How To Use Semrush To Improve SEO Easily in 2023
Keyword research can seem daunting, especially if you have no experience.
But fear not! In this article, I will guide you through the process step-by-step on how to use Semrush to improve SEO and help you start ranking in 2023.
We’ll start by understanding what keyword research is and why it’s important for SEO.
Once we have a grasp of the basics, we’ll dive into finding a topic that is both interesting and has potential for ranking.
We’ll explore how to use Semrush to analyze domain authority, define low-competition keywords, and even reverse engineer competitor’s keywords.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to identify potential keywords and check keyword intent.
So, let’s get started and unlock the power of keyword research!
Key Takeaways
- Keyword research is an essential part of SEO, and Semrush is a powerful tool to help you with it.
- To find low competition keywords, analyze domain authority, reverse engineer competitor’s keywords, and check keyword intent.
- By following these steps, you can identify potential keywords and learn learn how to use Semrush to improve SEO overall on your site.
Understanding Keyword Research and SEO
So, what exactly is keyword research and SEO? Well, in simple terms, SEO or search engine optimization is the process of trying to rank on Google.
And keyword research is a crucial part of SEO, as it helps you identify the right keywords to target for your website.
To start with keyword research, you need to have a topic in mind that you want to target.
For instance, if you’re a blogger like me, you might want to target keywords like “how to build a website” or “how-to articles” that provide information and have potential for affiliate income.
However, it’s important to note that these keywords are highly competitive, and new sites like mine may find it challenging to rank for them.
That’s why it’s essential to focus on low competition keywords that are easier to rank for.
To find low competition keywords, I use Semrush, a tool that offers a free two-week trial.
I start by typing in a keyword like “how to build a blog for newbies in 2023” in the keyword magic tool.
If I don’t get any results, I try variations like “how to start a blog WordPress 2023.”
Once I have a list of potential keywords, I use the Moz Chrome extension to check the domain authority of the sites that are ranking for those keywords.
If a site has a high domain authority, it’s unlikely that a new site with a domain authority of zero will be able to outrank it.
So, Instead, focus on keywords with a low keyword difficulty and domain authority, which are easier to rank for.
For instance, I found a keyword like “how to start a blog as a student,” which has a low keyword difficulty and is less competitive.
To identify more potential keywords, I use the organic research feature in Semrush, which shows all the keywords a site is ranking for.
I look for keywords with low competition and high search volume, like “blogger email subscription.”
By focusing on low-competition keywords, I can increase my chances of ranking on Google and driving traffic to my site. It’s important to be intentional about the keywords you target and focus on those that are easier to rank for, especially when starting.
Finding a Topic
In this article, I teach you how to use Semrush to improve SEO and rank on Google. But before diving into it, I had to think of a topic that I was interested in.
For me, it was blogging. I KNOW, CRAZY RIGHT!
For example, I want to write how-to articles that are both informational and transactional.
This means that my articles would provide information and have the potential for affiliate income.
However, these types of articles are also THE HARDEST to rank for, especially for a new website with zero domain authority 😔. But no worries! There is a solution!
The key is to discover low-competition keywords.
To find low-competition keywords that I could potentially rank for, I used Semrush and its Keyword Magic Tool. I started by typing in the keyword “how to build a Blog for newbies in 2023.” Unfortunately, I didn’t get any results. So, I tried “how to start a blog WordPress 2023,” and I got some results.
To determine the difficulty of ranking for a keyword, I use the Moz bar Chrome extension. It shows the domain authority of the websites that are ranking for that keyword.
As a new website with zero domain authority, it would be next to impossible to rank for high-difficulty keywords.
So, always look for low-competition keywords with a keyword difficulty score in the green.
One keyword that caught my eye was “how to start a blog as a student.”
It had a decent search volume and a low keyword difficulty score.
I could write a whole article on how to start a blog with affiliate links and potentially rank for it.
To find other potential keywords that you could possibly rank for, use Semrush’s Organic Research tool.
Next, copy the URL of a website that was ranking for a keyword you’re interested in, then copy and paste it into the tool.
It will show you all the keywords that the website is ranking for.
Another keyword that stood out was “blogger email subscription.”
In this example, it had a low keyword difficulty score and a lot of “how-to articles“, which are usually great for affiliate income.
This leaves me the opportunity to write an article on how to get more email subscribers for your blog and potentially rank for it.
Overall, finding a topic to write about can be challenging, especially if you’re a new website with zero domain authority.
But with the right tools and a little bit of research, you can find low-competition keywords that you can start ranking for, even in the early stages of your blog.
How To Use Semrush To Improve SEO and Keyword Research
Let me share with you how to use Semrush for keyword research.
First off, let me explain what keyword research is. Essentially, it’s the process of trying to rank on Google.
If you want to rank on the first page of Google, you need to do keyword research.
To get started, let’s think of a topic that some of you might be interested in.
For me, I’m doing blogging. So, I’ll use “how to build a website” or “how-to articles” as an example.
These are informational and transactional keywords, meaning they provide information and there’s potential for affiliate income.
Now, these are probably going to be the hardest to rank for, so the chances of a new site ranking for them are slim to none.
But, I’ll show you how I do this to see how I would even get potential rankings for a keyword like that.
So, let’s type in a keyword like “how to build a Blog for newbies in 2023” and see what comes up in the keyword magic tool.
If we don’t get anything, we’ll try another keyword like “how to start a blog WordPress 2023“.
One thing to keep in mind is that you want to make sure you have the Chrome extension for Moz.
Moz is a tool that allows you to see the domain authority of a website.
Any new website starts with a domain authority of zero, and if you have a domain authority of zero, the likelihood of you ranking for the majority of the keywords out there is going to be slim to none.
You want to go for low competition keywords, which are just lower in the SERPs.
It’s just not as much of a challenge to actually outrank these sites. So, we’re going to take a look at the keyword difficulty for each keyword that we find.
For example, “how to start a blog” has a keyword difficulty of , which is next to impossible to rank for (unless you’re a VERY high domain authority site).
So, its probably best to look for a different keyword.
We want to find keywords with a low keyword difficulty that are still valuable.
One way to do this is to reverse engineer it.
Copy the URL of a site that is valuable and put it into the organic research tool.
This allows you to see all the keywords on that page that you could potentially rank for with low domain authority.
For instance, if we copy the URL of a site that ranks for “how to start a blog as a student”, we can see in Semrush that it has a decent search volume and low keyword difficulty. This is a low-competition keyword that someone could potentially rank for.
We can also see what other potential keywords we might have a chance to rank for by looking at what the site is ranking for overall.
We can skim through the list of keywords and find ones with low competition and a decent search volume.
Overall, learning how to use Semrush for keyword research can help you find low-competition keywords that are still valuable.
By focusing on these keywords, you can start to build your domain authority and eventually rank for more competitive keywords.
Analyzing Domain Authority and learn how to use semrush to improve sEO
So, you might be asking yourself “I’m trying to rank on Google for a keyword, but how do I know if I have a chance of ranking for it?”
This is where domain authority comes in.
Domain authority is a search engine ranking score that gives a measure of how successful a site is when it comes to search engine results.
It’s generally based on the number of backlinks as well as the QUALITY of those links.
To check the domain authority of a website, you can use a tool like Moz for free.
The higher the domain authority, the more backlinks and AUTHORITY that site carries.
For new websites, the domain authority is usually zero, which means it’s unlikely to rank for most keywords.
When doing keyword research, it’s important to go after low competition keywords.
These are keywords that are not as challenging to outrank other sites for. To find low competition keywords, you can use tools like Semrush.
One way to find potential keywords is to reverse engineer a competitor’s website.
First, find a page on their site that you think is valuable and has potential keywords that you could rank for.
Then, copy the URL and put it into Semrush’s organic research tool.
This tool allows you to see all the keywords on that page that you could potentially rank for with low domain authority.
Once you have a list of potential keywords, you can check their search volume and keyword difficulty.
You want to go for keywords with a decent search volume but low keyword difficulty. This means it’s not too difficult to rank for that keyword.
Remember, when doing keyword research, it’s important to be intentional about the keywords you’re looking for.
Go after keywords that have a clear search intent and are relevant to your audience. By doing so, you’ll have a better chance of ranking on Google and driving traffic to your site.
Defining Low Competition Keywords
When it comes to keyword research, it’s important to focus on low competition keywords.
But what exactly does that mean?
Essentially, low-competition keywords are those that have less competition in the search engine results pages (SERPs) and are therefore easier to rank for.
To identify low competition keywords, you’ll need to use a tool like Semrush.
Start by typing in a keyword related to your topic, such as “How to start a fitness website.” The Keyword Magic Tool will show you the search volume and keyword difficulty for that keyword.
Next, use the Moz Chrome extension to check the domain authority of the top-ranking websites for that keyword (just search in Google for Moz Chrome extension).
If the domain authority is high, it’s unlikely that a new website will be able to rank for that keyword.
Look for keywords with a lower keyword difficulty and domain authority.
For example, “How to start a blog as a student” may have a lower search volume, but it’s easier to rank for and can still generate traffic and potential affiliate income.
Remember, the goal is not to go for high-volume keywords, but instead to focus on keywords that are easier to rank for.
By targeting low-competition keywords, you can increase your chances of ranking on the first page of Google and driving traffic to your website.
KEYNOTE: Once you’ve established a stronger backlink profile, you can start to target higher volume and higher competition keywords.
Reverse Engineering Competitor’s Keywords
As you know, I’m doing blogging, so I’ll use “how to build a website” or “how-to” articles as an example.
These are going to be informational and transactional, meaning they provide information and there’s potential for affiliate income.
Now, let’s type in the keyword “how to build a Blog for newbies in 2023” and see what comes up in the keyword magic tool.
If we don’t get anything, we can try different variations until we find something.
Figuring out how to use Semrush to improve SEO does present its challenges, but I promise it’s not impossible.
Once we find a potential keyword, we need to check the domain authority of the site that’s ranking for it.
Any new website starts with a domain authority of zero, and if you have a domain authority of zero, the likelihood of you ranking for the majority of the keywords out there is going to be slim to none, SORRY!
We need to go for low competition keywords, which are just lower in the SERPs and not as much of a challenge to actually outrank these sites.
One way to find low-competition keywords is to reverse engineer your competitors’ keywords. We can do this by copying the URL of a site that is valuable and probably has keywords that we could potentially rank for.
Then, we can put this URL into the organic research tool and see all the keywords on that page that we could potentially rank for with a low domain authority.
We need to find keywords that have a low keyword difficulty and a decent search volume. (Honestly if you’re just starting, even a little search volume is okay)
Once we find a potential keyword, we need to check the SERPs to see what the search intent is behind it.
If it’s a good fit, we can create an article surrounding that customer avatar and potentially start ranking for it.
Bottom line, the best way to get the ball rolling is to reverse engineer your competitors’ keywords so that you can find low-competition keywords you can potentially rank for.
Just make sure to check the domain authority and SERPs before choosing a keyword to target.
Identifying Potential Keywords
So, you want to learn how to do keyword research, but you have zero experience.
No worries! Let me show you how to do it. First off, let’s define what keyword research or SEO is.
Search engine optimization is the process of trying to rank on Google.
To rank on the first page of Google, you need to do keyword research.
Let’s say you want to write about a topic that you are interested in.
For example, I’m doing blogging, so I’m interested in how to build a website or how-to articles.
These articles are going to be informational and transactional, meaning they provide information and there’s potential for affiliate income.
However, these are probably going to be the hardest to rank for, so the chances of a new site ranking for these keywords are slim to none.
To find low competition keywords, we’re going to use Semrush.
You can start with a free two-week trial to learn how to use the tool and move forward with your research.
To start, let’s type in a keyword like “how to lose belly fat fast” and see what comes up in the keyword magic tool.
If we don’t get any results, we can try another keyword like “how to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.”
YOU NEED THE CHROME EXTENSION for Moz.
Moz is free to join as I already mentioned and it allows you to see the domain authority of other websites.
Any new website starts with a domain authority of zero, and the likelihood of ranking for keywords with a domain authority of zero is slim to none.
We want to go for low competition keywords, which are just lower in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
We can define low-competition keywords as those that are easier to rank for because there is less competition.
Once we find a potential keyword, we need to check the SERPs to see the intent behind that specific keyword.
We can do this by copying the URL and putting it into the organic research tool.
This allows us to see all the keywords on that page that we could potentially rank for with a low domain authority.
For example, let’s say we found the keyword “how to start a blog as a student.” This is a low-competition keyword that someone could potentially rank for.
We can write a whole article on how to start a blog with affiliate links in there and potentially start ranking for it and making money just by creating one article.
Overall, we want to be intentional about the keywords we choose and make sure they have low competition and high search volume.
By following these steps and using the right tools, we can identify potential keywords and start ranking on Google.
Checking Keyword Intent
First, lets start by typing in a keyword that you’re interested in, like “how to build a Blog for newbies in 2023”.
If we don’t get any results, we’ll try a different variation of the keyword until we find something.
Once we have a list of potential keywords, we then use the Moz Chrome extension to check the domain authority of the top-ranking sites.
If the domain authority is too high, we know it’s going to be tough to rank for that keyword.
Once we’ve established its a keyword we actually want to go after, then we check the SERPs to ensure it even makes sense to go after it.
At the end of the day, it’s not just about finding low-competition keywords. For example, if someone searches for “blogger email subscription“, they’re probably looking for how-to articles and tips, which are great for affiliate income.
However, in the video I demonstrated above, you can see that a keyword like “email list building services” wouldn’t work well for a blogging/affiliate website simply because you would have to provide that service.
Overall, finding the right keywords takes time and effort, but it’s worth it to get those top spots on Google.
Documenting Potential Keywords
So, as were diving further into keyword research and trying to figure out how to rank on Google. It’s important to put your keywords into a spreadsheet (I use Google Spreadsheets since it’s free 😊)
So start by opening a Google spreadsheet and create your columns as demonstrated in the image below.
As you can see I didn’t go too crazy with the columns, I kept it VERY BASIC (as it should be when you’re just starting out.
Overall, finding potential keywords with lower competition is key to ranking on Google for a new site with a low domain authority. By using tools like Semrush and the Moz Chrome extension, I can identify keywords with lower difficulty scores and higher potential for ranking.
Repeating the Process
Alright, so now that I’ve shown you how to find low-competition keywords, it’s time to repeat the process.
Remember, the key is to focus on keywords that have a low difficulty score and a decent search volume. But as I mentioned earlier, going for high volume shouldn’t be a priority at this stage and age of your website.
Obviously you now know how to use Semrush to improve SEO and start building topical authority.
Keep in mind, it may take some time to start seeing results, but if you stick with it and keep producing quality content, you’ll eventually start to see your rankings improve.
Remember, repetition is the godfather of learning. Just stay the course, be consistent, don’t give up, and I PROMISE YOU that you’ll see results
So go ahead and give it a try for yourself. Remember, the key is to be patient and persistent. Good luck!
Final Thoughts
So there you have it folks, you know how to use Semrush to improve SEO and utilize it for keyword research to rank on Google.
Using tools like Semrush can definitely help you find low competition keywords that you can potentially rank for.
Remember, it’s not just about finding high volume keywords, but also about finding keywords with low competition that you have a chance of ranking for.
Keep in mind that building backlinks is also important in increasing your domain authority, but that’s a topic for another day.
So go ahead and give it a try, and who knows, you might just find yourself ranking on the first page of Google in short time frame!
