Free SaaS Keyword Research & Clustering Spreadsheet

Stop Chasing Keywords, Start Owning Topics

If you’re still building your content strategy one keyword at a time, you’re playing a game you can’t possibly win. I’ve been there—painstakingly crafting individual articles to rank for specific terms, only to watch them languish on page three while a competitor dominates the entire first page with a handful of comprehensive resources. The old approach of chasing isolated keywords creates a content graveyard: dozens of disconnected pages that don’t speak to each other, don’t build authority, and frankly, don’t move the needle for your business.

The fundamental problem isn’t your writing quality or even your keyword selection. It’s the architecture. Google’s algorithms have evolved to understand user intent and topical authority, not just lexical matches. When you publish a standalone article about “best project management software” and another about “agile workflow tools,” search engines see them as separate entities. But your audience—and modern SEO—sees them as part of the same conversation. This disconnected approach scatters your SEO equity and creates a miserable experience for users who have to piece together your expertise themselves.

The Cluster-Ready Solution

That’s why I built a free, downloadable spreadsheet template designed specifically for keyword clustering from day one. This isn’t just another keyword list—it’s a strategic framework that forces you to think in topics, not terms. The template comes pre-structured with columns for:

Topic cluster pillars and supporting content
Search intent classification (informational, commercial, transactional)
SERP feature notes and competitor analysis
Internal linking opportunities between cluster content

With this foundation, you’ll stop asking “What keywords should we target?” and start asking “What topics do we need to own to become the undeniable authority in our space?” The shift is transformative. Instead of creating content that fights against itself, you build a network of interlinked pages that collectively demonstrate deep expertise.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have more than just a list of keywords—you’ll have a prioritized, actionable content plan based on actual search intent and clear interlinking pathways. You’ll know exactly which pillar page to build first, which supporting articles will drive its authority, and how to structure your internal links to maximize SEO value. Let’s stop chasing keywords and start owning topics.

Why Keyword Clustering is Your SaaS’s Secret SEO Weapon

If you’re still building your content strategy around a massive, scattered list of individual keywords, you’re not just making your job harder—you’re fighting an uphill battle you’re destined to lose. For a SaaS company, the goal isn’t just to rank for a few terms; it’s to become the undisputed expert in your niche. That’s where the magic of keyword clustering comes in.

At its core, keyword clustering is the practice of grouping semantically related search terms into a single, cohesive topic. Instead of writing ten separate articles for “project management software,” “best task management tool,” and “agile project planning,” you bundle them under one overarching theme: “Modern Project Management.” This isn’t just an organizational trick. It’s the fastest route to building what Google rewards most: topical authority. When you create a dense network of content that thoroughly covers a subject from every angle, search engines see your site as a definitive resource. This signals deep expertise, which is a massive ranking factor, especially for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics where credibility is paramount.

The Tangible Benefits of Thinking in Clusters

So, what do you actually gain from this approach? The benefits are profound and touch every part of your marketing engine.

Skyrocketing Rankings: By creating comprehensive content on a topic, you’re no longer competing with a single page for a single keyword. You’re building a fortress of information that can rank for hundreds, even thousands, of long-tail variations. Google’s algorithms, like BERT and its Helpful Content Update, are designed to understand user intent and reward content that fully satisfies it. A cluster does this far better than a lone article ever could.
Crystal-Clear Content Structure: A clustered strategy eradicates content chaos. You’ll have a logical, visual map of your site’s architecture. This makes planning your editorial calendar a breeze, as you can clearly see which pillar topics need support and which gaps need filling. It eliminates internal competition and content cannibalization—that frustrating scenario where two of your own pages are fighting for the same spot on page one.
A Seamless User Experience: Imagine a visitor lands on your pillar page, “The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Automation.” They’re intrigued. With a clear cluster model, they can effortlessly navigate to a supporting article on “Marketing Automation for E-commerce” or “How to Build a Drip Campaign.” You’re guiding them on a journey that answers their evolving questions, building trust and keeping them engaged with your brand longer. This isn’t just good for SEO; it’s good for conversion.

The Old Way vs. The New Way: A SaaS Analogy

Let’s make this concrete. The old way of keyword research is like building a SaaS product with a bunch of standalone features that don’t integrate. You have a great reporting module, a decent CRM, and a solid project management tool, but they all live in silos. The customer has to jump between disjointed interfaces, creating a clunky, inefficient experience. That’s your old keyword list—a bunch of isolated pages that don’t work together.

The new way, with keyword clustering, is like building a truly integrated SaaS platform. All your features share data and exist within a single, unified ecosystem. The CRM automatically creates tasks in the project module, and the reporting tool pulls insights from everywhere. The customer gets a seamless, powerful experience that solves their entire problem in one place. Your content cluster is that integrated platform for your audience’s search journey.

Building on a Pillar-Cluster Foundation

This entire methodology is powered by the Pillar-Cluster model, which forms the backbone of the free spreadsheet you’ll be using. Here’s how it works:

Your Pillar Page is the comprehensive, 10x content piece that provides a broad overview of a core topic. It’s designed to rank for your most competitive, head-term keywords. For a CRM SaaS, this might be “What is a CRM?”

The Cluster Content consists of more focused, individual articles that delve into specific subtopics. These pieces hyper-target specific user intents and long-tail keywords. Sticking with our example, cluster content would include articles like “CRM vs. Spreadsheet for Sales Tracking,” “How to Choose a CRM for a Small Team,” and “Benefits of a Cloud-Based CRM.”

The magic happens when you interlink them all. Every cluster article links back to the main pillar page, and the pillar page links out to the relevant cluster content. This creates a powerful internal linking silo that pushes “link equity” (or ranking power) throughout the entire cluster, telling Google exactly how your content is related and which page is the most important for the core topic. It’s a systematic way to dominate a subject.

Keyword clustering transforms your SEO from a scattershot effort into a strategic, user-centric architecture. You’re not just creating content; you’re building a knowledge base.

By adopting this approach, you stop playing Google’s game on its terms and start setting the rules. You move from chasing individual rankings to establishing undeniable market leadership. It’s the difference between being a participant in the conversation and being the one who started it.

Your Free SaaS Keyword Research & Clustering Spreadsheet (Template Walkthrough)

Ready to move from a messy keyword list to a strategic content plan? Let’s dive straight into the free template. You can grab your copy of the Google Sheets template right here and follow along. I’ve designed this to be the operational hub for your entire keyword strategy, forcing you to think in clusters from the very first entry.

The sheet is structured around six core columns that work together to transform raw keywords into a content roadmap. It’s not about collecting the most keywords; it’s about collecting the right keywords and understanding how they connect. Forget the endless, flat lists that lead to content cannibalization. This framework is built for building topical authority.

Deconstructing the Core Columns

Each column in the spreadsheet serves a distinct purpose, guiding your research and decision-making. Here’s a breakdown of what to populate in each one:

Core Topic: This is your high-level, “pillar” subject. Think broad categories like “Email Marketing Automation” or “Customer Retention.” It’s the central theme that a cluster of content will support.
Keyword: The actual search phrase you’ve uncovered in your research (e.g., “how to set up an automated welcome email”).
Search Intent: Arguably the most critical column. You’ll label each keyword as Informational, Commercial, or Transactional. This tells you why someone is searching and what type of page you need to create.
Volume/KD: The classic metrics. Search volume gives you a sense of potential traffic, while keyword difficulty (from your favorite SEO tool) helps you prioritize based on your domain authority.
SERP Features: This is your reality check. Note what’s already on the results page—Are there Featured Snippets? People Also Ask boxes? Video carousels? This tells you exactly what Google considers a “good” answer and what you’re up against.
Cluster Assignment: The secret sauce. This is where you group semantically related keywords under a single, target URL—your future pillar page or core article.

How to Use the Clustering Column Like a Pro

The “Cluster Assignment” column is where the magic happens. The goal is simple: take all those semantically related keywords from your “Core Topic” and assign them to a single, target URL. This is how you stop competing with yourself.

Let’s say your core topic is “Project Management Software.” You might have keywords like:

“best project management tools”
“what is agile methodology”
“how to create a gantt chart”
“task dependency types”

Instead of creating four separate, weakly-linked articles, you would cluster them all under a single target URL, like your-saas.com/blog/project-management-guide. The first keyword might be your primary target, while the others become subheadings or supporting blog posts that all hyperlink back to your main pillar. This tells Google you have a comprehensive resource on the topic, significantly boosting your chances of ranking for all those terms.

Pro Tip: Don’t just cluster by word similarity—cluster by user journey. A searcher looking for “what is CRM” (informational) and “best CRM software” (commercial) is on the same journey. Your cluster can guide them from education to consideration, all within your owned content ecosystem.

Customizing the Template for Your SaaS Niche

This template is a starting point, not a rigid cage. To make it truly powerful, you need to tailor it. For a B2B SaaS in a complex industry, consider adding a “Funnel Stage” column to align keywords with awareness, consideration, or decision stages. This helps your sales team see the direct value of your content.

Another powerful addition is an “Internal Link Target” column. As you build out your clusters, you can note the exact anchor text and URL for the link from your supporting article to your pillar page. This turns your planning doc into an immediate brief for your writers. For product-led growth companies, a “Feature Tie-In” column can connect search demand directly to a specific functionality in your app, making your content a seamless onboarding tool. The goal is to adapt the framework until it perfectly mirrors your business and content goals. Now, open that template and start building your first cluster.

Phase 1: Finding the Gold – Uncovering High-Value SaaS Keywords

Before you can build a fortress of interconnected content, you need the raw materials. This first phase is all about casting a wide net to gather every potential keyword gem, separating the fool’s gold from the real treasure. Forget just brainstorming terms at your desk; the most valuable keywords are often hiding in plain sight, waiting for you to listen.

Let’s start with the free tools that should be in every SaaS marketer’s arsenal. Google Keyword Planner is your foundational tool for understanding search volume and competition, but don’t just type in generic product categories. Get specific. Instead of “project management software,” probe for terms like “project management software for remote teams” or “agile project management tool.” Then, head over to AnswerThePublic. This tool is a goldmine for uncovering the real questions your prospects are asking, visualizing search data like a mind map. You’ll find long-tail queries you’d never have considered, like “project management software vs. spreadsheets” or “how to get team to use new software.” Finally, use Google Trends to spot seasonality and rising demand. Is interest in “employee performance review software” spiking in Q4? That’s an insight you can build a whole campaign around.

Mining Your Own Data for Hidden Gems

Your most valuable keyword source isn’t a tool—it’s your own business. Your website analytics and customer conversations are a direct line to the language your market uses. I’ve found some of our highest-converting terms simply by digging into the Google Search Console report for our site. Look for queries where you’re already getting impressions but a low click-through rate. These are often low-competition opportunities sitting right on your doorstep.

But don’t stop there. Your customer-facing teams are sitting on a keyword goldmine.

Sales Calls: What questions do prospects repeatedly ask during demos? What problems do they describe in their own words?
Support Tickets: What features do users struggle with? What terminology do they use when they can’t find something?
Onboarding Chats: Where do new users get stuck? What do they expect your product to do that it doesn’t?
Community & Social Media: How do your most passionate users describe the value you provide?

This qualitative data is pure intent. When a customer says, “I need a way to stop my team from missing deadlines,” that translates directly to a keyword cluster around “missed deadline prevention” and “team task accountability.”

Mapping Keywords to the SaaS Customer Journey

With a massive list of raw keywords, the next critical step is to categorize them by where they fit in the buyer’s journey. A visitor searching for “what is agile methodology” is in a completely different headspace than someone searching for “scrum tool pricing.” You need to speak to both.

Awareness Stage: Here, users are experiencing a problem but may not know your solution exists. Target educational content with keywords like “how to improve team productivity,” “signs of poor project management,” or “benefits of agile workflow.”
Consideration Stage: Now, they know their problem and are evaluating solutions. They’re comparing you to competitors and other methods. Think “best project management tools,” “asana vs trello,” or “how to choose a saas tool.”
Decision Stage: The user is ready to buy and is validating their choice. Your target keywords are ” [your tool name] reviews,” ” [your tool name] pricing,” ” [your tool name] alternatives,” and “project management software free trial.”

Why is this so crucial? Because it allows you to build a content funnel that naturally guides a user from problem to solution, with your product waiting at the end. You’re not just creating random articles; you’re architecting a conversion path.

Populating Your Spreadsheet with Raw Data

Now, it’s time to action this. Open your keyword clustering spreadsheet. In the “Keyword” column, dump everything you’ve collected—every term from the tools, every question from sales, every query from Search Console. Don’t filter yet. Volume and creativity are your friends here.

Next, tackle the “Volume/KD” column. For the “Volume” part, use Google Keyword Planner to get a monthly search estimate. For “KD” (Keyword Difficulty), I rely on free tools like Moz’s Free Keyword Difficulty Checker or the Ubersuggest Chrome extension. They give you a 0-100 score for how tough it will be to rank. At this stage, don’t get paralyzed by the numbers. The goal is to get all the data into the sheet so you can see the full landscape. You’ll prioritize and prune in the next phase. Remember, a keyword with low volume but perfect intent from your customer conversations is often more valuable than a high-volume, generic term. You’re not just collecting data; you’re gathering signals.

Phase 2: The Art of Intent – Categorizing and Clustering Your Keywords

You’ve got your raw keyword list. Now comes the real work: transforming that spreadsheet from a chaotic list into a strategic content blueprint. This is where most marketers stumble—they either treat every keyword as a separate content piece (creating a nightmare of cannibalization) or they group terms together that don’t actually belong, creating a confusing mess for users and search engines alike. The key to avoiding both pitfalls lies in mastering one concept: search intent.

Think of intent as the “why” behind the search. If you create the most comprehensive, beautifully designed page answering “how to create a project timeline,” but the searcher actually wanted to buy project management software, you’ve failed. You didn’t just waste a content slot; you created a negative user experience. By aligning your content with the searcher’s goal, you stop guessing and start delivering exactly what they need, the moment they need it.

Decoding the Four Types of Search Intent

To categorize effectively, you need to understand the four primary intent buckets. Let’s break them down with SaaS-specific examples:

Informational: The user wants an answer, explanation, or tutorial. They’re in learning mode.
- Example: “what is lead scoring,” “how to calculate customer lifetime value,” “sales pipeline stages”
Commercial Investigation: The user is actively researching solutions and comparing options but isn’t ready to buy. This is a golden opportunity for SaaS.
- Example: “mailchimp vs convertkit,” “best crm for small businesses,” “asana alternatives”
Navigational: The user is trying to find a specific website or page. They already know your brand.
- Example: “hotjar pricing,” “log into slack,” “hubspot academy”
Transactional: The user is ready to perform an action—purchase, sign up, or start a trial. This is the bottom of the funnel.
- Example: “buy figma license,” “start loom free trial,” “sign up for notion”

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Analyzing SERP Intent

The search results page (SERP) is your cheat sheet. Google has already done the heavy lifting of determining intent; you just need to know how to read the signals. Here’s my practical process:

Plug a keyword into Google and step back. Don’t just look at the top result. Scan the entire page. What do you see?
Identify the dominant content format. Are the top results mostly blog posts and how-to guides? That’s a strong signal for Informational intent. Are they crammed with “Best X” comparison articles and product review sites? You’re looking at Commercial Investigation. If you see product pages, pricing tables, and “Start Trial” buttons, that’s a clear Transactional environment.
Read the “People also ask” boxes. These are pure, unfiltered intent signals. If the questions are all “how to” or “what is,” you’ve confirmed informational intent. If they’re “vs” or “alternative,” it’s commercial.
Examine the ads. What are advertisers bidding on? If major SaaS brands are spending money to appear for a term, it’s a safe bet there’s commercial or transactional value there.

Pro Tip: Don’t just trust your keyword tool’s “intent” label. I’ve seen tools mis-categorize “hubspot vs marketo” as transactional when the SERP is clearly packed with comparison blogs. Always do a manual check—it takes 10 seconds and saves you from a major strategic misstep.

The Clustering Process: From Keywords to Content Hubs

Now, let’s get practical with your spreadsheet. Open your template to the columns for “Intent” and “Cluster Assignment.” Your goal is to group keywords that share the same core intent and are variations of the same user question.

Let’s say one of your core topics is “Email Marketing Automation.” Your list might include:

how to build an email sequence (Informational)
email automation tools (Commercial)
best time to send automated emails (Informational)
mailchimp automation review (Commercial)
start free trial [your tool] (Transactional)

Your job is to group the informational ones under one cluster and the commercial ones under another. In your “Cluster Assignment” column, you’d create two new cluster names. The informational group might become “Email Automation How-Tos,” and the commercial group becomes “Email Tool Comparisons.”

This is where the magic happens. You’re no longer planning to write five separate articles. You’re planning one comprehensive “Ultimate Guide to Email Automation” (your pillar) that covers all the “how-to” questions, and one “Top Email Automation Tools Compared” page that targets the commercial searchers. The supporting articles link to the pillar, and the pillar links out to them, creating a powerful topical network.

Naming Your Clusters for Strategic Clarity

A great cluster name isn’t just a label; it’s a content brief in a nutshell. It should instantly tell you and your team what the content is supposed to achieve. Avoid generic names like “Email Marketing 1.” Be specific and strategic.

Instead of: “CRM Basics”
Use: “CRM Implementation Guides” (signals a focus on setup and getting started)
Instead of: “Our Product vs Competitors”
Use: “Mid-Market CRM Comparisons” (defines the audience and content type)
Instead of: “Feature X”
Use: “Advanced Reporting Tutorials” (clarifies the depth and format)

By the end of this phase, your spreadsheet will have transformed. Each row will have a clear intent and belong to a purpose-driven cluster. You’ll be able to sort by “Cluster Assignment” and see your entire content strategy laid out before you—a clear roadmap of pillar pages and their supporting cast, all built to satisfy a specific user need at a specific stage of their journey. This is how you stop creating one-off pieces and start building a content asset that grows in authority with every article you publish.

Phase 3: From Spreadsheet to Strategy – Prioritizing and Briefing for Impact

You’ve done the hard work of gathering keywords and grouping them into intelligent clusters. Now, you’re staring at a sea of potential content. How do you decide what to write first? This is where most content strategies stall, but not yours. We’re moving from a passive list to an active, prioritized execution plan.

A simple scoring system in your spreadsheet cuts through the noise. I add two columns: “Opportunity Score” (1-5) and “Business Value Score” (1-5). Your Opportunity Score is a gut-check on how achievable a ranking is. Look at the Keyword Difficulty metric, but more importantly, scrutinize the SERPs. Are the top results from true authorities, or are there smaller blogs you could realistically outmaneuver? Business Value is simpler: how closely does this topic align with your core product and its value proposition? A cluster about “SaaS pricing models” might be a 5 for a company selling billing software, but a 2 for a project management tool. Multiply the two scores, and you get a “Priority Score” out of 25. Suddenly, that high-difficulty, low-relevance keyword doesn’t seem so shiny anymore.

Turning SERP Analysis into Your Competitive Edge

This is where your “SERP Notes” column transforms from a scratchpad into a strategic weapon. Don’t just note who’s ranking; document why they’re vulnerable. As you scan the top 10 results for your target keyword, ask yourself:

Is the content outdated? An article from 2020 about “best SaaS tools” is low-hanging fruit.
Is it missing a key angle? Maybe the top posts are all text-based, but a short video demo would be the perfect differentiator.
Is the user intent mismatched? You might find that a keyword with “how-to” intent is dominated by product pages, signaling a clear content gap.
Is the content thin? A listicle that just names tools without explaining how to use them is an invitation for you to create the definitive guide.

I once targeted a cluster where the #1 result was a brilliant, in-depth guide—but it was over 4,000 words long and incredibly dense. Our winning strategy wasn’t to out-depth them, but to create a more scannable, visually-driven version with embedded calculators. We didn’t just answer the query; we improved the experience of finding the answer.

Building a Content Brief That Actually Writes the Article

Your prioritized cluster is now a content assignment. But handing a writer a keyword and a title is a recipe for mediocrity. You need to translate your spreadsheet row into a powerful brief that captures your strategic intent. A great brief includes:

Primary Keyword & Intent: State the target URL and the confirmed user intent (Informational, Commercial, or Transactional).
The Core Question: What is the single, burning question this article must answer?
Subtopics from the Cluster: Pull every semantically related keyword from your cluster and use them as H2 or H3 headings. This ensures you cover the entire topic ecosystem.
SERP Insights & Angle: Paste your notes on competitor weaknesses and your unique angle directly into the brief. This is your directive for how to win.
Feature Tie-In: For a SaaS, explicitly state where and how to naturally introduce your product as the solution, without being salesy.

This brief isn’t a suggestion; it’s a blueprint. It tells the writer exactly what to build, why it will be better than what’s out there, and how it fits into your larger content architecture.

Weaving the Web: Your Built-In Interlinking Plan

Finally, let’s lock in that topical authority. Your spreadsheet should already have an “Internal Link Target” column. As you finalize your priority clusters, this is where you map the interlinking strategy. For every supporting article in a cluster, note the exact anchor text and the URL of the pillar page it will link to.

Think of it as creating a conversation between your own pages. A supporting article on “how to calculate SaaS churn” should link directly to your pillar page on “SaaS metrics” with descriptive anchor text like “…a key part of understanding essential SaaS metrics.” This does two things: it helps search engines understand the relationship and hierarchy of your content, and it guides your reader on a journey deeper into your site. By planning these links in your spreadsheet before a single word is written, you ensure your new content doesn’t just exist in a vacuum—it actively strengthens your entire domain. Your spreadsheet is no longer just a research tool; it’s the living, breathing command center for your entire content strategy.

Conclusion: Building a Content Engine That Ranks

You’ve now seen the entire journey—from a raw list of keywords in a spreadsheet to a fully-realized, interlinked content strategy. This isn’t just about organizing data; it’s about building a system. By moving from isolated keywords to intent-driven clusters, you’re shifting from playing keyword whack-a-mole to constructing a web of authority that search engines and users alike can navigate with ease. Your spreadsheet becomes the central command center, transforming chaotic research into a clear, actionable content production line.

The real power of this approach is its compounding nature. A one-off blog post might bring in traffic for a month. But a well-structured cluster is an asset that grows stronger with every new article you add. Each internal link reinforces the authority of your pillar page, and every piece of supporting content funnels relevance upward. Over time, this creates a flywheel effect where your entire site gains more domain authority, making it easier to rank for new, related terms. You’re not just publishing content; you’re building equity.

Your Strategy is a Living Document

The work doesn’t stop once the first briefs are written. Your initial keyword clustering is a hypothesis, and your site’s performance data is the proof. The most successful content teams treat their strategy as a living document. That means you should:

Revisit your clusters quarterly to see which pages are gaining traction and which are underperforming.
Update your spreadsheet with real SERP data, new keyword opportunities, and refined internal linking plans.
Double down on what works by expanding winning clusters and pruning topics that don’t resonate.

This process of iteration is what separates a static content calendar from a dynamic growth engine. It ensures your content continues to meet user intent and capitalize on new search trends.

So, what are you waiting for? The path from scattered ideas to a scalable, authoritative SEO strategy is laid out for you. Stop letting valuable keywords and interlinking opportunities slip through the cracks. Download the free SaaS keyword research and clustering spreadsheet today, plug in your first core topic, and take that critical first step toward building a content engine that doesn’t just attract traffic—it builds a business.

Free SaaS keyword research spreadsheet (with clustering)