How to Use Semrush for Keyword Research

Keyword research is the study of search terms that people enter into search engines to find information. It helps in understanding where the search traffic in your market comes from and determines which keywords a website can target with marketing. It is important because it allows you to:

• Understand and reach your audience
• Find new relevant topics for your site
• Get qualified leads
• Increase sales
• Improve ad campaigns for better clicks and impressions
• Build brand awareness

Regular keyword research is essential as keywords change, audience behaviors evolve, and search engines update their algorithms.

To use the Semrush Keyword Magic Tool for keyword research, follow these steps:

1. Start with a single seed keyword and hit 'Search'.
2. Explore the suggested groups and subgroups of related topics to find niche long-tails and ideas for your PPC ad groups.
3. Sort groups by volume or number of keywords.
4. Exclude irrelevant groups using the eye icon.
5. Use Match Modifiers to adjust the keyword selection.
6. Utilize the Questions Filter to find question-based keywords.
7. Apply Advanced filters to specify the scope of your key phrases with metrics like word counts, search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, competitive density, and the number of results in SERP.

This tool also allows you to see domains that bid on a keyword, ad traffic, and the total number of ads for better PPC planning.

To find low-competition keywords using Semrush, you can utilize the Keyword Difficulty metric. This index, expressed as a percentage (1–100%), indicates how hard it would be to outrank competitors in organic search results. You can analyze keyword difficulty in bulk by entering up to 100 keywords at a time in the Keyword Overview report. This report also provides additional metrics like monthly volume, number of URLs in organic results, and SERP features. By identifying keywords with lower competition levels, you can target them more effectively without wasting resources on unrealistic ranking goals.

Using Semrush Copilot for keyword research provides several benefits:

• It automatically checks your website for new keyword opportunities.
• It previews potential topics to explore next.
• It includes insights on competitor rankings, declined keywords, keyword gaps, and visibility drops.

All these insights are accessible from your Projects page, making it easier to follow up on suggestions and direct you to the corresponding tools for further action.

To track your website's performance for specific keywords, you can set up Position Tracking from the Semrush Project page. Here's how:

1. Click 'Create Project' and enter the URL of the site you want to track.
2. Select the device and location.
3. Add your keywords to the tracking list.

This tool allows you to target multiple device types and geographic locations, find SERP features opportunities, and identify local competitors. For a quick overview, you can refer to Copilot on your Projects page, which automatically tracks changes and informs you of any visibility shifts.