What is The Keyword Tripod Rule? How To Implement It?

So you launched a keyword research tool and discovered hundreds of keywords to target.

What happens now?

Keyword research entails much more than simply generating fresh keyword ideas. You must evaluate them and choose which ones to incorporate into your content strategy.

Here’s a simple rule to remember the important variables to consider: The keyword tripod rule!

What is the Keyword Tripod Rule?

Keyword research entails much more than simply discovering fresh keyword ideas. You must analyze them and select the ones you will employ in your content strategy.

The Keyword Tripod Rule is a simple guideline for determining the main keyword for your page.

It reminds you of the three most crucial things to consider while researching keywords: popularity, rankability, and relevancy.

An ideal focus keyword is:

• Popular: The keyword has a decent search volume.
• Rankable: The keyword has a fair keyword difficulty.
• Relevant: The search intent fits your material.

What is a focus keyword?

Simply put, the target keyword is the search term for which you want your article or page to rank in search engines. 

So, when the audience searches for that precise phrase or term in search engines, they will likely find you. 

The primary goal of the focus keyword is to generate content around it and rank for that term on Google or Bing

Why a “tripod”? 

Because the tripod can only stand on three legs. The same is true for any keyword and the three criteria listed above. If the difficulty is appropriate and the term is relevant, but there is no search volume, you will receive no traffic since no one uses the keyword.

Also, if the search volume and relevance are sufficient but the difficulty is too high, you will not rank for the term due to intense competition.

If a term has a high search volume and low difficulty but the search intent does not match, Google will not display your page for that phrase.

We all know what happens to a tripod if you steal one of its legs. Now, let’s look deeper at each element.

A. Search volume

SEO and PPC tools estimate search volume to show marketers how often consumers search for a specific term each month.

You may use keyword volume to determine how popular and competitive a keyword is. This may then help you pick the terms that are most likely to generate interest and drive traffic.

Search volume is an important measure for SEO and PPC tactics since it is the primary source of keyword research and traffic estimates. This is only useful if you don’t have access to more precise tools (like Keywords Explorer).

Remember that focusing on search volume for particular keywords is not a smart SEO technique. PPC advertising and highlighted snippets will siphon clicks away from your website in the SERP, and search traffic data is not always accurate.

​​How Do We Obtain Search Volumes?

The simplest approach to determining keyword search volumes is to utilize a keyword research tool. Simply input your first term, and the program will provide both its search volume and the search volumes of hundreds of similar phrases. Alternatively, you may import your keyword list.

Other things to consider:

Beyond the average monthly search volume, you should consider other factors when assessing a keyword’s popularity.

Looking at interest in the issue over a longer time horizon is always useful (Google Trends is a terrific tool for this, and its data can be found in our keyword finder).

Seasonality – Some terms are inherently more popular during specific periods (such as Christmas holidays, summer, etc). Take it into account.

What is an Appropriate Keyword Search Volume?

A reasonable keyword search volume may be 100 searches per month. Alternatively, it may be millions of searches every month.

It all depends on your company, your digital marketing requirements and goals, and various other things.

Unless you receive a large volume of traffic (tens of thousands or millions of visitors per month), targeting keywords with high search volumes of 100,000 to 1 million may not be in your best interests.

When it comes to excellent keyword search volume, most websites and organizations will want to target a mix of low- and medium-volume terms.

However, this is entirely dependent on your business, specialization, and demands.

B. Keyword Difficulty

Keyword Difficulty (KD) is an SEO metric that estimates how difficult it would be to rank on Google’s first page for a specific keyword. 

A score of 0 to 100 is considered the most difficult to rate. However, when many SEO practitioners use the phrase “keyword difficulty,” they are referring to the broader concept of ranking difficulty rather than a specific metric in an SEO tool.

What Is a “Good” Keyword Difficulty Score?

A good keyword difficulty score varies depending on your SEO strategy and the competitive landscape in your industry. However, as an overall guideline:

a. Low Difficulty (0-30): These are the most straightforward keywords to rank for. They have smaller search volumes but are great for new websites or long-tail keywords.

b. Medium Difficulty (31-60): These keywords have moderate competition. They usually strike a balance between search traffic and competitiveness. Established websites with some authority can successfully target these.

The most competitive keywords are those with a high difficulty level (61-100). Authority websites often have high search traffic. Targeting high-difficulty keywords may require substantial effort, budget, and an established web presence.

Other things to consider:

Always remember that it considers only one ranking factor: the number and quality of your rivals’ backlinks.

Several factors influence the equation:

• Subjective variables – Your authority is key; the more authoritative your website, the less relevant the Keyword Difficulty measure becomes for you.
• Content quality – As previously stated, the difficulty metric does not consider the quality of the page’s content. A lower-authority website can outrank a higher-authority website if its content is superior.
• Search intent – There isn’t always enough material available for a certain topic. As a result, Google prioritizes high-authority pages that just briefly mention the issue. If you target the topic directly and better meet the search purpose, you may be able to outrank them.

The final element is strongly related to the Keyword Tripod Rule’s third critical factor: keyword relevance.

C. Search intent

It is also known as user intent, which is the reason why a person types a given query into a search engine. It symbolizes the user’s goal with their search, whether it’s finding an answer to a query, looking for a certain website, buying a product, or researching a topic.

Assume someone looks up “best dog food” on Google.

They aren’t attempting to browse to a certain page. Also, they don’t want to purchase a specific product. Users want to do some research before making a purchase.

That indicates that the keyword has commercial intent. And we can use this information to tailor our content to better target this term.

Four Types of Search Intent:

We often distinguish between four sorts of search intent.

• Navigational intent: Users desire to locate a certain page (for example, “Reddit login”).
• Informational intent: Users desire to learn more about something (for example, “what is SEO”).
• Commercial intent: Users want to conduct research before making a purchasing choice (e.g., “best coffee maker”).
• Transactional intent: Users desire to accomplish a specific activity, typically a purchase (e.g., “buy Subaru Forester”).

Why Does Search Intent Matter for SEO?

The primary purpose of search engines (such as Google) is to give relevant results to users. Understanding search intent can influence your ability to rank in search results.

Google has made significant efforts to discern the intent of searches.

(Just look at Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines; they have a full section on user intent and how to recognize different types of intent.)

So, if you want to rank on Google, make sure your sites meet the search intent of the terms they target.

A comprehensive understanding of search intent can assist you in: 

• Create a more effective content strategy by selecting keywords that align with your target audience’s needs.
• Create relevant content by knowing your consumers’ requirements and providing material that meets them.
• Rank higher in search results. demonstrating to search engines that your material is important and relevant to their users.

How to Determine Keyword Search Intent?

Once you’ve decided on a keyword you want to rank for, you can begin assessing search intent. Understanding how people find your content, website, or adverts helps you target them more effectively. 

Begin by reviewing the context around the question (where appropriate). Several questions are being asked about the main term. If so, this might indicate informative intent.

Are there many searches for ‘buy’?

That would imply a commercial search purpose. Check out similar searches or search recommendations on major search engines to better understand what people are looking for when they use specific terms. 

This can help you determine which type of keyword intent your selected word falls under, as well as which additional keywords you might use to reach your target audience.

• Once you’ve determined the search intent associated with your selected keyword, it’s time to create content or advertisements that appeal to potential buyers. 
• Remember that consumers may be seeking different sorts of information based on their search query.
• Tailoring your content will lead to better targeting and greater engagement with your audience. 

The following three stages can help you better understand what consumers are looking for.

1: Examine the SERPs.

2: Use Google Ads to Determine the Extent of Commercial Intent.

3: Analyze your Analytics.

Conclusion

Mongools coined the term keyword tripod rule. This guideline states that a converting keyword is determined by three factors: relevancy, popularity, and difficulty.

We have discussed what these pods are to a keyword and how a balanced mix of each may lead to a good keyword research and SEO approach. 

The tripod rule is so important that aligning your keyword research with it is mandatory. Now that you’ve learned the tripod rule, it’s time to seek the magical phrases that will increase your website’s organic traffic.

Happy hunting! 

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