{"id":618017,"date":"2024-04-23T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research\/"},"modified":"2024-04-23T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T12:00:00","slug":"6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research\/","title":{"rendered":"#6 vital lenses for effective keyword research"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2884c7274b6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2884c7274b6\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research\/#Dont_fall_into_the_trap_of_haphazard_keyword_research_Heres_how_to_go_beyond_basic_metrics_to_identify_keywords_you_can_actually_rank_for\" >Don&#8217;t fall into the trap of haphazard keyword research. Here\u2019s how to go beyond basic metrics to identify keywords you can actually rank for.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research\/#Why_keyword_research_is_hard_and_misunderstood\" >Why keyword research is hard (and misunderstood)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research\/#1_The_likelihood_of_actually_ranking\" >1. The likelihood of actually ranking<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research\/#2_Business-generating_topics\" >2. Business-generating topics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research\/#3_Ranking_in_a_realistic_time_frame_given_your_goals_and_objectives\" >3. Ranking in a realistic time frame (given your goals and objectives)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research\/#4_The_competitive_landscapes_relative_strength\" >4. The competitive landscape\u2019s relative strength<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research\/#5_Your_sites_current_strengths\" >5. Your site\u2019s current strengths<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research\/#6_Resources_youre_able_to_allocate_in_a_specific_time_frame\" >6. Resources you\u2019re able to allocate in a specific time frame<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research\/#A_smarter_more_intentional_keyword_research_approach\" >A smarter, more intentional keyword research approach<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dont_fall_into_the_trap_of_haphazard_keyword_research_Heres_how_to_go_beyond_basic_metrics_to_identify_keywords_you_can_actually_rank_for\"><\/span>Don&#8217;t fall into the trap of haphazard keyword research. Here\u2019s how to go beyond basic metrics to identify keywords you can actually rank for.<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\n<strong>More<\/strong> keyword data isn\u2019t your problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>No, what\u2019s holding you back has nothing to do with your advanced ability to slice and dice keyword data dumps.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Data dumps on their own won\u2019t help you; they\u2019ll probably only hurt you.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/1038259\/SEL_Post-text --><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1693000027709-0\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"post-break\"><\/div>\n<p>Here\u2019s why, how this mindset routinely sabotages keyword research and how to fix it.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-keyword-research-is-hard-and-misunderstood\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_keyword_research_is_hard_and_misunderstood\"><\/span>Why keyword research is hard (and misunderstood)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Anyone anywhere can fire up a keyword research tool and export a giant list of \u201crelevant\u201d keywords. That\u2019s not the problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The problem is that this haphazard, spray-and-pray <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach doesn\u2019t work. Not when your competitors (both direct but more importantly the indirect ones) actually know what they\u2019re doing in competitive spaces.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, your problem isn\u2019t sifting through a ton of random keyword ideas, using arbitrary (and misleading) filters like keyword difficulty (KD) to sort which ones are a \u201cgood\u201d target vs. a \u201cbad\u201d one.<\/p>\n<p>My friend Ben Goodey helped illustrate the problem with keyword research in a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/benjamingoodey_most-keyword-research-spreadsheet-dumps-activity-7171428203276722176-AF5o\">recent LinkedIn post<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><em>\u201cMost keyword research \u201cspreadsheet dumps\u201d people make are NOT useful.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Easy keyword research:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2013 Full dump of entire set of keywords in \u201cyour industry\u201d.<\/em><br \/><em>\u2013 Difficulty and volume appended.<\/em><br \/><em>\u2013 Clustered into related topics.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Useful keyword research:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2013 Keywords you can *actually* win based on your current authority<\/em><br \/><em>\u2013 Keywords that show YOUR buyer is looking for YOUR product<\/em><br \/><em>\u2013 Keywords where competing content is weak<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Takes time and experience. It\u2019s slow.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>But it\u2019s where the magic *actually* happens.\u201d<\/em>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>See, SEO is part art, part <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, it can be technically complex at times. But for the most part, it\u2019s more similar to weight loss:<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s hard is the <strong>consistent execution<\/strong>, and not the actual theory or strategy (eat less; workout more).<\/p>\n<p>So yes, pivot tables can be helpful, especially when you\u2019re working with tons of data points.<\/p>\n<p>But they\u2019re only helpful to a point.<\/p>\n<p>Because the best keyword research strategies actually blend multiple different types of subjective analysis at the same time, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The likelihood or ability to actually rank, for\u2026\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Business-generating topics, within a\u2026\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Realistic time frame given your goals\/objectives, considering\u2026<\/li>\n<li>The competitive landscape you\u2019re up against versus\u2026\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Your site\u2019s current inherent strengths and\u2026\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The resources you\u2019re able to allocate during these pre-defined time periods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In a world of sophisticated SEO, over-engineered pivot tables, fancy formulas and similar basically become more fake busy work.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s step through these six views or \u201clenses\u201d so you can properly analyze keywords from different angles that are a better predictor for success.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-the-likelihood-of-actually-ranking\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_The_likelihood_of_actually_ranking\"><\/span>1. The likelihood of actually ranking<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This first one sounds trite but often isn\u2019t in practice.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, you should be targeting the biggest and best commercial terms in your space. But that brings us back to the age-old SEO Catch-22:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The \u201cbest\u201d keywords are often the most competitive.<\/li>\n<li>This means they\u2019re also going to take the longest to rank for (so, you won\u2019t see any results anytime soon).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you\u2019re ready and willing and able to stomach years of no results, then go for it!<\/p>\n<p>Otherwise, if bosses or peers or clients are going to be breathing down your neck six months from now (read: most, if not all, of them), you\u2019re gonna need to re-adjust your sights.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, feast your eyes on this awesome \u201clive streaming platform\u201d keyword:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"977\" alt=\"Keyword overview - live streaming platform\" class=\"wp-image-439780\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform-554x338.png.webp 554w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform-800x489.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform-185x113.png.webp 185w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform-768x469.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform-1536x938.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform.png.webp\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"977\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform.png.webp\" alt=\"Keyword overview - live streaming platform\" class=\"wp-image-439780\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform-554x338.png.webp 554w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform-800x489.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform-185x113.png.webp 185w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform-768x469.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-live-streaming-platform-1536x938.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Yikes. \u201cSuper hard\u201d keyword difficulty (KD) isn\u2019t great.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>(It\u2019s not all bad per se; keep reading below to see why KD often lies).<\/p>\n<p>However, unless your domain rating already reads ~80-90+, you\u2019re looking at 12+ months at the earliest for any top page (let alone top five) rankings.<\/p>\n<p>So. You adjust your sights \u2013 <em>out and down<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s a similarly relevant keyword that you can rank for in under 12 months to help \u201cbalance the books\u201d while you\u2019re waiting to rank for this more competitive target?<\/p>\n<p>You look for similar underlying intent and relevance but one that\u2019s much more of a short-to-medium-term goal than a long-term one.<\/p>\n<p>Like this:\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1109\" alt=\"Keyword overview - vod streaming\" class=\"wp-image-439781\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming-488x338.png.webp 488w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming-800x555.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming-163x113.png.webp 163w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming-768x532.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming-1536x1065.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1109\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming.png.webp\" alt=\"Keyword overview - vod streaming\" class=\"wp-image-439781\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming-488x338.png.webp 488w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming-800x555.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming-163x113.png.webp 163w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming-768x532.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-vod-streaming-1536x1065.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>No, you probably still won\u2019t rank in the top 5 for this out of the gate. But the related long-tail variations are even more promising.<\/p>\n<p>So, with the right approach, you\u2019re able to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pick up the long-tail variations in the short term (0-6 months).<\/li>\n<li>Get this \u201cVOD streaming\u201d pillar within ~6-12 months.<\/li>\n<li>Leverage this dominance to go back for \u201clive streaming platform\u201d 12+ months from now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In other words, your keyword research + topic selection + content strategy should be more holistic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One cluster sets up another, which sets up another, which sets up another.<\/p>\n<p>No pivot tables required \u2013 only long-term thinking and strategizing.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>The trifecta of keyword research strategy:\u00a0 Volume, difficulty, intent<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-business-generating-topics\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Business-generating_topics\"><\/span>2. Business-generating topics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ranking for all the top-of-the-funnel keywords in your space is a great start.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It might be enough for B2C companies, depending on the rest of their customer acquisition channels and options.<\/p>\n<p>But, those terms alone often don\u2019t move the needle for long, drawn-out, complex sales cycles.<\/p>\n<p>Translation: Using AI to pump out all the crappy content in the world isn\u2019t actually going to drive you new business.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If anything, the substandard quality will likely erode the trust and credibility you\u2019ll need to drive five-plus-figure ARPUs.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why B2B brands especially need to balance both ends of the buyer\u2019s journey:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You need enough bottom-of-the-funnel content to convert attention into interest (where demos, paid trials or sales enablement are more of the norm).<\/li>\n<li>You must not neglect the fact that the vast majority of your ICPs don\u2019t know who you are \u2013 so you\u2019ll need to address pain points and education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You should also realize that sophisticated buyers are already comparing you to alternatives before ever reaching out in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So piggybacking on competitors and alternatives of your product \u2013 even if they\u2019re not direct competitors but simply better known (or funded) \u2013 can help you thread the needle.<\/p>\n<p>This way, you can double down on expanding the \u201cvs\u201d or \u201calternatives\u201d-queries you\u2019re targeting and actually pushing into the top five. Like so:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1043\" alt=\"Organic keywords - contains 'alternatives'\" class=\"wp-image-439782\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives-519x338.png.webp 519w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives-800x522.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives-173x113.png.webp 173w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives-768x501.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives-1536x1001.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1043\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives.png.webp\" alt=\"Organic keywords - contains 'alternatives'\" class=\"wp-image-439782\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives-519x338.png.webp 519w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives-800x522.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives-173x113.png.webp 173w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives-768x501.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-contains-alternatives-1536x1001.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you\u2019re just doing keyword research with a giant data dump, chances are you\u2019re missing these critical \u201cbridge\u201d-type keywords to help transform searchers into leads.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Cause you\u2019re setting artificial minimums around things like \u201cvolume,\u201d even though \u201cvolume\u201d across most keyword research tools are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Completely inaccurate.<\/li>\n<li>Wildly different from tool to tool.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So keep in mind that keyword research data is all relative. Not absolute.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to care about \u201chow much volume\u201d there is for a \u201cvs\u201d or \u201calternative\u201d keyword. \u2018Cause in real life, you already know you\u2019re being compared against alternatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Learn to trust your gut, intuition and customer feedback more than any other artificial number in a spreadsheet.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>B2B keyword research: A comprehensive guide<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-ranking-in-a-realistic-time-frame-given-your-goals-and-objectives\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Ranking_in_a_realistic_time_frame_given_your_goals_and_objectives\"><\/span>3. Ranking in a realistic time frame (given your goals and objectives)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Here\u2019s the thing:<\/p>\n<p>Everyone wants to rank for the \u201cbest\u201d keywords, except not everyone deserves to rank for the best keywords.<\/p>\n<p>Check out this example below and look at the brand names dominating the top 10 for \u201cwhat is CRM\u201d:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1114\" height=\"968\" alt=\"SERP overview - what is crm\" class=\"wp-image-439783\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm.png.webp 1114w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm-389x338.png.webp 389w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm-690x600.png.webp 690w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm-130x113.png.webp 130w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm-768x667.png.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1114px) 100vw, 1114px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1114\" height=\"968\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm.png.webp\" alt=\"SERP overview - what is crm\" class=\"wp-image-439783\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm.png.webp 1114w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm-389x338.png.webp 389w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm-690x600.png.webp 690w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm-130x113.png.webp 130w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-what-is-crm-768x667.png.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1114px) 100vw, 1114px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Now, ask yourself:<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not already a household name in the CRM space, what is the likelihood of you unseating one of these competitors?<\/p>\n<p>Seriously, what\u2019s the likelihood that you\u2019ll rank in the top 10 for this keyword in one year?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And then, more importantly, what is it actually gonna take you \u2013 today \u2013 to get there tomorrow?<\/p>\n<p>No. You probably don\u2019t deserve to rank in the top 10 for this query.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Not today, and probably not over the next 12 months.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But two or three or five years from now? Sure! Why not?!<\/p>\n<p>The Beachhead Principle can help, but only if you put in the hard work over the next few years to achieve it.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-css-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-the-competitive-landscape-s-relative-strength\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_The_competitive_landscapes_relative_strength\"><\/span>4. The competitive landscape\u2019s relative strength<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Keyword difficulty lies.<\/p>\n<p>Not some of the time, but all of the time, across pretty much every single keyword research tool.<\/p>\n<p>This means simply adding a filter for KD when doing keyword research isn\u2019t good enough.<\/p>\n<p>At best, it sets you up for bad expectations. At worst, it manifests in \u201cpretty good\u201d future rankings that never will actually break the bank (in a good way).<\/p>\n<p>See, \u201ckeyword difficulty\u201d usually relates specifically to the number (not even quality!) of backlinks to each individual piece of content currently ranking in the top ten or so.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, it does not only ignore the quality of said backlinks but also the overall domain strength of the site.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Check out this \u201clocalization issues\u201d example below to see what I mean:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"673\" alt=\"Keyword overview - localization issues\" class=\"wp-image-439784\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues-600x252.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues-800x337.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues-200x84.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues-768x323.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues-1536x646.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"673\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues.png.webp\" alt=\"Keyword overview - localization issues\" class=\"wp-image-439784\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues-600x252.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues-800x337.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues-200x84.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues-768x323.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Keyword-overview-localization-issues-1536x646.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Nice! We SEOs like \u201cEasy,\u201d right?<\/p>\n<p>Except, this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"806\" alt=\"SERP overview - localization issues\" class=\"wp-image-439785\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues-600x302.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues-800x403.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues-200x101.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues-768x387.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues-1536x774.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"806\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues.png.webp\" alt=\"SERP overview - localization issues\" class=\"wp-image-439785\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues-600x302.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues-800x403.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues-200x101.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues-768x387.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-localization-issues-1536x774.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Sure, the two green boxes (page-level strength) are kinda\/sorta easy.<\/p>\n<p>However, the red box? Domain strength overall? With one exception, the rest are sitting at 70+ domain ratings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So no. This keyword isn\u2019t \u201ceasy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is why filtering a spreadsheet for \u201clow KD\u201d is misleading and inaccurate.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-your-site-s-current-strengths\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Your_sites_current_strengths\"><\/span>5. Your site\u2019s current strengths<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Topical authority can work practically in two ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It can be a rising tide that lifts all boats (err, other similar keywords in the same space you\u2019re deemed an expert), <strong>or<\/strong>\u2026<\/li>\n<li>It can be a glass ceiling, giving you the dreaded \u201cpretty good\u201d rankings that never actually come to fruition (without a ton of extra work in other areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The simplest way to assess topical authority (or lack thereof) is to see if you have good rankings (top five or 10, at least) for lots of related content around these same queries.<\/p>\n<p>Wanna see what that looks like? Kinda like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1151\" alt=\"Organic keywords - live streaming\" class=\"wp-image-439786\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming-470x338.png.webp 470w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming-800x576.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming-157x113.png.webp 157w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming-768x552.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming-1536x1105.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1151\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming.png.webp\" alt=\"Organic keywords - live streaming\" class=\"wp-image-439786\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming-470x338.png.webp 470w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming-800x576.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming-157x113.png.webp 157w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming-768x552.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-live-streaming-1536x1105.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Tons of top five rankings for related keywords around \u201clive streaming.\u201d Great!<\/p>\n<p>But the inverse is true, too.<\/p>\n<p>No strong rankings for other related topics or concepts? This means you have a lot more work to do!<\/p>\n<p>Take a look at this pillar page below and specifically the sub-sections being called out:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1374\" height=\"1016\" alt=\"Pillar page - sub-sections and keywords\" class=\"wp-image-439787\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords.png.webp 1374w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords-457x338.png.webp 457w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords-800x592.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords-153x113.png.webp 153w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords-768x568.png.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1374px) 100vw, 1374px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1374\" height=\"1016\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords.png.webp\" alt=\"Pillar page - sub-sections and keywords\" class=\"wp-image-439787\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords.png.webp 1374w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords-457x338.png.webp 457w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords-800x592.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords-153x113.png.webp 153w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Pillar-page-sub-sections-and-keywords-768x568.png.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1374px) 100vw, 1374px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s assess each area to see if this site already has good rankings for those sections.<\/p>\n<p>Example 1: A single 12th position, so not really.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"300\" alt=\"Organic keywords - in-app messaging\" class=\"wp-image-439788\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging-600x113.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging-800x150.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging-200x38.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging-768x144.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging-1536x288.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging.png.webp\" alt=\"Organic keywords - in-app messaging\" class=\"wp-image-439788\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging-600x113.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging-800x150.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging-200x38.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging-768x144.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-in-app-messaging-1536x288.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Example 2: Two 60+ positions \u2013 not at all!<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"363\" alt=\"Organic keywords - user feedback\" class=\"wp-image-439789\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback-600x136.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback-800x182.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback-200x45.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback-768x174.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback-1536x348.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback.png.webp\" alt=\"Organic keywords - user feedback\" class=\"wp-image-439789\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback-600x136.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback-800x182.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback-200x45.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback-768x174.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-user-feedback-1536x348.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Example 3: Lots of 40-80+ positions. So clearly, no.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"712\" alt=\"Organic keywords - onboarding\" class=\"wp-image-439790\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding-600x267.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding-800x356.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding-200x89.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding-768x342.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding-1536x684.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"712\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding.png.webp\" alt=\"Organic keywords - onboarding\" class=\"wp-image-439790\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding-600x267.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding-800x356.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding-200x89.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding-768x342.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/Organic-keywords-onboarding-1536x684.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The point?<\/p>\n<p>That first pillar page will always struggle to rank until you can also get these other supporting pages to help, you know, actually support it!<\/p>\n<p>In other words, there is no existing topical authority in this space. Creating and reinforcing this should be priority number one.<\/p>\n<p>And yet? No Excel sheet or formula is going to tell you this. At least, not without analyzing the problem of not ranking from different perspectives or angles like this.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-resources-you-re-able-to-allocate-in-a-specific-time-frame\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Resources_youre_able_to_allocate_in_a_specific_time_frame\"><\/span>6. Resources you\u2019re able to allocate in a specific time frame<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s recap and combine the first five ideas. Then, add a sixth consideration: how many resources (i.e., people, time, money) you can realistically allocate to each keyword you might want to target over the next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Once again, back to \u201clive streaming platform.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Take a peek at both the domain and page-level strengths below:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"633\" alt=\"SERP overview - live streaming platform\" class=\"wp-image-439791\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform-600x237.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform-800x317.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform-200x79.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform-768x304.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform-1536x608.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"633\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform.png.webp\" alt=\"SERP overview - live streaming platform\" class=\"wp-image-439791\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform.png.webp 1600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform-600x237.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform-800x317.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform-200x79.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform-768x304.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/SERP-overview-live-streaming-platform-1536x608.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Now, an important caveat:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You\u2019ll notice the huge number of referring domains (in the right-hand orange box).<\/li>\n<li>That\u2019s why this KD was listed as \u201cSuper Hard\u201d earlier.<\/li>\n<li>But, those of you with eagle eyes will now see that the ones with thousands or tens of thousands of referring domains are actually homepages!<\/li>\n<li>This means that \u201cSuper Hard\u201d ranking earlier is also overstated.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Ahrefs is simply averaging out these tens of thousands of domains across the other results, too.<\/li>\n<li>If search intent is truly a comparison post, it will mean that you don\u2019t need nearly as many links to actually rank for this query.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Confused yet?<\/p>\n<p>Yes, this keyword is still pretty difficult. Don\u2019t get it twisted.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s not <em>nearly<\/em> as difficult or unattainable as that KD would have originally alluded to.<\/p>\n<p>Once again, no Excel formulas would have helped you uncover this issue. Only your eyes, ears and experience can.<\/p>\n<p>This is one of the many reasons why brands routinely fail at link building. When you see \u201c1,000+\u201d backlinks needed, you build tons and tons of cheap, low-quality links.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yet, you\u2019d probably be better off with better content, topical authority and fewer (dozens to hundreds) of really high-quality, editorial-based links instead.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, you still need relevance and scale either way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The type of campaigns and, therefore, the effective budget required for this one URL (compared to all the other URLs you might be juggling) should also be completely different.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-smarter-more-intentional-keyword-research-approach\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_smarter_more_intentional_keyword_research_approach\"><\/span>A smarter, more intentional keyword research approach<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s face it:<\/p>\n<p>SEOs are kinda geeky. We love data and want to live in a world of logic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We believe everything we do is quantifiable and data-driven. But don\u2019t take this way too far.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t need fancy formulas and pivot tables when doing keyword research. The more data sets you\u2019re juggling often lead you astray.<\/p>\n<p>SEO is more art than pure science in this regard.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s hard about SEO is reading the tea leaves and then consistently executing over the long haul (read: 24+ months, minimum).<\/p>\n<p>None of these can be answered by ChatGPT, Ahrefs, etc., with a simple prompt or export button.<\/p>\n<p>This is why people and companies fail at SEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Not because \u201cSEO is difficult\/technical\/doesn\u2019t work in my space\/enter other excuses here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"about-author\">\n    About the author<\/p>\n<div class=\"information\">\n<div class=\"author-module\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 text-center\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" alt=\"Brad Smith\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/10\/Brad-Smith.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/10\/Brad-Smith.png.webp\" alt=\"Brad Smith\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\">\n                                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9\">\n<div class=\"about\">\n<div class=\"name\">\n                            <strong>Brad Smith<\/strong>\n                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"row g-2 pt-2\">\n<div class=\"col-auto\">\n                                    <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bsmarketer\/\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a>\n                                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        Brad Smith owns three content marketing companies, and has been featured in publications like The New York Times, Forbes, Business Insider, and The Next Web. Each week, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bradsmith.io\/\">he shares first-hand experience and growth strategies<\/a> behind some of the web&#8217;s fastest growing brands.                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/effective-keyword-research-lenses-439777\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Don&#8217;t fall into the trap of haphazard keyword research. Here\u2019s how to go beyond basic metrics to identify keywords you can actually rank for. More keyword data isn\u2019t your problem.\u00a0 No, what\u2019s holding you back has nothing to do with your advanced ability to slice and dice keyword data dumps.\u00a0 Data dumps on their own&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":618018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/04\/6-vital-lenses-for-effective-keyword-research.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[78072,78070],"class_list":["post-618017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-content","tag-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}