SEO Mastery Week #5: Choose a Keyword Research Tactic

If I asked you to choose a strategy…

1. Competitor Keyword Research: You use your competitors to find proven keywords.
2. Seed Keyword Research : You use niche keywords to find untapped keywords.

….which would you choose for new niche sites?

Not sure? Let’s break it down…

Competitor Keyword Research

Steal from your competitors

This is where you create a list of all your competitors and look at their top organic keywords.

The problem with this approach?

Competition.

When you rank for the keywords competitors rank for, you will be met with high competition.

When you’re beginning, this isn’t a smart strategy.

Instead, you should try…

Seed Keyword Research

Start from scratch

This is where you create a list of niche seed keywords and go on keyword explorer, add some filters and find untapped keywords.

The problem with this tactic?

It’s unproven and requires a LOT of time.

Neither of these things are an issue if you have the time and content team.

So which tactic should you choose?

I recommend both of them with a…

Hybrid Keyword Research Approach

You get the best of both worlds.

You get:

• Untapped Keywords
• Low Competition
• Low Time Investment

Here’s how it works:

Step #1: Google Niche Forum

Type “niche + forum”.

Step #2: Create a Niche Forum List

In a spreadsheet, compile a list of all your niche forums.

Next…

Step #3: Analyze Forums in Ahrefs

Open Ahrefs Site Explorer and input your niche forum.

Click ‘Organic Keywords’ and use the following filters:

1. Position: 1–3 (Top ranking positions)
2. KD: 0–5 (Low difficulty KWs)
3. Word Count: 4–15 (To find long-tail but NOT needed)
4. Keyword: Contains niche keywords

And on a golden platter, you find a ton of untapped keywords.

The best part about this tactic is you end up finding low DR competitors along the way.

So while you’re researching, you can note any low DR competitors and steal their proven keywords.

Because let’s be real:

If they’re ranking for forum keywords, they’re likely ranking for a bunch of untapped keywords.

The end result?

Find hundreds of untapped and proven keywords fast.

I might create a video of this tactic next week. Stay tuned!