Define the niche and target audience
List core topics, products, and problems
Brainstorm seed keywords
Check search intent for each keyword
Use keyword research tools
Analyze autocomplete and related searches
Review competitor websites and content
Extract keywords from competitor pages
Look at forums, communities, and Q&A sites
Find long-tail keyword variations
Group keywords by topic and intent
Evaluate search volume
Evaluate keyword difficulty
Assess relevance to the niche
Identify commercial intent keywords
Identify informational intent keywords
Identify transactional intent keywords
Prioritize keywords by opportunity
Check SERP results for each keyword
Note content gaps in search results
Build a keyword list and content map
Track and update keywords regularly