How to Group Keywords for More Targeted SEO Efforts

One of the worst things you can do in SEO is cannibalize your efforts – meaning you are trying to rank multiple pages for the same keyword. The inevitable result is that none of the pages rank since Google doesn’t know which to prioritize.

Or, maybe you're trying to rank too many keywords on a single page and it’s getting a bit chaotic. Either way, we’re here to help with tips on how to group keywords for more targeted SEO efforts.

Properly grouping keywords is an essential step in planning out a campaign so you don’t have to play the guessing game about which keywords to target on which pages. You can map out all your most important keywords to a specific page and get the ball rolling.

Learning how to cluster keywords is fairly straightforward – you can do it based on search intent and/or topic relevance. We’ll cover all this and more – while introducing you to the #1 free keyword grouping tool online here at Keysearch. Group your keywords in just a click today!

Why is it Important to Group Relevant Keywords Together?

First things first, why is it important to group relevant keywords together? Because if you don’t, you’ll end up spinning your tires by cannibalizing certain pages or confusing google by trying to rank too many unrelated keywords on a single page.

In other words, grouping keywords together sets you up for a smooth, successful SEO campaign – whereas failing to do so creates chaos that holds your site back.

Improving Content Relevance

The goal of content creation is always to be as focused, specific, and relevant as possible in relation to the user’s search intent. Clustering similar keywords allows you to comprehensively cover a topic, in turn helping users as much as possible.

You might already know that user experience is Google’s top priority. Websites that help its users will be rewarded with higher rankings, whereas those that are not quite as helpful may slip lower in the SERPs.

Avoiding Cannibalization

The biggest mistake we see new SEOs make is creating multiple pages that compete for the same or very similar keywords – this is known as keyword cannibalization.

Despite how sophisticated Google’s algorithm is, it cannot decipher between two pages that are similar in intent. Because it doesn’t know which to rank, it typically ends up ranking neither.

Proper keyword grouping eliminates this common issue as you can make sure each and every page on your website has a specific focus and purpose. You won’t end up wasting resources and spinning your tires.

Boosting Organic Traffic

In the end, learning how to group keywords empowers you to dominate the SERPs and bring in more organic traffic. Otherwise, you could end up spreading your resources too thin. This is why keyword grouping is a non-negotiable step in our keyword research checklist.

Whether you’re trying to rank your niche site or are wondering how to do Etsy keyword research, how to do Amazon keyword research, how to do Pinterest keyword research, or how to do keyword research for YouTube, you can’t overlook the importance of keyword clustering.

How to Group Keywords: Step-by-Step Guide to Grouping Keywords and Mapping Out Your SEO Strategy

To a certain extent, grouping keywords together becomes common sense. Think about what keywords are similar in their intent and target those on the same page.

On the other hand, you’d want to create different pages for keywords with different intent. Here are some more tips on how to cluster keywords to make the most of your resources and effort.

Start With Basic Keyword Research

If you don’t already have a comprehensive list of keywords that’s a good starting point. This of course requires an intuitive keyword research tool, like Keysearch. Simply enter in a seed keyword and you’ll be greeted by a world of possibilities.

The goal is to create a mix of seed keywords and long-tail keywords that are relevant to your niche or business. You shouldn’t fall victim to chasing search volume – you need to balance traffic potential with difficulty.

If it’s not feasible for your site to compete for a competitive keyword, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth targeting. You just need to build up your site’s domain and topical authority first. Go for the low-hanging fruit in the meantime.

We have tips in our blog to help with this step – learn what is a good keyword difficulty, the benefits of long tail keywords, and if you haven’t already, how to find a profitable niche.

Categorize by Search Intent

Once you have a solid keyword list that has been curated based on a balance of search volume, difficulty, and relevance to your business/audience, it’s time to learn how to cluster keywords.

We suggest starting with an overview of search intent. This refers to the underlying purpose behind a user’s search query. It typically falls into one of 3 different buckets:

Informational intent: “How to fix a leaky faucet”
Transactional intent: “Buy affordable faucets online”
Navigational intent: “Delta faucet store locations”

One of the biggest mistakes we see users making is trying to rank an informational page (a blog post, for example) for a transactional keyword. Or, vice versa – attempting to target informational-type keywords on a product or collection page.

Google simply won’t rank your page if it doesn’t meet the algorithm’s idea of search intent. So, always take the time to look at the types of pages ranking for a keyword and make sure you’re creating the same type of page, be it an article, landing page, blog post, etc.

Group Keywords by Topic Relevance

When it comes to actually grouping keywords together, topic relevance is the name of the game. This means clustering keywords that have the same intent.

We’ll use this blog post we’re writing currently as an example. The primary keyword (and likely why you’re currently on this page) is how to group keywords. But, how to cluster keywords is a different keyword with essentially the same intent.

It wouldn’t make sense to have two different pages for the same intent. So, we’re trying to rank this page for both “how to group keywords” and “how to cluster keywords.”

This is where common sense comes into play. You know your niche best and can use your judgment to figure out what topics should be grouped together.

Or, you can enter one of your keywords into Google, pull a competitor’s page that’s ranking well, and see what other keywords that page is ranking for. It’s safe to say those are good clusters if Google is already ranking them!

Analyze and Prioritize Keyword Clusters

At this point, you should have a list of keyword clusters built out. Now it’s just a matter of prioritizing the different clusters you’ve come up with.

There are a number of ways you can go about this. Maybe you want quick wins, so you’ll target lower competition clusters. Or, perhaps you’re prioritizing the long-term vision and want to get started gaining traction on more difficult clusters ASAP.

There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong approach to prioritizing your SEO efforts, but we personally recommend starting with lower-difficulty clusters if you’re still trying to build up your site’s domain and/or topical authority. This way you can actually rank for the more difficult keywords when you get around to them.

Assign Keyword Clusters to Specific Pages

Once your keyword clusters are prioritized, assign them to specific pages within your website. If you already have URLs built out, great. If not, now is the time to create them.

This will create a neat, organized SEO campaign that you can then go and execute – either on your own or with the help of your team. Mapping out clusters to specific pages helps you streamline content creation and link building.

Use Keysearch’s Keyword Grouping Tool

There you have it – how to group keywords! It’s not all that complicated, but if you’re trying to learn how to automate keyword research as much as possible, there is a better way. You can use one of our most popular free SEO tools here at Keyserach, our clustering tool!

Once you’ve done the early legwork of building out a list of the top keywords for your niche, you can simply paste up to 1,000 keywords into the box. Run your search and it will handle the heavy lifting of strategically organizing your keywords into clusters.

From there you can build out your site architecture, mapping these clusters to the specific pages you’ll optimize for or the URLs you’ll create if you don’t have your site live already. Then it’s just a matter of learning what to do after keyword research – content creation, backlinking, etc.

While our keyword grouping tool is among our most widely used, it’s just one of many features you gain access to with a single Keysearch subscription. Here are some of our others:

The best part? It’s free to start, and even as your needs scale to the point you need a subscription, it’s far more affordable than the competition. So, what are you waiting for? Get started with Keysearch today and streamline your SEO efforts to dominate the SERPs!

Closing Thoughts on How to Cluster Keywords

We hope this guide on how to group keywords has left you with a clear, confident understanding of your next steps. In closing, though, why is it important to group relevant keywords together?

Simply put, effective keyword clustering eliminates the all-too-common issue of keyword cannibalization. It helps you make the most of your resources and efforts so you can start gaining traction fast, bringing out the full potential of your site.

You can learn more about SEO analysis in our blog, like how to find keyword density, how to use keywords on Etsy, what is a long tail keyword Etsy, does keyword density still matter, LSI vs long tail keywords, and how to find niche keywords. Or, see how we compare to other tools:

Whether you’re building your own website or trying to rank listings on a platform like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Pinterest, or anything in between, Keysearch can help guide your SEO journey. Beginners and experts alike rely on our SEO toolkit.

So, unlock the power of keyword grouping for better SEO performance and take control of your SEO strategy today with a comprehensive suite of intuitive tools!

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Dan

Keysearch CEO at Keysearch

I'm the creator and CEO of Keysearch. I've been working in SEO & internet marketing for over a decade now. In that time I've created many tools aimed at helping people and businesses make the most of their internet presence. Our goal at Keysearch is to make a top of the line suite of SEO tools at an affordable price for everyone!