This post expands on something I discussed in my talk at MozCon two years ago: I believe that a lot of time spent on keyword research is essentially wasted.

Don’t get me wrong — keyword research is, of course, important. SEOs and businesses use keyword research to decide which parts of their business to prioritize, to forecast the results of their activities, to appraise possible opportunities for expansion, and, of course, to write title tags, brief copywriters, or engage in other tactical activities. The point is, if you paid a non-SEO consultant — perhaps a management consultant — for this level of strategic insight, you’d pay a fortune, and you’d listen very carefully.

And yet, in SEO businesses, keyword research is the task most likely to be delegated to the most junior member of the team. It’s considered grunt work. It’s boring, tedious, repetitive, and easy — so we think. I know this because I have made this (mistaken) assumption many times as a senior SEO and was on the receiving end of that “grunt work” early in my career.

There are three main ways I think we’re turning what should be an involved piece of strategic thinking into tedium. I’ll cover them below, along with what to focus on instead.