SERPTool · Docs

Research keywords for a new website

A fresh domain has almost no authority. Your keyword strategy has to account for that. This guide is specifically for sites 0–12 months old.

The core principle

A new site can rank for keywords where no ranking result has significant authority either. Stop optimizing for keywords Google has already awarded to DS-80 incumbents — you'll wait years to move. Find keywords where the incumbents are DS-20 and you can compete directly on content quality.

Step 1: Set realistic thresholds

For a brand-new site, these filters cut through 90% of the noise:

  • Opportunity Score ≥ 75 — you need a clear advantage.
  • Lowest DS in top 10 ≤ 15 — at least one ranking slot has no authority at all.
  • Average DS in top 10 ≤ 30 — the whole SERP needs to be soft, not just one slot.
  • Volume 100–2,000/mo — enough to matter, low enough that enterprise content teams haven't swept it.

A typical 500-keyword discovery run yields maybe 30–60 keywords meeting all four. That's plenty for the first 6 months.

Step 2: Lean into long-tail + specificity

Long-tail keywords (3+ words, specific, narrow) are where new sites win. They have:

  • Lower average authority in the SERP (big brands don't optimize for long-tail).
  • Higher intent clarity (users know exactly what they want).
  • Much higher conversion rates for commercial content.

Practical tactic: take one of your high-opportunity head keywords and permutate it:

  • how to [do thing] → how to [do thing] without [obstacle]
  • best [product category] → best [product] under $[specific number]
  • [broad topic] → [broad topic] for [specific audience]

Each permutation is a new keyword SERP to run. You'll often find 2–3 permutations where the SERP is dramatically weaker than the head keyword.

Step 3: Target intent your site can actually serve

A new site has no brand trust. Transactional intent is harder — users hesitate to buy from an unknown site. Commercial and informational intent work best at this stage:

  • Informational — "how to", "what is", "guide to". Build expertise signal. Low conversion directly, but high trust-building.
  • Commercial — "best X", "X vs Y", "X review". You're helping the user decide. They'll trust your recommendation if the content is substantive.
  • Transactional — skip for now unless you have unique product differentiation.

Step 4: Pick a topical cluster, not random keywords

Google rewards topical authority. Publishing 10 keywords across 10 unrelated topics is weaker than 10 keywords all in one topical cluster.

A cluster looks like: one pillar page (broad keyword, comprehensive article) + 5–8 spoke pages (narrow keywords, deeper treatments of sub-topics). All the spokes link back to the pillar and cross-link to each other as relevant.

For your first month on a new site, pick ONE cluster and execute it end-to-end before moving to the next.

Step 5: Watch the competitors in your cluster

Run the top-3 ranking competitors in your chosen cluster through DOMAIN mode in SERPTool. You'll see every keyword they rank for — and by comparing across them, you'll spot which sub-topics are genuinely dense (multiple competitors ranking = real demand) vs which are one competitor's vanity project.

Focus your spoke pages on sub-topics where 2+ competitors rank. Skip sub-topics where only one does.

Step 6: Budget your publishing cadence

A realistic cadence for a solo operator on a new site:

  • Weeks 1–2: finish keyword research, pick the first cluster.
  • Weeks 3–8: publish the pillar + 4 spokes. Don't rush.
  • Month 3: repeat with a second cluster.

After 6 months of this you'll have 2 clusters, ~12 articles, and early ranking signal on the easiest keywords. That's a realistic new-site trajectory.

What to avoid

  • Publishing 20 articles in a month on 20 unrelated topics. Tanks your topical-authority signal.
  • Targeting head terms ("insurance", "marketing", "recipes") on a new site. You won't rank for years.
  • Chasing KD-3 keywords that have 30 monthly searches. Technically rankable, zero traffic.
  • Ignoring internal linking. A new site needs internal links to help Google crawl and understand topical depth. Every article should link to 2–3 others on your site.

A realistic outcome

At the end of 6 months on a new site executed well:

  • 2 topical clusters live, ~12 articles.
  • 20–40% of articles hitting top-10 rank for their target keyword.
  • Organic traffic: 200–2,000 visits/mo depending on niche and effort.
  • Search Console showing impressions growing month-over-month on hundreds of long-tail queries you didn't explicitly target.

That's the foundation. From there it compounds.

Next steps