How to validate keywords before writing content

Keyword validation happens after research but before writing. It confirms that a keyword is worth your time and effort. Without validation, you might write articles for keywords that look good in a research tool but are actually impossible to rank for in reality. Learn the 7 steps to validate keywords properly.

Your keyword research tool says a keyword has 5,000 monthly searches and a difficulty of 25. Looks perfect. You invest 20 hours writing a comprehensive guide. You publish it. You wait six months. The article ranks in position 47 with almost no traffic. What went wrong?

You skipped keyword validation. The tool data told you one story. The real search results told a different story. The tool was wrong, or your assumptions about the keyword were wrong, or the difficulty was actually much higher than the tool estimated.

Validation is the reality check step. It answers the question: Is this keyword actually worth writing about? Will I actually be able to rank for it?

Actually search for the keyword and see what appears

This is the most critical validation step. Do not validate using only research tools. Search your keyword on an actual search engine as a regular user. What does the search engine show?

If the search engine shows "no results" or almost nothing, the keyword has low real search demand. Move on. If the search engine shows a full first page of results, continue validation.

Look at what types of results appear. Blog posts? Product pages? News articles? Video results? Your content should match the dominant format. If the SERP shows mostly blog posts, a blog post is the right format. If it shows mostly product pages, a product page is the right format.

Check whether the top results come from authority sites. If positions 1-3 are Wikipedia, Amazon, Forbes, and other massive authority domains, this keyword is very competitive. If positions 1-3 are from smaller, focused businesses, the keyword is less competitive.

Note whether there is a featured snippet. Featured snippets occupy the first position and take clicks that would otherwise go to the first organic result. If a featured snippet is shown, understand that this space exists.

Count the paid ads. More ads usually mean higher commercial intent and more publisher competition. No ads might mean lower intent.

Read what is actually ranking right now

Look at the top 5 organic results (excluding paid ads and featured snippets). Click through and read each one.

Check the content length. How many words does each page have? If all top 5 pages are 2,000 words, you probably need to write similarly long content. If they are 500 words, shorter content might work.

Check domain authority. Use Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, or another tool to see the domain rating of each top result. If all top 5 have domain authority 60+, this keyword is dominated by authority sites. If they are 30-40, it is more achievable.

Evaluate content depth. Is the top result comprehensive? Does it cover the topic thoroughly? Or does it feel shallow? Are there obvious gaps you could fill? Can you create something better?

Check publication dates. If the top results are 3-5 years old and unchanged, the keyword may not require fresh content. If the top results are all less than 6 months old, the keyword is actively competitive.

Analyze their approach. Do they target beginners or experts? Do they take a how-to approach or an informational approach? Can you take a different angle that would be valuable?

The validation question: Can I create content better than what's currently ranking?

Does the search volume estimate make sense

Your research tool estimates search volume. But tools can be inaccurate. Validate the volume against the SERP competition you see.

If a research tool shows 5,000 monthly searches but the top 5 pages are from small, low-authority sites, the volume estimate might be realistic. If the same tool shows 5,000 monthly searches but the top 5 pages are from massive authority sites, the volume is probably higher than estimated. Massive sites would not target low-volume keywords.

If a tool shows a keyword has 100 monthly searches but the top results are from major publications, something is off. Either the volume is higher, or the tool is wrong.

The validation question: Does the search volume estimate make sense given the competition I see?

Check if you already rank for this or related keywords

If you have a website with search console data, check whether you already rank for this keyword or related keywords.

If you already rank for the keyword (even in position 40), there is proof of real search demand and your site has some relevance. Improving your ranking on a keyword you already rank for is often easier than ranking for a brand-new keyword.

If you rank for related keywords, you have authority in this topic. Expanding to new keywords in the same topic is usually easier than entering a brand-new topic.

The validation question: Am I already ranking for this keyword or related keywords?

Look at the type of results showing up

Search engines show different types of results for different queries. Some keywords trigger featured snippets. Some trigger People Also Ask. Some trigger image results. Some trigger video results.

If the search engine shows a featured snippet for your keyword, you should plan content that can win a featured snippet. If it shows People Also Ask, you should address those questions. If it shows video results, video content might help.

The validation question: What content format would be most valuable for this keyword?

Make sure this keyword actually matters for your business

A keyword can be technically rankable but still wrong for your business. "Best WordPress plugins" might be rankable, but if you sell a website builder and not a WordPress platform, ranking for this keyword serves no business purpose.

Ask yourself: Will someone who searches this keyword become a customer? If yes, target it. If no, skip it even if it is easy to rank for.

The validation question: Does ranking for this keyword serve my business?

Decide target this or skip it

After these six steps, decide: target this keyword or skip it?

Target the keyword if all of these are true: the search engine shows real results, the top results are not only from massive authority sites, you can create better content, the search volume seems real, and the keyword serves your business.

Skip the keyword if: the search engine shows few results, the top results are all massive authority sites and you have low domain authority, you cannot differentiate your content, the search volume seems inflated, or the keyword does not fit your business.

Consider targeting later if: The keyword is related to ones you already rank for but is harder to rank for. These take longer but often work. Or if it has lower volume but very high commercial intent.

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