Content Marketing
Seed Keywords: What They Are and How to Use Them
Learn what seed keywords are and how to use them as part of your SEO and content strategy in this detailed guide.
Seed keywords form the foundation and the base of what will become a well-researched SEO strategy.
In this guide, we’ll review what seed keywords are, how to use them as part of your SEO and keyword research strategy, and why you’ll want to get started right away.
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Seed keywords are the backbone of keyword research.
They’re simple short, very broad terms that describe the underlying theme(s) of your business, brand or content.
True to their names, they’re like the seeds from which your overall keyword strategy will sprout.
For example, a fitness brand might choose seed keywords like “workout,” “exercise,” or “yoga,” whereas a store selling pet supplies may choose terms like “pet food” or “aquariums.”
If you’re familiar with keyword research, you might think that researching seed keywords is redundant: of course a fitness company would focus on “workout” or “exercise” as their seed keywords.
However, skipping it can cause you to miss potentially lucrative content niches, trends or gaps that the competition hasn’t caught onto yet.
Even experienced search engine professionals and content marketers revisit seed keywords to reset their focus and look at things from a fresh angle or to shift and adapt so that content is as relevant as possible.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to start your SEO strategy with seed keywords (or refamiliarize yourself with them if it’s been a while).
They are a great starting point that gives you insights into overall search intent, while highlighting potential content gaps, so you can stay ahead of the competition.
If seed keywords are broad, foundational keywords then what are short-tail keywords?
Let’s compare.
Seed keywords:
On the other hand, short-tail keywords:
Example: A seed keyword might be “workout,” whereas a short tail keyword would be “home workout.” You could start with a seed keyword like “workout,” then refine it to short-tail keywords like “home workout” and finally branch out into long-tail keywords like “best home workout for marathon training.”
Once you’ve got a seed keyword in mind, you can then use it in several ways to strengthen your overall content strategy:
Plug the seed keyword into a keyword research tool like Google’s keyword suggestion tool, Ahrefs or SEMrush to get a list of keywords and phrases that people search for related to the seed keywords.
Use your seed keyword as the starting point for creating topic clusters. So, if your seed keyword is ‘yoga” for example, you might start by creating clusters such as “beginner yoga poses,” and so on.
Look at how your seed keywords match up with search intent. Are they:
Then, further, tailor keywords to align with stages of the content marketing funnel.
Use seed keywords in your meta tags, meta descriptions, and URLs, and sprinkle them naturally throughout your content. Make sure to keep a balance between keyword usage that flows well and readability.
Check out which seed keywords your competitors are ranking for. You may spot some underserved gaps in their strategies or other opportunities where you can outrank them.
Although it’s easy to get started using keywords, getting the most out of them requires a little more strategic planning.
Here are a few best practices to make sure you’re getting the most mileage out of your SEO efforts using seed keywords.
Keep your seed keywords broad but still relevant (learn more about keyword relevance). It may be tempting to include anything and everything that’s remotely tied to your product or service, but too many keywords that are irrelevant could dilute your overall SEO strategy.
You definitely don’t want to go too far with seed keywords and have them seep into keyword stuffing. It’s better to choose a few strong seed keywords that you can then branch off into short-tail and long-tail keyword campaigns over time.
Search trends and customer needs change over time. Make sure your keyword strategies, including using seed keywords, change with them.
Understanding what users are looking for is one of the most important underlying strategies for your SEO foundation. Create content around those user intent searches, using seed keywords where it makes sense to do so.
Metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, and competition will help you validate which seed keywords are the best for your particular campaigns.
Seed keywords may seem like a small step in your overall SEO efforts, but they should be the very backbone of your research.
Think of them as a launchpad or springboard for everything from driving traffic to optimizing content, and you’ll be well on your way to reaching more customers.
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