Keyword research doesn’t have to be slow, manual, or locked behind expensive tools. If you know how to ask the right questions, ChatGPT can handle a big chunk of the work and do it fast.
Whether you’re planning a blog, updating service pages, or building out a content strategy, you can use ChatGPT to speed things up without cutting corners. This post walks through a 10-step process based on a popular cheat sheet format. The idea is to make keyword research faster, more focused, and better aligned with real search intent.
Let’s break it down step by step.
1. Identify Primary Keywords
Start with your main topic. You can ask ChatGPT to generate keyword ideas based on your niche and a specific angle.
Prompt example:
“List primary keywords for a [real estate] blog, focusing on [first-time homebuyers in urban areas].”
You’ll get a clean list of relevant terms that are often searched together. This gives you the foundation for the rest of your research.
2. Expand Those Keywords
Once you’ve got the primary terms, expand them. This is where variations and long-tail keywords come in.
Prompt example:
“Generate related keywords for ‘home renovation Toronto’ and include variations and synonyms.”
ChatGPT will return a list that includes modifiers like “affordable,” “best,” “eco-friendly,” and location-specific phrases. These help you cover more ground without sounding repetitive.
3. Analyze Keyword Metrics
Here’s where you’ll need a third-party SEO tool. Use platforms like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest to check:
- Monthly search volume
- Keyword difficulty
- Competition level
- SERP features (like snippets or videos)
ChatGPT won’t give you live data, but you can ask it how to interpret the metrics. That’s helpful if you’re still figuring out what qualifies as high or low competition in your niche.
4. Generate Content Ideas
Now you know what people are searching for. Next, use those terms to build out topic ideas.
Prompt example:
“Suggest blog titles and content formats for ’email marketing for coaches’ with a target audience of beginners.”
You’ll get article ideas, video suggestions, and maybe even downloadable lead magnet concepts. This is where your keyword work turns into actual content planning.
5. Refine Your Keywords
All keywords are not created equal. The next step is to trim the list based on user intent.
Prompt example:
“Suggest long-tail keywords for ‘wedding photography’ focused on high-intent search queries.”
ChatGPT can help you uncover phrases like “book affordable wedding photographer downtown Toronto” or “wedding photo packages under $2,000.” These are more likely to convert than broad terms.
6. Cluster Your Keywords
Grouping related terms helps you plan blog categories, landing pages, and pillar content.
Prompt example:
“Group these keywords into clusters based on topic relevance: [insert keyword list]”
You’ll get categories that make sense for content hubs. For example, “SEO tips,” “technical SEO,” and “SEO tools” might all fall under a larger category like “Search Engine Optimization.”
7. Understand User Intent
This is often the missing piece. You can’t optimize content if you don’t know why someone is searching.
Prompt example:
“Analyze and explain the user intent behind ‘best CRMs for small businesses’ and suggest content formats.”
The response will usually clarify whether the search is informational, transactional, or navigational and recommend blog posts, comparison guides, or product pages accordingly.
8. Do Competitor Analysis
You can use ChatGPT to get a head start on who you’re up against.
Prompt example:
“Identify the top competitors for ‘logo design services Toronto’ and break down their keyword strategy.”
While the tool won’t crawl live sites, it can simulate a basic analysis based on known patterns and SERP structure. For deeper insights, combine this with manual research using an SEO platform.
9. Analyze the SERP
Before writing anything, it’s smart to see what’s already ranking. ChatGPT can help you analyze common features of the results.
Prompt example:
“Analyze the SERP for ‘home staging tips’ and tell me what type of content usually ranks.”
Expect a breakdown of how-tos, listicles, video results, and featured snippets. This helps you decide what kind of content to create, not just what keywords to include.
10. Finalize Your Keyword List
Now it’s time to wrap it all up. After you’ve explored, filtered, and grouped everything, you can use ChatGPT to compile a clean list.
Prompt example:
“Summarize the best keywords for a home services blog targeting Toronto, organized by primary, secondary, and long-tail terms.”
This becomes your go-to doc for content planning, SEO updates, and internal linking. It’s clean. It’s strategic. And it didn’t take you a full day.
Want to Make Your Keyword Research Easier?
You don’t need to replace SEO tools. But using ChatGPT as your assistant can cut your keyword research time in half and help you think more strategically about your content.
If you want help putting this into action, we do this every day for clients across industries. Our team at DigitalMktg.ca can turn your ideas into traffic-ready, conversion-focused content plans without the fluff.
Whether you’re looking to improve rankings, map out blog topics, or clean up your SEO structure, we’ve got you covered.
