How to do keyword research in Semrush

Semrush is one of the most comprehensive and powerful all-in-one SEO and marketing toolkits available, and its keyword research capabilities are truly exceptional.

Read more about how to do keyword research:
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How to do keyword research for free
How to do keyword research on Pinterest

It goes far beyond basic search volume, offering deep insights into keyword difficulty, search intent, competitor strategies, and content gaps.

Mastering Semrush for keyword research involves navigating its various reports and understanding how to leverage its vast database of keywords and competitive intelligence.

Understanding the Keyword Magic Tool

Paragraphs: The Keyword Magic Tool is Semrush’s flagship feature for generating extensive keyword lists. You start with a seed keyword, and the tool rapidly generates thousands of related keywords, phrases, and questions. What sets it apart is its robust filtering options. You can filter by search volume, keyword difficulty, intent (informational, navigational, commercial, transactional), number of words (for long-tail), and include/exclude specific terms. This allows you to quickly narrow down vast lists to highly relevant and actionable keywords tailored to your specific goals, whether it’s content creation, PPC campaigns, or e-commerce.

• Enter “keto diet” into the Keyword Magic Tool. You might get 50,000+ keywords.
• Filter by “Questions” to find “is keto diet healthy,” “how long to stay on keto,” “what to eat on keto.”
• Filter by “Commercial” intent to find “keto diet pills,” “buy keto supplements,” “keto meal delivery service.”
• Filter by “Keyword Difficulty” (KD) under 30 for easier targets.
• Starting Point: Enter a seed keyword.
• Keyword Filters:
  • Volume: Filter by min/max monthly searches.
  • KD %: Filter by keyword difficulty score (e.g., 0-30 for easy).
  • Intent: Choose from Informational, Navigational, Commercial, Transactional.
  • Word Count: Filter for long-tail keywords (e.g., 4+ words).
  • Include/Exclude Keywords: Add specific words you want to appear or avoid.
  • Questions: See only question-based keywords.
  • Advanced Filters: Apply multiple conditions.
• Grouping: Keywords are automatically grouped by topic, helping you identify content clusters.
  Data/Stats: The Keyword Magic Tool provides accurate monthly search volumes, Keyword Difficulty (KD) scores (0-100), Competitive Density (for paid search), and SERP features (e.g., featured snippets, local packs) present for each keyword. It boasts a database of billions of keywords globally.

Analyzing Competitor Keyword Gaps and Opportunities

Paragraphs: Semrush excels at competitive analysis, allowing you to uncover keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t, and vice versa. The “Keyword Gap” tool is particularly powerful. You can enter your domain and up to four competitor domains, and Semrush will show you overlapping keywords, unique keywords your competitors rank for (opportunities for you), and unique keywords you rank for. This reveals direct opportunities to target keywords where your competitors are already getting traffic, or areas where you can establish authority by targeting keywords they’ve missed. It’s an invaluable strategic overview.

• Enter your website (yourdomain.com) and two competitors (competitor1.com, competitor2.com) into the Keyword Gap tool.
• Select “Missing” keywords (keywords your competitors rank for, but you don’t). This is your priority list.
• Alternatively, select “Weak” keywords (keywords you rank for in lower positions than competitors) to find areas for content improvement.
• Keyword Gap Tool:
  • Enter your domain and competitor domains.
  • Choose specific keyword types (organic, paid, PLA).
  • Select intersections: “Missing,” “Weak,” “Strong,” “Unique to me,” “Unique to competitor.”
  • Filter results by volume, KD, and intent.
• Organic Research Tool (Competitors Tab): See a list of your organic competitors and their common keywords.
• Domain Overview Tool: Get a quick snapshot of a competitor’s top organic and paid keywords.
  Data/Stats: Semrush provides detailed metrics for each keyword in the gap analysis, including position, search volume, KD, and traffic percentage, allowing you to prioritize effectively. It can reveal that a competitor is getting significant traffic from a keyword you’ve completely overlooked.

Performing SERP Analysis within Semrush

Paragraphs: Understanding the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) for a given keyword is crucial for effective SEO. Semrush integrates SERP analysis directly into its keyword reports. For any keyword, you can click to view the live SERP, and Semrush will overlay data about each ranking page: its Domain Score, page authority, estimated traffic, and the number of referring domains. This allows you to quickly assess the strength of your competition for a particular keyword. Are the top results from massive authority sites, or are there smaller blogs or niche sites you could realistically outrank? This visual and data-rich analysis helps you determine the true difficulty beyond a simple KD score.

How to do keyword research on Pinterest

• You find a keyword “best protein powder for women” with a KD of 55. While it seems moderate, when you view the SERP in Semrush, you see that the top 5 results are all from highly authoritative health publications like Healthline, WebMD, and Women’s Health. This tells you it’s still a very tough keyword despite the KD.
• Conversely, for “DIY macrame plant hanger tutorial,” you might see a lower KD and the SERP reveals several smaller craft blogs ranking well, indicating a more accessible opportunity.
• Keyword Overview: Enter a keyword and scroll down to the “SERP Analysis” section.
• Keyword Magic Tool/Keyword Manager: Click on the “SERP” icon next to any keyword.
• Metrics for each SERP result:
  • Authority Score (AS): Semrush’s metric for overall domain authority.
  • Referring Domains: Number of unique domains linking to the ranking page.
  • Traffic: Estimated monthly organic traffic to that specific page.
  • Keyword: The primary keyword that page ranks for.
• Visual cues: See if specific SERP features (Featured Snippets, Local Pack, Video Carousel) are present, which might influence your content strategy.
  Bold Text: SERP analysis in Semrush provides vital context to keyword difficulty, showing you the real competition you’re up against.

Using the Topic Research Tool for Content Ideas

Paragraphs: Semrush’s Topic Research tool is designed to help content marketers generate a wealth of content ideas around a broad subject, identifying popular sub-topics, questions, and headlines that resonate with audiences. Instead of starting with a specific keyword, you begin with a broader topic, and the tool provides cards with related articles, questions, and search queries. This is excellent for brainstorming content clusters, ensuring comprehensive coverage of a topic, and identifying what kind of content formats are popular. It helps you move beyond individual keywords to a holistic content strategy centered around user interests.

• Enter “sustainable living” into the Topic Research tool. You might see cards for “zero waste,” “eco-friendly products,” “composting,” “reusable items,” “ethical fashion.”
• For each card, you’ll find top headlines, related questions, and common searches, like “best composting methods for apartments” or “how to reduce plastic waste.”
• Enter a broad topic: Start with a general area of interest.
• Visual Cards: Semrush presents related sub-topics as cards.
• Drill Down: Click on a card to see:
  • Top Headlines: Popular articles from the SERP related to that sub-topic.
  • Questions: Common questions asked about the sub-topic.
  • Related Searches: Keywords and phrases associated with the sub-topic.
• Mind Map View: Visualize the topic and its sub-topics in a tree-like structure.
• Content Ideas: Use the tool to identify gaps in your content or areas where you can create more in-depth pieces.
  Data/Stats: While not direct keyword volume, the Topic Research tool shows “Topic Efficiency” based on volume and difficulty, helping you prioritize content ideas that have the highest potential impact.

Tracking and Monitoring Keywords with Semrush

Paragraphs: Keyword research isn’t a one-time event. it’s an ongoing process. Semrush’s Position Tracking tool allows you to continuously monitor your website’s ranking for a list of target keywords, as well as your competitors’ rankings for the same keywords. This is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of your SEO efforts, identifying keyword decay, spotting new opportunities, and reacting to competitor movements. You can track keywords daily, weekly, or monthly, see your visibility score, estimated traffic, and get alerts for significant ranking changes. This constant monitoring loop informs future content optimization and keyword targeting strategies.

How to do keyword research for free

• You add “best vegan protein powder” to your Position Tracking project. You see your ranking move from #15 to #7 after optimizing a blog post.
• You notice a competitor suddenly jumps from #20 to #5 for “affordable eco-friendly cleaning products,” prompting you to investigate their recent content or backlinks.
• Set up a Project: Create a project for your domain and add the keywords you want to track.
• Add Competitors: Include 3-5 competitors to benchmark your performance.
• Daily/Weekly/Monthly Tracking: Configure the frequency of ranking updates.
• Visibility Score: See your overall organic visibility for the tracked keywords.
• Estimated Traffic: Get an estimate of the organic traffic driven by your tracked keywords.
• SERP Features Tracking: See if your content is gaining (or losing) rich results like Featured Snippets.
• Notifications: Receive alerts for significant ranking changes.
• Reporting: Generate custom reports on keyword performance over time.
  Bold Text: Continuous monitoring with Semrush’s Position Tracking is vital for adapting your strategy and ensuring long-term keyword success. It transforms your keyword research into actionable insights.