Keyword Mapping: What does this mean, and how can it be used to improve your SEO
Author: Ryan Walsh
Date: 13/11/2025
Keyword mapping is one of those SEO phrases that sounds super complicated and likely to make you cross-eyed.
However, it’s not that difficult at all; it simply means conducting prior research into keyword analysis. Then, armed with vital information, you can start to set out and better design pages around the search terms that shoppers are using.
Keep things simple, it’s the best way.
Before you start reading too many blog posts about keyword top clusters, pillar pages, and being at the top of the sales funnel, cut through all the noise and come to this decision: how are people going to find my website?
How to do keyword mapping
Conduct some keyword research.
You might think that an inner tube for a bike is an inner tube for a bike.
Then, after some keyword research, you might discover that actually the inner tubes are not all grouped.
Instead, they are sorted by type, in terms of valve type, such as “Inner Tubes – Presta,” which refers to the type of valve fitted to the inner tube.
The reason this is so important to understand is that people often search for that exact term on Google.
Now, Google’s algorithm, even since the Stone Age, has worked on “relevancy.” Therefore, the more relevant you can design a page around a product and the keyword that describes it, the more likely you are to get more organic traffic to your website.
It’s all about accurately describing the products the best you can.
Purchase a subscription to a keyword research tool
To undertake keyword research, the research and its findings are only going to be as good as the keyword research tool that you are using.
We would recommend using Moz, or perhaps Ahrefs or Majestic.
There’s also Google’s Keyword Planner, as well as SEMrush, to name a few. Now, you might be a small business, so you may not want to fork out for this keyword research tool for an extended period of time.
Therefore, why not invest in a quality keyword research tool for three months? This will allow you to undertake some keyword research.
What are primary keywords?
Primary keywords are simply keywords that the vast majority of shoppers use to find your website. These are often referred to as high search volume keywords, which are obviously the keywords that you want the most, because what they do is bring in the most organic traffic to your website.
However, there is one fly in your ointment when it comes to targeting high-volume search terms: the vast majority of your competitors will also be doing the same thing. This is what makes “keyword difficulty” much more complicated, making it more challenging to rank higher on a website, as all competitors are also pushing hard to improve their SEO for that term.
Long tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are simply a search string, or query, as some SEO agencies refer to it, which means that it’s much more straightforward to get a business on page one of Google for long-tail keywords. 91.8% of all search queries contain long-tail keywords.
The reason is that the competition for keywords is much lower.
However, the drawback is that the search volume is often much lower as well.
Is it even worth targeting long tail keywords?
Most definitely, when you think about a new and brand-new business setting up, they often face very stiff competition.
Some of that competition may have bottomless pockets in terms of what they can spend on their advertising.
Now, consider that some businesses have been working hard on improving their organic search engine optimisation for 10 years. Well, you can see that there’s a mountain to climb.
So, after the high-volume search terms are addressed immediately, it might be a bit foolish, as it’s more of a long-term goal.
Therefore, in the short term, target long-tail keywords to attract more relevant organic traffic.
You don’t want to log into your Google Analytics and keep seeing zero visitors per day; it will be very disheartening after a while.
Therefore, instead, go after some longtail keywords, bring in some relevant organic traffic, and consequently, you can demonstrate, for example, to Google that the work has a high dwell time and a low bounce rate, if it is good quality work.
Google page structure / grouping keywords by topic
Before your website designer starts placing new pages all over the shop, pause, take a break, and have a Kit-Kat.
Think, what’s the best way to structure these pages?
It might be obvious; you might run a small business, let’s say a solicitor’s practice, and the list of services might be clear as day.
However, for large e-commerce shops, this may be more challenging to do. Therefore, what you need to do is group keywords and products into a logical order to help customers and Google understand the products you sell.
What is a keyword mapping document?
The keyword mapping document is a way of saying which keywords are important for your business to improve.
Then set a timescale, say once a week, but let’s be more realistic and say once a month. What you want to do is dive into your spreadsheet and update the ranking of your business.
You don’t need super-fancy and complicated SEO tools; use a keyword checking tool to ensure that you’re not comparing skewed data because of Google personalisation.
Then update your spreadsheet with the latest information, and you will have, in one neat place, a way to check if your keywords are improving, declining, or staying stagnant.
What does Google personalisation mean?
Google personalisation occurs when Google penalises the results based on a user’s previous search history.
For example, let’s say you have had enough of work and your boss is driving you slightly crazy.
You want to book a holiday, you want to go, let’s say, to Spain for the weekend, you narrow it down to a group of hotels on the coast, and you spend some time browsing the 5-star resorts.
Now, when you return to make a booking, or let’s say research some more about your holiday getaway from the boss, the Google results can change again.
Therefore, this means that Google constantly changes and shifts its results, based on what it deems you may be most interested in. This is called personalisation.
Now, you don’t want to compare apples with pears when it comes to keyword rankings, so be sure to use a keyword checking tool. This will remove the personalisation aspect of the results.
Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and do the on-page SEO
First things first, don’t overly rely on traffic lights
What do we mean by such a statement? Well, that is, if you’re doing the SEO work yourself, many novices and beginners to the world of SEO focus too much on traffic light SEO plugins.
Don’t focus too much on this.
Instead, focus our advice here:
Be helpful
Google rolled out a Google Helpful Content Update, so essentially, just be as helpful as possible. Add as much information as possible that’s helpful, of good quality, and that will assist the customer.
Don’t be lazy
Our next point is to avoid using AI-generated text and refrain from copying and pasting text from sources such as a manufacturer’s website.
All this will damage the SEO, diluting it to the point where you’re not moving forward; you’re putting the SEO in reverse gear, which is not what you want.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO is, of course, still important; however, don’t go cross-eyed trying to complete the work in a way that illuminates a green traffic light. Instead, act like a salesperson, be helpful, and answer commonly asked questions.
Ensure the title tags, meta descriptions, and alt text are all optimised, but do it in a white-hat manner.
Don’t over-optimise
It’s called keyword stuffing; however, if you do this, it’s a one-way ticket to getting a hefty Google penalty.
However, you also overoptimize the website by focusing solely on content marketing, whose purpose is to improve rankings.
Instead, don’t overly concentrate on improving the on-page SEO. Sure, it’s essential, but what’s more important is that you shine bright like a diamond in terms of helping customers by offering super helpful information.
When you create a helpful website and help customers as much as possible, you will also be helping to improve your business’s SEO.
What tools do I need to complete this job?
Google Keyword Planner
This is a good tool that’s offered for free by Google. Many SEO agencies use it because it can offer suggestions for keywords you might need to optimise the website for. It also informs you about competition levels; for example, if the PPC or AdWords price is set high, it indicates more competition for that term.
Ahrefs
Another perfect SEO tool, everything you need in one place, from checking the quality of backlinks to carrying out keyword research.
Moz keyword explorer
Moz keyword explorer is what we consider here at this agency as one of the best SEO agency tools that you can get your hands on.
We are an agency with over 10 years of experience; many agencies don’t have our level of expertise. We recall following Moz’s Whiteboard Fridays keenly; the website has been a fantastic resource for SEO advice, as well as offering top-quality SEO tools.
FAQ regarding keyword mapping?
Completing your keyword research is an essential step on the road to getting your business on page one of Google.
What you have to remember is that organic SEO is a very long process; therefore, don’t expect to see results in the short term. It doesn’t work like that.
However, when you follow best practices, work hard, and drink enough coffee, you will get there.
Why not just dive into writing content marketing?
No, it’s a bit like someone saying, “I think I know how to get there” when driving a car.
Sure, they may get there, but then again, they could end up in the totally wrong place.
However, in terms of keyword research, you start to get an excellent idea of how to optimise the website.
Which terms and phrases are people entering to find your business? Then, you can use this as a guide to write content marketing and set up on-page SEO correctly.
This way, you can start to offer helpful content marketing to your customers.
It’s when you offer better, clearer, and more detailed advice that shoppers will want to spend more time reading the work.
This helps to improve dwell times, by improving dwell times, lowering bounce rates, improving how many pages a shopper visits, your improving the U.X and therefore your business is likely to rank higher.
Why is keyword research an ongoing process?
It’s an ongoing process because new products and seasonal trends can change the keywords that your business needs to optimise the website for.
This means that, for example, the keyword volume may be off the charts during the run-up to Christmas for specific items and services; however, the rest of the year is not so much.
Therefore, businesses often carry out keyword research throughout the year, which informs the creation of a content calendar. From this, they can ensure that they are not missing out on optimising the website for key products or services.
Your marketing agency uses a “blended approach” to keyword research? What does this mean?
This means that since we started over 10 years ago, we have focused on targeting the main keywords for our clients.
However, at the same time, we also optimise the website for long-tail keywords. The reason is simple: it takes a very long time to get a business onto the first page for critical, high-volume keywords.
However, in the short term, you can achieve this by getting a business onto page one for longer-tail keywords.
It’s much easier to rank for longer tail keywords, which means you can bring in some visitors in the short term, whilst you focus on the longer tail keywords.
How should keyword research and content marketing work closely together?
Your keyword research will help you improve your on-page SEO more effectively. However, all the time you spend staring at the keyword information in your SEO tool will allow you to come up with some content marketing ideas.
For example, you may notice that shoppers repeatedly ask the same question, and the search volume is exceptionally high.
Well, you should capitalise on this fact and write content marketing that answers that question, throwing the kitchen sink at it.
In return, you can bring in more shoppers to your website.
Why should keyword research help guide your on-page SEO efforts?
On-page SEO needs to be optimised, with guidance gained from the various SEO tools. Again, you need to implement this in a white-hat manner. Additionally, we recommend doing some bedtime reading on Google E-EAT and how to optimise the page effectively.
Who is Ryan Walsh?
Ryan Walsh was born in Cardiff and is one of the best, if not the best, SEO consultants in this city.
He runs an agency called “Walsh & Partners,” which is a leading SEO agency in the city, boasting unparalleled knowledge and expertise.
Ryan Walsh has recently launched an advertising campaign, offering to beat our direct competitor’s quote by 33%.
All we ask is that you send us your quote for SEO, and we will also aim to beat our direct competitors by that amount.
Why is he widely considered to be running one of the best SEO agencies in Cardiff?
We have now been operating for a considerable time, running a highly successful SEO agency in the city that’s widely considered one of the best, if not the best, agencies to come to.
Ryan’s knowledge is unparalleled.
Why hire Ryan’s team?
We can take care of all of your organic and local search engine optimisation requirements. Not only does our price guarantee mean that we can often beat the direct competitors by up to 33%. This has been a highly effective way of attracting new business to our agency.
The reason we can offer cheaper quotes is simple: we possess superior knowledge that many other agencies lack, which helps us save time.