How do I do keyword research for content marketing?
Quick Answer
Start by listing the problems your customers have, then find the exact phrases they type into Google. Use tools to check search volume and difficulty. Prioritize long-tail keywords with clear buying intent and low competition — a keyword with 200 searches and high intent beats a vanity keyword with 50,000 searches and no conversion path.
The Keyword Research Process
Step 1: List 10-15 problems your ideal customer faces. Step 2: Turn each problem into 3-5 search queries they'd type. Step 3: Run those queries through a keyword tool (Ahrefs, Semrush, or Averi's built-in research) to get volume, difficulty, and related terms. Step 4: Filter for keywords where difficulty is under 40 and intent matches your content goals. Step 5: Group keywords into clusters around core topics.
“The best keyword research starts with customer problems, not keyword tools. Tools validate — they don't generate insight.”
Search Intent Is Everything
A keyword's value depends on the intent behind it. Informational intent ('what is a content engine') brings awareness. Commercial intent ('best content marketing tools') brings comparison shoppers. Transactional intent ('content engine pricing') brings buyers. Map your content to all three stages, but prioritize commercial and transactional keywords for pipeline impact.
Why Long-Tail Keywords Win for Startups
Head terms like 'content marketing' have 100K+ monthly searches but near-impossible competition. Long-tail variants like 'content marketing for seed stage startups' have lower volume but much higher intent and achievable rankings. Startups should build their foundation on long-tail keywords, then expand to broader terms as domain authority grows. Averi's queue system automatically identifies these opportunities based on your ICP and competitive gaps.
By the numbers
Results you can measure.
6,000%
Organic traffic growth
in 10 months
2 hrs
Per week to run
not 20 hours
$99
Per month
replaces $5K+ agencies
10 min
Setup time
paste your URL, done
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FAQ
Questions? Answers.
Keywords, researched automatically.
Averi identifies high-opportunity keywords based on your ICP, competitors, and industry trends — no manual research required.