Steal This 5-Minute Keyword Research Hack to Rank Faster

Step 1: Define Your Core Topic (1 Minute)

Before using SEMrush, you need a broad topic related to your niche. This helps narrow down your search and ensures you’re targeting keywords with real ranking potential.

How to Choose a Core Topic?

Think about common problems or questions your audience has.
Consider trending topics in your industry or niche.
Look at what’s working for your competitors.
For example, if your niche is SEO, possible topics could be:

• “On-page SEO best practices“
• “Link-building strategies”
• “Keyword research for beginners”

Once you have a topic in mind, it’s time to dig deeper with SEMrush.

Step 2: Use SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool (1 Minute)

The Keyword Magic Tool inside SEMrush is a goldmine for finding high-traffic, low-competition keywords fast.

How to Use SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool?

Log into SEMrush (or sign up for a free trial).
Go to SEO → Keyword Magic Tool.
Enter your core topic (e.g., “On-page SEO”).
Set the keyword difficulty filter to below 30 (low competition).
Set the search volume filter to above 1,000 (high traffic).
You’ll now have a list of low-competition, high-traffic keywords in seconds!

For example, searching “On-page SEO” might show:

• On-page SEO checklist (1,500 searches, 25 KD)
• On-page SEO tips (2,300 searches, 28 KD)
• On-page SEO tutorial (1,200 searches, 22 KD)

Write down 3-5 keywords that match your criteria.

Step 3: Analyse Competition with SEMrush Keyword Overview (1 Minute)

Now, let’s validate your keywords to make sure they’re truly low-competition and worth targeting.

How to Use the Keyword Overview Tool?

Go to SEO → Keyword Overview in SEMrush.
Enter each keyword you selected.
Check these key metrics:
Keyword Difficulty (KD): Under 30 is ideal.
Search Volume: 1,000+ searches per month.
CPC (Cost Per Click): Higher CPC = commercial value.
For example, if “On-page SEO checklist” has:

• 1,500 searches/month
• Keyword Difficulty: 25
• CPC: $3.50

Then it’s a great keyword to target!

Step 4: Check SERP Competition with SEMrush SERP Analysis (1 Minute)

Now, let’s see who’s ranking on Page 1 for your keyword and how hard it will be to outrank them.

How to Analyze SERP Competition?

In the Keyword Overview Tool, scroll down to SERP Analysis.
Look at the Top 10 ranking pages.

Check:

• Domain Authority (DA): Aim for keywords where the top-ranking pages have a DA below 50.
• Backlinks: Fewer backlinks = easier to outrank.
• Title & Content Match: If the top pages don’t fully match your keyword, you have an opportunity!

For example, if “On-page SEO checklist” has:

• Low DA sites in the top 10
• Pages with few backlinks
• Weak content (short, outdated, or missing details)

Then it’s a keyword you can rank for!

Step 5: Validate Keywords with SEMrush Traffic Insights (1 Minute)

Finally, we need to ensure our keyword can drive actual traffic.

How to Use SEMrush’s Traffic Insights?

Go to SEO → Traffic Analytics.
Enter the URL of a top-ranking competitor for your keyword.
Check where their organic traffic is coming from.
If they’re getting consistent traffic from your target keyword, it’s a great keyword to target.

Final Thoughts: The 5-Minute SEMrush Keyword Research Hack

By following this simple 5-minute process, you can find high-traffic, low-competition keywords with SEMrush and start ranking faster than your competitors.

✅ Step 1: Choose a core topic
✅ Step 2: Use the Keyword Magic Tool to find low-competition keywords
✅ Step 3: Analyze search volume & competition with Keyword Overview
✅ Step 4: Check SERP competition using SEMrush SERP Analysis
✅ Step 5: Validate traffic potential with SEMrush Traffic Insights

This method ensures you focus on keywords that are easy to rank for and actually drive traffic. 🚀

Online Path help our customers find the right keywords to target every single day. Keyword research is super important to the success of an SEO campaign, but the first step with every new client is to run a full SEO Audit to identify areas of your website that need work. You can get a free SEO Audit today and of course we’d be happy to talk to you about which keywords would be most beneficial for your business to rank for.