How to Use Semrush Keyword Magic Tool (Free & Paid, 2025)

Finding keywords that actually rank feels like searching for a needle in a haystack. You spend hours guessing what people search for, checking competition, and still end up targeting terms that go nowhere. Your content sits on page five while competitors dominate the first page with what seems like insider knowledge.

Semrush Keyword Magic Tool solves this by giving you access to billions of real search queries, complete with search volume, difficulty scores, and intent data. You can use it free without a credit card to test the waters, or unlock the full power with a paid account. Either way, you get real data to make smarter content decisions.

This guide walks you through using Keyword Magic Tool from start to finish. You'll learn how to access it free, generate keyword ideas, filter for winners, and build a content plan that drives traffic. By the end, you'll know exactly which keywords to target and how to turn them into content that ranks.

What Keyword Magic Tool is and how it works

Semrush Keyword Magic Tool is a keyword research database that holds over 27 billion keywords across multiple countries and languages. You type in a seed keyword (your main topic), and it generates thousands of related terms people actually search for. Think of it as Google's autocomplete on steroids, but with real data behind every suggestion.

The database and how it generates ideas

The tool pulls keywords from real search queries that people type into Google and other search engines. When you enter "running shoes," it doesn't just guess variations. It shows you actual searches like "best running shoes for flat feet," "running shoes for beginners," and "trail running shoes waterproof." You get keyword variations organized into groups based on shared themes, making it easy to spot content opportunities you'd never think of manually.

Key metrics you'll see for each keyword

Each keyword comes with four core metrics that tell you if it's worth targeting. Search volume shows monthly searches, keyword difficulty rates how hard it is to rank (0-100 scale), search intent reveals what users want (informational, commercial, transactional, or navigational), and cost per click indicates advertiser value. These numbers help you pick keywords you can actually rank for instead of wasting time on impossible targets.

The combination of volume and difficulty tells you which keywords offer the best opportunity for your specific site.

Step 1. Access Keyword Magic Tool for free

Go to semrush.com/analytics/keywordmagic and you can start using the Semrush keyword magic tool without creating an account. Type your seed keyword into the search bar, select your target country, and hit enter. You'll instantly see keyword suggestions with volume, difficulty, and intent data. No credit card required, no signup form to fill out. This gives you a taste of what the tool offers before committing to a paid plan.

What you get with a free account

The free version limits you to 10 requests per day and shows a subset of keyword ideas for each search. You'll see search volume, keyword difficulty scores, and basic intent data, but you won't access advanced filters or export options. Paid accounts unlock unlimited searches, full keyword lists, personalized difficulty scores, SERP analysis, and the ability to export your findings to spreadsheets or other Semrush tools.

Free access lets you validate whether the tool fits your workflow before spending money.

Step 2. Generate and explore keyword ideas

Once you enter your seed keyword, the tool displays a main keyword table with thousands of related terms and a left sidebar showing keyword groups organized by theme. Your job is to explore these groups to find topics worth targeting. Start by choosing a match type to control how closely related the keywords are to your seed term, then drill into groups that align with your content strategy.

Choose your match type

You select a match type to refine how the semrush keyword magic tool generates keywords. Broad Match shows all variations including your seed keyword in any order (seed: "coffee maker" returns "best coffee makers 2025" and "maker of coffee machines"). Phrase Match keeps your seed keyword intact but allows words before or after (returns "coffee maker reviews" but not "makers of coffee"). Exact Match shows only keywords containing your exact seed phrase in that specific order (returns "coffee maker brands" but not "coffee makers"). Related displays semantically connected terms that may not include your seed keyword (returns "espresso machine" or "drip brewer").

Pick Broad Match when exploring new content ideas, Phrase Match when building topic clusters around a specific term, or Related when looking for adjacent topics your audience cares about.

Match types let you control whether you cast a wide net or zero in on specific variations.

Navigate keyword groups in the sidebar

The left sidebar organizes keywords into thematic groups based on shared words or concepts. Click any group to see its keywords in the main table. For a seed keyword like "email marketing," you'll see groups like "software," "tools," "automation," and "templates." Each group shows the total keywords it contains and combined search volume across all terms. Expand groups to reveal subgroups, which break down topics into more specific variations. You can sort groups by keyword count or total volume using the toggle at the top.

Focus on groups with high volume and manageable difficulty scores, as these represent topics where you can compete and win traffic.

Step 3. Filter and pick winning keywords

After exploring keyword groups, you need to narrow down thousands of options to the specific terms you can actually rank for. The semrush keyword magic tool provides filters that let you eliminate keywords outside your reach and spotlight opportunities that match your content goals. You apply multiple filters simultaneously to build a refined list of target keywords worth pursuing.

Set volume and difficulty thresholds

Click the filter icon above the main keyword table to access all filtering options. Set a minimum search volume to eliminate low-traffic keywords (try 100+ monthly searches for niche sites, 500+ for competitive markets). Set a maximum keyword difficulty based on your site's authority (aim for 0-30 KD if you're new, 30-50 if established, 50+ only if you have strong domain authority). Apply both filters together to see keywords with decent traffic potential that you can realistically rank for within 3-6 months.

A health blog with moderate authority might filter for 200+ volume and 0-40 difficulty, instantly cutting a 50,000-keyword list down to 1,200 viable targets.

Filter by search intent

Select specific intent types to match your content format. Choose Informational when planning blog posts or guides that educate readers. Pick Commercial for comparison pages or product roundups where users research before buying. Select Transactional for landing pages aimed at conversions. Filter for Navigational only if you're targeting brand or product-specific searches. Combining intent with volume/difficulty filters ensures you target keywords that align with both your ranking ability and content type.

Intent filters prevent you from wasting time writing the wrong content format for a keyword.

Use SERP feature filters strategically

Click "Advanced Filters" and scroll to the SERP Features section to find keywords triggering specific search result types. Filter for keywords with "People Also Ask" boxes if you want to structure content with FAQ sections. Target keywords showing video results if you plan to create video content. Look for keywords displaying featured snippets (position zero opportunities) to optimize for quick answers. Select "None" in SERP Features to find keywords with standard results only, which often have less competition.

Apply the "People Also Ask" filter to find 50+ question-based keywords you can answer in a single comprehensive guide.

Step 4. Build a content plan from your list

After filtering your keywords, you export them and organize them into a content calendar that guides your publishing schedule. Click the export button at the top of the semrush keyword magic tool table and download your list as an Excel or CSV file. This gives you a spreadsheet with all keywords, volumes, difficulty scores, and intent types that you can manipulate and prioritize. You now have the raw materials for a content strategy instead of a random collection of terms.

Group keywords into content pieces

Sort your exported keywords by search intent and topic theme to identify which terms belong in the same article. Five related informational keywords about "email automation tips" become one comprehensive guide, while ten commercial keywords comparing "email platforms" turn into a single comparison post. Cluster your keywords this way to create fewer, deeper articles that rank for multiple terms instead of thin posts targeting one keyword each.

Grouping related keywords into single articles builds topical authority faster than scattering them across dozens of weak posts.

Assign each content piece a publishing date based on keyword difficulty, starting with easier terms to build momentum and site authority before tackling harder targets.

Wrap up and next steps

You now know how to use the semrush keyword magic tool from accessing it free through building a content plan. Start by generating your first keyword list today, filter for low-difficulty terms, and export your top 10 targets. If you want to skip the manual work entirely, RankYak automates keyword discovery and content creation so you publish optimized articles daily without lifting a finger.