Most SEO advice starts with “do keyword research.” Fine. But that skips the harder question: once you have a list of keywords, how do you decide which ones are actually worth going after?
Because not all keywords are created equal. Some look impressive on paper — high search volume, relevant to your business — but they’re a waste of time if you have no realistic shot at ranking for them. Others look modest but could drive meaningful traffic and revenue with far less effort.
Here’s how we think about keyword selection.
Start with where you already are.
The most underused tool in SEO is Google Search Console. Specifically, the Performance report. It shows you every keyword your site is already getting impressions for — meaning Google is already considering your pages for those queries.
Sort by impressions, then look at your average position. Keywords where you’re sitting in positions 11–20 (page two) are often the biggest opportunities. Google already thinks your page is relevant enough to show. You’re just not visible enough to get clicks. Moving from page two to page one is a far more achievable goal than ranking from scratch for a keyword you’ve never appeared for.
Keywords where you’re already on page one but in positions 4–10 are even better candidates. You’re right there. A relatively small improvement in ranking — even one or two positions — can produce a significant jump in click-through rate. The difference in CTR between position #8 and position #3 is enormous.
Evaluate search volume honestly.
Search volume matters, but not in the way most people think. A keyword with 50,000 monthly searches is useless to you if you’ll never crack the top 20 for it. A keyword with 200 monthly searches can be extremely valuable if those 200 people are ready to buy what you sell.
Long-tail keywords — longer, more specific phrases — tend to have lower search volume but higher intent and less competition. “SEO tools” is brutally competitive. “CTR manipulation tool for local SEO” is a much more specific query with a much clearer intent, and far fewer pages are competing for it.
Don’t chase volume. Chase relevance and achievability.
Consider commercial intent.
Not every search leads to a transaction. Someone searching “what is SEO” is learning. Someone searching “best SEO tools for small business” is comparing options. Someone searching “SerpClix pricing” is ready to buy.
When you’re choosing which keywords to invest in, commercial intent matters. Informational keywords have their place — they build awareness and authority. But if you want to drive revenue, prioritize keywords where the searcher is further along in the buying process. Words like “best,” “vs,” “pricing,” “reviews,” and “alternative to” are signals that someone is evaluating, not just browsing.
Factor in competition realistically.
Look at who’s currently ranking on page one for a keyword. If it’s ten high-authority sites — major publications, established industry leaders with thousands of backlinks — that’s a hard fight. Not impossible, but hard, and probably slow.
If page one has a mix of smaller sites, forums, or thin content, that’s a weaker field. You have a realistic shot at breaking in, especially if your content is genuinely better.
There’s no shame in picking fights you can win. In fact, that’s the smart strategy.
Once you’ve picked the right keywords, CTR optimization can help you move up for them.
This is where keyword selection connects to what we do at SerpClix. Choosing the right keywords is step one. But once you’ve identified the keywords where you have a realistic shot — especially the ones where you’re already ranking on page one or two — boosting your CTR for those keywords sends a signal to Google that your listing is relevant and worth ranking higher.
It’s a much more effective use of your budget than trying to brute-force your way onto page one for a keyword where you currently don’t appear at all. Work with what Google is already giving you, and amplify it.
SerpClix uses an army of over 400,000 real human clickers to boost your organic CTR. Get started with a free trial or log in to your dashboard to set up your next click order.
Please note: there are no guarantees in search engine optimization, ever. There are innumerable factors that can affect search engine rankings. All SEO efforts can involve an element of risk. SerpClix employs real human clickers, so we think our service is far less risky than trying to use automated or robotic click methods. But, like all SEO strategies, there is an element of risk because Googleβs algorithm is unknown and subject to change at any time. For more information please see our FAQs.
