Keyword mapping for SEO: Guide + free template

A useful keyword map stays current and matches your target keywords and relevant AI prompts with existing or planned pages.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to build a keyword map with our free template. Plus, how to use it to optimize existing pages and create new content.  

A keyword map loses value when it stays static

A keyword map should be reviewed at least once every three months because it informs decisions about pages, keywords, and content priorities that can change over time.

Your map can become outdated when:

• You publish, update, or remove pages
• Search results change after a search system updates its algorithms
• Competitors publish stronger content
• The same keyword starts returning different types of results
• AI search results surface more recent sources

For most sites, reviewing the keyword map every three months is best. 

Reviewing it more often may reveal little new information because new pages and updates need time to affect rankings.

Waiting longer increases the chance that your keyword mapping decisions become outdated. A target page may have changed or been removed, competitors may now rank for important terms your site doesn’t cover, or search results may favor a different page type.

But if your site or content strategy changes significantly, review the keyword map sooner. For example, revisit it after publishing, consolidating, or removing numerous important pages.

What is keyword mapping?

Keyword mapping is an SEO technique that involves assigning target keywords to specific pages on your site and tracking these decisions in a keyword map document.

Here’s an example of a keyword map:

The goal of keyword mapping is to match each keyword cluster with the page that best satisfies that cluster’s search intent (what the searcher is trying to achieve). Because a page focused on a group of related terms has a better chance of appearing when people search for those topics in search engines and AI tools.

Why is keyword mapping important in SEO?

Keyword mapping is important in SEO because it helps you optimize your site structure and content in a way that gives you the most possible chances of being shown for relevant queries.

Grouping related keywords and assigning each cluster to a page gives that page more opportunities to show in search engine results. 

Keyword mapping can also support AI search visibility. AI search systems use a process called query fan-out to break a prompt into multiple related searches. Mapping that entire group of searches to a relevant page helps your content better match the searches generated through the fan-out process.

When you map keywords to their most relevant pages, or create new pages when needed, you can:

How to do keyword mapping

Do keyword mapping by grouping your keywords into clusters and assigning each cluster to the page that best matches its search intent using these steps:

1. Download the keyword mapping template

This keyword mapping template gives you one place to organize your target pages, keyword groups, statuses, and review dates.

While signed in to your Google account, open the keyword mapping template and click “Use Template” to create a copy in your Google Drive. Then, rename your keyword map in the upper left corner.

Your spreadsheet is now ready to fill with page types, keywords, target URLs, and statuses.

2. Identify your site’s topic areas

Your site’s topic areas are the broad subjects your website should cover based on your niche and your products and/or services.

For example, a dog training website might focus on topics such as:

• Puppy training
• Dog behaviors
• Dog treats
• Training collars
• Agility training

Each topic area can include many related keywords. That means these topic areas give you a starting point for building a comprehensive keyword map.

Choose topic areas your site can credibly cover based on your knowledge, experience, products, and/or services. This helps you focus on keywords that make sense for your business and audience.

3. Expand topic areas into topic clusters & keyword clusters

Expanding your topic areas into topic and keyword clusters helps you organize related search terms into thematic groups and plan how to cover each topic comprehensively.

A topic cluster is a group of related pages connected by internal links. It includes a pillar page (the main page) and subpages focused on subtopics.

Each pillar page and subpage targets a keyword cluster, which is a group of similar search terms that can be covered on the same page.

One way to create keyword clusters is to find keyword ideas with Google’s Keyword Planner and group them with an AI tool.

In Google Ads, open Keyword Planner and select “Discover new keywords.” Then enter one of your topic areas in the “Start with keywords” tab and click “Get results.” 

Review the keyword ideas and their average monthly search volume estimates. Select the most relevant ideas and jot them down.

Next, add the terms to an AI tool like ChatGPT and group them using a prompt like this:

“Organize the keywords below into topic clusters. For each topic cluster, suggest one pillar page and related subpages. Assign every keyword to the most relevant pillar page or subpage.

Use only the keywords provided. Don’t add new keywords or invent any data. Here are the terms: [keyword list].”

You’ll get a response like:

Review the output to ensure the keywords assigned to each pillar page or subpage are closely related, share the same search intent, and can be covered on one page. Reassign any keywords that don’t fit. And combine page ideas that cover the same topic and intent.

Also review the average monthly search estimates from your keyword research to see which clusters contain terms with greater search demand.

To research and cluster keywords in one workflow, use Semrush’s Keyword Strategy Builder. Open the tool, enter up to five topic areas, choose your target location, and click “Create.”

When your list is ready, scroll down to review the suggested pillar pages and subpages. Click the arrow next to a page to see its keyword cluster.

Keyword Strategy Builder provides the following metrics for each suggested keyword:

• Search intent: The reason behind a search, such as seeking information, comparing options, or buying
• Volume: The average number of monthly searches for each keyword
• Keyword Difficulty (KD %): How hard it may be to rank for each keyword

Use these metrics to assess whether a cluster matches the intent you want to target, has meaningful search demand, and is realistic for your site to rank for.

For example, a newer website may focus on clusters with lower keyword difficulty to improve its chances of ranking. Or, a site may prioritize commercially focused terms if the goal is to reach searchers who are closer to making a buying decision.

4. Select the most relevant ideas

Select the most relevant pillar pages and subpages to add to your keyword map by choosing topics related to your existing pages, areas of expertise, and business goals.

If you created the clusters with Keyword Planner and an AI tool, add the selected pillar pages, subpages, and keyword clusters to your keyword mapping template.

If you used Keyword Strategy Builder, check the boxes next to the pillar pages and subpages you want to include, then click “Export.”

The export gives you a spreadsheet of the selected page ideas and the keywords grouped under each one.

Copy the relevant details into your SEO keyword mapping template. You’ll map these page ideas to existing or new URLs in the next step.

5. Assign URLs to pillar pages and subpages

Assign a target URL to each pillar page and subpage, so your keyword map shows which existing pages to optimize or which new pages to create.

Review each pillar page and subpage in your keyword map. Check whether an existing page covers the topic and satisfies the search intent.

If a suitable page exists, add its URL to the “Target URL” column and set the “Status” column to “To optimize.” If no suitable page exists, leave the “Target URL” column blank and set the status to “To create.”

You can use an AI tool to speed up the initial URL-matching process. Upload your keyword mapping spreadsheet before adding target URLs or statuses, and provide a list of your existing URLs. Here’s a possible prompt to use:

“I’m creating a keyword map for a website about [your niche]. Use the attached keyword mapping spreadsheet and the list of existing URLs pasted below to suggest a likely URL match for each pillar page or subpage.

Use only the URLs provided. Leave a page idea unmatched if there’s no clear match.

Return the results in a table that specifies the:

• Pillar page or subpage
• Suggested URL

Here are the existing URLs: [your URLs]”

Open each suggested URL and confirm that the page covers the topic and satisfies the topic’s search intent. If it does, add the URL to your keyword map and mark the status as “To optimize.” If it doesn’t, leave the target URL blank and mark the status as “To create.”

Continue until every priority pillar page and subpage has a target URL and a “To optimize” status or a “To create” status.

How to use your keyword map effectively

Follow these steps to use your keyword map:

Optimize existing pages for target queries

Optimizing existing pages for target queries helps you improve pages you already have before investing time in new content.

Review each page marked “To optimize” in your keyword map.

Open the page in the “Target URL” column and compare its content with the keywords and prompts assigned to it.

Use the term that best represents the page’s main topic naturally in the title tag, meta description, H1, introduction, and body content. And include related terms from the keyword cluster in subheadings and body content where they help you cover relevant aspects of the topic.

If the keyword cluster includes question-based keywords or conversational prompts, answer those questions clearly in the relevant sections.

You don’t need to include every term or repeat the same phrases all throughout the page. Focus on covering the assigned topic and search intent naturally. Check out our on-page SEO checklist for more guidance.

After updating a page from your keyword map, update the “Status” and “Last updated” columns in your keyword map.

Fill content gaps with new content

Creating new pages helps you cover important keyword clusters that don’t have a suitable page on your site yet.

Review the page ideas marked “To create” in your keyword map.

Decide which pages to create first based on:

• Business relevance: Prioritize topics closely connected to your products, services, expertise, and business goals
• Search volume: Give more weight to page ideas targeting keywords with higher search demand
• Keyword Difficulty: Prioritize opportunities your site has a realistic chance of ranking for

For example, a newer site may prioritize a low-difficulty subpage before a broad pillar page that’s much harder to rank for.

To quickly create optimized content, open Keyword Strategy Builder, click “Generate content” next to the pillar page or subpage you want to create, and select “Article.”

Review the inputs and make any needed adjustments, then click “Generate SEO-rich article.”

Use the generated draft as a starting point. Before publishing, revise it to:

• Reflect your brand’s tone of voice
• Address your audience’s specific needs
• Include original examples, experience, research, or expert insight
• Support factual claims with accurate information
• Remove generic, repetitive, or unsupported content

After you publish the new page, update the “Status” and “Last updated” columns in your keyword map.

Use keyword-rich anchor text

Keyword-rich anchor text helps users and search engines understand the topic of the page you’re linking to.

When adding an internal link, check the keyword cluster for the page you want to link to. Then choose a relevant keyword or close variation from that cluster as your anchor text.

For example, if you’re linking to a page about “puppy biting,” you could use anchor text like “puppy biting” or “how to stop a puppy from biting” when it fits naturally.

You don’t need to use the exact same anchor text every time you link to a page. Use natural variations from the page’s keyword cluster.

Keep your keyword map current 

Update your keyword map regularly because your pages, competitors, and search results change over time.

Start by using Semrush’s Position Tracking tool to check whether more than one page on your site is ranking for the same keywords. The “Cannibalization” report shows when multiple pages from your site compete for the same keywords.

If you see multiple pages competing for the same terms, decide which page should target each keyword cluster and update the assignments in your map.

Next, use Keyword Strategy Builder to look for new content gaps by entering your main topic areas. Look for new pillar page and subpage ideas that may need to be added to your keyword map.

Download the keyword mapping template and get started.