With millions of searches happening daily, the challenge in SEO isn’t finding keywords to target. It’s knowing which ones to prioritize for maximum impact.
Keyword prioritization focuses on keywords that drive rankings, organic traffic, and business results rather than spreading your efforts too thin. Instead of chasing high-volume terms that may be out of reach, a strategic approach ensures you’re targeting the best keywords with the right balance of competition, intent, and relevance.
In this guide, I’ll explain how to prioritize keywords effectively so your SEO efforts lead to higher visibility, engagement, and conversions—not just more data in a spreadsheet.
What You Will Learn
- Why keyword prioritization is critical for SEO success
- Factors influencing keyword priority
- A step-by-step framework for choosing the right keywords
- The best tools for prioritizing keywords effectively
Why prioritizing keywords is important for SEO?
Prioritizing keywords boosts your chances of ranking, getting traffic, and converting the right audience.
Rather than chasing high-volume keywords with steep competition, focusing on the right mix of search intent, ranking feasibility, and business relevance leads to sustainable SEO growth.
A smart keyword prioritization strategy helps you:
- Improve search visibility by focusing on keywords you can realistically rank for.
- Balance high-volume and niche-specific terms to capture traffic and conversions.
- Align SEO with business goals, ensuring keywords drive leads, not just clicks.
For example, a local bakery might want to rank for “best cakes,” but that’s highly competitive. Instead, targeting “custom wedding cakes in Austin” brings in ready-to-buy customers, leading to higher conversions and better local SEO success.
Key factors for prioritizing keywords
An effective SEO strategy starts with evaluating keywords according to key factors:
1. Search volume and traffic potential
Search volume refers to how many times a keyword is searched per month. While high search volume suggests greater traffic potential, it doesn’t always mean better SEO results.
Ranking for these competitive terms on search engine results pages can be difficult, whereas moderate-volume keywords often offer a more realistic path to visibility and engagement.
To maximize rankings while maintaining achievable goals, a strong keyword strategy includes balancing different keyword types:
- High-volume keywords with 10,000+ searches/month attract more searches but are often dominated by authoritative domains, making it harder for smaller sites to rank.
- Moderate-volume keywords with 1,000–10,000 searches/month have a balance of traffic potential and rankability, offering stronger opportunities for mid-sized websites.
- Long-tail keywords typically have a lower search volume at less than 1,000 searches/month but targeting more specific, lower-volume keywords can yield substantial results.
The best approach?
Start with long-tail keywords to gain traction, then scale to higher-volume terms as your site builds authority.
Surfer’s free Keyword Extension provides search volume data and estimated monthly search traffic to help you refine your keyword selection.
When you run a search with Keyword Surfer, you get the estimated monthly search volume:
And in the SERPs, you can see the estimated monthly traffic for that domain.
Inside Surfer's Keyword Research you can view search volume data and the traffic potential of each keyword.
Search volume and traffic are not metrics you can view in isolation.
There are other factors you'll have to take into consideration.
2. Ranking difficulty
Not all keywords are equally easy to rank for. Some are dominated by high-authority domains, making them nearly impossible for newer sites to break into.
Keyword difficulty (KD) measures how competitive a keyword is based on the strength of the top-ranking pages.
Targeting high-difficulty keywords is a common mistake for newer sites or those with fewer backlinks. These keywords require significant authority and link-building to compete.
Focus first on low-to-moderate difficulty keywords. As your site gains authority, you can gradually cover more challenging keywords.
To determine how difficult it will be to rank for a keyword, analyze who’s currently ranking in the top 10 search results:
- It will be difficult to rank if high-authority sites like Wikipedia, Forbes, or major brands dominate Google SERPs.
- If smaller or mid-tier websites appear on Page 1, there’s a realistic opportunity to compete.
For a more precise analysis, use Surfer's SERP Analayzer. There you can see which pages rank for a given keyword, their content score, and domain backlink score.
We can see that the SERPs for "time management tips" are dominated by high-authority sites, so this cannot be an easy keyword to rank for.
While some keywords are inherently more competitive than others, ranking difficulty will depend on your site's authority. You can connect your Google Search Console account to Surfer's Keyword Research to view keywords' Relative difficulty.
In this case, it makes sense that Surfer would have a hard time ranking for "how to teach dog to sit".
3. Keyword search intent
Ranking for a keyword is only possible if it matches what the user wants. Google prioritizes content that aligns with search intent, whether users are seeking information, comparing options, or ready to buy.
There are four types of search intent, each requiring a different content approach.
1. Informational Intent: Users seek answers with informational keywords, like “benefits of intermittent fasting.” These searches need guides, blogs, or educational content.
2. Navigational Intent: Users search for a specific site, like “Nike official website.” They expect direct brand pages, not articles.
3. Commercial Intent: With research-based queries, users look for product comparisons, such as “best hiking shoes for beginners.”
4. Transactional Intent: Queries like “Buy iPhone 16 Pro” signal purchase readiness, so SERPs prioritize product pages from Apple and major retailers.
You can identify the search intent of a keyword by looking at the pages that rank for it.
For instance, if the SERPs are dominated by landing pages, then the keyword has a commercial intent.
You can easily spot a keyword's intent in our Keyword Research tool.
Knowing the intent behind a keyword helps you decide which keywords to prioritize. For instance, you might want to first focus on high-intent transactional keywords to drive conversions before covering informational keywords.
4. Business value
SEO keyword research is also about choosing keywords that drive real business results. While business value isn’t a direct SEO metric, it’s crucial in prioritizing keywords that lead to conversions.
A high-ranking page means little if it doesn’t generate leads, sales, or sign-ups. Businesses should focus on keywords that align with their offerings and attract high-intent users.
Traffic alone doesn’t guarantee ROI. As Surfer's CMO puts it:
Growth isn’t about more eyes—it’s about reaching the right eyes.
-Tom Niezgoda, CMO & Co-founder @ Surfer
A keyword must be directly connected to your product or service to deliver value.
5. Seasonality & trends
Keyword trends fluctuate year-round, impacting when and how businesses should optimize for them.
Timing is everything for industries like retail, travel, and event planning. Ignoring seasonality can mean missing high-intent traffic from their target audience at peak times, but planning ahead ensures your content ranks before the competition does.
Google Trends tracks keyword seasonality, revealing when searches peak and decline.
Searches for “Father’s Day gifts” spike every June, but businesses that optimize content in April or May can capture early shoppers before competition intensifies.
A great example of seasonal keyword prioritization is LEGO’s SEO strategy. LEGO strategically targets high-intent, seasonal queries like “Best Father’s Day gifts 2025” to align with shopping trends:
By planning content and product pages months in advance, LEGO ensures that when search demand peaks, its curated gift pages rank on Google search results, driving more traffic and conversions.
Prioritize keywords in 3 steps
Now you know which factors impact keyword prioritization. Here's how you can apply this knowledge to prioritize keywords for SEO when building a content plan.
I've broken it into a 3-step process:
1. Group keywords by theme
As you find keywords to target, it's important to group them by theme. Keyword grouping improves content depth, strengthens topical authority, and helps websites rank for multiple related terms.
By building thematic clusters of relevant pages you signal to search engines and users that you are an authority on that topic. This can directly impact your rankings.
Here's an example of how you can cluster keywords for a vegetable gardening site.
1. Search “vegetable gardening” on Google.
2. Use Google Autocomplete to find more keyword ideas.
3. Check “People also search for” to see related queries.
4. Review Keyword Surfer’s related keywords on the right side of the search results.
The plugin found 89 keyword suggestions around the following subtopics:
- Vegetable gardening layout
- Vegetable gardening ideas for backyard
- Garden veggies list
5. Refine the subtopics by doing keyword research.
For example, “vegetable gardening ideas” include keywords like “vegetable gardening ideas for beginners.”
6. Now structure your topical map into clusters:
- Vegetable gardening ideas
- Vegetable gardening types
- Vegetable gardening list
Each blog post links back to the pillar page, reinforcing the topic and improving topical authority.
Surfer’s Topical Map automatically groups related keywords to streamline this process.
We see it has created 74 clusters on the topic of "vegetable gardening". For each cluster you can also see the key metrics you need to evaluate it's effectiveness.
2. Evaluate keywords based on key factors
There are 5 key factors you should evaluate your keywords based on: search volume, ranking difficulty, search intent, business value, and seasonality.
Inside Topical Map you will find both evergreen and seasonal keyword clusters, alongside key metrics like search volume and difficulty.
Once you click on a keyword cluster, you can see further data.
A keyword with thousands of searches won’t be valuable if it’s impossible to rank for or doesn’t lead to conversions. Instead:
- Target keywords with a balance of good search volume and lower ranking difficulty.
- Prioritize transactional and commercial intent terms.
- Focus on keywords closely aligned with your business offerings.
- Leverage seasonal and trending keywords for timely traffic.
- Gradually expand to more competitive, high-traffic terms as you grow.
3. Prioritize low-hanging opportunities
There's a special type of keyword in SEO that is considered a low-hanging fruit - long tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords are typically low-competition and are known as niche keywords.
Such keywords have lower search volume but they attract high-intent users, making them easier to rank for and more likely to convert, especially for newer websites.
For example, rather than targeting “vegan protein powder,” a broad term dominated by major brands, it's best to optimize for a longer, purchase-driven query like “best vegan protein powder for weight loss”
A long-tail keyword like “best vegan protein powder for weight loss” refines the search intent, attracting a niche audience actively looking for a solution—making it easier to rank and more likely to convert.
By identifying low-hanging opportunities, you can gradually build authority ranking for less competitive terms while working toward higher-difficulty keywords.
You can find such low-hanging opportunities in the Recommendations tab inside Topical Map. Each keyword cluster has a Score that measures how likely you are to see quick results.
And if you're more of a visual person, look at the Map. There you can spot lucrative keywords and see how they fit into the cluster strategy.
Best tools for keyword prioritization
The right tools help you prioritize high-impact keywords efficiently, ensuring your SEO strategy focuses on ranking opportunities that drive business results.
Here are the top tools to help you prioritize keywords for SEO.
1. Surfer
Best for: Automated keyword clustering and prioritization
Surfer streamlines the keyword research process by offering data-driven clustering, analyzing search intent, and providing insights into SERP competition.
Instead of manually sorting through a long list of keywords, Surfer can automatically group related terms for you. This way you get a data-driven topic cluster strategy that can help you rank and drive business results.
Here's how Surfer can help you with keyword prioritization:
- Automated keyword clustering: Topical Map groups related keywords into themes for better content organization and to help you build authority.
- Search intent detection: Keyword Research identifies whether a keyword is informational, navigational, transactional, or commercial, ensuring content matches what users expect.
- SERP competition analysis: SERP Analyzer evaluates who’s currently ranking and how difficult it will be to compete for specific keywords.
With Surfer you have all the tools you need to build a winning SEO content plan.
2. Google Keyword Planner
Best for: Estimating search volume and competition
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool for basic keyword research, offering valuable insights into search volume, competition level, and keyword variations.
While primarily designed for Google Ads, it’s a valuable resource for SEO professionals looking to assess keyword demand and ranking feasibility.
How Google Keyword Planner helps prioritize keywords:
- Search volume insights: Estimates how often a keyword is searched, helping you identify high-opportunity terms.
- Keyword variations: Suggests related terms and long-tail keywords, allowing you to expand your keyword list.
- Geographic filtering: Helps prioritize location-based keywords for local SEO.
While Google Keyword Planner provides foundational keyword data, it lacks advanced SEO-specific metrics like keyword difficulty and intent analysis.
3. Google Trends
Best for: Tracking keyword trends and seasonality
Google Trends helps you understand keyword seasonality and long-term search trends.
It visualizes how search interest fluctuates over time, helping businesses prioritize when to focus on certain target keywords for maximum impact.
How Google Trends helps prioritize keywords:
- Identifies seasonal trends: Shows when search interest peaks and declines, allowing businesses to optimize content ahead of demand.
- Regional insights: Displays geographic search trends, making it useful for local SEO and audience targeting.
- Discover emerging topics: Helps spot rising keyword opportunities before they become too competitive.
For businesses that rely on seasonal promotions, trending topics, or event-based searches, Google Trends is invaluable for refining keyword prioritization strategies and staying ahead of competitors.
4. AnswerThePublic
Best for: Discovering long-tail, question-based search queries
AnswerThePublic shows you long-tail keywords by mapping out search queries in a visual format.
It pulls data from autocomplete suggestions in search engines, helping you find question-based and conversational keywords that reflect what users are actively searching for.
Key ways AnswerThePublic helps with keyword prioritization:
- Uncovers long-tail keyword opportunities: Provides question, comparison, and preposition-based searches that reveal high-intent, low-competition keywords.
- Supports voice search optimization: Many queries reflect natural language searches, making them ideal for featured snippets and voice search results.
Key takeaways
- Prioritizing the right keywords improves search visibility and aligns SEO with business goals.
- Evaluating keywords based on key factors like search volume, intent, difficulty, and business relevance ensures targeted SEO efforts.
- Grouping keywords into clusters strengthens content strategy, improves topical authority, and increases ranking opportunities.
- Focusing on long-tail and low-competition keywords provides early wins, making ranking easier while capturing high-intent traffic.
- Keyword prioritization should be guided by seasonality and trends, ensuring content is optimized ahead of peak search periods.
- Surfer SEO, Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, and AnswerThePublic simplify keyword prioritization and provide data-driven insights.
- A structured keyword prioritization process drives traffic, engagement, and conversions.
