AI-Powered SEO Keyword Research Workflow with n8n

automates comprehensive keyword research for content creation

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Workflow Architecture
3. NocoDB Integration
4. Data Flow
5. Core Components
6. Setup Requirements
7. Possible Improvements

Introduction

This n8n workflow automates SEO keyword research using AI and data-driven analytics. It combines OpenAI's language models with DataForSEO's analytics to generate comprehensive keyword strategies for content creation. The workflow is triggered by a webhook from NocoDB, processes the input data through multiple stages, and returns a detailed content brief with optimized keywords.

Workflow Architecture

The workflow follows a structured process:

1. Input Collection : Receives data via webhook from NocoDB
2. Topic Expansion : Generates keywords using AI
3. Keyword Metrics Analysis : Gathers search volume, CPC, and difficulty metrics
4. Competitor Analysis : Analyzes competitor content for ranking keywords
5. Final Strategy Creation : Combines all data to generate a comprehensive keyword strategy
6. Output Storage : Saves results back to NocoDB and sends notifications

NocoDB Integration

Database Structure

The workflow integrates with two tables in NocoDB:

Input Table Schema

This table collects the input parameters for the keyword research:

Field Name	Type	Description
ID	Auto Number	Unique identifier
Primary Topic	Text	The main keyword/topic to research
Competitor URLs	Text	Comma-separated list of competitor websites
Target Audience	Single Select	Description of the target audience (Solopreneurs, Marketing Managers, etc.)
Content Type	Single Select	Type of content (Blog, Product page, etc.)
Location	Single Select	Target geographic location
Language	Single Select	Target language for keywords
Status	Single Select	Workflow status (Pending, Started, Done)
Start Research	Checkbox	Active Workflow when you set this to true

Output Table Schema

This table stores the generated keyword strategy:

Field Name	Type	Description
ID	Auto Number	Unique identifier
primary_topic_used	Text	The topic that was researched
report_content	Long Text	The complete keyword strategy in Markdown format
generatedAt	Datetime	Automatically generated by NocoDb

Webhook Settings

NocoDB Webhook Settings

Data Flow

The workflow handles data in the following sequence:

1. Webhook Trigger : Receives input from NocoDB when a new keyword research request is created
   
2. Field Extraction : Extracts primary topic, competitor URLs, audience, and other parameters
3. AI Topic Expansion : Uses OpenAI to generate related keywords, categorized by type and intent
4. Keyword Analysis : Sends primary keywords to DataForSEO to get search volume, CPC, and difficulty
5. Competitor Research : Analyzes competitor pages to identify their keyword rankings
6. Strategy Generation : Combines all data to create a comprehensive keyword strategy
7. Storage & Notification: Saves the strategy to NocoDB and sends a notification to Slack

Core Components

1. Topic Expansion

This component uses OpenAI and a structured output parser to generate:

• 20 primary keywords
• 30 long-tail keywords with search intent
• 15 question-based keywords
• 10 related topics

2. DataForSEO Integration

Two API endpoints are used:

• Search Volume & CPC: Gets monthly search volume and cost-per-click data
• Keyword Difficulty : Evaluates how difficult it would be to rank for each keyword

3. Competitor Analysis

This component:

• Analyzes competitor URLs to identify which keywords they rank for
• Identifies content gaps or opportunities
• Determines the search intent their content targets

4. Final Keyword Strategy

The AI-generated strategy includes:

• Top 10 primary keywords with metrics
• 15 long-tail opportunities with low competition
• 5 question-based keywords to address in content
• Content structure recommendations
• 3 potential content titles optimized for SEO

Setup Requirements

To use this workflow, you'll need:

1. n8n Instance : Either cloud or self-hosted
2. NocoDB Account : For data input and storage
3. API Keys :
   • OpenAI API key
   • DataForSEO API credentials
   • Slack API token (for notifications)
4. Database Setup : Create the required tables in NocoDB as described above

Possible Improvements

The workflow could be enhanced with the following improvements:

Enhanced Keyword Strategy

• Add topic clustering to group related keywords
• Enhance the final output with more specific content structure suggestions
• Include word count recommendations for each content section

Additional Data Sources

• Integrate Google Search Console data for existing content optimization
• Add Google Trends data to identify rising topics
• Include sentiment analysis for different keyword groups

Improved Competitor Analysis

• Analyze content length and structure from top-ranking pages
• Identify common backlink sources for competitor content
• Extract content headings to better understand content organization

Automation Enhancements

• Add scheduling capabilities to run updates on existing content
• Implement content performance tracking over time
• Create alert thresholds for changes in keyword difficulty or search volume

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Example Output

Here is an example Output the Workflow generated based on the following inputs.

Inputs :

• Primary Topic: AI Automation
• Competitor URLs: n8n.io, zapier.com, make.com
• Target Audience: Small Business Owners
• Content Type: Landing Page
• Location: United States
• Language: English

Output : Final Keyword Strategy

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The workflow provides a powerful automation for content marketers and SEO specialists to develop data-driven keyword strategies with minimal manual effort.

Original Workflow: AI-Powered SEO Keyword Research Automation - The vibe Marketer