How can you cluster keywords based on user intent?

To cluster keywords by user intent, analyze queries for common terms. Use tools like Semrush or Ahref to expand your list. Categorize keywords based on intents; for instance, group "best-running shoes" and "top jogging sneakers" with the intent of finding quality athletic footwear. Include long-tail keywords; they often specify intentions. For example, "lightweight marathon shoes" indicate a desire for suitable marathon footwear. Group similar long-tail keywords to refine clusters. Examine search results for each cluster to tailor your strategy. If "how-to" guides dominate, create similar content for your target cluster. Understanding and categorizing user intent enhances content relevance, boosting overall SEO performance.

Before we dive into the technical aspects of keyword clustering, let's take a step back and consider what you want to achieve with your content. Are you aiming to boost website traffic, generate leads, or establish yourself as an authority in your field? Clearly defined goals will guide your keyword research and help you select the most relevant keywords for your content. Next, think about your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your content? What are their interests, needs, and pain points? Understanding your target audience will help you tailor your keywords and content to resonate with their specific searches and expectations.

I also look at the money first. Is there an affilaite program. What's the commissions, aov, etc. Monetisation is key, you need to know where to funnel your traffic to for keyword research and if its worth spending money on content and links in a niche.

Now it's time to gather some valuable insights into the keywords people are using to find information related to your topic. Various tools, such as Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, and Ahrefs, can help you identify relevant keywords and assess their search volume. As you gather keywords, pay attention to the search intent behind each one. User intent refers to the reason why someone is conducting a particular search. There are four main types of user intent: Informational: The user is seeking information on a specific topic. Transactional: The user intends to make a purchase or take another action. Navigational: The user is trying to locate a specific website or webpage. Commercial: The user is researching a product or service.

Map out all your competitors. Pull all the keywords into a master sheet. Remove duplicates. Then you have 1000's of keywords to target. Make sure to write the main pillar pages (even if you can't rank for them... yet). The filter the keywords I like to do 30 Best review articles with low difficulty mixed with 30 informational and around 10 link bait articles to kick of a new site. After this you can methodically go through the remaining keywords.

For keyword clustering, there are a few underrated tools are there like Keywordinsights.ai you can get the free credits and use them for your SEO projects.

Once you've analyzed your keywords, it's time to organize them into categories based on their user intent. A simple spreadsheet can be an effective tool for this task. Create columns for each user intent type (Informational, Transactional, Navigational, Commercial) and list your keywords accordingly. This categorization will help you visualize the intent distribution of your keywords and identify patterns.

Now comes the fun part – creating keyword clusters! Keyword clusters are groups of keywords that share similar meaning and user intent. They serve as the building blocks for your content strategy. There are various methods for creating keyword clusters. You can manually group keywords based on their similarity, or you can use keyword clustering tools that automate the process.

I like to silo content into clusters. If your planning on building an authority site, you'll have pockets of content in different categories. Write 10+ in each category, and see what Google ranks your site for out of these then focus on that cluster. I also mindmap content before writing to visualise the clusters.

Once you have your keyword clusters, it's time to map them to your content. This means assigning each cluster to a specific piece of content. For example, a cluster of informational keywords related to "running shoe benefits" could be mapped to a blog post about the advantages of different running shoe types.