A fewer weeks ago, I optimized 1 of my blog posts for related keywords. Today, it gets an estimated 2,300 much monthly integrated visits:

In this post, I’ll amusement you however I recovered and optimized my station for these related keywords.

Related keywords are words and phrases intimately linked to your main keyword. There are galore ways to find them. You tin adjacent conscionable inquire ChatGPT.

But here’s the thing: These keywords aren’t utile for optimizing content.

If much postulation is your goal, you need to find keywords that correspond subtopics—not conscionable immoderate related ones.

Think of it similar this: you amended a look by adding the close ingredients, not everything successful your fridge!

Below are 2 methods for uncovering the close related keywords (including the 1 I used):

Method 1. Use contented optimization tools

Content optimization tools look for keywords connected different top-ranking pages but not yours. They usually past urge adding these keywords to your contented a definite fig of times.

These tools tin beryllium utile if you instrumentality their recommendations with a pinch of salt, arsenic immoderate of them tin pb you astray.

For example, this instrumentality recommends that I adhd six mentions of the operation “favorite features” to our keyword probe guide.

Does that look similar an important related keyword to you? It surely doesn’t to me!

They besides usually person a contented people that increases arsenic you adhd the recommended related keywords. This tin instrumentality you into believing that thing is important erstwhile it astir apt isn’t—especially arsenic content scores person a anemic correlation with rankings.

My advice? If you’re going to usage these tools, use communal consciousness and look for recommendations that look to correspond important subtopics.

For example, erstwhile I analyse our contented audit guide, it suggests adding rather a fewer keywords related to contented quality.

It doesn’t instrumentality a genius to enactment retired that this is an highly important information for a contented audit—yet our usher mentions nothing about it.

This is simply a immense oversight and decidedly a batch of related keywords worthy optimizing for.

Try the beta mentation of our caller AI Content Helper!

Instead of counting presumption that you request to see successful your content, Content Helper uses AI to place the halfway topics for your people keywords and scores your contented (as good arsenic your competitors) against those topics arsenic you constitute it. In effect, it groups related keywords by subtopic, making it easier to optimize for the broader picture. 

For example, it looks similar my station doesn’t screen Google Business Profile optimization excessively well. This is thing it mightiness beryllium worthy going into much item about.

Method 2. Do a keyword spread investigation (this is the method I used!)

Keyword gaps are erstwhile competitors fertile for keywords you don’t. If you bash this investigation astatine the leafage level, it’ll uncover related keywords—some of which volition usually correspond subtopics.

If possible, I urge doing this for pages that already fertile connected the archetypal leafage for their main people keyword. These pages are doing good already and apt conscionable request a spot of a propulsion to fertile precocious and for much related keywords. You tin find these successful Site Explorer:

1. Enter your domain
2. Go to the Organic Keywords report
3. Filter for positions 2-10
4. Look for the main keywords you’re targeting

Once you person a fewer contenders, here’s however to bash a keyword spread analysis:

a) Find competitors who are beating you

In the Organic Keywords report, deed the SERP dropdown adjacent to the keyword to spot the existent top-ranking pages. Look for akin pages that are getting much postulation than yours and person less referring domains.

For example, our leafage ranks #10 for “local SEO,” has 909 referring domains, and gets an estimated 813 monthly visits:

All of these competing pages get much postulation with less backlinks:

b) Send them to the contented gap tool

Hit the cheque boxes adjacent to your competitors, past click “Open In” and take Content gap.

By default, this volition amusement you keywords wherever 1 oregon much competitors fertile successful the apical 10, but you don’t fertile anyplace successful the top 100.

I urge changing this truthful it shows each keywords competitors fertile for, adjacent if you besides fertile for them. This is due to the fact that you whitethorn inactive beryllium capable to amended optimize for related keywords you already rank for.

I besides urge turning the “Main results only” filter connected to exclude rankings successful sitelinks and different SERP features:

c) Look for related keywords worthy optimizing for

This is wherever communal consciousness comes into play. Your task is to scan the database for related keywords that could correspond important subtopics.

For example, keywords similar these aren’t peculiarly utile due to the fact that they’re conscionable antithetic ways of searching for the main taxable of local SEO:

But a related keyword similar “what is section SEO” is utile due to the fact that it represents a subtopic searchers are looking for:

If this process feels excessively overmuch similar trying to find a needle successful a haystack, effort exporting the afloat database of keywords, pasting them into Keywords Explorer, and going to the “Cluster by terms” report. As the sanction suggests, this groups keywords into clusters by communal terms:

This is utile due to the fact that it tin item communal themes among related keywords and helps you to spot broader gaps.

For example, erstwhile I was looking for related keywords for our SEO pricing guide (more connected this later!), I saw 17 related keywords containing the word “month”:

Upon checking the keywords, I noticed that they’re each ways of searching for however overmuch SEO costs per month:

This is an casual batch of related keywords to optimize for. All I request to bash is reply that question successful the post.

If you’re inactive struggling to spot bully related keywords, look for ones sending competing pages mode much postulation than you. This usually happens due to the fact that competitors’ pages are amended optimized for those terms.

You tin spot these successful the contented spread study by comparing the postulation columns.

For example, each competing leafage is getting much postulation than america for the keyword “how overmuch does SEO cost”—and Forbes is getting implicit 300 much visits!

Now you person a clump of related keywords, what should you bash with them?

This is simply a nuanced process, truthful I’m going to amusement you precisely however I did it for our section SEO guide. Its estimated integrated postulation grew by 135% aft my optimizations for related keywords:

Here are the related keywords I optimized it for and how:

Related keyword 1: “What is local SEO”

Every competing leafage was getting importantly much postulation than america for this keyword (and ranking importantly higher). One leafage was adjacent getting an estimated 457 much visits than ours per month:

People were besides searching for this successful a clump of antithetic ways:

My mentation connected wherefore we weren’t performing good for this? Although we did person a explanation connected the page, it wasn’t great. It was besides buried nether a H3 with a batch of fluff to work earlier you get to it.

I tried to lick this by getting escaped of the fluff, improving the explanation (with a small assistance from ChatGPT), and moving it nether a H2.

Result? The leafage jumped aggregate positions for the keyword “what is section SEO” and a fewer different akin related keywords:

Related keyword 2: Local SEO strategy

Once again, each competing pages were getting much postulation than ours from this keyword.

I consciousness similar the contented present whitethorn beryllium that there’s nary notation of “strategy” successful our post, whereas competitors notation it aggregate times.

To lick this, I added a abbreviated conception astir section SEO strategy.

I besides asked ChatGPT to adhd “strategy” to the explanation of section SEO. (I’m astir apt clutching astatine straws with this one, but it reads nicely with the addition, so… why not?)

Result? The leafage jumped 7 positions from the bottommost of leafage 2 to leafage 1 for the related keyword:

Related keyword 3: “How to bash local SEO”

Most of the competing pages were getting much postulation than america for this keyword—albeit not a lot.

However, I besides noticed Google shows this keyword successful the “things to know” conception erstwhile you hunt for section SEO—so it seems beauteous important.

I’d besides ideate that anyone searching for section SEO wants to cognize however to do it.

Unfortunately, though our usher does amusement you however to bash section SEO, it’s benignant of buried successful a clump of uninspiring chapters. There’s nary evident “how to bash it” subheading for readers (or Google) to skim, truthful you person to work betwixt the lines to fig retired the “how.”

In an effort to lick this, I restructured the contented into steps and enactment it nether a caller H2 titled “How to bash local SEO”:

Result? Position #7 → #4

No. Nothing successful SEO is guaranteed, and this is nary different.

In fact, I optimized our SEO pricing guide for related keywords connected the aforesaid day, and—although postulation did improve—it lone improved by astir 23%:

For afloat transparency, here’s each related keyword I optimized the station for and the results:

Related keyword 1: “How overmuch does SEO cost”

Each competing leafage got much postulation than ours from this keyword, with 1 getting an estimated 317 much monthly visits:

When I clustered the keywords by presumption successful Keywords Explorer, I besides saw ~70 keywords containing the connection “much” (this was astir 19% of each keywords successful the Content Gap report!):

These were each antithetic ways of searching for however overmuch SEO costs:

The contented present appears to beryllium that though we bash reply the question connected the page, it’s rather buried. There’s nary evident subheading with the reply beneath it, making it hard for searchers (and perchance Google) to skim and find what they’re looking for:

To lick this, I added a H2 titled “How overmuch does SEO cost?” and added a nonstop reply below.

Result? No alteration successful rankings for the related keyword itself, but the leafage did triumph a fewer snippets for longer-tail variations acknowledgment to the transcript I added:

Related keyword 2: “SEO outgo per month”

Nearly each competing pages were getting much postulation than america for this keyword, with 1 getting an estimated 72 monthly visits much than more us.

The word clustering study successful Keywords Explorer besides showed that radical are searching for the monthly outgo of SEO successful antithetic ways:

This is not the lawsuit for hourly oregon retainer pricing; determination are virtually nary searches for this.

I deliberation we’re not ranking for this due to the fact that we haven’t prioritized this accusation connected the page. The archetypal subheading is each astir hourly pricing, which cipher cares about. Monthly pricing information is buried below that.

To hole this, I moved the information connected monthly pricing further up the leafage and wrote a much descriptive subheading (“Monthly retainer pricing” →“Monthly retainer pricing: How overmuch does SEO outgo per month?”).

I besides changed the cardinal takeaways successful the intro to absorption much connected monthly pricing, arsenic this is intelligibly what radical attraction about. Plus, I simplified it and made it much salient truthful searchers tin find the accusation they’re really looking for faster.

Result? The leafage won the featured snippet for this related keyword and a fewer different variations:

Related keyword 3: “Local SEO pricing”

I recovered this 1 successful the word clustering study successful Keywords Explorer, arsenic 16 keywords contained the word “local.”

Upon further inspection, I realized these were each antithetic ways of searching for the outgo of section SEO services.

I deliberation the occupation present is though our station has immoderate information connected section SEO pricing, it doesn’t person the snappy fig searchers are apt looking for. Plus, adjacent the accusation we did person was buried heavy connected the page.

So… I really pulled caller statistic from the information we collected for the post, past enactment them nether a caller H3 titled “How overmuch does section SEO cost?”

Result? Small but notable improvements for this keyword and a fewer different variations:

Related keyword 4: “How overmuch does SEO outgo for a tiny business”

I saw that 1 competing leafage was getting an estimated 105 much monthly integrated visits than america from this term.

When clustering by presumption successful Keywords Explorer, I besides saw a clump of 9 keywords containing the connection “small.” These were each antithetic ways of searching for tiny concern SEO pricing:

Once again, the contented present is clear: the accusation radical are looking for isn’t connected the page. There’s not adjacent a notation of tiny businesses.

This is bully arsenic it means the solution is simple: adhd an reply to the page. I did this and enactment it nether a caller H3 titled “How overmuch does SEO outgo for tiny businesses?”

Result? #15 → #5 for this related keyword, and notable improvements for a fewer different variations:

Related keyword 5: “SEO pricing models”

This related keyword astir apt isn’t that important, but I spotted it looking done the Content spread study and thought it’d beryllium beauteous casual to optimize for.

All I did was make a caller H2 titled “SEO pricing models: a deeper breakdown of costs.” I past concisely explained the 3 communal pricing models nether this and re-jigged and nested the remainder of the contented from the leafage under there.

Result? #5 → #1:

Final thoughts

Related keyword optimization isn’t astir shoehorning a clump of keyword variations into your content. Google is astute capable to cognize that things similar “SEO” and “search motor optimization” mean the same thing.

Instead, look for keywords that correspond subtopics and marque definite you’re covering them well. This mightiness impact adding a caller conception oregon reformatting an existing conception for much clarity.

This is casual to do. It took maine astir 2-3 hours per page.

Got questions? Ping maine connected X oregon LinkedIn.