I often hear start-up founders and indie hackers ask, “Where do we even begin with SEO Keyword Research?”

If this is you, then you are in the right place.

The truth is, the foundation of any successful SEO strategy lies in thorough, strategic research and analysis.

It informs everything you do, I am going to show you my entire process for conducting SEO research.

The output of this process is what I charge a minimum of $100 for, and if you’d prefer you can buy a package via the below link:

I’m giving the process away for free here, as most people won’t take the action required. But if you want it all done for you and sent over, you can use my buy link.

Recently, we helped an AI SaaS product go from 200 to 1500 organic visits per month in a remarkably short time. This will serve as a good example of the research that ranks.

How? It all started with meticulous keyword research and analysis.

We keep refining our process, here is the exact breakdown of what we did, and what we can do for you.

1. Find Competitors

We start by identifying your main competitors in the digital space. This gives us a benchmark and reveals opportunities in the market.

If you are a first mover, then we would look for the pain points that your product solves.

There are plenty of ways to gather ideas. If you know your market (you should) if not, this can be a helpful step for your business more generally, as you can see what tactics your competition is employing.

I’ve even found customers this way by cold outreach: after they realise their competition is beating them with a few highly targeted bits of content.

2. Competitor Backlink and Keyword Analysis

For established markets, we look at competitor backlinks and keyword rankings. Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush are invaluable here (use whichever you prefer!).

This step reveals:

• Which keywords your competitors are ranking for
• The quality and quantity of their backlinks
• Content gaps you can exploit
• The content your competition is already ranking for (generally useful information).

4. Extracting High-Volume, Low-Competition Keywords

This is where the magic happens. We’re looking for that sweet spot:

• Keywords with decent search volume (typically 100-1000 monthly searches)
• Low keyword difficulty scores (usually under 30)
  These are the low-hanging fruit that can bring quick wins and establish your SEO momentum.

This depends on your backlink profile, but if you are a fresh startup with a new domain, you are going to want to focus on low competition keyworsd that are “long-tail”. Long-tail really means long-phrases like “Places to stay in New York with Parking” you can get more niche than that too.

5. Cross-Referencing and Clustering

We don’t just hand over a list of random keywords. We cross-reference various keyword searches to find groups that can be clustered together. This step is crucial because:

• It allows for more comprehensive content creation
• It helps establish topical authority in your niche
• It provides a roadmap for ongoing content strategy

6. AI-Powered Refinement

Finally, we leverage AI to refine and format our findings into 10 primary SEO keywords, each with its own set of related “sub” keywords. This AI-assisted process ensures:

• Semantic relevance between main and sub-keywords
• Optimal keyword distribution for content planning
• Identification of long-tail variations we might have missed

The Power of This Process

This methodical approach to SEO research is game-changing because:

1. It’s Data-Driven: Every decision is backed by solid data, not guesswork.
2. It’s Comprehensive: We leave no stone unturned in finding the best keyword opportunities.
3. It’s Strategic: The keyword clusters provide a roadmap for content creation that builds true topical authority.
4. It’s Efficient: By focusing on high-volume, low-competition keywords, you can see results faster.

Give it a try and let me know how you get on.

Or you can buy the package here for just $100 (current price).