Semrush Keyword Analysis: The Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide

You know keyword research matters for SEO. But staring at Semrush for the first time feels like sitting in a fighter jet cockpit without a manual. The platform offers dozens of tools, reports, and metrics, each promising to unlock your site's ranking potential. Which ones actually matter? Where do you even start? Most beginners click around randomly, check a few search volumes, then wonder why their content still doesn't rank.

Semrush keyword analysis doesn't have to be complicated. You need five core steps: set up your site properly, build a focused keyword list, evaluate the metrics that predict success, check what's already ranking, then prioritize what to target first. Master these basics and you'll make better decisions than most marketers who fumble through every feature.

This guide walks you through each step of analyzing keywords in Semrush. You'll learn which tools to use (and which to ignore for now), how to read the metrics that actually predict ranking success, and how to build a keyword strategy that drives real traffic. By the end, you'll know exactly what to target and why.

What is Semrush keyword analysis

Semrush keyword analysis is the process of using Semrush's suite of tools to evaluate search terms and determine which keywords your site can realistically rank for. You gather data on search volume, ranking difficulty, competition, and user intent, then use that information to decide what content to create. This analysis goes beyond simply finding keywords; it reveals the complete landscape of opportunities and obstacles for each term you consider targeting.

The platform provides specific metrics for each keyword you research. Search volume shows how many people search for a term monthly. Keyword difficulty (KD%) indicates how hard it is to break into the top 10 results. Personal keyword difficulty (PKD%) tells you how challenging it would be for your specific domain. Search intent reveals what type of content users expect to see. SERP features show what special elements appear in results. You combine these data points to make informed decisions about which keywords deserve your time and resources.

When you analyze keywords properly, you stop guessing and start building content strategies on actual data about what searchers want and what you can compete for.

The core components you'll use

Your semrush keyword analysis relies on three main tool categories within the platform. The Keyword Overview tool gives you comprehensive data on individual keywords or small groups of terms. The Keyword Magic Tool helps you discover thousands of related keywords from a single seed term. The Keyword Gap tool reveals what your competitors rank for that you don't. You'll also use supporting tools like Organic Research to see what keywords already drive traffic to any domain, and Position Tracking to monitor your rankings over time. Each tool serves a specific purpose in building your complete keyword strategy.

Step 1. Set up Semrush for your site

Before you can perform meaningful semrush keyword analysis, you need to configure the platform with your site's information. The setup process takes about 10 minutes and directly impacts the accuracy of your keyword recommendations. Semrush provides personalized keyword difficulty scores and competitor insights only after you connect your domain properly. Skip this step and you'll work with generic data that doesn't reflect your site's actual ranking potential.

Create your account and add your domain

Navigate to Semrush and create a free account (you get limited searches without a credit card). Once you're logged in, go to Project Setup in the main navigation or click "Add New Project" in your dashboard. Enter your full domain exactly as it appears in your browser, including the correct protocol. Use https://example.com if your site uses HTTPS (most sites do). Don't add www if your site redirects from www to the non-www version, or vice versa. The platform will verify your domain ownership later, but you can start exploring features immediately.

The system asks you to specify your target location and preferred search engine. Select the country where most of your customers live, not where your business is registered. If you serve customers in the United States but operate from Canada, choose United States. Pick Google as your search engine unless you specifically optimize for Bing or another alternative. These settings determine which search results Semrush analyzes when showing you competitor data and ranking opportunities.

Connect Google Search Console for accurate data

Link your Google Search Console (GSC) account to unlock Semrush's most powerful features. Click on "Integrations" in your project settings, then select "Google Search Console" and authorize the connection. This integration pulls in real ranking data from Google about keywords you already rank for, which positions you didn't know existed, and actual click-through rates from search results. Semrush combines this data with its own database to show you precise opportunities for improvement.

Without GSC connected, you're missing critical context about your current performance. The platform can guess what you rank for by crawling your site, but GSC provides verified data directly from Google. You'll see keywords where you rank on page two (easy wins), queries where your site appears but gets no clicks (optimization opportunities), and terms you never considered targeting that already drive some traffic.

When you connect Google Search Console, you transform Semrush from a research tool into a personalized strategy engine that knows your exact starting point.

Configure your keyword tracking parameters

Set up Position Tracking for your priority keywords right from the start. Go to Position Tracking in your project dashboard and add 10 to 20 keywords you already target or want to rank for. Include your brand name, main product terms, and a few broader industry keywords. Choose your preferred device type (desktop, mobile, or both) and the specific location you want rankings measured from. You can drill down to city level if you run a local business.

This tracking establishes your baseline performance before you start implementing changes from your keyword analysis. You'll return to this report after publishing new content to see if your rankings improve. The tool checks positions daily and alerts you to significant changes. Start small with your core keywords rather than trying to track hundreds of terms immediately.

Step 2. Build your initial keyword list

Building your initial keyword list means identifying seed keywords from your business and then expanding them systematically using Semrush's discovery tools. You start with 5 to 10 obvious terms related to what you sell or the problems you solve, then multiply them into hundreds of related opportunities. This foundation determines the quality of your entire semrush keyword analysis process. Rush through this step with generic terms and you'll spend hours analyzing keywords that don't match what your customers actually search for.

Start with seed keywords from your business

Open a blank document and write down 5 to 10 terms that describe your core products, services, or content topics. These seed keywords should be broad enough to have variations but specific enough to relate to your actual business. If you run a dog training business, your seeds might include "dog training," "puppy obedience," "dog behavior problems," and "service dog training." If you sell project management software, use terms like "project management software," "task management," and "team collaboration tools."

Avoid the temptation to brainstorm dozens of seeds right now. You need just enough starting points to feed into Semrush's discovery tools, which will generate hundreds of related keywords automatically. The quality of your seeds matters more than quantity. Each seed should represent a distinct aspect of your business rather than minor variations of the same concept. "Dog training" and "dog training tips" are essentially the same seed, but "dog training" and "dog aggression" represent different user needs.

Your seed keywords act as multipliers: one good seed can reveal 500+ ranking opportunities through Semrush's tools.

Use the Keyword Magic Tool to expand

Navigate to Keyword Magic Tool in Semrush's left sidebar (under Keyword Research). Enter your first seed keyword in the search box and select your target location. Click the search button and wait while Semrush pulls keyword data from its database. You'll see a table showing every related keyword the platform knows about, complete with search volume, difficulty scores, and intent labels. This single search typically returns between 500 and 50,000 related keywords depending on your topic.

Filter the results to find realistic opportunities for your site. Click the filter icon and set minimum search volume to 50 (weeds out keywords nobody searches for). Set maximum keyword difficulty to 50 if your site is new, or 70 if you have some existing authority. Look at the left sidebar where Semrush groups keywords into topic clusters. Click through these groups to find specific angles you hadn't considered. For a "dog training" search, you might discover clusters around "positive reinforcement training," "crate training puppies," or "training aggressive dogs."

Export 20 to 50 keywords from each seed term that look relevant to your business. Click the checkboxes next to promising keywords, then click "Add to Keyword Manager" at the top of the table. Repeat this process for each of your seed keywords. You're building a master list that you'll evaluate in detail during the next step. Don't worry about perfection yet; include any keyword that might be worth targeting.

Mine competitors' keyword profiles

Open the Keyword Gap tool from the Competitive Research section in Semrush's sidebar. Enter your domain in the first field, then add 2 to 4 competitor domains in the fields below. These should be sites that rank for topics you want to own, not necessarily your direct business competitors. A small dog training blog might analyze Cesar Millan's site or the American Kennel Club, even though those aren't business competitors. Click "Compare" and let Semrush analyze the keyword overlap.

Switch to the "Missing" tab to see keywords where all your competitors rank but you don't. These represent proven ranking opportunities in your niche. Your competitors already validated that these keywords drive traffic worth pursuing. Filter by search volume (minimum 100) and add 10 to 30 strong candidates to your Keyword Manager list. Then check the "Untapped" tab, which shows keywords where at least one competitor ranks. This view often reveals less obvious opportunities with lower competition that your main competitors overlooked.

Step 3. Evaluate key keyword metrics

You've built a list of potential keywords. Now you need to separate winners from time wasters by analyzing the metrics that predict ranking success. Semrush displays eight to ten different data points for every keyword, but only four metrics truly matter when you're starting out: search volume, keyword difficulty, personal keyword difficulty, and cost per click. Understanding how to read these numbers together reveals which keywords offer the best return on your content investment. This evaluation stage prevents you from wasting months targeting impossible keywords or chasing terms that drive zero revenue.

Decode search volume and traffic potential

Search volume tells you how many times people search for a keyword each month on average. Open your Keyword Manager in Semrush (where you saved your exported keywords) and sort by the "Volume" column to see this metric. A keyword with 1,000 monthly searches reaches more people than one with 50 searches, but higher volume doesn't automatically mean better opportunity. You need to consider the realistic traffic you'll capture if you rank.

Most pages that rank in position one capture 25% to 35% of all clicks for their keyword. Position two gets 10% to 15%, and position three drops to 8% to 12%. Calculate your potential traffic by multiplying search volume by your expected click-through rate. A keyword with 1,000 monthly searches in position one might deliver 300 visits. That same ranking for a 100-volume keyword brings only 30 visits. Balance volume against your ability to rank (which you'll assess through difficulty scores). Target a mix of high-volume competitive terms for long-term growth and low-volume easy wins for quick traffic.

Search volume shows the ceiling for traffic, but your actual ranking position determines how much of that traffic you actually capture.

Compare keyword difficulty vs personal difficulty

Keyword difficulty (KD%) measures how hard anyone would find breaking into the top 10 results for a term. Semrush calculates this by analyzing the authority of currently ranking domains and the number of backlinks pointing to top results. A score of 0-29% is easy, 30-49% is possible, 50-69% is difficult, and 70-100% is very hard. Look for the "KD%" column in your Keyword Manager to see this score for each term.

Personal keyword difficulty (PKD%) shows how hard it would be for your specific domain to rank. This metric considers your site's existing authority, topical relevance to the keyword, and current rankings. Your PKD% for a keyword might be 40% (achievable) even when the general KD% is 75% (very hard), because your site already has established authority in that topic area. Focus primarily on PKD% when deciding what to target, since it reflects your actual situation rather than a generic assessment.

Filter your keyword list in Semrush by setting PKD% between 0-50% to surface your most realistic opportunities. Click the filter icon, select "Personal KD%," and adjust the slider. These filtered keywords represent terms where you can compete successfully without spending years building domain authority. Save this filtered view as a separate list called "Quick Wins" that you'll prioritize in your content calendar.

Use CPC to gauge commercial value

Cost per click (CPC) reveals how much advertisers pay for a single click from Google Ads for that keyword. This metric appears in the "CPC" column of your keyword tables, displayed in dollars. High CPC (above $5) means businesses make money from that traffic and compete aggressively for it. Low CPC (under $1) or no CPC ($0) suggests the keyword attracts researchers rather than buyers, or nobody has figured out how to monetize that traffic yet.

Prioritize keywords with CPC between $2 and $15 when you want traffic that converts into customers. These terms attract users in the consideration or decision phase of buying. A keyword like "best project management software" with $12 CPC will drive more qualified leads than "what is project management" with $0.50 CPC. Don't ignore low-CPC keywords entirely, as they build topical authority and attract top-of-funnel traffic, but understand they probably won't generate immediate revenue for your business.

Step 4. Analyze SERPs and search intent

Metrics tell you if a keyword is possible to rank for, but search results tell you what to create to actually win that ranking. You need to examine the current top 10 results for each target keyword to understand what Google rewards and what users expect to see. Semrush provides SERP analysis features built directly into your keyword research workflow, so you can evaluate search intent and ranking patterns without leaving the platform. This analysis reveals whether you need a blog post, product page, video, or tool to compete, and what specific angles or formats work best.

Check what's currently ranking

Open Keyword Overview in Semrush and enter one of your target keywords. Scroll down to the "SERP Analysis" section where you'll see the top 20 ranking URLs with their titles, meta descriptions, and key metrics. Click the small eye icon next to any result to open it in a new tab and review the actual content. Look at the first five results specifically, since these pages define what Google considers most relevant for this query.

Note the content type and format of each top result. Are they long-form guides (2,000+ words), short how-to articles (500-800 words), product comparisons, landing pages, or something else? Check if results include specific elements like step-by-step instructions, comparison tables, pricing information, images, or videos. If seven out of ten top results are comprehensive guides with comparison tables, your 400-word blog post won't compete regardless of its quality. Match the depth and format that already dominates the SERP.

Pay attention to the publishing dates and content freshness. Click into the top results and look for publication or update dates in the content. Some keywords favor recent content (anything tech-related, news topics, or year-specific queries like "best CRM 2025"), while others reward evergreen content that's been ranking for years. Fresh content requirements signal you'll need to update your article regularly to maintain rankings, which affects whether that keyword fits your content maintenance capacity.

When every top result follows the same format and structure, Google is telling you exactly what users expect to see for that query.

Identify search intent patterns

Search intent falls into four main categories that determine what content satisfies the query. Semrush labels keywords as informational (users want to learn), navigational (users seek a specific site), commercial (users research before buying), or transactional (users ready to purchase). Look at the "Intent" label in your Keyword Overview report to see Semrush's classification, but verify this by examining actual results.

Check whether top results are educational or commercial in nature. Educational content (blog posts, tutorials, definitions) serves informational intent. Commercial content (product pages, pricing comparisons, "best X" roundups) serves commercial or transactional intent. A keyword like "how to train a puppy" shows blog posts teaching methods (informational), while "puppy training near me" shows local business listings (transactional). Trying to rank a product page for an informational keyword wastes your effort, as users will bounce immediately when your content doesn't match their expectations.

Spot SERP features and opportunities

Scan the "SERP Features" icons at the top of Semrush's SERP Analysis section to see what special elements appear for your keyword. Common features include featured snippets (boxed answers at the top), People Also Ask boxes (expandable questions), video carousels, image packs, and local map results. Each feature represents either an opportunity to capture or a warning that organic traffic might be limited.

Featured snippets and People Also Ask boxes present extra visibility opportunities if you format content correctly. When you see a featured snippet, click to view the ranking page and study how they structured their answer. Featured snippets typically extract content formatted as short paragraphs (40-60 words), numbered lists, bulleted lists, or tables. Include these same formats in your content at relevant points. People Also Ask questions reveal related topics users want covered, so incorporate answers to those questions throughout your article as H2 or H3 subheadings.

Watch for SERP features that reduce organic click potential. AI Overviews (Google's AI-generated answers) can answer simple questions directly in results, leaving little reason to click through to your site. Local packs dominate location-based searches, pushing organic results below the fold. Shopping results for product keywords capture commercial clicks before users reach organic listings. When multiple click-stealing features appear, consider whether that keyword justifies your investment or if you should pivot to related terms with cleaner, more accessible SERPs.

Step 5. Prioritize and map your keywords

You've evaluated individual keywords, but now you need to decide which ones to tackle first and assign each keyword to the right page on your site. This prioritization and mapping phase transforms your semrush keyword analysis from raw data into an executable content strategy. Without this step, you'll waste time creating content that doesn't align with your site structure or targeting multiple keywords that should live on the same page. Smart mapping also prevents keyword cannibalization, where multiple pages compete against each other for the same term.

Build a simple priority scoring system

Create a spreadsheet with your target keywords and add four scoring columns: search volume potential, personal keyword difficulty, commercial value, and topic relevance. Rate each factor on a scale of 1 to 5 based on the Semrush data you collected. For volume potential, give 5 points to keywords above 1,000 monthly searches, 3 points to 100-1,000 searches, and 1 point to keywords under 100. Score difficulty inversely: 5 points for PKD% under 30%, 3 points for 30-50%, and 1 point above 50%.

Commercial value gets 5 points for CPC above $5, 3 points for $1-$5, and 1 point for under $1. Rate topic relevance based on how closely the keyword aligns with your core business: 5 for direct product/service terms, 3 for related educational content, 1 for tangential topics. Add these scores together to get a priority number between 4 and 20 for each keyword. Sort your list by this total score to surface your best opportunities at the top.

Keyword	Volume Score	Difficulty Score	CPC Score	Relevance Score	Total
project management tools	5	2	5	5	17
agile project management	3	4	3	4	14
what is a gantt chart	2	5	1	3	11

Scoring forces you to make objective decisions about keywords instead of chasing vanity metrics like high search volumes that don't match your capability or business model.

Group keywords into topic clusters

Look for keywords that share similar search intent and should live together on one page. Open your prioritized spreadsheet and create a new column called "Parent Topic." Keywords like "project management software," "best project management tools," and "top pm software 2025" all target users researching the same thing, so they belong on one comprehensive page rather than three separate articles. Group these variations under a parent topic like "PM Software Comparison."

Review your Semrush Keyword Manager and use the "Cluster this list" feature if you have a Pro subscription or higher. The tool automatically groups keywords by topic similarity. Without this feature, manually scan your list for obvious variations and question formats around the same core topic. Create 5 to 10 topic clusters from your priority keywords, each representing a distinct piece of content you'll create.

Assign keywords to specific URLs

Create a keyword mapping document that connects each topic cluster to a specific page on your site. Use this format: target URL slug, primary keyword, secondary keywords (2-5 variations), content type, and current status. Your primary keyword is the highest-volume, most relevant term in the cluster. Secondary keywords are variations you'll naturally incorporate throughout the content.

Decide whether each cluster needs a new page or fits an existing one. Check if you already have content targeting similar topics by searching site:yourdomain.com [keyword] in Google. If you find an existing page, add that URL to your map and plan to optimize it. If no relevant page exists, create a new URL slug that includes your primary keyword. Map transactional keywords to product or service pages, commercial keywords to comparison or category pages, and informational keywords to blog posts or guides.

URL Slug	Primary Keyword	Secondary Keywords	Content Type	Status
/tools/project-management/	project management software	best project management tools, top pm software	Comparison page	Create new
/blog/gantt-chart-guide/	what is a gantt chart	gantt chart definition, how to use gantt charts	How-to guide	Optimize existing
/features/task-management/	task management software	task tracking tools, team task manager	Product page	Optimize existing

This mapping document becomes your content calendar and optimization roadmap for the next 3 to 6 months. Tackle the highest-priority mapped keywords first, creating or updating one piece of content per week based on your capacity.

Step 6. Track rankings and refine strategy

Your semrush keyword analysis doesn't end when you publish content. You need to monitor how your target keywords perform over time and adjust your approach based on actual ranking results. Most beginners publish content, then forget about it completely or obsess over rankings daily without taking action. The right approach sits in the middle: check performance monthly, identify patterns, and make strategic adjustments to improve results.

Set up automated position tracking

Navigate to Position Tracking in your Semrush project (the same tool you configured in step one). Click "Add Keywords" and import the primary keywords from your mapping document, organized by the pages you created or optimized. Add 20 to 50 keywords to start, focusing on terms you actively target rather than tracking everything. Configure the tool to check rankings daily for desktop and mobile in your target location.

Tag each keyword with relevant labels such as "priority," "new content," "optimized page," or "competitor target." These tags help you filter results later when analyzing performance. Set up email alerts for significant ranking changes (movements of 5+ positions up or down) so you catch major shifts without checking the dashboard constantly. This automated tracking runs in the background and builds a historical record of your ranking progress.

Review performance data monthly

Open your Position Tracking report on the first day of each month and examine the overview metrics. Look at average position changes, visibility trends, and estimated traffic shifts across your tracked keywords. Sort your keyword table by "Position Changes" to surface your biggest winners and losers. Keywords that jumped 5+ positions deserve attention to understand what worked, while drops of 5+ positions signal content that needs fixing.

Click into individual keywords to see their ranking history graphs and SERP timeline. The SERP timeline shows what other pages entered or left the top 10, revealing competitive shifts. Check if Google added new SERP features that might be stealing clicks from your content. Export your ranking data to a spreadsheet and calculate the actual traffic you're receiving by multiplying your average position's expected CTR by search volume. Compare this estimate against your Google Analytics organic traffic to validate your progress.

Monthly reviews prevent you from chasing random ranking fluctuations while ensuring you catch real trends that require strategic changes.

Adjust your strategy based on results

Update or rewrite content for keywords that rank between positions 4 and 20. These pages already showed Google they're relevant, but they need improvement to reach the top three spots where most clicks happen. Review the current top-ranking pages and add missing elements, update outdated information, or expand sections that competitors cover more thoroughly. Make meaningful improvements rather than minor tweaks.

Deprioritize keywords that remain stuck below position 50 after three months despite your best optimization efforts. Your initial semrush keyword analysis might have missed competitive factors or overestimated your site's ability to rank for those terms. Shift your resources to creating content for new keywords with better PKD% scores from your mapping document. Replace consistently underperforming keywords in your tracking with fresh targets from your priority list, maintaining a balanced portfolio of established rankings and new opportunities.

Additional resources for beginners

Mastering semrush keyword analysis takes practice beyond this guide. You need to explore additional learning materials and reference documentation as you encounter specific questions or advanced scenarios. Semrush provides several free resources that help you understand features more deeply, while broader SEO education fills gaps in your foundational knowledge.

Semrush Academy courses

Semrush Academy offers free certification courses that walk you through keyword research and competitive analysis in video format. The "Keyword Research" course covers the same tools you learned here but adds advanced filtering techniques and workflow examples from real campaigns. You can complete the course in two to three hours and earn a certificate to show your understanding. Access the academy at semrush.com/academy and start with the beginner-level courses before attempting expert certifications.

Google's Search Central documentation

Google publishes official guidance about search through its Search Central documentation, which explains how the search engine evaluates content quality, interprets user intent, and applies ranking factors. Read the "Creating helpful content" guide to understand what Google rewards, then apply those principles when analyzing which keywords to target. This documentation helps you interpret SERP patterns you discover during keyword analysis and make better decisions about content strategy. Find these resources at developers.google.com/search.

Wrap up and next steps

You now have a complete framework for semrush keyword analysis that works. You learned how to set up your project correctly, build targeted keyword lists, evaluate metrics that predict success, analyze search intent, and track your progress. These fundamentals separate successful SEO strategies from wasted effort on impossible keywords or low-value traffic.

Start implementing immediately by choosing your top five priority keywords from your mapping document and creating or optimizing content for them this month. Track your rankings, review results after 30 days, then repeat the process with your next five targets. Consistency beats perfection when building organic traffic.

If manually researching keywords, creating content, and tracking rankings feels overwhelming, RankYak automates your entire SEO workflow from keyword discovery through content publishing. The platform handles daily keyword research, generates optimized articles, and publishes them to your site automatically, letting you focus on running your business while your organic traffic grows on autopilot.