How to Do Keyword Research for Startups

Keyword research is the difference between writing content that drives pipeline and writing content that drives zero traffic.

Most startup founders and marketers approach keyword research backwards: they brainstorm topics, then check if those topics have search volume. The better approach is to find what your ideal customers are actively searching for — then build content that meets them there.

This guide covers keyword research specifically for startups: resource-constrained teams who need to prioritize the right opportunities and can't afford to chase every keyword.

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Why Keyword Research Matters More for Startups

Large companies with established domains can rank for almost anything with enough content and links. Startups can't.

With limited domain authority, you need to:

• Find lower-competition keywords where you can realistically rank
• Prioritize by commercial intent — traffic that drives signups, not just visitors
• Build a compounding strategy — keywords that reinforce each other and build topical authority over time

Good keyword research doesn't just find keywords. It builds a strategic map for 12–18 months of content.

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Step 1: Understand the Three Keyword Types

Short-tail (head) keywords: 1–2 words. "Content marketing." High volume, high competition. Nearly impossible for startups to rank for. Avoid targeting these directly.

Mid-tail keywords: 2–4 words. "Content marketing strategy." Medium volume, medium competition. Some opportunities for established sites.

Long-tail keywords: 4+ words. "Content marketing strategy for B2B startups." Lower volume, lower competition. The sweet spot for most startups.

Start with long-tail. Win there. Gain authority. The short-tail rankings come later.

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Step 2: Set Up Your Tools

Free options:

• Google Search Console (track what you already rank for)
• Google Keyword Planner (basic volume data, requires Google Ads account)
• Google autocomplete (real search suggestions from Google)
• Ahrefs free tier (limited but useful)
• Ubersuggest free tier

Paid options (worth it if you're serious):

• Ahrefs ($99/month) — most comprehensive for startups
• Semrush ($120/month) — similar capabilities, slightly better reporting
• Mangools ($30–50/month) — more affordable, good for basics

For most early-stage startups, start with Google tools (free) + Ahrefs or Semrush (paid). The ROI on $100/month for quality keyword data is enormous compared to publishing content that never ranks.

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Step 3: Build Your Seed Keyword List

Seed keywords are the starting point for your research — the broad topics related to your business.

How to generate seed keywords:

From your product: List every feature, use case, problem you solve, and category you compete in. "AI content creation," "content marketing automation," "content strategy tool" — these are seeds.

From customer research: What words and phrases do customers use when describing their problem or your product? Ask in calls: "How would you Google for something like what we do?"

From competitors: What are your competitors ranking for? Search their domain in Ahrefs (Site Explorer → Organic Keywords). Look for terms where they rank that you don't.

From community: What questions come up repeatedly in your industry's Slack groups, Reddit communities, or industry forums? These are keywords in disguise.

Build a list of 20–40 seed keywords to start.

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Step 4: Expand and Discover Related Keywords

For each seed keyword, use your keyword tool to find related terms:

In Ahrefs:

1. Keyword Explorer → enter your seed keyword
2. Check "Matching terms" for variations
3. Check "Related terms" for semantically related keywords
4. Check "Questions" for informational keyword opportunities

In Semrush:

1. Keyword Magic Tool → enter seed keyword
2. Browse groups (left sidebar) for related clusters
3. Filter by intent (informational, commercial, transactional)

For each keyword you find, log:

• Keyword
• Search volume (monthly, in your target country)
• Keyword Difficulty (KD) score
• Search intent (informational, commercial, transactional)
• Content idea (what would you write?)

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Step 5: Prioritize by Opportunity Score

Not all keywords are equal. Score each keyword across three dimensions:

Volume: How many searches per month?

• High: 1,000+
• Medium: 100–1,000
• Low: <100

Difficulty: How competitive is it?

• Easy: KD 0–20
• Medium: KD 20–40
• Hard: KD 40+

Commercial Value: How relevant to your ICP?

• High: Directly related to your product/solution
• Medium: Adjacent — attracts potential buyers
• Low: Tangential, attracts broad audience

Prioritize keywords that combine medium-high volume, low-medium difficulty, and high commercial value. These are your best opportunities.

For startups with low domain authority (DR <30), focus almost entirely on keywords with KD below 20.

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Step 6: Map Keywords to Buyer Journey Stages

Different keywords attract buyers at different stages:

Awareness stage keywords: "What is content marketing" "content marketing strategy guide" — broad, educational. Attract people just starting to learn about your space.

Consideration stage keywords: "Best content marketing tools" "Content marketing software comparison" — evaluative. Attract people actively looking for solutions.

Decision stage keywords: "[Competitor] alternative" "Averi vs Jasper" "content marketing tool pricing" — conversion-ready. Attract people about to buy.

You need content at every stage. But for early-stage startups, consideration and decision stage keywords have higher conversion potential even if they have lower search volume. Prioritize these.

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Step 7: Build Your Topic Cluster Map

The most strategic way to use keyword research: build topic clusters.

Group your keywords by topic. Each group becomes a cluster:

• Pillar page: The broad keyword (e.g., "content marketing strategy")
• Cluster content: The specific long-tail keywords within that topic (e.g., "how to create a content calendar," "content marketing KPIs," "content marketing for startups")

Targeting keyword clusters rather than individual keywords builds topical authority faster. Google sees you covering a topic comprehensively and rewards the entire cluster with higher rankings.

Aim for 3–5 clusters to start, each with 10–15 supporting keywords.

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Step 8: Track Rankings and Iterate

Keyword research isn't a one-time project. It's an ongoing process.

Track your rankings weekly:

• Which keywords moved up or down?
• What new keywords are you appearing for unexpectedly?

Identify new opportunities:

• Check what pages are getting impressions but not clicks (GSC → Search Results → Impressions)
• Look for new keywords your competitors started ranking for

Refresh your research quarterly:

• New products create new keywords
• Market shifts change search behavior
• Competitor movements open new opportunities

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Targeting only high-volume keywords: If your DR is 20 and you're targeting keywords with KD 70, you'll never rank. Win on low-competition terms first.

Ignoring search intent: A high-volume keyword with the wrong intent will drive traffic that never converts. Always validate intent before targeting.

Not tracking what you already rank for: Google Search Console shows you keywords where you already have impressions. These are often your best quick-win opportunities.

Targeting keywords without content plans: A list of 200 keywords is useless without a plan to create content for them. Every keyword you research should map to a specific content piece in your editorial calendar.

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How Averi Helps

Averi's Strategy Map turns keyword research into a prioritized content strategy automatically. Instead of spending days in keyword tools building cluster maps, you get a research-backed content roadmap — including which topics to prioritize, what cluster keywords to target, and in what order to create content.

It's not a replacement for keyword research skills — understanding the principles in this guide helps you make better decisions. But it eliminates the most time-consuming parts of the process.

See your keyword opportunities →

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FAQ

How many keywords should I target?

Start with 50–100 prioritized keywords organized into 3–5 topic clusters. Quality and organization matter more than quantity. 50 well-prioritized keywords with a clear content plan beats 500 keywords in a spreadsheet.

How do I do keyword research with no budget?

Use Google Search Console (free, shows what you already rank for), Google Keyword Planner (free with Google Ads account), and Google's autocomplete and "People also ask" boxes (free). You'll have less data than with paid tools, but you can still build a solid starting strategy.

How long-tail should I go as a new site?

Very long. New sites (DR <20) should target 4+ word phrases with very low KD (under 15). Win there first, build authority, then gradually target shorter, more competitive terms.

What's more important: volume or difficulty?

For startups: difficulty. A keyword with 200 searches per month that you can rank for (KD 10) beats a keyword with 5,000 searches per month that you'll never rank for (KD 70). Traffic you can't get is theoretical.

How do I know if a keyword is actually commercial?

Search it yourself and look at the results. If Google shows product pages, comparison pages, and ads alongside organic results, it has commercial intent. If Google shows Wikipedia, government sites, and news articles, it's purely informational with low commercial value.