How Do You Find and Evaluate Seed Keywords?

To find seed keywords, start with your products, services, and the terms your customers actually use. Then consult search queries for your existing website, competitor content, search suggestions, and questions in online communities. Do not simply choose the terms with the highest search volume. Focus instead on whether they fit your business, lead to related questions and long-tail keywords, and reflect search intent that aligns with your content plans. Seed keywords are starting points for research, not necessarily the keywords you will ultimately target for rankings.

List your business topics first, then add the words your customers use

Seed keywords are usually broad phrases that describe core topics. Start by listing product categories, service names, and industry terms, then compare them with how customers describe their needs. You do not need to phrase them as complete questions at the outset. For example, a website selling yoga supplies could start with “yoga mats,” “yoga equipment,” and “yoga accessories,” rather than immediately collecting every popular health-related term.

• If you already have a website: Review queries in Google Search Console, identify terms related to your products or services, and then research their long-tail variations. Existing impressions do not necessarily mean you are attracting the right audience.
• Understand the words your customers use: Read questions and post titles in relevant forums. For example, “room layout” and “furniture layout” from interior design communities could be candidate terms.
• Expand your list: Analyze the terms that drive traffic to competitors, and consult search autocomplete, related searches, and “People also ask.” Candidate terms from these sources still need to be screened.

As part of our content services at Procrustes, we turn questions that matter to clients into articles, with ongoing content planning, writing, and updates.

Check whether seed keywords lead to questions relevant to your business

After entering candidate seed keywords into a keyword research tool, review the related terms and questions it returns rather than focusing only on the number of results. For shampoo products, for example, “washing hair” is worth researching further if it leads to many relevant hair-care questions. If the resulting topics stray from your business, reconsider whether the seed keyword is a good fit.

Terms relevant to your business are not limited to product names. In the Edelweiss bakery case study Semrush presented in 2021, “sandwich recipes” was chosen as the main seed keyword. The business made bread, and the many variations on sandwiches offered a range of article topics, which explains the choice. This does not mean every bakery should take the same approach.

Consider search volume and difficulty, but do not make them the only criteria

“High search volume and low difficulty” should not be treated as a requirement for every seed keyword. A topic cluster guide recommends choosing terms with lower difficulty and sufficient search volume, while a seed keyword guide notes that broad seed terms themselves often face greater competition. Terms with low search volume but strong business relevance may be more likely to lead to conversions, making them worth creating content around.

Next, choose your target market, then expand your seed keywords into lists of related terms, questions, and long-tail keywords. Filter those lists by search intent, search volume, and ranking difficulty. Search suggestions are only a source of inspiration. Before planning content further, review the search results to determine whether users are looking for answers, comparing options, or preparing to buy.