{"id":2056,"date":"2023-02-09T05:32:09","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T05:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/keyword-mapping-a-practical-guide-for-the-curious\/"},"modified":"2023-02-09T05:32:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T05:32:09","slug":"keyword-mapping-a-practical-guide-for-the-curious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/keyword-mapping-a-practical-guide-for-the-curious\/","title":{"rendered":"Keyword Mapping. A Practical Guide for the Curious"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>Deciding whether a keyword should be targeted by a separate page or clustered with other keywords is a common problem in SEO. Keyword mapping is a process aimed at solving this.<\/p>\n<p>Keyword mapping is popularly defined as assigning keywords to pages. But what you really need to solve the problem is assigning <em>topics<\/em> to <em>content types<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In this article, I\u2019ll explain the benefits of this approach and, more importantly, I\u2019ll show you the process. No templates required.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2>Benefits of keyword mapping (the alternative way)\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Fact 1. Google may see seemingly different keywords as the same\u00a0topic.<\/p>\n<p>For example, we rank for these keywords in the top 10 with a single page:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"dquo\">\u201c<\/span>seo basics\u201d<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"dquo\">\u201c<\/span>how to use\u00a0seo\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"dquo\">\u201c<\/span>beginner\u2019s guide to\u00a0seo\u201d<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"dquo\">\u201c<\/span>getting started with\u00a0seo\u201d<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"dquo\">\u201c<\/span>seo knowledge\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Fact 2. Conversely, Google may see seemingly similar keywords as different topics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For example, let\u2019s compare \u201cdigital marketing\u201d with \u201conline marketing.\u201d I\u2019d say those two keywords are pretty close to each other. Google disagrees.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"843\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image8-2.png\" alt=\"Low SERP similarity score signals potentially different topics\" class=\"wp-image-152838\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image8-2.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image8-2-680x287.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image8-2-768x324.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image8-2-1536x648.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"843\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image8-2.png\" alt=\"Low SERP similarity score signals potentially different topics\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-152838\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image8-2.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image8-2-680x287.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image8-2-768x324.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image8-2-1536x648.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Everywhere you look, the same story. Top-ranking pages\u00a0and our SERP similarity score (100-point scale; the more, the higher similarity) say that these are completely different topics SEO-wise.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The above two facts are also reasons why keyword mapping by just relying on keywords is not the optimal way. You won\u2019t know whether you\u2019re wasting your time targeting the same topic with different keywords or just \u201cconfusing\u201d Google.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But why content types instead of pages or even URLs? Because before you decide what page will be used to target the keyword, you\u2019ll need to identify the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/search-intent\/\">search intent<\/a> of the keyword. And a good starting point for that is identifying the dominating type of content on the first page of Google.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To sum up, the benefits of keyword mapping using topics and content types\u00a0are:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Seeing keywords the same way Google sees them: as topics and subtopics.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Incorporating search intent into the process.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Keeping an organized list of topics, which also helps to prevent duplicating content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"recommendation\">\n<p>Note<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation-content\">Keyword mapping can\u2019t substitute keyword research. While keyword mapping is basically a form of <em>organizing<\/em> keywords, keyword research <em>provides<\/em> you the keywords and the confidence that:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your keywords have traffic potential.<\/li>\n<li>You can match the search intent behind your keywords.<\/li>\n<li>Your keywords will bring valuable traffic.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>You can rank for those keywords.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Learn how to choose the right keywords with our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-keywords-for-seo\/\">full guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Going further, we\u2019ll look at two levels of using this method: the fast lane and the more thorough one.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Learn more:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/semantic-search\/\"><em>What Is Semantic Search? How It Impacts SEO<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2>Level 1 \u2013 Fast, reasonable job<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>You\u2019ll need a keyword research tool that can do keyword grouping based on what\u2019s on the SERP, such as Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a>. In the case of this\u00a0tool:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Enter your keywords<\/li>\n<li>Open <strong>Matching terms<\/strong> report<\/li>\n<li>Go to the <strong>Parent topics<\/strong> tab\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1187\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image3-3.jpg\" alt=\"Three steps to find Parent Topics via Keywords Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-152840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image3-3.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image3-3-680x404.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image3-3-768x456.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image3-3-1536x912.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1187\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image3-3.jpg\" alt=\"Three steps to find Parent Topics via Keywords Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-152840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image3-3.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image3-3-680x404.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image3-3-768x456.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image3-3-1536x912.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>If you click on a Parent Topic, you will find separate topics \u201cdistilled\u201d from your keywords. So for example, you will see keywords like \u201ccan babies get covid\u201d and \u201cbabies and covid\u201d grouped under the same\u00a0topic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1634\" height=\"728\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image6-4.png\" alt=\"Keywords grouped under the same Parent Topic\" class=\"wp-image-152842\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image6-4.png 1634w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image6-4-680x303.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image6-4-768x342.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image6-4-1536x684.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1634px) 100vw, 1634px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1634\" height=\"728\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image6-4.png\" alt=\"Keywords grouped under the same Parent Topic\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-152842\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image6-4.png 1634w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image6-4-680x303.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image6-4-768x342.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image6-4-1536x684.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1634px) 100vw, 1634px\"\/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sidenote\">\n<p>Sidenote.<\/p>\n<p> To identify the Parent Topic, we take the #1 ranking page for your keyword and find the keyword responsible for sending the most traffic to that\u00a0page.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>At this level of keyword mapping, your target keyword is the Parent Topic (not the keywords inside that Parent Topic).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The next step is to identify the content type. The easiest way to do this is to see what kind of content dominates the first three to five results in Google.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Typical content types\u00a0are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Articles<\/li>\n<li>Videos<\/li>\n<li>Product pages<\/li>\n<li>Product category pages<\/li>\n<li>Landing pages\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1384\" height=\"872\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image7-5.png\" alt=\"Top-ranking pages with a dominating content type\" class=\"wp-image-152843\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image7-5.png 1384w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image7-5-675x425.png 675w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image7-5-768x484.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1384px) 100vw, 1384px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1384\" height=\"872\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image7-5.png\" alt=\"Top-ranking pages with a dominating content type\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-152843\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image7-5.png 1384w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image7-5-675x425.png 675w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image7-5-768x484.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1384px) 100vw, 1384px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">For example, the dominating content type for \u201cteething\u00a0symptoms\u201d is the article.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As a result, assigning topics to content types will give you a super simple yet highly actionable database.<\/p>\n<table id=\"tablepress-173\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-173 tablepress-responsive\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n<th class=\"column-1\">Topic<\/th>\n<th class=\"column-2\">Content type<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Teething symptoms<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Article<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">When do babies roll\u00a0over<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Article<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Baby formula<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Mixed (product pages on\u00a0top)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">When can babies have\u00a0water<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Article<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div class=\"sidenote\">\n<p>Sidenote.<\/p>\n<p> What about secondary keywords or supporting keywords? We recommend picking them in the content creation phase as subtopics needed to cover a topic in full. Learn a few ways you can find them <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/secondary-keywords\">here<\/a>.<\/div>\n<p>So this is the fast method. The great thing about it is that it automates keyword grouping by using real SERP data (and not just semantics).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, it has its downsides too. Sometimes, it \u201chides\u201d less popular topics that could potentially be targeted with a separate page. Here\u2019s why.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The parent keyword is derived from the top-ranking page on the SERP. If Google thinks that the best answer to the query is found on a page that is targeting a broader topic, it will still use it. This may result in a confusing SERP like this\u00a0one:\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1267\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2.jpg\" alt=\"Confusing SERP example\" class=\"wp-image-152845\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2-671x425.jpg 671w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2-260x166.jpg 260w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2-768x487.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2-1536x974.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1267\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2.jpg\" alt=\"Confusing SERP example\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-152845\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2-671x425.jpg 671w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2-260x166.jpg 260w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2-768x487.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image2-2-1536x974.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The top result is a featured snippet taken from a page with a broader topic. Hence, the Parent Topic (here seen as \u201cTop keyword\u201d) in Ahrefs. But pretty much every other page on the SERP targets the keywords directly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This kind of situation probably won\u2019t happen too often. But if you want to squeeze everything out of your keyword mapping process, you need to go to level\u00a02.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2>Level 2 \u2013 Thorough but time consuming<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In level 2, we\u2019re going to take a closer look at the Parent Topics to see what\u2019s in\u00a0them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>First, you should pick a <strong>Parent Topic.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Sort keywords inside the topic by <strong>KD <\/strong>(Keyword Difficulty). Big differences in KD will be an indication of a different set of pages on the\u00a0SERP.<\/li>\n<li>If you see a keyword with a significantly different KD than the Parent Topic, click on the <strong>SERP<\/strong> button.<\/li>\n<li>See if the top-ranking pages, excluding the first result, talk about the keyword instead of the Parent Topic. You can use the <strong>Compare with<\/strong> feature for a quick overview of the situation. The lower the <strong>SERP similarity<\/strong> score, the higher the probability you\u2019re looking at two different topics.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"931\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image4-6.png\" alt=\"How to investigate Parent Topics\" class=\"wp-image-152847\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image4-6.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image4-6-680x317.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image4-6-768x358.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image4-6-1536x715.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"931\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image4-6.png\" alt=\"How to investigate Parent Topics\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-152847\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image4-6.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image4-6-680x317.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image4-6-768x358.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image4-6-1536x715.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at a couple of examples.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the first example, we\u2019ve got a keyword with a KD score that\u2019s 20 higher than the Parent Topic. Upon investigating, we see that we may be dealing with two separate topics: The SERP similarity is quite low. Also, there is only one common result, while other pages target the keyword directly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1896\" height=\"1346\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image9-4.png\" alt=\"Keywords grouped under the same topic but have dissimilar SERPs\" class=\"wp-image-152849\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image9-4.png 1896w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image9-4-599x425.png 599w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image9-4-768x545.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image9-4-1536x1090.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1896px) 100vw, 1896px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1896\" height=\"1346\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image9-4.png\" alt=\"Keywords grouped under the same topic but have dissimilar SERPs\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-152849\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image9-4.png 1896w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image9-4-599x425.png 599w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image9-4-768x545.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image9-4-1536x1090.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1896px) 100vw, 1896px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Next example. Here we have \u201cteething symptoms\u201d (KD 65) and \u201cwhen do babies get molars\u201d (KD 28). Looking at SERP similarity, we see that this, again, may be a case of two topics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1886\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image5-3.png\" alt=\"Low SERP similarity between two keywords\" class=\"wp-image-152850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image5-3.png 1886w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image5-3-680x106.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image5-3-768x120.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image5-3-1536x239.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1886px) 100vw, 1886px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1886\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image5-3.png\" alt=\"Low SERP similarity between two keywords\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-152850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image5-3.png 1886w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image5-3-680x106.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image5-3-768x120.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image5-3-1536x239.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1886px) 100vw, 1886px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>But there\u2019s more. Only the bottom results target the keyword directly. Others talk about teething timelines, stages, charts, etc. This is a hint for yet another way to rank for the keyword.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1436\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image1-5.png\" alt=\"Only bottom results target the keyword directly\" class=\"wp-image-152851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image1-5.png 1980w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image1-5-586x425.png 586w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image1-5-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image1-5-1536x1114.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1436\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image1-5.png\" alt=\"Only bottom results target the keyword directly\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-152851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image1-5.png 1980w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image1-5-586x425.png 586w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image1-5-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image1-5-1536x1114.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Generally speaking, when you see that you\u2019re dealing with a separate topic \u201cin disguise,\u201d the decision comes down\u00a0to:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Targeting the Parent Topic anyway. For example, if the top result is a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/semantic-search\/\">featured snippet<\/a>, you may be able to win it with a page on a relevant broader topic.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Marking the keyword as a separate topic and targeting it <em>directly<\/em> with a separate page. In this case, add that keyword as a topic to target and note down the content type.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Turning to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/serp-analysis\/\">SERP analysis<\/a> in tougher cases (like our example above).\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Final thoughts\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Feel free to customize the process and add your own data points. If you feel like going a step further and assigning URLs, your website folders, or introducing some kind of prioritization (e.g., <a href=\"https:\/\/app.ahrefs.com\/academy\/blogging-for-business\/lesson-4-5\">business potential<\/a>), this won\u2019t\u00a0hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, keep in mind that keyword mapping is not a good way to design your entire website structure. Most often than not, not all pages on your site should be search-based.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What are the next steps after keyword mapping?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Got comments or questions? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/m_makosiewicz\">on Twitter<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/seocommunity.social\/@mako\">Mastodon<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/keyword-mapping\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Deciding whether a keyword should be targeted by a separate page or clustered with other keywords is a common problem in SEO. Keyword mapping is a process aimed at solving this. Keyword mapping is popularly defined as assigning keywords to pages. But what you really need to solve the problem is assigning topics to content [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}