Treasure Hunting for Traffic: Where the High-Potential Keywords Are Actually Hiding

You’ve been there, staring at SEO tools and keyword planners until your eyes go square, hoping the next suggested phrase will be your golden ticket to traffic and conversions. 

But here’s the hard truth: high-potential keywords don’t live in the shiny dashboards of SEO tools alone… They’re embedded in customer behavior, tucked inside sales data, and whispered in real-world conversations.

Such keywords are the ones that drive real action. The kind of phrases that not only bring in visitors but actually convert those visitors into customers, subscribers, or buyers. And the best way to find them? You ditch the tunnel vision on volume and start tuning into the signals that matter: actual user intent, context, and conversion patterns.

Keywords That Actually Make People Do Stuff

When it comes to SEO, not all keywords are equal. Some just bring visitors. Others bring buyers, subscribers, downloaders, chat initiators, and trial users. Those are the ones we care about.

Think of conversions in SEO like this: they’re not measured according to landing traffic, but according to what that traffic does. Are people buying something? Signing up for your newsletter? Starting a live chat? Downloading your app or freebie PDF? Maybe they’re filling out a lead form or clicking that glorious Start Free Trial button. 

Here’s where it gets interesting: a single keyword might not directly lead to a sale, but if it gets someone on your list with a juicy lead magnet or valuable blog content, you’ve got them in your orbit. And that’s a win. Once they’re in your ecosystem, email or SMS can carry them across the finish line.

Follow the Trail: Referring URLs That Convert

Backlinks are great. You see them, track them, sometimes even celebrate them. But if you’re not checking which ones are actually driving conversions, you’re leaving money on the table. And if you’re not tracking them at all? It’s time to fix that – like, today.

Spy and Replicate the Winners

Found a referring URL that brings in sales? Great. Now, use your go-to SEO tool, plug in the URL, and pull out the keywords it’s ranking for. 

Turn Gaps Into Growth

If a customer says: I liked it, but it didn’t quite do XYZ, that’s your blueprint. Build the missing piece, optimize a page around it, and show up for the next buyer with that exact need. Find keywords related to that missing feature or concern, especially long-tail queries people are likely Googling when they hit the same snag. 

Build a page or blog post around those specific terms, optimize it smartly, and position yourself as the solution for the next buyer searching with that exact intent.

Turn Interests Into Intent With Keyword Research

Your audience’s hobbies are keyword-rich content angles. If a chunk of your customers are into hiking, cooking, gaming, or home workouts, run keyword research on those topics tied to your core offer. 

For example, best hiking gear for beginners or gaming chairs for posture support are niche phrases that bridge interests and product relevance.

If the hobby feels slightly off-brand? No problem. Spin up a side blog or content hub targeting those interest-based keywords, build topical authority, and funnel that organic traffic back to your main site through remarketing, email capture, or soft CTAs. Just make sure the content stays loosely tethered to what you sell.

Know Where They Hang Out

Ask your users which sites they check daily: news, forums, niche blogs, whatever. That list? Pure keyword and content strategy fodder.

You’ll get insights like:

• Demographics (age, income, political leanings)

• Topic patterns (evergreen vs. trend-driven)

• Ad placement opportunities (exact pages to target)

Also, check if those URLs refer any traffic to you. If so, dissect the content and keywords behind them, then optimize your own pages to ride that same wave.

Let PPC Data Do the Heavy High-Potential Keywords Lifting

Your paid ads are doing the hard work of testing which audiences and placements lead to actual conversions. That’s priceless keyword intel just waiting to be mined.

Sure, you probably know which keywords your PPC team is bidding on. But here’s where it gets more interesting: dive into where those ads are showing up. Google Ads, YouTube placements, and display networks will tell you exactly which URLs, videos, and content types are driving those sweet conversions.

Let’s say one of your highest-converting ads ran on a YouTube video about email automation for solopreneurs. That’s both a placement win and a new content angle. Break it down further: if that video had chapters like choosing the right tool, workflow examples, or best practices, you’ve just uncovered a list of long-tail, high-intent keyword opportunities. Each one is a potential article, landing page, or even a product guide in disguise.

You Simply Need to Know Where to Look for High-Potential Keywords 

High-potential keywords aren’t sitting neatly inside SEO tools waiting to be handed over. 

You find them in the wild: in PPC data, customer feedback, referring URLs, UGC, niche forums, and even your audience’s hobbies. All of these keywords bring action, leads, and sales.

So stop chasing volume for the sake of it. Focus on the intersections of interest + intent + conversion, and you’ll never waste another piece of content again. 💥