Often webmasters and SEO specialists wonder how to select queries for site optimization. Below is a step‑by‑step guide on choosing the right keywords and the tools you should use.
Algorithm for selecting queries for site promotion
- Export the full list of search queries or keywords from analytics systems (Google Analytics, Yandex Metrica, etc.).
- Analyze the TOP 10 competitor sites in the SERPs using the SEOquake browser plugin (available for Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari).
- Pull competitor's keywords via SEMrush.
- Review competitor's backlink anchor texts with Ahrefs.
- Exclude irrelevant queries – for example, e‑commerce sites should drop queries containing the word "free".
- Check the main keywords in Google Trends – look at traffic growth and the regions where people search for these keywords.
- Filter queries by traffic volume.
- Remove inflated queries – compare query popularity with other keywords in your niche.
- Split remaining keywords into groups (approximately 3‑7 queries per group) for each target page.
- Move strange queries such as "glass sofas" to dedicated review pages that should then gently lead users to pages with correct keywords.
- High‑frequency (HF) generic keywords are best promoted on the homepage.
- Periodically check site positions.
Competitor analysis when selecting keywords for a website
Always look at competitors and analyse which keywords they chose and why they rank in the top 10 results. By studying competitor sites you can uncover many good keywords – inspect their meta tags, content, and link anchors. When analysing search queries, pay attention to four factors:
- Frequency – how much traffic the keyword brings.
- Relevance – how well it fits your site and niche.
- Competition – how strong are competitors for a particular keyword.
- Commercial intent – whether the keyword is linked to product or service sales.