Seed keywords are the basic ideas that start your SEO plan. They help you find the right words to use for your website. To choose the best seed keywords, ask yourself:

– What is my website about?

– Which keywords do I want to rank for?

– What terms might beginners use to search for my site’s topic?

Answering these questions will help you begin your keyword research effectively. In this article, we will explore everything you need to know about seed keywords and how to use them to build a strong SEO strategy.

What Are Seed Keywords?

Seed keywords are the basic words or phrases related to your website’s main topic. They serve as the starting points for your keyword research. 

These keywords form the foundation of your SEO strategy, helping you identify broader search trends and niche topics. 

For example, if you run a link-building agency, seed keywords could be “link-building services,” “backlink strategies,” or “SEO link building.” These initial keywords guide your research, leading to more specific and long-tail keywords that can attract targeted traffic to your site.

How to Find Seed Keywords

Finding the right seed keywords is crucial for building a strong SEO foundation. Here’s how you can generate them, using a link-building agency as an example.

1) Generating Ideas from Main Topics

Finding the right seed keywords is crucial for building a strong SEO foundation. Here’s how you can generate them:

A. Brainstorm Core Keywords

Identify basic terms that describe the main services or topics your business covers. These broad phrases reflect your primary focus areas.

Let’s take an example from Outreach Monks:

As a link-building service provider, here are some core keywords:

• Link building
• Backlink outreach
• Authority backlinks

These keywords broadly capture the main aspects of our link-building services.

B. Leverage Your Website’s Main Categories.

Look at your website’s main sections or categories. You can often find these in the menu bar. Each section can serve as a seed keyword because it represents your core service areas. 

Let’s Take a Look at the Categories from Outreach Monks:

As you know, Outreach Monks specializes in various link-building strategies. Here are potential seed keywords from our main categories:

• Blogger Outreach
• Guest Posting
• Local Citation
• SaaS Link Building

By identifying these main topics, you can create a list of seed keywords for your SEO efforts. For instance, if your website has a section for “Blogger Outreach,” this can be a seed keyword. You can then expand it to find related terms like “blogger outreach for backlinks,” “effective blogger outreach,” or “blogger outreach strategies.”

2) Checking Competitors’ Keywords

Visit the websites of your main competitors to see which keywords they are targeting. Review their content, blog posts, service pages, and meta tags to identify common keywords. Pay attention to headings, subheadings, and frequently mentioned terms.

Tools for Finding Competitor Keywords

Use keyword research tools to analyze your competitors’ websites and discover the keywords they rank for. These tools can provide insights into the keywords driving traffic to your competitors, as well as gaps in your own keyword strategy.

1. Ahrefs: Enter a competitor’s URL to see their top-performing keywords and pages. For instance, you might find that Competitor A ranks well for “high-quality backlinks” and “SEO link building.”
2. SEMrush: Use the Competitive Analysis feature to uncover keywords that Competitor B is targeting, such as “guest post services” and “backlink audits.
3. Moz: Utilize the Keyword Explorer to identify keywords that competitors are using effectively.

By analyzing competitor websites and using keyword research tools, you can identify valuable seed keywords that your competitors are leveraging. This allows you to refine your own keyword strategy, ensuring that you cover similar ground and explore new opportunities to stand out in the market.

3) Using Google Search Console 

Using Google Search Console is a valuable way to discover which search queries are driving traffic to your site. By analyzing these queries, you can identify potential seed keywords that are already relevant to your audience. Additionally, within GSC, you can sort your keywords by impressions to see which terms are most frequently appearing in search results. High-impression keywords indicate topics with significant search interest.

By utilizing Google Search Console, you can:

• Find top search queries driving traffic to your site.
• Identify potential seed keywords that are already relevant to your audience.
• Sort keywords by impressions to see which terms have the most search interest.

This data-driven approach ensures that your keyword strategy is aligned with actual user behavior and search trends.

4) Looking at Online Forums and Communities

Online forums and communities are great places to find keyword ideas. By exploring these platforms, you can see what your target audience is talking about and the terms they use. Here’s how you can use them effectively:

1. Browsing Niche Forums:
   • Participate in or browse through forums related to your industry.
   • Discover the language and terms that your target audience uses in their discussions.
2. Using Search Tricks for Specific Discussions:
   • Utilize advanced search operators to find specific discussions related to your niche.
   • For example:
     • To find discussions about link building on Reddit, type: site:reddit.com “link building”
     • To find discussions about backlink strategies on Quora, type: site:quora.com “backlink strategies”
     • To find forums about guest posting in SEO, type: intitle:”SEO forum” “guest posting
3. Extracting Seed Keywords:
   • Analyze threads and discussions where your target audience is actively talking about link building topics.
   • Extract keywords from these discussions, such as “effective link building tactics,” “white hat link strategies,” and “SEO guest posting tips.”

By browsing niche forums and using search tricks to find specific discussions, you can gather a wealth of seed keyword ideas directly from the conversations your target audience is having. This ensures your keyword strategy is deeply aligned with the interests and needs of your potential clients.

5) Checking SERPs

The “People Also Ask” (PAA) boxes and related searches at the bottom of Google’s search results pages are excellent sources of seed keywords. These features show what other queries people are making related to your primary keyword. Additionally, Google’s autocomplete feature provides real-time suggestions as you type in the search bar. These suggestions are based on popular searches and can help you discover additional seed keywords.

By analyzing PAA boxes, related searches, and using Google autocomplete suggestions, you can uncover a wide range of seed keywords that are directly tied to user search behavior. This approach ensures that your keyword strategy is based on actual search trends and user queries, enhancing the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.

By utilizing these techniques, you can:

• Find top search queries that are directly related to your primary keyword.
• Identify potential seed keywords that are tied to user search behavior.
• Discover additional seed keywords through Google autocomplete suggestions.

This method ensures that your keyword strategy is based on real search trends and user queries, making your SEO efforts more effective.

6. Utilizing Keyword Research Tools

Keyword research tools are essential for discovering seed keywords that can boost your SEO efforts. These tools, both free and paid, provide insights into search volume, keyword difficulty, and competitive analysis. By effectively using these tools, you can identify high-potential keywords and build a strong keyword strategy.

Free Tools

• Google Keyword Planner: This tool helps you find relevant keywords and see their search volume. Start by entering broad terms like “link building” or “SEO services.” Analyze the suggested keywords, focusing on those with high search volume and low competition. Use these as seed keywords.
• Ubersuggest: It provides keyword suggestions and SEO metrics. You can generate keyword ideas and analyze the top-ranking pages for your target keywords. This helps you identify gaps in the content that you can fill with your own articles.

Paid Tools

• Ahrefs: It offers detailed keyword data, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and competitor analysis. Enter your primary keywords to see related terms and their metrics. Look for keywords with high traffic potential and reasonable difficulty. For example, terms like “link building techniques” or “SEO link building” might show high potential.
• SEMrush: It provides comprehensive keyword research capabilities, including tracking keyword positions and finding keyword opportunities. Use the Keyword Magic Tool to find long-tail keywords related to your seed keywords on SEMrush. Filter the results to focus on the most relevant keywords for your niche.
• Moz: It includes keyword research features and metrics like keyword difficulty and search volume. Use the Keyword Explorer to discover new keyword opportunities and understand the difficulty of ranking for your chosen terms. Look for keywords that balance search volume and competition.

By utilizing both free and paid seed keyword tools, you can uncover a wide range of seed keywords. This approach allows you to build a robust keyword strategy that leverages the strengths of various tools, ensuring comprehensive coverage of your SEO efforts.

7) Conducting Customer Surveys and Feedback

Gathering insights directly from your audience is one of the most effective ways to find seed keywords. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Conduct Surveys:
   • Create a survey asking your clients about their biggest challenges in link building and SEO.
   • Include questions like:
     • “What terms do you use when searching for link-building services?”
     • “Which aspects of SEO are most important to you?”
   • Analyze the responses to find common themes and phrases like “trusted backlink services,” “SEO link analysis,” and “effective link building.”
2. Gather Feedback:
   • During customer feedback sessions or support interactions, note down the exact words clients use to describe their problems and goals.
   • Pay attention to recurring phrases. For instance, if multiple customers mention needing “affordable link-building services” or “reliable SEO backlinks,” these phrases can become valuable seed keywords.

By conducting customer surveys and gathering direct feedback, you can uncover seed keywords that reflect the actual terms and phrases your audience uses. This approach ensures that your SEO strategy is customer-centric and more likely to attract relevant traffic.

How Many Seed Keywords Do You Need?

Start with 5-10 broad seed keywords related to your main topic. As you gather more data, expand your list to 20-30 keywords to cover different aspects of your niche. Include both general terms and specific, long-tail keywords.

Regularly review and update your seed keywords to keep them relevant. Adding new keywords based on trends and audience interests helps maintain an effective SEO strategy.

Below is a list of keywords collected using the above methods to guide your own keyword research.

This table provides a clear overview of the seed keywords list for link building, along with their difficulty and global search volume, helping you to start your SEO strategy effectively.

Conclusion

To sum it up, seed keywords are the starting point for a strong SEO strategy. By finding these basic terms, you set the stage for creating content that your audience is searching for. It’s like having a good starting point in a conversation.

These keywords help you discover more specific, valuable keywords that can drive traffic to your site. Keep practicing your keyword research, and you’ll see your search rankings improve. Embrace the basics with seed keywords, and watch your SEO grow. Happy keyword hunting!

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