In the world of SEO, finding the best keywords to target takes time and effort. That’s because it can take time to sift through the data to find what’s relevant to your business, what will help you rank on search engines, and what will resonate with your target audience. Automated keyword research takes care of the heavy lifting to help you find the right keywords faster to get to what’s important: creating content that will rank and satisfy your audience. This guide will cover how automated keyword research works, its benefits, and how to leverage it to boost your SEO strategy.
Automated keyword research isn’t just a nice to have. It can pinpoint keywords for your SEO strategy faster than any human. For instance, in less than a minute, an AI SEO tool can help you uncover thousands of relevant keywords for your niche. Then, it can help you further narrow down your options by identifying specific terms that align with your goals, such as ranking on search engines or creating content that will engage your target audience.
What Is Automated Keyword Research?
Automated keyword research involves software tools that find and analyze relevant keywords for a specific topic, website, or business. The goal is to identify popular keywords, those with high search volume, and their relevance to the content or products a site offers. By streamlining the keyword research process, these tools make it more efficient and data-driven.
How Automated Keyword Research Works
The process begins by entering a "seed" keyword. This is a basic term related to your business or topic. Next, the tool scans search engines, websites, and databases to collect data on related keywords, search volume, competition, trends, and other metrics. Then, the tool analyzes the data to determine which keywords are most relevant, have the highest search volume, and offer good opportunities for ranking.
Finally, the tool generates a list of keyword suggestions based on the analysis. This often includes long-tail keywords, which are more specific phrases that might have less competition. Some tools also analyze competitors' keywords to identify gaps and opportunities in the market. The results can be filtered and sorted based on various criteria, such as search volume, competition, or relevance.
Check out this comprehensive video tutorial on Automated Keyword Research:
Can AI Do Keyword Research?
Yes, AI can do keyword research. You can use various AI tools for automated keyword research and optimize the content for SEO. One of the best options available is Journalist AI. Journalist AI is the AI SEO writer who auto-publishes your blog.
With Journalist's AI writing, Google indexing, content syndication, "SEO-optimized" writing, content publishing features, and many automations that save you time, Journalist makes it as easy as possible for companies to write high-quality content at scale. Journalist is the best B2B AI writing tool. Sign up today to get 3 free articles from our AI article writer.
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How To Automate Keyword Research In 5 Simple Steps
1. Define Your Objectives
There are numerous applications for keyword research, so it’s crucial first to articulate your objectives. Here are several examples of different paths you could take:
Product Listings and E-Commerce
If you aim to improve product listings on sites like Amazon or your e-commerce store, you will want to target keywords that boost sales and match commercial intent.
Content Creation for Blogs and Websites
Establishing a content strategy from scratch? AI tools uncover many keywords, from high-traffic terms to niche long tails, so you can build a prosperous, SEO-driven content calendar that aligns with your target audience.
YouTube Video Optimization:
Specialized AI tools like Journalist AI for YouTube keyword tool allow you to discover what your audience is searching for on the platform. You can then customize your video titles, descriptions, and tags to improve visibility and engagement.
Consider what you’re trying to accomplish and where you want to achieve it. By default, we show you all results, but you can refine your efforts based on the country you’re targeting.
Once you have a clear idea of your goals with keyword research automation, you can use one of three approaches to pull in thousands of relevant opportunities at the click of a button. We’ll break down each of these below.
2. Discover Ranks of Keywords from a Core Keyword
This is the easiest way to automate your keyword research, as you only need a single word or phrase that relates to what you’re trying to rank for. Here’s how it works:
Initial Setup
Enter your core keyword into the respective AI Tool. This is typically a broad term related to your industry or content theme.
Automated Search
The tools then utilize their comprehensive database to generate various associated keywords. This includes synonyms, related terms, and long-tail variations.
Filtering and Refinement
You can apply filters to refine the search results based on search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, and competition level. This helps prioritize keywords that match your specific SEO goals.
Data Analysis
The platform provides detailed metrics for each keyword, including its SEO potential and competitiveness. These insights help select keywords that offer the best opportunity for high rankings. You’re even shown search trends.
3. Identify Keywords From Your Rivals
If you have a competitor in your industry excelling at SEO, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Simply mirror what’s working for them! This can be automated through KeySearch as well. All you need is your competitor’s URL.
4. Find Keywords Through a Clustering Tool
Consider using our clustering tool if you want the most organized approach to keyword research automation. This allows you to take an expansive list of relevant keywords and group them with just the click of a button so you can target similar keywords on the same page.
5. Run Keyword Ideas Through a Difficulty Checker
So you’ve got many great keyword ideas – but where do you begin? Finding the low-hanging fruit from your list is a great approach so you can start getting quick wins.
This will also prevent you from wasting resources on opportunities you won’t rank for until you’ve boosted your domain authority.
Journalist: The Best B2B AI Writing Tool
Journalist AI is the AI SEO writer who auto-publishes your blog. With Journalists' AI writing, Google indexing, content syndication, "SEO-optimized" writing, content publishing features, and many automations that save you time, Journalist makes it as easy for companies to write high-quality content at scale. Journalist is the best B2B AI writing tool. Sign up today to get 3 free articles from our AI article writer.
10 Best Tools For Automated Keyword Research
1. Journalist AI: Your Automated Content Partner
Journalist AI is known as the AI SEO writer that auto-publishes your blog. With Journalist's AI writing, Google indexing, content syndication, "SEO-optimized" writing, content publishing features, and many automations that save you time, Journalist makes it as easy as possible for companies to write high-quality content at scale. Journalist is the best B2B AI writing tool. Sign up today to get 3 free articles from our AI article writer.
2. Moz Keyword Explorer: The User-Friendly Tool
Moz's SEO platform offers several different tools designed for keyword research. While Moz doesn't include as many data points as some of the other full-featured SEO tools (like SERP position history or the total number of keywords a competing result ranks for), that is a benefit. It makes for a less overwhelming user experience for those who aren't professional search marketers, without skimping on the metrics you really want.
With the Keyword Explorer tool, you can search any keyword you choose and see its monthly volume, difficulty, and organic clickthrough rate (CTR). Scroll down from there to see an analysis of current results ranking for it and suggestions for similar keywords.
Metrics like straightforward keyword difficulty and minimum domain authority make it easy to prioritize the keywords with the best chance of ranking and avoid wasting time on out-of-reach queries.
Plus, with the Keyword Gap feature (part of the Competitive Research tool), you can find all the keywords your competitors rank for that you don't.
Pros
More approachable data presentation than many other tools
Straightforward prioritization metrics
A broad set of tools available for free
Cons
Fewer data than more robust tools -
The free plan only includes 10 queries per tool per month
3. SEMRush: The All-in-One Powerhouse
SEMrush is an all-in-one digital marketing tool with a powerful keyword research toolkit. What I like about SEMrush is that it lets you conduct keyword research in many ways. For instance, the Keyword Magic Tool helps you generate thousands of keyword ideas from one seed keyword. Since SEMrush’s keyword database has over 25 billion keywords, you’ll definitely find new ranking opportunities and low competition keywords.
Pros
Free forever plan available
Robust SEO research and tools
Organic and PPC keyword work research tools
On-page SEO
Competitor analysis
Track daily rankings
Identify link-building opportunities
Seven-day money-back guarantee.
Cons
It’s not the most user-friendly
Paid plans are costly
Its free plan is very limited
4. Google Keyword Planner: The PPC Giant
Google Ads Keyword Planner is a must-have tool if you’re running Google Ad campaigns, but it’s also useful by itself. Use the tool to find new keywords, get insights and recommendations, and let that knowledge power your ad campaigns.
Pros
Build your own keyword plan for Google Ads
See projected search traffic, and how many projected clicks, impressions, or conversions you may get
Turn your plan into a functional Google Ads campaign in a few clicks
Cons
As this is a Google keyword explorer tool, you’ll only be able to see projected organic search data for Google search terms.
If you’re not planning to run Google Ad campaigns, another tool with a wider feature set may be beneficial.
5. Ahrefs: The Advanced Option
Ahrefs provides all essential metrics for keyword research, such as keyword difficulty, search volume in a target country, global search volume, traffic potential, and the number of clicks per search. Unlike SEMrush, Ahrefs does not have a tool that could generate thousands of ideas from a seed keyword.
Instead, you’ll find semantically related keywords in the keyword ideas report. I actively used Ahrefs until they introduced a credit system. This is how it works: you consume one credit whenever you open a new report, apply filters, or run a new search. The cheapest Lite plan provides you with 500 monthly credits, which, in my opinion, is insufficient to conduct proper keyword research for a big website.
Pros
Free SEO tools
Advanced keyword explorer
Traffic values on keywords
Rank tracking
Backlink analysis
Site audit
Content analysis
Cons
No free trial
Not the most competitively priced
Involves a learning curve
Does not offer unlimited keyword lists
Limited integrations
6. Free Keyword Research Tool: The Simple Option
If you're looking for a straightforward tool to give you basic data on keywords, Ryan Robinson's Free Keyword Research Tool is a super simple option. The Explorer tab pulls up related queries for any keyword you search, along with ballpark search volume numbers and a keyword difficulty characterization from "low" to "very high."
My favorite feature here is the suggested angles you can use to build content. Tab over to the Ideas tab (or click the lightbulb icon on any of the related keywords) to see suggested long-form versions of the keyword that can help inform your content angle. That's… pretty much all there is here. You can't get a ton of data from this tool—and there's no upgrade option for when you're ready to financially invest in your search strategy. But if basic keyword research is all you really need, it's worth a look.
Pros
Simple, straightforward report
Unique suggested content angles
Cons
Fundamental data
No built-in way to save your research
7. SurferSEO: The Content-Focused Tool
Surfer is a search engine optimization and AI content creation tool that allows teams to research keywords, generate content, and audit existing content. As an AI-powered copywriting tool, Surfer also offers a free extension for Chrome that lets users research all the keywords they need without leaving Google.
Pros
Uncover relevant topic clusters based on your niche -
Analyze search intent, see keyword difficulty scores, and check monthly search volumes
Do keyword research on the fly with the Keyword Surfer extension
Cons
Users suggest that you can’t modify topic clusters once created.
Some users report that the keyword research functionality is more basic than other alternatives.
8. Twinword Ideas: The AI Option
Twinword Ideas is an AI keyword research tool designed to search trends and bring you only the best keywords. Instead of manually reviewing long lists of keywords, use this AI keyword generator to get a more relevant selection of potential phrases to target.
Pros
See accurate keyword data, including search volume, organic traffic, and cost per click (CPC). With automatic keyword grouping, you can save time building your list of related keywords.
View keyword scores and build your campaign around your best SEO ranking opportunities.
Cons
This is purely a keyword research tool, so teams looking for a platform with other content or SEO features may need to consider an alternative.
The keyword search tool feels more essential compared to some of the other keyword research tools available
9. Copy.AI: The Marketing Tool
Copy.ai is an AI marketing tool designed for sales and marketing teams that want to use generative AI to create and deploy content at scale. Like most AI keyword generators, Copy.ai creates a list of potential keywords with the correct prompts, so teams have plenty to use in website projects.
Pros
Create keyword clusters and ideas for potential phrases to target
Brainstorm content ideas and form a content plan
Use Copy.ai to build a content brief based on your keyword prompts.
Cons
As it’s primarily an AI content writer, some teams may find this tool lacks specific keyword research functionality
Some users may need help with purchasing credits for content generation.
10. Keyword Keg: The All-in-One Option
Keyword Keg is a straightforward tool that pulls keyword data from multiple sources, including Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, and more. Just enter a seed keyword, and Keyword Keg will provide you with the following data: - Search volume - Cost per click (CPC) - Competition - Related keywords - Long-tail variations - Search suggestions - And more… The best part? You can use this tool completely free of charge, and there are no limits on the number of searches you can perform.
Pros
Pulls data from multiple sources -
Completely free with no limits on searches
User-friendly interface
Cons
limited to keyword research only
Can’t save or export reports
5 Best Ways For Automated Keyword Research
1. Use Journalist AI To Automate Keyword Research
Journalist AI is an AI SEO tool that automatically publishes articles to your blog. With features for writing, Google indexing, content syndication, SEO-optimized writing, content publishing, and plenty of automations that save you time, Journalist makes it as easy as possible for companies to write high-quality content at scale.
With its AI writing, you can create content that ranks on Google and gets tons of traffic. Then, you can sit back and let Journalist do all the hard work of getting your articles published and promoted. Sign up today to get 3 free articles from our AI article writer.
2. Generate Keyword Lists From Main Topics
The most basic way to automate keyword research is to start with single keyword topics and create lists from there. This allows you to see all of the keyword variations of a particular search term, along with all the long-tail variations and common questions users are asking.
For example, let’s say your website sells wireless home security systems. After typing the primary keyword into the Keyword Magic tool, the software generates a table of similar keywords or variations. It also provides the search intent, search volume, keyword difficulty, and cost-per-click metrics of those related keywords.
3. Export Competitor Keywords Using the Keyword Gap Analysis Tool
One great way to generate keyword ideas for your website content is to look at your competitors’ keywords. Or other websites in your industry with a solid organic presence. If they share similar products and services, those keywords may also provide opportunities for your content strategy.
The Keyword Gap Analysis tool in Search Atlas allows you to automate competitor keyword research. It will show you the “keyword gap” between you and them. That means the keywords those websites are ranking for are ones your website is not yet ranking for.
4. Generate Keyword Clusters in a Content Planner
A Content Planner provides a quick and efficient way to generate many keyword ideas from one seed keyword. This is an excellent tool for SEO beginners or for those who don’t have time to sift through hundreds of keywords using more traditional methods.
5. See Competitor Google Ads Keyword Data
If you are doing keyword research for pay-per-click campaigns, you can automate much of your keyword research using the Journalist AI. Simply start with a seed keyword, and the tool will give you helpful information about how advertisers leverage that keyword in their PPC campaigns.
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Benefits of Using Automated Keyword Research
Higher Conversion Rates
Automated keyword research enhances conversion rates. When your content aligns with what users are actively searching for, you're more likely to capture their interest and engage them effectively. This means higher quality traffic and a greater likelihood of conversions.
By focusing on keywords with transactional intent, you're also reaching an audience that is already inclined to make a purchase or take a desired action. With this targeted approach, conversion rates increase, and you can ensure that your marketing budget is allocated efficiently. As a result, your business will experience a larger return on investment (ROI), making every advertising dollar spent more valuable and effective.
Efficient Use of Resources
Automated keyword research streamlines keyword targeting. By harnessing the power of advanced algorithms and data-driven insights, automated keyword research eliminates the need for laborious manual analysis, enabling you to reallocate valuable time and resources to more strategic tasks.
Rather than poring over endless lists of keywords, marketing teams can focus on crafting compelling content and optimizing campaigns for maximum impact. By doing so, you can accelerate the pace of decision-making and remain agile. Automated keyword research empowers your businesses to work smarter, not harder, ultimately leading to more effective and successful marketing endeavors.
Real-Time Market Insights
Automated keyword research uncovers real-time market insights. By capitalizing on the current market trends and consumer behavior insights that automated tools offer, businesses can tailor their strategies to meet evolving customer needs. And when customer needs are met, customer satisfaction is enhanced, leading to an uptick in sales and increased revenue. If you position yourself to be a customer-centric enterprise, you’ll foster stronger customer relationships and guarantee repeat business along with brand loyalty, ensuring long-term success and sustained revenue growth.
Improved SEO Performance
Automated keyword research improves SEO performance. According to HubSpot’s 2023 State of Marketing Report, 88% of marketers who are already actively doing SEO work plan to continue doing so. And there’s a good reason why. When you integrate high-performing keywords into your content, you open the door to significant improvements in your search engine rankings.
With increased visibility among potential customers, you’ll drive more organic traffic to your website, resulting in substantial cost savings on paid advertising. In turn, you’ll be able to stretch your marketing budget further while simultaneously establishing a more sustainable and cost-effective way to reach and engage with your target audience
Better Lead Generation
Automated keyword research leads to better lead generation. Nineteen percent of marketers say that generating leads is their biggest marketing challenge. Precision in keyword selection allows you to tailor your content and campaigns to meet potential customers' specific needs and interests.
Simply put, if you produce content to meet their needs and give them a call to action, you’ll be more likely to move them from the awareness stage of the buyer journey into the point-of-purchase stage. You’ll also be able to attract a more qualified and engaged audience, significantly increasing the likelihood of converting leads into paying customers.
Get 3 Free Articles from Journalist AI's AI Article Writer Today
Journalist AI is an artificial intelligence (AI) SEO writing tool that automatically publishes blog posts for you. With Journalist AI’s writing features, you can forget about writing blog posts from scratch. Instead, you simply input some keywords and let the tool generate a completely written article for you in a matter of minutes. From there, you can either publish the blog post as is, or edit it to fit your voice before publishing. The best part? The content it creates is SEO-friendly, helping you rank better on Google.
How Can Journalist AI Help With SEO?
Journalist AI helps you improve your SEO by automating the process of writing blog content for your website. Blog posts are essential for SEO because they help you rank for specific keywords and create internal links to your website’s pages. With Journalist AI, you can produce high-quality, SEO-optimized articles to improve your website’s SEO and help you get more organic traffic.
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