Complete Guide to Keyword Research with WeeklySEO

WeeklySEO's Keyword Research feature helps you discover new ranking opportunities automatically. This guide covers everything you need to know.

**Note**: Keyword Research is available on Pro and Business plans.

What is Keyword Research?

Keyword Research in WeeklySEO uses AI to:

**Discover** new keyword opportunities based on your content

**Analyze** competition and opportunity scores

**Track** keywords as you work to rank for them

**Measure** progress toward ranking goals

Accessing Keyword Research

Navigate to **Keyword Research** in the sidebar

Select your website

Click **"Research Keywords"** to discover new opportunities

Understanding the Research Process

What the AI Analyzes

**Your existing content**: Pages, topics, and themes

**Your current rankings**: Keywords you already rank for

**Search patterns**: What people are searching for

**Competitor keywords**: Terms your competitors rank for

**Search volume**: How many people search each term

**Difficulty**: How hard it is to rank

Discovery Sources

Keywords can be discovered from:

**Content analysis**: Terms related to your existing pages

**GSC data**: Queries you get impressions for but don't rank well

**Related searches**: Keywords similar to what you rank for

**Competitor analysis**: Terms competitors rank for that you don't

Keyword Status Workflow

Discovered

Newly found keywords not yet being tracked.

**What to do:**

Review opportunity score and difficulty

Assess relevance to your business

Decide whether to track

Tracking

Keywords you're actively monitoring.

**When to use:**

Keywords you're not ranking for yet

Terms you plan to create content for

Opportunities you're considering

Targeting

Keywords you're actively working to rank for.

**When to use:**

Created or optimized content for the keyword

Implementing SEO improvements

Actively building links or signals

Achieved

Keywords where you've reached your ranking goal (typically page 1).

**What happens:**

Automatically moved when you rank well

Continues to be monitored

Celebrated as a win!

Opportunity Score Explained

The opportunity score (0-100) indicates how valuable a keyword is for you to target.

**High scores (70-100)** mean:

High search volume relative to difficulty

Good relevance to your existing content

Lower competition level

Strong potential ROI

**Medium scores (40-69)** mean:

Moderate volume or higher difficulty

Decent relevance

Average competition

Worth targeting with effort

**Low scores (0-39)** mean:

Low volume or very high difficulty

Marginal relevance

Intense competition

May not be worth effort

Keyword Difficulty Scale

**Easy (0-30):**

Low competition

Can rank with good content alone

Ideal for newer sites

**Medium (31-60):**

Moderate competition

Requires good content + some links

Achievable with consistent effort

**Hard (61-85):**

High competition

Needs excellent content + strong links

Takes time and resources

**Very Hard (86-100):**

Extremely competitive

Requires significant authority

Long-term play for most sites

Using Keyword Research Effectively

Step 1: Run Initial Research

Click **"Research Keywords"** to discover opportunities. The AI will:

Analyze your site and rankings

Identify 20-50 keyword opportunities

Score and categorize them

Step 2: Review and Filter

Sort and filter to find the best opportunities:

**High opportunity score**: Best ROI keywords

**Low-medium difficulty**: Achievable targets

**High search volume**: More traffic potential

**Relevant to your business**: Worth the effort

Step 3: Select Keywords to Track

For high-potential keywords:

Change status to **"Tracking"**

Monitor their current position (if ranking)

Plan content strategy

Step 4: Create/Optimize Content

Move keywords to **"Targeting"** when you:

Create new content targeting the keyword

Optimize existing pages for the term

Begin building links or signals

Step 5: Monitor Progress

Check weekly to see:

Position improvements

Impression changes

Click growth

Achievement milestones

Keyword Research Strategy

For New Websites

Focus on:

Easy difficulty keywords

Long-tail variations

Niche topics

Lower competition terms

**Timeline**: 3-6 months to see results

For Established Websites

Target:

Medium difficulty keywords

Higher volume terms

Competitive topics

Broader keywords

**Timeline**: 1-3 months to see results

Content Planning

Use keyword research to:

**Plan blog posts**: One keyword per post

**Optimize existing pages**: Add keywords to current content

**Create pillar content**: Target multiple related keywords

**Fill content gaps**: Cover topics competitors rank for

Best Practices

✅ **Start small**: Target 5-10 keywords per month

✅ **Match intent**: Create content that answers the search query

✅ **Update regularly**: Run research monthly for new opportunities

✅ **Track metrics**: Monitor position, clicks, and conversions

✅ **Be patient**: SEO takes 3-6 months to show results

❌ **Don't scatter**: Focus on fewer keywords deeply

❌ **Don't ignore difficulty**: Be realistic about what you can rank for

❌ **Don't keyword stuff**: Write naturally for humans

❌ **Don't stop at creation**: Promote and build links to content

Measuring Success

Track these metrics monthly:

Keywords moved from Discovered → Tracking

Keywords moved from Targeting → Achieved

Total keywords ranking on page 1

Organic traffic growth

Conversions from new keywords

Next Steps

[Competitor Keyword Tracking](/help/articles/competitor-keyword-tracking) - See what competitors rank for

[Keyword Opportunity Scores](/help/articles/keyword-opportunity-scores) - Understand scoring

[Content Creation](/help/articles/suggestion-types) - Get content suggestions

WeeklySEO's Keyword Research feature helps you discover new ranking opportunities automatically. This guide covers everything you need to know.

**Note**: Keyword Research is available on Pro and Business plans.

What is Keyword Research?

Keyword Research in WeeklySEO uses AI to:

**Discover** new keyword opportunities based on your content

**Analyze** competition and opportunity scores

**Track** keywords as you work to rank for them

**Measure** progress toward ranking goals

Accessing Keyword Research

Navigate to **Keyword Research** in the sidebar

Select your website

Click **"Research Keywords"** to discover new opportunities

Understanding the Research Process

What the AI Analyzes

**Your existing content**: Pages, topics, and themes

**Your current rankings**: Keywords you already rank for

**Search patterns**: What people are searching for

**Competitor keywords**: Terms your competitors rank for

**Search volume**: How many people search each term

**Difficulty**: How hard it is to rank

Discovery Sources

Keywords can be discovered from:

**Content analysis**: Terms related to your existing pages

**GSC data**: Queries you get impressions for but don't rank well

**Related searches**: Keywords similar to what you rank for

**Competitor analysis**: Terms competitors rank for that you don't

Keyword Status Workflow

Discovered

Newly found keywords not yet being tracked.

**What to do:**

Review opportunity score and difficulty

Assess relevance to your business

Decide whether to track

Tracking

Keywords you're actively monitoring.

**When to use:**

Keywords you're not ranking for yet

Terms you plan to create content for

Opportunities you're considering

Targeting

Keywords you're actively working to rank for.

**When to use:**

Created or optimized content for the keyword

Implementing SEO improvements

Actively building links or signals

Achieved

Keywords where you've reached your ranking goal (typically page 1).

**What happens:**

Automatically moved when you rank well

Continues to be monitored

Celebrated as a win!

Opportunity Score Explained

The opportunity score (0-100) indicates how valuable a keyword is for you to target.

**High scores (70-100)** mean:

High search volume relative to difficulty

Good relevance to your existing content

Lower competition level

Strong potential ROI

**Medium scores (40-69)** mean:

Moderate volume or higher difficulty

Decent relevance

Average competition

Worth targeting with effort

**Low scores (0-39)** mean:

Low volume or very high difficulty

Marginal relevance

Intense competition

May not be worth effort

Keyword Difficulty Scale

**Easy (0-30):**

Low competition

Can rank with good content alone

Ideal for newer sites

**Medium (31-60):**

Moderate competition

Requires good content + some links

Achievable with consistent effort

**Hard (61-85):**

High competition

Needs excellent content + strong links

Takes time and resources

**Very Hard (86-100):**

Extremely competitive

Requires significant authority

Long-term play for most sites

Using Keyword Research Effectively

Step 1: Run Initial Research

Click **"Research Keywords"** to discover opportunities. The AI will:

Analyze your site and rankings

Identify 20-50 keyword opportunities

Score and categorize them

Step 2: Review and Filter

Sort and filter to find the best opportunities:

**High opportunity score**: Best ROI keywords

**Low-medium difficulty**: Achievable targets

**High search volume**: More traffic potential

**Relevant to your business**: Worth the effort

Step 3: Select Keywords to Track

For high-potential keywords:

Change status to **"Tracking"**

Monitor their current position (if ranking)

Plan content strategy

Step 4: Create/Optimize Content

Move keywords to **"Targeting"** when you:

Create new content targeting the keyword

Optimize existing pages for the term

Begin building links or signals

Step 5: Monitor Progress

Check weekly to see:

Position improvements

Impression changes

Click growth

Achievement milestones

Keyword Research Strategy

For New Websites

Focus on:

Easy difficulty keywords

Long-tail variations

Niche topics

Lower competition terms

**Timeline**: 3-6 months to see results

For Established Websites

Target:

Medium difficulty keywords

Higher volume terms

Competitive topics

Broader keywords

**Timeline**: 1-3 months to see results

Content Planning

Use keyword research to:

**Plan blog posts**: One keyword per post

**Optimize existing pages**: Add keywords to current content

**Create pillar content**: Target multiple related keywords

**Fill content gaps**: Cover topics competitors rank for

Best Practices

✅ **Start small**: Target 5-10 keywords per month

✅ **Match intent**: Create content that answers the search query

✅ **Update regularly**: Run research monthly for new opportunities

✅ **Track metrics**: Monitor position, clicks, and conversions

✅ **Be patient**: SEO takes 3-6 months to show results

❌ **Don't scatter**: Focus on fewer keywords deeply

❌ **Don't ignore difficulty**: Be realistic about what you can rank for

❌ **Don't keyword stuff**: Write naturally for humans

❌ **Don't stop at creation**: Promote and build links to content

Measuring Success

Track these metrics monthly:

Keywords moved from Discovered → Tracking

Keywords moved from Targeting → Achieved

Total keywords ranking on page 1

Organic traffic growth

Conversions from new keywords

Next Steps

[Competitor Keyword Tracking](/help/articles/competitor-keyword-tracking) - See what competitors rank for

[Keyword Opportunity Scores](/help/articles/keyword-opportunity-scores) - Understand scoring

[Content Creation](/help/articles/suggestion-types) - Get content suggestions