Related Keywords - Slate Documentation

Overview

The Related Keywords block finds keyword variations and related search terms for a target keyword from Semrush. Use it to expand keyword lists, discover content opportunities, and find long-tail variations for SEO and content strategy.

Configuration

Keyword (Required)

The seed keyword to find related terms for. Example:

crm software

You can reference placeholders from previous steps: {{step_1.output}} Tips:

Use specific seed keywords for focused results
Broad terms return more varied suggestions
Long-tail seeds find similar long-tail variations

Keyword Type

Select the type of related keywords to discover. Options: Related Keywords (Default) Find semantically related keywords and variations relevant to your target keyword. Example for “crm software”:

crm
hubspot
customer relationship management
crm system
what is crm

Best for: Content ideation, keyword expansion, finding synonyms Broad Match Find keywords containing your target keyword phrase anywhere in the query. Example for “crm”:

best crm software
crm for small business
free crm
crm comparison

Best for: Long-tail discovery, specific use cases, buying intent keywords Phrase Questions Find question-based search queries related to your keyword. Example for “crm”:

what is crm
how does crm work
why use crm software
which crm is best

Best for: FAQ content, blog topics, voice search optimization

Number of Results

How many keywords to return. Range: 1-1000 Default: 10 Higher numbers give more options but may include less relevant terms. Start with 10-50 for most use cases.

Region (Optional)

Select the regional database for keyword data. Default: United States Choose the region matching your target market. Different regions return different keyword suggestions and metrics.

Error Handling

Define what happens if the block fails to retrieve data. Options:

Terminate Workflow: Stop execution immediately
Continue Execution: Proceed to next step despite error

Select based on whether subsequent steps require the keyword data.

Output Data

The block returns an array of keyword objects with comprehensive metrics:

Keyword

The related keyword phrase. Example: "hubspot crm"

Search Volume

Monthly average search volume. Example: "18100" (18,100 searches/month)

CPC

Average cost per click in USD. Example: "24.92" ($24.92 per click)

Competition

Paid search competition density (0-1). Example: "0.41" (Medium competition) Scale:

0.00-0.33: Low competition
0.34-0.66: Medium competition
0.67-1.00: High competition

Number of Results

Total search results for this keyword. Example: "25100000" (25.1 million results)

Trends

12 months of search volume trends (normalized 0-1). Example: "1.00,0.66,0.36,0.36,0.44,0.44,1.00,0.54,0.66,0.66,0.81,0.54" Values represent relative search volume per month. 1.00 = peak month, 0.00 = lowest. Use trends to:

Identify seasonal keywords
Spot growing/declining interest
Plan content timing

How closely related the keyword is to your seed keyword (0-1). Example: "0.5" (Moderately related) Scale:

0.80-1.00: Highly relevant
0.50-0.79: Moderately relevant
0.20-0.49: Somewhat relevant
0.00-0.19: Loosely related

Higher scores = more relevant. Use this to filter top matches.

Keywords SERP Features

SERP features that appear for this keyword. Example: "1,6,9,14,15,20,21,36,51" Numeric codes representing SERP features like:

Featured snippets
People Also Ask
Images
Videos
Shopping results

More features = more complex SERP, potentially harder to rank.

Sample Output

[
  {
    "Keyword": "hubspot",
    "Search Volume": "301000",
    "CPC": "8.98",
    "Competition": "0.58",
    "Number of Results": "42200000",
    "Trends": "0.66,0.66,0.66,0.54,0.66,0.66,0.81,0.66,0.66,0.66,0.66,0.66",
    "Related Relevance": "0.05",
    "Keywords SERP Features": "1,6,9,14,15,20,21,36,51"
  },
  {
    "Keyword": "crm",
    "Search Volume": "165000",
    "CPC": "16.63",
    "Competition": "0.48",
    "Number of Results": "252000000",
    "Trends": "0.44,0.36,0.36,0.36,0.44,0.44,0.44,0.44,0.44,0.44,0.44,0.36",
    "Related Relevance": "0.4",
    "Keywords SERP Features": "1,6,9,15,20,21,36,43,51,52"
  }
]

Best Practices

Start with Related Keywords type for broad discovery
Use Questions type specifically for content ideation and FAQ pages
Use Broad Match to find long-tail variations with commercial intent
Filter results by Related Relevance to focus on closest matches
Combine with Keyword Overview to get full metrics for promising terms
Use Code block to filter results by search volume or competition
Request 50-100 results then filter programmatically for best matches
Check Trends field to avoid seasonal keywords (unless intentional)
Use loops to analyze related keywords for multiple seed terms
Save results to sheets for team review and prioritization

Common Use Cases

Use Case	Configuration	What to Look For
Content topic ideas	Questions type, 20-50 results	High volume questions with low competition
Keyword expansion	Related type, 50 results	High relevance, good volume, manageable difficulty
Long-tail discovery	Broad Match type, 100 results	Lower volume, lower competition, specific intent
FAQ content planning	Questions type, 30 results	Common questions, decent search volume
Competitor keyword gaps	Related type, multiple seeds	Keywords they rank for that you don’t
Seasonal content planning	Related type, check Trends	Keywords with seasonal patterns matching your calendar
Voice search optimization	Questions type, 50 results	Natural language queries, conversational keywords
PPC campaign expansion	Broad Match type, filter by CPC	Commercial intent, reasonable CPC, good volume

Understanding the Output

Evaluating Keyword Potential

Ideal keywords have:

High volume (10,000+ for competitive niches, 500+ for niche)
Low competition (below 0.5)
High relevance (above 0.5)
Stable trends (no massive fluctuations)
Reasonable result count (not 500M+ unless you’re enterprise)

Using Trends Data

Flat trends: Consistent year-round interest
Seasonal peaks: Plan content before peak months
Growing trends: Rising interest, early opportunity
Declining trends: Avoid unless other signals strong

0.80-1.00: Core keywords, highest priority
0.50-0.79: Good supporting keywords
0.20-0.49: Tangential, use selectively
0.00-0.19: Too broad, probably skip

CPC as Commercial Intent Indicator

High CPC (above $10): Strong commercial intent
Medium CPC ($2-10): Mixed intent
Low CPC (below $2): Mostly informational
$0 CPC: No paid competition, purely informational

Workflow Examples

Example 1: Blog Content Pipeline

Related Keywords (Questions type): Get 30 question keywords
Loop Block: Iterate through each question
Keyword Overview: Get full metrics for each
Code Block: Filter by volume and difficulty
LLM Block: Generate content brief for each
Google Sheets: Export content calendar

Example 2: Keyword Clustering

Related Keywords (Related type): Get 100 keywords
Code Block: Group by relevance score
Code Block: Calculate average metrics per cluster
Google Sheets: Create prioritized clusters

Example 3: Competitor Gap Analysis

Domain Organic Keywords: Get competitor keywords
Loop Block: For each competitor keyword
Related Keywords: Find related terms
Code Block: Compare with your current keywords
Google Sheets: Export gap analysis

Interpreting Different Keyword Types

Semantic variations of your seed keyword
Synonyms and alternative phrasings
Related concepts and topics
Mix of short and long-tail terms
Useful for comprehensive content covering a topic

Broad Match Results

Contains seed keyword somewhere in query
Often includes modifiers (best, free, how to)
Longer phrases with specific intent
Good for finding buyer keywords
Useful for PPC campaign building

Questions Results

Who, what, when, where, why, how queries
Perfect for FAQ sections
Great for featured snippet targeting
Voice search friendly
Natural language patterns

Filtering and Prioritization

High-Priority Keywords

Related Relevance above 0.7
Search Volume above your threshold
Competition below 0.4
Stable or growing trends
Manageable result count

Content Opportunity Keywords

Questions with 1,000+ volume
Related Relevance above 0.5
Few SERP features (easier to rank)
Commercial CPC (valuable traffic)

Low-Hanging Fruit

Search Volume 500-5,000
Competition below 0.3
High Related Relevance above 0.6 (very specific)
Fewer than 50M results

Tips for Best Results

Start broad, filter narrow: Request 100 keywords, filter to top 10-20
Combine keyword types: Use all three types for comprehensive research
Check trends monthly: Seasonal patterns affect content planning
Use relevance scoring: Don’t ignore this metric, it’s crucial
Consider SERP features: Many features = harder to rank organically
Cross-reference with competitors: Are they ranking for these terms?
Test CPC correlation: High CPC often means high conversion value
Save everything to sheets: Manual review catches insights automation misses

What’s Next

Now that you understand the Related Keywords block:

Get detailed metrics in Keyword Overview
Analyze competitors in Domain Overview
Check backlinks in Backlink Overview
See domain keywords in Domain Organic Keywords
Use loops for automation in Loop Block
Process results in Code Block
Save data in Google Sheets

​Overview

​Configuration

​Keyword (Required)

​Keyword Type

​Number of Results

​Region (Optional)

​Error Handling

​Output Data

​Keyword

​Search Volume

​CPC

​Competition

​Number of Results

​Trends

​Related Relevance

​Keywords SERP Features

​Sample Output

​Best Practices

​Common Use Cases

​Understanding the Output

​Evaluating Keyword Potential

​Using Trends Data

​Related Relevance Filtering

​CPC as Commercial Intent Indicator

​Workflow Examples

​Example 1: Blog Content Pipeline

​Example 2: Keyword Clustering

​Example 3: Competitor Gap Analysis

​Interpreting Different Keyword Types

​Related Keywords Results

​Broad Match Results

​Questions Results

​Filtering and Prioritization

​High-Priority Keywords

​Content Opportunity Keywords

​Low-Hanging Fruit

​Tips for Best Results

​What’s Next

Overview

Configuration

Keyword (Required)

Keyword Type

Number of Results

Region (Optional)

Error Handling

Output Data

Keyword

Search Volume

CPC

Competition

Number of Results

Trends

Related Relevance

Keywords SERP Features

Sample Output

Best Practices

Common Use Cases

Understanding the Output

Evaluating Keyword Potential

Using Trends Data

Related Relevance Filtering

CPC as Commercial Intent Indicator

Workflow Examples

Example 1: Blog Content Pipeline

Example 2: Keyword Clustering

Example 3: Competitor Gap Analysis

Interpreting Different Keyword Types

Related Keywords Results

Broad Match Results

Questions Results

Filtering and Prioritization

High-Priority Keywords

Content Opportunity Keywords

Low-Hanging Fruit

Tips for Best Results

What’s Next