than read articles.
To plan your content calendar, look deeper at seasonal patterns and cost-per-click data. Next, check keyword variations, questions, and related terms. Most researchers stop here, but professionals dig further, using three special methods to find untapped opportunities.
First, use SEMrush's Keyword Magic Tool with advanced filters. Set keyword difficulty low (try 0-30% for newer sites) and sort by search volume. This reveals patterns others miss. The term "oven cleaning cost" might seem small individually, but together, they represent 1,000 monthly searches that rank easily.
Second, try the Reddit hack. Enter "reddit.com" in SEMrush's Domain Overview, check Organic Research, and filter for your topic. This shows real questions people ask because Reddit ranks high for many terms. Our example discovered gems like "Can you use oven cleaner on an air fryer?" with little competition.
Third, study competitor keywords. Find site ranking for your terms, analyze their organic keywords, and look for accidentally ranked terms or topics they expanded into. We found a competitor ranking for "bicarbonate of soda for oven cleaning" and terms about specific oven types like "Aga cleaning."
After gathering keywords, organize them into groups using SEMrush's clustering feature. Our oven-cleaning research found 57 keywords totaling over 45,000 monthly searches. The tool automatically grouped related terms based on search result similarity, creating clear content categories.
We discovered clusters around pricing (1,700 searches), how-to content (15,000 searches), component-specific guides (5,000 searches), and products/methods (3,200 searches). Some valuable terms stood alone, like "clean an oven with a dishwasher tablet," with 590 monthly searches.
The real power comes from building topic authority. When you publish content covering every aspect of a subject, search engines see your site as an expert resource. Each page targets multiple related terms, not just one keyword. Your content supports itself through internal linking, creating a strong network.
Order your content creation based on difficulty, search volume, and commercial intent. Start with easier wins like pricing pages, then create how-to guides for specific components before tackling the main high-volume terms. Make detailed outlines including all related keywords from each cluster.
Connect your content with smart internal linking. Link from information pages to sales pages. Join related guides together. Build hub pages that link to detailed articles. Track rankings and traffic after publishing, then update regularly. Your best strategy finds valuable keywords others missed.
