Keyword Research
Keyword research is the foundation of your SEO strategy. Kyni finds target keywords automatically using AI and real search volume data.
What is keyword research?
Keyword research identifies the search terms your potential customers use. If you understand their search behavior, you can create content they’re actively looking for.
For example:
- “Best espresso machine under $500” (commercial — person is ready to buy)
- “How to make espresso at home” (informational — person is learning)
- “Espresso machine reviews” (comparison — person is deciding)
Each keyword represents a potential article.
Run keyword research
Step 1: Start research
- Go to your site’s Keywords tab
- Click Run Keyword Research
- (Optional) Specify your niche or primary topic
- Example: “sustainable fashion” or “wedding photography”
- If you don’t specify, Kyni analyzes your site to infer your niche
- Click Start Research
Step 2: Wait for analysis
Kyni will spend 2–5 minutes:
- Identifying your niche and market
- Generating target keywords (usually 30–80)
- Clustering related keywords together
- Gathering search volume and difficulty data
- Ranking keywords by opportunity
You can close the page while research runs—you’ll get a notification when it’s done.
Step 3: Review results
Once complete, you’ll see a list of keywords with columns:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Keyword | The search term |
| Volume | Estimated monthly searches (e.g., 500, 2K, 15K) |
| Difficulty | How hard to rank (1–100, lower is easier) |
| Cluster | Topic group (articles can cover multiple related keywords) |
| Status | Planned, In Progress, Published, Backlog |
Understanding difficulty and opportunity
Volume (monthly searches):
- 1–100: Niche keywords (easy to rank, fewer searches)
- 100–1K: Sweet spot (moderate competition, decent traffic)
- 1K–10K: Competitive (good traffic, harder to rank)
- 10K+: Very competitive (high traffic, requires domain authority)
Difficulty (1–100 scale):
- 1–20: Easy (new sites can rank quickly)
- 20–40: Moderate (established sites have better chance)
- 40–60: Competitive (requires quality content + backlinks)
- 60+: Very hard (requires significant domain authority)
Best starter keywords: Volume 100–1K, Difficulty 10–30. You’ll rank faster and build authority.
Keyword clusters
Kyni groups related keywords into clusters. Each cluster can be covered by a single comprehensive article.
For example, the cluster “Espresso Machines” might include:
- “Best espresso machine”
- “Espresso machine reviews”
- “How to use an espresso machine”
- “Cheap espresso machines”
Writing one article covering all these variations is more efficient than four separate articles.
Filtering and sorting
Use the filters to find keywords:
- Difficulty: Show easy, moderate, or hard keywords
- Volume: Show high-traffic or niche keywords
- Status: View planned, in-progress, or completed keywords
- Cluster: Show keywords from a specific topic group
Sort by:
- Difficulty (easiest first = quick wins)
- Volume (highest first = most traffic)
- Opportunity (Kyni’s recommendation)
Keyword status
Each keyword has a status:
| Status | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Ready | Can be written | Click to generate article |
| Planned | Already has a scheduled article | View the planned content |
| In Progress | Article is being written | Wait for completion |
| Published | Article is live | View rankings and traffic |
| Backlog | Low priority or too similar to others | Can promote to ready if needed |
| Skipped | Similar to existing content | Use a different keyword |
Updating keyword data
Search volume and difficulty change over time. To refresh:
- Go to Keywords
- Click Refresh Data
- Kyni re-fetches the latest volume and difficulty scores
- Updates take 1–2 minutes
You don’t need to refresh often—data is accurate within weeks.
Multi-language research
If you operate in multiple languages:
- Go to Keywords
- Click the language selector (if available)
- Run research in that language
- Keywords are separated by language (no mixing)
Each language gets its own keyword set and content plan.
Keyword deduplication
Kyni prevents similar keywords from being covered multiple times:
- “Best espresso machine” and “Top espresso machines” might be grouped
- You write one article covering both
- Other keywords in the cluster are marked as covered
Pro tips
- Start with 2–3 keywords per week — sustainable pace for quality
- Write easy keywords first — build authority for harder ones later
- Cover full clusters — one article covering 3–4 related keywords is better than three separate articles
- Monitor rankings — check how keywords perform 2–4 weeks after publishing
- Refresh seasonally — run research again every 6 months to catch new trends
Next steps
- Generate an article for your easiest keyword (difficulty < 30)
- Enable autopilot to publish automatically
- Check rankings to see how articles perform
- Review your audit for technical SEO improvements