Relevant Similar Keywords

Your ads are eligible to appear when one of your keywords matches a user’s search term on Google or on search partner sites.

Within one account, you might have multiple keywords that are similar or overlap in meaning, and could all match a given search term. For example, you might have the keywords “plumber course” and “plumber training course” in the same ad group, and both could match the search term “training course for plumbers”. Only one of those keywords can trigger an ad for the search term.

What Is a Keyword and a Related Keyword?

A keyword is a primary term or phrase that describes the content of a blog post or webpage.

A related keyword is a term or phrase that is closely tied to a primary keyword. It is semantically related or a synonymy or variation of a primary keyword.

Related keywords are useful because:

• When used on a webpage, they further explain the content of the webpage so search engines can better understand, classify, and rank the page.
• They help marketers identify variations of phrases that searchers may be using to find content related to a topic. Markers can use variations of their primary keyword to target other phrases in pay-per-click ads (PPC).
• They help publishers and marketers discover other topics to write about on their website. The related keywords provide inspiration for other blog posts.

Aggregating a list of related keyword phrases is beneficial for both paid and organic search marketing campaigns, in that it helps you:

• Expand the breadth of your web content coverage for your niche topics
• Determine which synonyms and variations have the most relative search volume
• Capture traffic from searchers who may be using less popular variations of your keywords

Tools to Find Related Keywords

You can use both free and paid tools to find related keywords.

Ubersuggest – Fill in the blank after a keyword.  

Ubersuggest is a free keyword tool that provides an extensive list of terms that relate to a primary keyword. As its name implies, Ubersuggest creates a list of phrases that could be “suggestions” for words to follow a primary term.

For example, if you use the keyword “coffee,” Ubersuggest will return a list of phrases that begin with coffee. The list is organized with top suggestions at the beginning of the report. It then goes on to list suggestions for every letter and number that could follow the key term.

This is a great way to find related keywords that offer inspiration for content ideas and post topics.

Google Related Searches – See which search terms are similar to yours.

A very simple way to find related keywords is using Google search. Search for your primary keyword and scroll down to see the “searches related to” your term.

Google provides this list of results to guide users to search phrases that will help them get closer to the information that they want. You can use their suggestions as a list of potentially related keywords.

Note that Google’s related searches may include suggestions for phrases that are specific to your location or previous searches, so not every suggestion will be useful. Use your discretion to select the best keywords that will help add context to your content and match searcher intent.

Alexa Keyword Difficulty Tool – Discover targeted, qualified keywords.

Alexa’s Keyword Difficulty Tool is a keyword generator that also includes performance scores that can help you qualify keywords to find the best, most powerful terms for your content.

Enter a primary phrase to produce a lengthy report of top keywords ranked by relevance.

Use the popularity score (which represents how frequently users search for the keyword) and competition score (which represents how hard it is to rank highly for the keyword) to qualify terms.

If your goal is to create content that you can rank for and that will attract audiences, look for phrases that have a high popularity score and a low competition score. Use those terms as inspiration for future content or as related keywords for blog posts.

Alexa Competitor Keyword Matrix – See your competitors’ keywords.

Another way to get ideas for keywords is to use Alexa’s Competitive Keyword Matrix. The tool compares up to ten websites and displays a report of keywords that are performing well for each site.

With this information, you can see what keywords your competitors are using and design a plan to target the keyword gaps that are opportunities for you to fill.

How to Use Related Keywords

Once you go through keyword discovery, you can use the related keywords to improve your content and SEO strategy.

• Use related keywords in your blog posts. Identify one primary keyword for each post. Then, look for four to five related keywords that match the content and context of the page. Use each of the related keywords at least once in the post. If possible, also use one of the related keywords along with the primary keyword in the post title, a subheading, and the page’s meta description and SEO title.
• Use related keywords as inspiration for other content. Create a list of phrases that relate to a primary keyword for your site. Look for high-performing, low-competition keywords that can be the primary phrase for other content you create.
• Use related keywords to guide your PPC campaigns. Allow your keyword research to guide your PPC campaigns. Identify terms that your ideal audience may be using to search for topics related to your primary keywords and incorporate them into your campaigns.

With these tips and tools, you can find related keywords that will enhance your content, user experience, and ability to appear on search engine results pages.