7 Ways to Compare Keywords to Choose the Right Ones

2 months ago 53
ARTICLE AD BOX

Targeting each the keywords you could perchance fertile for astir apt isn’t feasible. Or a astute usage of your resources. 

Instead, you should comparison keywords to place those with the astir imaginable for your SEO and paid hunt strategies. 

In this guide, we’ll amusement you however to comparison keywords utilizing hunt volume, keyword difficulty, and different factors. So you tin take people presumption that marque consciousness for your business. 

Why Compare Keywords?

Comparing keywords enables you to take people presumption that align with your priorities. So you tin put your resources successful keywords with the highest imaginable instrumentality connected concern (ROI).

When done right, keyword comparisons tin amended your visibility successful hunt results, pb much users to your website, and turn conversions.

For example, let’s accidental you ain an ecommerce concern selling unsocial java mugs. And you’re anxious to summation income via integrated traffic.

After utilizing a keyword probe tool, you observe the pursuing keyword options:

  • “handmade java mugs”
  • “funny java mugs”
  • “personalized java mug”

How bash you determine which keyword to target?

You request information to reply questions specified as:

  • Is my website authoritative capable to fertile for this keyword?
  • What benignant of contented bash searchers find astir adjuvant erstwhile searching this term?
  • What’s the maximum magnitude of postulation this keyword could bring to my website?
  • When is the champion clip to people this keyword? Or does it not matter?

We’ll screen however to find the accusation you request to reply these questions successful the adjacent section.

How to Compare Keywords

When you usage a bully keyword probe tool, you’ll beryllium capable to spot circumstantial metrics and attributes for each hunt word you analyze. Which tin assistance you determine if the keyword is simply a bully lucifer for your website oregon ads.

Here are 7 ways to comparison options:

1. Compare by Keyword Difficulty

Keyword difficulty (KD%) is simply a metric that indicates however challenging it is to fertile highly successful integrated hunt results for a circumstantial keyword. The little the number, the easier it is to rank.

With this data, marketers tin absorption their efforts connected keywords that their websites person a bully accidental of ranking for.

Semrush displays keyword trouble arsenic a percentage—with 0% trouble being the easiest and 100% being the hardest.

 0-14 is precise  easy, 15-29 is easy, 30-49 is possible, 50-69 is difficult, 70-84 is hard, 85-100 is precise  hard.

Here’s however to find this accusation for a circumstantial word utilizing the Keyword Overview tool. 

Start by entering a keyword you’re considering into the hunt barroom and click “Search.”

Keyword Overview instrumentality   commencement  with "how to knit" entered and the "Search" fastener  highlighted.

In this case, the modular keyword trouble people is 75%. Which means it’s hard to fertile for. 

And according to the tool, you’ll apt request backlinks (links connected different sites that constituent to your site) from 62 high-authority domains and incredibly high-quality contented if you privation to summation a salient hunt position. 

Keyword Overview study  with "Keyword Difficulty" highlighted.

To tailor the results to your domain, usage the AI diagnostic successful Keyword Overview to get a Personal Keyword Difficulty score.

Simply participate your domain successful the purple hunt bar. And the instrumentality volition refresh the results with personalized AI insights astir your likelihood of ranking connected the search motor results leafage (SERP).

A domain entered successful  the AI-powered hunt  showing a "Personal Keyword Difficulty" people     and a "Potential presumption   connected  SERP".

For this domain, it would beryllium somewhat easier to fertile for this keyword than we antecedently thought. But determination are apt immoderate options that are adjacent better.

To comparison this word with different keywords you person an adjacent greater accidental of ranking for, click connected “View high-potential keywords.”

“View high-potential keywords” successful  the "Personal Keyword Difficulty" container  clicked.

This volition instrumentality you to the Keyword Magic Tool—where you tin research galore different related keywords. 

From here, look astatine the Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD %) file to take the ones you person the champion likelihood of ranking for. 

And prevention your apical picks by checking the container to the near of each keyword and clicking “+ Add to keyword list.” 

Keyword ideas connected  the Keyword Magic Tool with the "Keyword" file  and "Add to keyword list" fastener  highlighted.

2. Compare by Search Volume

Search volume is however galore times a keyword is searched wrong a circumstantial period. Most keyword probe tools show monthly hunt volume.

When you comparison keyword hunt volume, you get a consciousness of the magnitude of postulation the keyword could bring to your website. Which tin assistance you find which keywords to prioritize.

For example, if 1 of your goals is to treble your integrated hunt postulation successful six months, past targeting mostly keywords with debased hunt volumes astir apt isn’t a bully idea.

Use Semrush’s Keyword Overview instrumentality to find the hunt measurement of a circumstantial keyword. 

Simply motorboat the instrumentality and participate your people keyword. Then, click “Search.”

Keyword Overview instrumentality   commencement  with "how to knit a pillow" entered and the "Search" fastener  highlighted.

Find the “Volume” conception connected the left-hand side. Which displays the mean fig of monthly searches successful your chosen determination implicit the past year. 

And there’s a breakdown of monthly hunt measurement by state if you’re funny successful information from antithetic regions.

Keyword Overview study  with "Volume" and "Global Volume" highlighted.

As you comparison keywords, usage keyword trouble alongside hunt measurement information to determine if a word is simply a suitable people for your domain. 

For example, let’s accidental a keyword gets 8,000 monthly searches. And has a KD people of 70%. 

If your domain has a comparatively debased authority, this keyword won’t beryllium a bully choice—even though it has a comparatively precocious hunt volume. Because you’ll conflict to rank.

And support successful caput that hunt measurement isn’t acceptable successful stone—a taxable could turn successful popularity. This could hap overnight oregon implicit a mates of months.

3. Compare by Search Intent

Search intent is the crushed idiosyncratic looks up a circumstantial keyword utilizing a hunt motor similar Google. 

It lets you cognize what benignant of contented is astir adjuvant to searchers. And whether the benignant of contented you privation to make satisfies the hunt intent—your chances of ranking prominently volition beryllium importantly little if it doesn’t.

There are 4 types of hunt intent:

  • Transactional: Users privation to instrumentality enactment similar making a acquisition (e.g., “buy java machine”)
  • Commercial: Users privation to probe options (e.g., “best java machine”)
  • Informational: Users privation to larn much astir thing (e.g., “how to cleanable java machine”)
  • Navigational: Users privation to spell to a circumstantial website oregon leafage (e.g., “philips location appliances”)

How bash you cheque a keyword’s hunt intent?

You could bash this manually by analyzing the SERP. In the illustration below, the results dwell of how-to guides and videos, which bespeak informational hunt intent.

Google SERP for the word  "how to cleanable  a java  machine".

But manual investigation isn’t efficient. Especially if you’re analyzing dozens oregon hundreds of keywords. 

Instead, usage the Keyword Overview instrumentality to find the hunt intent for galore keywords astatine once. 

Enter them successful the instrumentality and click “Search.”

Keyword Overview instrumentality   commencement  with 4  antithetic  keywords entered and the "Search" fastener  clicked.

Find the “Intent” file successful the “Bulk Keyword Analysis” section. The letters “C” and “I” bespeak commercialized and informational hunt intent, respectively.

"Bulk keyword analysis" for 4  antithetic  keywords with the "Intent" file  highlighted.

Once you’re wide connected what benignant of contented volition fulfill hunt intent, retrieve to cheque the keyword trouble and hunt measurement data. To corroborate your people keyword is simply a bully prime for your SEO goals.

Then, determination guardant with content creation. Which mightiness see blog posts, videos, gated reports, etc. Depending connected what’s the champion for each circumstantial topic.

4. Compare by CPC

A keyword’s cost per click (CPC) refers to the mean terms advertisers wage to an advertisement level each clip a idiosyncratic clicks connected an advertisement that was triggered by that keyword. Keywords that are highly competitory person a precocious CPC.

Comparing the CPC of antithetic keywords allows you to optimize advertisement spend. And debar spending your full fund connected precise competitory keywords.

Keyword Overview lets you spot the mean CPC of immoderate keyword you’re considering.

Type your keyword into the hunt container and click “Search.”

Keyword overview with "cheap java  machine" entered and the "Search" fastener  clicked.

The instrumentality volition amusement your keyword’s CPC connected the right. As good arsenic its “Competitive Density”—a fig connected a standard from 0 to 1.00 that represents the level of contention betwixt bidders.

Keyword Overview study  with "CPC" conception  highlighted.

Use this information to pass your bidding strategy. To amended power your Google Ads costs.

5. Compare by Trend

In the discourse of keyword research, inclination is however the involvement successful a circumstantial keyword fluctuates implicit a play of time. Such arsenic the past 12 months.

When you comparison keywords utilizing trends data, it helps place which keywords are gaining oregon losing popularity. So you tin absorption your efforts connected those with precocious maturation potential. Or keywords that make dependable idiosyncratic interest.

To spot inclination accusation with Keyword Overview, participate your word and find the “Trend” graph successful the “Overview” section.

Keyword Overview study  with "Trend" highlighted.

The tallness of each file represents the fig of monthly searches, allowing you to spot however idiosyncratic involvement has evolved implicit the past year.

Google Trends besides uses hunt information to analyse idiosyncratic involvement successful a circumstantial query.

To usage this tool, participate a query into the hunt bar. 

Use geographic filters to spot information from a circumstantial location. And take the clip scope you’re funny in.

Google Trends location  with "new balance" arsenic  the hunt  word  on  with "United States" and "Past 12 months" selected.

You’ll spot an wide inclination graph. But you tin besides scroll down to the “Interest by subregion” conception to spot the popularity of the hunt word successful circumstantial areas.

Interest by subregion connected  Google Trends showing the popularity of a hunt  word  successful  antithetic  areas of a chosen location.

Both tools supply you with accusation you tin usage to prioritize definite hunt presumption implicit others. 

6. Compare by Seasonality

Some keywords’ popularity fluctuates according to seasonal trends. 

Comparing keywords utilizing seasonality lets you spot which presumption are amended for seasonal promotions and which are amended suited to evergreen content.

For illustration if you’re a swimwear retailer successful Australia, you’d privation to cognize that involvement successful the word “Swimsuit” spikes astir December each year. 

"Interest implicit    time" connected  Google Trends showing a seasonal spike for the word  "swimsuits" successful  Australia astir   December.

This makes it a bully campaigner for an yearly advertizing campaign. While a word similar “Swimming” has a much accordant inclination that’s amended suited to website contented that isn’t intended to beryllium rather truthful timely.

7. Compare by SERP Features

SERP features are hunt results that aren’t accepted website links. They tin pull much attraction than modular results—so, utilizing them to comparison keywords lets you find presumption that person much opportunities to scope your audience.

There are galore Google SERP features. Such arsenic People Also Ask (PAA) sections, featured snippets, and cognition panels.

Google SERP Features showing integrated  results, a "Knowledge Panel", a "People besides  ask" section, and a "Videos" section.

Use the Bulk Analysis diagnostic successful Keyword Overview to spot whether the keywords you’re considering person SERP features.

After you’ve entered your terms, scroll down to the table. 

The fig successful the “SF” file tells you however galore SERP features Google displays for a circumstantial keyword.

Click connected the fig to spot an overview of the features successful question.

"Bulk Keyword Analysis" array  with the fig   successful  the SF file  clicked displaying a database  of SERP features for that hunt  term.

For precise akin terms, you whitethorn take to absorption much heavy connected ones that supply much opportunities to basal retired successful hunt results. 

Note that SERP features whitethorn change. For example, Google could regenerate a featured snippet with a video if it’s much adjuvant to users.

Harness the Power of Keyword Comparison

Comparing keywords ensures you prime presumption that align with your concern needs, efficiently usage resources, and get amended results. 

With Semrush's suite of tools, it's casual to sift done hundreds of keywords and find those that volition assistance you execute your goals. 

To observe and comparison much keywords, registry for a free Semrush account