Alright, let’s talk about the starting point for most successful SEO efforts: Keyword and Topic Research. This sounds technical, but it’s really about understanding two simple things: what are people searching for online, and why are they searching for it? It’s about figuring out the exact words and broader subjects your potential audience uses when they turn to search engines like Google.

In our Opportunity + Authority = Results framework, keyword and topic research is primarily about identifying Opportunity. It’s the reconnaissance phase – mapping out the landscape of potential customer searches so you know where to show up. However, smart research doesn’t stop there. It critically involves looking at the competition for those opportunities, which helps you realistically assess the Authority required to compete effectively. It’s about finding the right opportunities you can actually win – choosing the right playing field where your current strengths give you a fighting chance.

Getting this step right is fundamental. If you don’t know what people are searching for, or if you target opportunities far beyond your current ability to compete, you can’t create relevant content or optimize your pages effectively. Let’s break down how to find those valuable, winnable opportunities.

Understanding User Intent: The “Why” Behind the Search (Opportunity)

Before you even look at specific keywords, it’s crucial to understand why someone is searching. What is their goal? This is called User Intent, and it generally falls into a few main categories:

1. Informational Intent: The user wants to learn something or find information. They’re asking questions like “what is,” “how to,” “why is,” etc.

• Example: “how to fix a leaky tap,” “what is local SEO,” “history of Wānaka.”
• Opportunity Focus: Create helpful blog posts, guides, tutorials, definitions, explainers.

2. Navigational Intent: The user wants to find a specific website or page. They usually know where they want to go.

• Example: “Opportunity Authority login,” “Facebook,” “Contact [Brand Name].”
• Opportunity Focus: Ensure your website ranks for your brand name and related navigational terms. Usually easy if your Technical SEO is sound.

3. Transactional Intent: The user wants to do something, usually make a purchase or take a specific action now. They use terms indicating buying intent.

• Example: “buy running shoes online,” “discount code for X,” “hire plumber Queenstown,” “sign up for free trial.”
• Opportunity Focus: Create product pages, service pages, landing pages optimized for conversion.

4. Commercial Investigation: The user intends to buy soon but is still comparing options or doing final research.

• Example: “best laptops under $1000,” “Brand X vs Brand Y,” “reviews for [product type],” “compare SEO tools.”
• Opportunity Focus: Create comparison guides, reviews, detailed product/service pages highlighting benefits and differentiators.

Why does intent matter for Opportunity? Because matching your content to the user’s intent is critical for ranking and satisfying the user. If someone searches with informational intent (“how to bake bread”) and lands on a page aggressively trying to sell them a bread maker (transactional), they’ll likely leave immediately. Google understands intent and tries to rank pages that best match it. Understanding intent helps you target the right Opportunities with the right kind of content.

Keyword Research Tools: Your Exploration Gear

You don’t have to guess what people are searching for. Numerous tools can help you uncover keywords, understand their popularity (Search Volume), and find related ideas. While many powerful paid tools exist (like Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz Keyword Explorer), there are also great free options to get started:

• Google Keyword Planner: (Requires a Google Ads account, but free to use) Good for finding keyword ideas and getting rough search volume estimates.
• Google Search Itself: Pay attention to:

• Autocomplete: Start typing a query and see what Google suggests.
• “People Also Ask” Boxes: See related questions people are searching for.
• “Related Searches” (at the bottom): Find other relevant terms.

• Google Trends: See the popularity of topics over time and in different regions.
• AnswerThePublic / AlsoAsked: Tools (often with free tiers) that visualize questions people ask around a keyword.
• Your Own Brain & Customer Knowledge: Think about the terms you would use. What questions do your customers ask?

These tools help you gather raw data about potential Opportunities. But remember, high search volume doesn’t automatically mean it’s a good opportunity for you. You also need to consider the competition and your ability to win.

Identifying Core Topics & Entities: Beyond Just Keywords (Opportunity)

While finding specific keywords is important, modern SEO requires thinking more broadly about Topics and Entities. This is a core concept for advanced SEOs like Koray Tuğberk GüBÜR.

• What it is: Moving beyond targeting just “best running shoes” to understanding the whole topic of running shoes – including related concepts like trail running shoes, marathon shoes, pronation, shoe reviews, brand names (Nike, Brooks – these are entities), running injuries, etc. Search engines build connections between these related concepts (their “Knowledge Graph“).
• Opportunity Impact: High. By creating content that covers a topic comprehensively (often through multiple interconnected pages – a “topic cluster”), you signal to search engines that you have deep knowledge in that area. This allows you to rank for a much wider range of related keywords and long-tail searches (Opportunities) than just focusing on one specific term. It helps establish Topical Authority.
• How to do it:

• Start with broad “seed” keywords.
• Use research tools to find related subtopics, questions, and entities.
• Organize keywords and ideas into logical topic groups or clusters.
• Plan content that covers these clusters comprehensively. (See Content Marketing for SEO).

Think of it this way: Instead of just targeting one fish (Opportunity), you’re mapping out the entire lake and understanding all the different types of fish (related topics and entities) that live there, increasing your overall chances of success – provided you choose the right spots in the lake to fish based on your capabilities.

Advanced Strategy: Topical Entities & Building Topical Authority

Let’s go a level deeper on that last point. Understanding Topical Entities isn’t just about finding more keywords; it’s about grasping how search engines like Google actually understand the world. Building Topical Authority is how you leverage that understanding to become the go-to resource in your chosen niche.

• Topical Entities Explained: Search engines don’t just see words; they recognize “things” – people, places, organizations, concepts, products (like ‘Nike’, ‘Wānaka’, ‘SEO’, ‘hiking boots’). They understand the relationships between these entities (e.g., ‘Nike’ is a brand that makes ‘hiking boots’; ‘Wānaka’ is a place with ‘hiking trails’). This network of understanding is often called the Knowledge Graph.
• Opportunity Impact: By identifying the key entities relevant to your audience and incorporating them naturally into your content (and potentially using structured data to explicitly define them), you help search engines understand your content’s context and relevance at a deeper level. This can unlock more nuanced Opportunities and improve your visibility for conceptually related searches, even if they don’t use your exact keywords.
• Building Topical Authority: This is the strategic outcome of comprehensively covering a specific topic and its related entities across your website. Instead of having one shallow page on a broad subject, you create a cluster of interconnected content:

• A main Cornerstone Content piece covering the broad topic extensively (e.g., “The Ultimate Guide to Hiking Boots”).
• Multiple supporting pages or posts diving deep into specific subtopics and entities (e.g., “Best Hiking Boots for Wide Feet,” “Waterproofing Your Hiking Boots,” “Review: Brand X Trail Boots,” “Ankle Support Explained”).
• These pages link internally to each other, creating a clear structure that signals deep coverage.
• Authority Impact: Very High within that specific topic. By demonstrating such comprehensive knowledge and structure, you signal immense Expertise and Authoritativeness on that topic. Google recognizes you as a specialized resource, making it much more likely to rank your content highly for searches related to that entire topic cluster.
• Connecting to Winnable Battles: Building deep Topical Authority in a specific niche is a powerful strategy for competing effectively. Even if you lack the overall domain Authority to compete nationally on broad terms, you can build enough Topical Authority to dominate a specific subject area. You’re choosing a specific field and becoming the undisputed champion there. This focused Authority makes previously difficult Opportunities within that topic winnable.

Think of it this way: Identifying entities helps you speak Google’s deeper language (Opportunity). Building Topical Authority through clustered content makes you the recognized professor for that specific subject, commanding respect (Authority) and winning the relevant searches within that field.

Long-Tail Keywords: Finding Specific, Winnable Opportunities (Opportunity + Realistic Authority)

Not all keywords are created equal in terms of competition. This is where the idea of choosing winnable battles becomes very practical, especially when leveraging Topical Authority.

• What they are: Longer, more specific search phrases (usually 3+ words) that typically have lower search volume but are often much less competitive and indicate a more specific user intent. A tactic championed by experts like Mark Williams-Cook.
• Example: Instead of targeting the highly competitive term “shoes” (broad, high volume, likely dominated by huge brands with massive Authority), you might target “best waterproof hiking boots for wide feet women” (long-tail, specific, lower volume, potentially lower competition, falls within your ‘hiking boots’ topic cluster).
• Opportunity Impact: High (Collectively). While each long-tail keyword has lower volume, together they make up a huge portion of all searches.
• Authority Feasibility: Targeting relevant long-tail keywords is often a smarter strategy, especially for newer or smaller sites, or when building out a topic cluster. It allows you to capture highly specific Opportunities where users often have clearer intent and where the level of Authority required to rank is likely much lower (especially if you have strong Topical Authority). You’re choosing a smaller, less crowded playing field where you can actually compete effectively.
• How to find them:

• Use keyword tools (filter for longer phrases or lower volume/difficulty).
• Look at “People Also Ask” and “Related Searches.”
• Think about very specific questions your niche audience asks.

Think of it this way: Long-tail keywords are the smaller, quieter fishing spots within your chosen lake (topic). They offer easier-to-catch Opportunities because the big commercial fishing boats (high-Authority competitors) might ignore them, especially if you’ve proven you’re the local expert on that part of the lake (Topical Authority).

Competitor Analysis: Gauging the Landscape & Required Authority (Crucial for Choosing Opportunities)

Keyword research isn’t just about finding terms; it’s fundamentally about understanding the competitive landscape for those terms to determine if an Opportunity is realistic for you.

• What it is: Analyzing the websites currently ranking for the keywords and topics you might want to target.
• Opportunity Impact: Moderate. Seeing which keywords competitors rank for (that you don’t) can reveal new potential Opportunities. Understanding the type of content ranking helps you match user intent.
• Authority Impact Assessment: CRITICAL. This is where research directly informs your strategy by assessing feasibility. Look at the sites ranking in the top spots:

• How authoritative are they? (Use SEO tools to check their domain authority, number/quality of backlinks. Are they huge brands or niche players? Do they show strong E-E-A-T signals? Do they have strong Topical Authority in this specific area?)
• How good is their content? (Is it truly comprehensive, helpful, well-optimized, up-to-date? Does it cover the topic cluster well?)
• What’s the required Authority level? This analysis helps you gauge the Authority (both general and topical) needed to realistically compete for a given Opportunity. If the top results are all major sites with deep Topical Authority, you know it requires significant effort. If the results are weaker or less focused, the Opportunity might be within reach, especially if you commit to building Topical Authority.
• How to do it:

• Search for your potential target keywords and critically analyze the top 5-10 results.
• Use SEO tools (paid tools like Ahrefs/Semrush excel here, but free browser extensions can offer some insight) to analyze competitors’ estimated authority, backlink profiles, top pages, and ranking keywords. Assess their topical coverage.
• Manually assess the quality, depth, and relevance of their content. Be honest.

Think of it this way: Competitor analysis isn’t just spying; it’s scouting the battlefield to understand the strength required to win. It helps you avoid picking fights you can’t win (targeting impossible Opportunities) and focus your resources on battles where your current or attainable Authority (including Topical Authority) gives you a realistic chance of success.

Mapping Keywords to Content: Prioritizing Winnable Battles (Opportunity + Strategy)

Research is useless if it doesn’t inform your actions. The final step is connecting your findings – potential Opportunities, required Authority, and topical clusters – to your content plan.

• What it is: Assigning target keywords, topics, and entities to specific pages on your website (existing or planned), prioritizing based on feasibility and topical strategy.
• Opportunity Impact: High. Ensures pages target specific user needs and search Opportunities.
• Strategic Prioritization: Combine Opportunity data (volume, relevance) with Authority assessment (competition, required Topical Authority).

• Focus first on relevant keywords/topics where the required Authority seems attainable (long-tail, less competitive topics, areas where you can build strong Topical Authority).
• Group content creation around topic clusters to build Topical Authority strategically.
• Assign highly competitive keywords to cornerstone pieces as long-term goals requiring significant Authority building.
• Avoid keywords where you have virtually no chance of competing soon.
• How to do it:

• Create a spreadsheet listing potential keywords/topics/entities, volume/relevance (Opportunity), and required Authority assessment. Note topic clusters.
• Assign keywords/entities to the most relevant pages (or plan new pages within clusters).
• Prioritize creating/optimizing content for winnable Opportunities and building out strategic topic clusters first.
• Use this map to guide your On-Page SEO and Content Marketing efforts.

Think of it this way: Mapping isn’t just assigning keywords; it’s creating a strategic battle plan, focusing your resources on the Opportunities within topics where your Authority gives you the best chance to win now, while building deeper expertise for the future.

Keyword Research Checklist: Key Actions

• [ ] Understand User Intent: Analyze why people search (Opportunity).
• [ ] Use Keyword Research Tools: Gather ideas and data (Opportunity).
• [ ] Identify Core Topics & Entities: Think beyond single keywords; understand relationships (Opportunity).
• [ ] Plan for Topical Authority: Group content into clusters around core topics (Authority Strategy).
• [ ] Find Relevant Long-Tail Keywords: Target specific, often lower-competition searches within your topics (Winnable Opportunity).
• [ ] Analyze Competitors CRITICALLY: Assess required general and topical Authority. Be realistic!
• [ ] Map Keywords & Prioritize: Connect research to content, focusing on winnable battles and building topic clusters first (Strategic Opportunity).

Conclusion: Finding Where Opportunity Meets Feasibility & Expertise

Keyword and Topic Research is the critical first step in any effective SEO strategy. It’s how you uncover the landscape of potential Opportunities – understanding what your audience searches for, why, and the deeper topics and entities involved.

But crucially, within the Opportunity + Authority framework, smart research demands a realistic assessment of the competitive landscape and the level of Authority (both general and topical) needed to actually capture those Opportunities. It’s about choosing the right playing field, building deep expertise through Topical Authority, targeting achievable goals, and grounding your strategy in both audience need and competitive reality. Don’t just find opportunities; find the opportunities you can realistically win by becoming a true authority in your chosen niche. Get your research right, and you’ve laid the foundation for attracting the right visitors and achieving meaningful results.