Who wants to go on a treasure hunt? No, we are not looking for gold doubloons, but for something equally valuable: top rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs). Keyword mapping shows us where X marks the spot.
Your website content is the key to climbing the SERPs and reaching your users where they are. An important element for effective content is assigning the right keywords. A Cue card helps you with this.
And what fun would a treasure hunt be without friends? To chart our course through keyword mapping, I gathered insights from Nicole MacLeanHead of Marketing and Sales Compose.ly.
Table of contents
What is keyword mapping anyway?
“Essentially, keyword mapping is the process of assigning specific target keywords to the most relevant pages on your website so that your content meets the needs of searchers throughout the funnel,” MacLean said.
“Whether the intent behind a search is informational (learning something) or transactional (taking action), keyword mapping ensures your pages are positioned to rank, convert, and meet the needs of meet users. Think of it as the roadmap that connects user intent to your website content.”
You can use keywords to optimize your website for search engines. The right keywords will help your users find you, understand your offerings, and then buy when they’re ready. It is in this connection between the user and the result that keyword mapping unfolds its effect.
The Importance of Keyword Mapping: SEO and Beyond
Of course, keyword mapping will help you maximize your chances on search engines like Google. However, the process of defining and assigning the best keywords can bring benefits beyond increasing SERPs.
Creating a better user experience
People want a logical structure to your website and content. Clear Information hierarchies Help users find and process information quickly – and they’ll reward you by coming back for more.
A keyword map creates a logical hierarchy, similar to the progression of a story. It guides users from general information pillar pages to more specific subpages and subtopics, sharing increasingly relevant information along the way.
Reducing keyword cannibalization
Over time, your website accumulates content: landing pages, blog pages, case studies, feature summaries, etc. Of course, you want each page to rank for the best keywords for your audience, so include those keywords throughout your content. This is how keyword cannibalization creeps into your website: you have multiple pages chasing the same keywords, making it harder for a single page to rank successfully.
A keyword map requires you to review each page, identify your keywords, and match them to the most appropriate pages. This process will help you reduce keyword cannibalization and rank more efficiently in the SERPs.
Gain a competitive advantage
Depending on your industry, there might be niche audiences looking for what you have to offer, but they are simply underserved. Your competitors either didn’t recognize these opportunities or decided not to take advantage of them. Keyword mapping can be used to locate these buried treasure chests and provide a path to uncovering them.
To make content work better for your business
You know that content should support your business results and KPIs. Brand awareness, lead generation and conversions are certainly important parts of good content marketing.
The keyword mapping process can help you identify where your content supports larger business goals and where you could make adjustments.
How to Map Keywords: A Guide to Starting Your Keyword Mapping Journey
I asked MacLean how to get started with the keyword mapping process. Which steps are most important? What shouldn’t you forget? Here’s what we discussed.
1. Define your business goals.
Why do you want to rank for your keywords? What purpose do they serve? MacLean reminds us of the importance of using business goals to guide keyword selection:
“To develop a thorough keyword map, you need to understand what the business goals are (what you want to rank for) and who your target audience is (what are they looking for),” she says. “You need a good understanding of both your company’s KPIs and your audience’s search behavior.”
Gather appropriate audience and user data and align with your leadership on what outcomes are important. This creates a solid foundation before diving into the finer details.
2. Research your keyword targets.
Once you know the general results you want, find the right keywords to suit your needs. Usually each side has a primary keyword (the one you want to rank the most).
You should also include one to three secondary keywords to highlight subtopics and provide more work for search engines. Conduct thorough keyword research to find selected keyword options.
MacLean recommends a top-down approach to research: “Start with your biggest, most important goals and work your way down,” she said.
“Focus on meeting search intent so you can deliver a cohesive, easy-to-navigate customer experience.”
Because Google owns almost all global search trafficWhy not use the company’s knowledge directly? If you already use Google Ads, get started Keyword planner and use Google’s analytics capabilities to identify keywords. It is also very user-friendly compared to other SEO tools.
Note: Using this tool requires an active Google Ads account running paid ads.
For those interested in more cost-effective options: Google Search Console (part of Google Workspace) provides analytics based on the company’s indexing algorithms. And if you’re really in need, Google Trends is open to the public and free to use. It can identify general trends and basic keywords, but it doesn’t give you usage and competitive cost data.
What if you’re looking for options outside of what’s trending on Google? Personally I like it SEMrush. The company packs tons of information into its keyword research tools. It might be overwhelming for a true SEO beginner, but once you get some practice, SEMrush offers plenty of keyword help. Plans start at $139.95 per month.
MacLean also points out that some marketers ignore long-tail keywords. These are terms that have a lower search result volume, often because they are very specific and targeted.
“Long-tail keywords are low-hanging fruit,” she said. “Don’t miss these opportunities to attract niche traffic. My team sees the most success in setting up pillar/landing pages with large keyword targets and building topical authority with blogs that focus on related long-tail keywords and tie into these larger pillar pages.”
3. Review your content.
With a list of possible keywords in hand, the next thing you want to do is review your content and how you are using keywords now. This is your content audit.
MacLean and her team spend a lot of time conducting content reviews. She says you should start by identifying which pages are already ranking for relevant keywords and then highlight gaps where new content is needed. She reminds us that intentionality is the key to a good exam.
“Be clear about how everything on the site fits or doesn’t fit with your content strategy,” MacLean said. “Understand what action to take on content that doesn’t fit, whether that’s setting up redirects, merging into new content, or removing it from your site entirely.”
Pro tip: Don’t skip the content review. You may feel the time and cost pressure of not taking care of it. But you could be missing out on undiscovered avenues for future content or easy opportunities to optimize your website.
4. Match your keywords to pages.
Now it’s time to combine your knowledge and insights into your actual keyword map. Add data like:
- keyword
- Search volume
- Keyword difficulty
- User Intent
- Assigned page URL
- Content type
- Notes for your team
The spreadsheet is your friend when creating keyword maps. Your columns should show how you want to pair your page link with primary and secondary target keywords.
Ideally, you want to see the logic of a card at a glance: big, broad keywords for pillar pages and specific, long keywords for subpages.
5. Create new content and optimize old content.
Your keyword map and content audit will identify content gaps. Take the time to write meaningful content that fills these gaps and better meets user search intent.
Include on-page SEO recommendations when creating or updating content. For example, how can you naturally integrate your primary keyword into the page title or meta description?
As a writer, I find this part particularly challenging and rewarding. There is usually little to no wiggle room how to write your keyword; “cook” and “cooking” may produce different results depending on user intent.
This limitation is also why we are primary And secondary keywords. I will insert the main heading into the title and into two to three internal headings (along with the inserts into the body text). Secondary keywords give me more flexibility when creating interesting headings and subheadings.
I also read titles, headings, and subheadings to check if they are “normal” (e.g., Does it sound right to my ear?). You should definitely read content out loud, but if you’re pressed for time, review all keyword-laden components. At this point, your article’s voice usually falters.
From there, write content as usual. Search engines now reward expert-led, deep and nuanced content – the great content that meets the eye EAT Requirements.
Pro tip: Keywords are an important marketing tactic, but they are only one tactic. Users want helpful, consumable content that they can consume between these well-mapped keywords. Make your treasure hunt worthwhile.
6. Track performance and re-evaluate keywords.
Keywords take time to produce results; It is not an automatic correction or reinforcement. MacLean recommends giving new or updated content about three months to collect enough performance data.
Together Keyword data Items to track include the following.
Impressions
Impressions measure how often a search engine returns your page for a specific keyword.
Google measures impressions in different ways depending on where your content is returned. But in general, getting an “impression” doesn’t necessarily mean that a user saw your content, just that the algorithm returned it on the search engine results page. I’ve seen marketers get excited about big impression numbers – only to fail when no one actually clicks on their links.
Bigger isn’t always better here; You want not only quantity, but also high quality impressions.
Clicks
You only get clicks when users actually click on the link to your page shown in the SERP. It is a clearer representation of a user’s search desire.
Again, similar to impressions, you may Use these numbers to make clicks look “better.” But in the end, you want users who actually want to take action (e.g. learn more, schedule a demo, or buy your product) as a result of that click.
Click-through rate (CTR)
Divide clicks by impressions to get your CTR. A “good” CTR depends on your industry, content format, and keywords selected. I’ve seen an average of 2% is enough, while others aim for 15-20%.
Research by Marketing training company CXL shows CTR benchmarks of around 4% to 11%, depending on the industry. A little search engine work can help you find benchmarks that fit your industry and niches.
Conversions
Once a user clicks on your page, you want them to do something: fill out a form or purchase your offer. This is a conversion.
Conversions are customized to your business goals and desired results. You choose what counts in your chosen analysis tool and link it to your keywords.
Conversions are certainly crucial to your KPIs, but they don’t always translate 1:1 to other companies’ experiences. So don’t spend too much time comparing conversion results with other companies.
SERP rankings
This is the numerical position of your website page on the SERP that is returned to users. This ranking affairs.
The first place is at the top of the page and receives the most interaction. Research shows that the Top search result generated a CTR of around 39.8%. The second position? 18.7%. Once you reach the bottom of the page you will receive less than 2%.
Pro tip: I have often found that company leaders are very interested in rankings as a visible way to “move things.” Impressions, clicks and conversions help you improve your SERP ranking. But in a presentation to management, I would start with the conclusion: “Look how many rooms we moved.”
For performance tracking tools, I go back to SEMrush. Especially hers Position tracking The tool can provide an operational keyword performance report.
Also, make sure you check your keyword map regularly.
“Keyword trends and user behavior continue to evolve. Regular updates to your mapping strategy are key to staying competitive,” said MacLean.
“Google’s algorithm changes quickly. So if you’re attuned to data analysis and have the flexibility to make changes, your strategy will stay current and relevant to users.”
Plan your keyword mapping course and reap the SEO rewards
While assigning the best keywords to content doesn’t solve all SEO challenges, the keyword mapping process will help you maximize your content’s ability to improve your website and reach a more targeted audience.
The journey itself is crucial as it can reveal tactical errors and missed opportunities that would otherwise lie dormant.
Additionally, keyword mapping gives you the opportunity to think strategically about the development of your content and website. This holistic approach is a smart investment that will pay off in the long run. Start your keyword treasure hunt today and I’m sure you’ll soon reap fantastic SEO success.