Seed Keywords

When you dive into the world of SEO and start working on a Keyword Research, it’s essential to understand the concept of Seed Keywords.

These words are the foundation upon which you’ll build your keyword strategy, helping you find more specific terms and ultimately generate organic traffic.

What are Seed Keywords?

Seed Keywords are simple and generic keywords, usually short tail, that you use as a starting point in your keyword research.

These keywords are typically not long or specific, but they act as a seed that, when nurtured and expanded, will help you find long tail keywords (longer and more specific keywords) that allow you to attract qualified traffic to your website.

 For example, if you have a blog about mattresses, some of your seed keywords might be words like “mattresses”, “mattress”, or “buy mattress”. From these general words, you can discover more specific terms like “cheap memory foam mattresses”, “foam mattress for back pain”, or “best latex mattresses in 2024”. 

Why are they important?

Seed keywords are crucial in the initial phase of Keyword Research because they provide a solid base to explore from. From them, you can broaden your horizons, finding keywords that meet the needs of your audience more precisely. And most importantly, they allow you to identify opportunities that may not be so obvious at first.

How to Use Seed Keywords in Your Keyword Research

Working with seed keywords in your research is a fundamental step to finding relevant and useful keywords. Here are some strategies to help you make the most out of these keywords.

1. Brainstorming and Manual Search

One of the simplest ways to start is through a brainstorming session. Think of all the general keywords that come to mind and are related to your business, product, or service.

Once you have your initial list of seed keywords, you can begin searching manually on Google or other search platforms. As you do this, review the titles and descriptions of the search results. Often, you’ll find related keywords that you might not have considered. These new keywords aren’t directly your seed keywords, but they broaden the horizon and offer you ideas for additional keywords.

2. Check the People Also Ask (PAA) Section

Another very useful technique is to look at the questions that appear in the “People Also Ask” section of Google. This section is full of related questions to the keyword you are searching for and can be a goldmine for discovering new seed keywords.

Continuing with the mattress example, if you search for “best mattresses,” you’re likely to find questions in the People Also Ask section like “What brand of mattress is considered the best?” or “Which type of mattress is best for the body?”

These questions provide you with new keywords to explore, which are directly related to user needs and interests.

3. Use Keyword Research Tools

While manual research is valuable, there are tools that greatly simplify the process of finding seed keywords. One of the most effective strategies is to use a Keyword Research tool to input a root keyword and get a list of related keywords.

By inputting a generic keyword like “mattresses” into tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, DinoRANK or SEMrush, you’ll automatically get a list of related keywords that you can use as seed keywords.

These tools are powerful because they not only provide you with keywords but also important data such as search volume and competition.

Advanced Strategies for Finding Seed Keywords

In addition to the previous tactics, there are more advanced ways to generate and discover new seed keywords. Below, I’ll explain some of them.

1. Competitor Analysis

An excellent way to get new seed keyword ideas is by analyzing your competitors. By observing the titles and descriptions they use on their pages, you can identify general keywords they are targeting.

For example, if a competitor sells mattresses and uses keywords like “orthopedic mattress” or “affordable memory foam mattress,” these words could become new seed keywords that you could use in your strategy.

2. Specialized Tools like DinoRANK

A tool worth mentioning is DinoRANK. In addition to offering data on search volume and related keywords, DinoRANK has an artificial intelligence module that can generate complete web structures based on the seed keyword you enter.

Imagine you enter the keyword “mattresses” in DinoRANK. The tool will not only return related keywords but also suggest content architectures. These structures often contain new seed keywords, allowing you to discover keywords that you might otherwise overlook.

3. Long Tail Keywords from Seed Keywords

Once you have a solid list of seed keywords, it’s time to expand them and look for long tail keywords. These longer and more specific keywords tend to be less competitive and, although their search volume is lower, they attract more qualified traffic.

To continue with the “mattresses” example, if your seed keyword is “memory foam mattresses,” you can derive long tail keywords like “cheap memory foam mattresses,” “180×200 memory foam mattresses,” or “best memory foam mattresses 2024.”

How to Easily Find Seed Keywords

While the aforementioned tools and techniques are very useful, sometimes we need a quick and easy way to generate seed keywords. Here are some strategies to help you get started today.

1. Use Google Autocomplete

One of the simplest ways to get ideas for seed keywords is by using the Google Autocomplete feature. When you type a keyword into the search bar, Google shows you a list of suggestions based on what other people are searching for. These suggestions are excellent candidates to become your next seed keywords.

For example, when typing “mattresses,” Google might suggest searches like “cheap mattresses,” “online mattresses,” or “latex mattresses.” Each of these suggestions can become a seed keyword from which to expand your research.

2. Questions in Forums and Communities

Another way to find seed keywords is by checking out forums, online communities, and Q&A platforms like Reddit or Quora. Here, people often ask very specific questions that can indicate keywords of interest for your niche.

Continuing with the mattress example, you might find questions like “What is the best mattress for someone with back problems?” or “How do I choose the best mattress for my weight?” These questions not only provide you with ideas for long tail keywords, but they also help you identify themes and seed keywords that are on the minds of your users.

With these strategies, you’ll have a solid foundation to work on your seed keywords and build an effective Keyword Research. Remember, these initial keywords are just the starting point; what’s important is how you expand and use them to reach your audience with relevant and well-optimized content.