I have published over 200 WordPress blog posts for clients in Sacramento and across the country. The posts that rank on page 1 all have one thing in common: they started with the right blog keywords. Not guesses. Not topics pulled from thin air. Actual keywords with real search volume, manageable competition, and clear intent.
Here is the exact process I use to find and place blog keywords in every WordPress post I publish.
What Blog Keywords Actually Are
Blog keywords are the specific words and phrases people type into Google when they are searching for information. Every blog post should target one primary keyword and 3-4 secondary keywords. The primary keyword is the search query you want to rank for. The secondary keywords are related phrases that reinforce your topic authority.
“Blog keywords” at 2,400 searches per month is a primary keyword. “How to find keywords for a blog” at 590 searches per month is a secondary keyword that supports the same topic. Together, they tell Google exactly what your post covers.
Short-Tail vs. Long-Tail Keywords
Blog keywords fall on a spectrum from short-tail to long-tail. Understanding where a keyword sits on this spectrum determines your strategy.
Short-tail keywords are 1-2 words: “SEO,” “WordPress,” “blogging.” They have massive search volume (10,000+ per month) and brutal competition. Ranking for a short-tail keyword requires domain authority, backlinks, and years of topical content. I do not target these for individual blog posts.
Long-tail keywords are 3-7 words: “how to find blog keywords for WordPress,” “best keyword research tools for beginners.” They have lower volume (100-1,000 per month) but significantly less competition and higher conversion rates. Ahrefs data shows that 70% of all search queries are long-tail keywords.
For WordPress blogs, I target long-tail keywords with 100-2,500 monthly searches and keyword difficulty under 40. This is the sweet spot where a single well-optimized blog post can reach page 1 within 3-6 months.
How to Find Blog Keywords
I follow a five-step process for every piece of content I publish.
Step 1: Start with Seed Keywords
Seed keywords come from three sources: client questions, competitor blogs, and Google autocomplete. Type your broad topic into Google and write down every autocomplete suggestion. For a WordPress blog about SEO, seeds include “blog keywords,” “keyword research,” “WordPress SEO plugin,” and “how to rank blog posts.”
Step 2: Run Seeds Through a Keyword Tool
Free and paid tools expand your seeds into hundreds of keyword opportunities.
SEMrush ($129/month) is what I use on every client project. Keyword Magic Tool generates thousands of variations with volume, difficulty, CPC, and trend data. Ahrefs ($99/month) provides similar depth with an excellent SERP analysis feature. For beginners, Ubersuggest has a free tier with 3 daily searches. Google Keyword Planner is free with a Google Ads account and gives raw volume ranges. AnswerThePublic visualizes question-based keywords, perfect for FAQ sections and informational blog posts.
Step 3: Filter by Difficulty and Volume
Every keyword tool assigns a difficulty score from 0-100. This number predicts how hard it will be to rank on page 1.
For new WordPress sites (domain authority under 20), I target keywords with difficulty 0-30. For established sites with 50+ posts and some backlinks, I push into the 30-50 range. Anything above 60 requires a WordPress SEO strategy built on topical authority and quality backlinks.
Step 4: Match Search Intent
Search intent is the reason behind a search query. Google ranks content that matches intent. Mismatching intent guarantees failure regardless of how well you optimize.
- Informational: “What are blog keywords” = write a how-to guide or explainer
- Navigational: “RankMath keyword settings” = write a tutorial with screenshots
- Commercial: “Best keyword research tools” = write a comparison or review post
- Transactional: “Buy SEMrush subscription” = create a landing page, not a blog post
I check intent by Googling the keyword and studying the top 5 results. If Google shows listicles, I write a listicle. If Google shows tutorials, I write a tutorial. Fighting the SERP never works.
Step 5: Build Your Keyword Map
For every blog post, I document one primary keyword, 3-4 secondary keywords, and the target intent. This becomes the content brief that guides the writing process. Without a keyword map, you end up with content that ranks for nothing. Avoiding common keyword research mistakes starts with having this map in place before you write a single word.
Where to Place Blog Keywords in WordPress
Knowing your keywords is half the job. Placing them correctly in WordPress is where rankings happen. RankMath and Yoast both score your keyword placement, but I follow this hierarchy regardless of which plugin you use.
Title Tag (H1)
Put your primary keyword as close to the front of your title as possible. “Blog Keywords: How to Find and Use the Right Keywords in WordPress” places the keyword in the first two words. RankMath flags any post where the focus keyword is missing from the title.
URL Slug
WordPress auto-generates your URL from the title. Edit it to include only the primary keyword: /blog-keywords-guide/ not /blog-keywords-how-to-find-and-use-the-right-keywords-in-wordpress/. Shorter URLs with the keyword rank better. Backlinko’s analysis of 11.8 million results confirmed that shorter URLs correlate with higher rankings.
First Paragraph
Include your primary keyword within the first 100 words. Google’s crawlers weight the opening content heavily. I aim to use it naturally in the first two sentences.
H2 and H3 Subheadings
Include your primary keyword or a close variation in at least one H2 and one H3. “How to Find Blog Keywords” and “Where to Place Blog Keywords in WordPress” are natural H2 headings that include the focus keyword without stuffing.
Body Content
Use your primary keyword 4-8 times in a 1,500-word post (keyword density of 0.5-1%). Include secondary keywords naturally throughout. RankMath recommends a focus keyword density between 1-1.5%, but I find that 0.5-1% reads more naturally and still hits the green score.
Meta Description
Write a 150-160 character meta description that includes the primary keyword. This does not directly affect rankings, but it affects click-through rate from search results. Higher CTR signals quality to Google.
Image Alt Text
Every image in your post should have alt text. Include the primary keyword in the featured image alt text and use secondary keywords for other images. “Blog keyword research workflow” and “keyword difficulty scale” are descriptive and keyword-rich without being spammy.
RankMath Keyword Scoring in WordPress
RankMath scores every post from 0-100 based on keyword optimization. I aim for 80+ on every post I publish. The plugin checks keyword presence in the title, URL, meta description, content, headings, and images. It also evaluates keyword density, content length, internal links, and external links.
Set your focus keyword in the RankMath meta box below the WordPress editor. The plugin highlights exactly what is missing and what needs improvement. For a WordPress site built around content marketing, RankMath’s real-time scoring ensures every post ships optimized.
I also track keyword rankings monthly in SEMrush Position Tracking. Posts that drop below position 10 get a content refresh: updated data, new internal links, and improved keyword placement. Knowing how often you should blog and refresh existing content is just as important as the initial keyword research. This ongoing optimization is part of every WordPress management plan I deliver.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many blog keywords should I use per post?
One primary keyword and 3-4 secondary keywords. I have tested posts targeting 8-10 keywords and posts targeting 1 primary with 3 supporting keywords. The focused approach ranks faster and higher every time. Google’s natural language processing is sophisticated enough to understand semantic relationships, so secondary keywords reinforce your primary target without needing forced repetition.
What is a good keyword difficulty for a new WordPress blog?
Target keywords with difficulty between 0-30. New sites with fewer than 30 posts and limited backlinks will struggle to rank for anything above KD 40. I start every new WordPress blog with 10-15 long-tail keywords in the 0-25 difficulty range, build topical authority, then expand to more competitive terms at month 6.
Are free keyword research tools good enough?
For getting started, yes. Google Keyword Planner gives you volume ranges for free. Ubersuggest offers 3 free searches per day. AnswerThePublic shows question-based keywords. These tools are enough to build your first 20 blog posts. Once your site generates revenue or traffic, investing $99-129/month in SEMrush or Ahrefs pays for itself through more precise data and competitive analysis.
How often should I update my blog keyword strategy?
I audit keyword performance quarterly. Google Search Console shows which keywords drive impressions and clicks. Posts ranking on page 2 (positions 11-20) are the best candidates for a keyword refresh. Update the content, strengthen the focus keyword placement, and add internal links to newer related posts. This strategy has moved 40+ posts from page 2 to page 1 across my client sites.
I build WordPress sites with keyword strategy baked into every page. Every site ships with RankMath configured, keyword maps documented, and a content process your team can follow. Get in touch to talk about your WordPress keyword strategy.