7 Keyword Mapping Templates for Different Site Types

Choose a keyword mapping template that records the decisions your site actually needs. An online store must distinguish products from categories. A documentation site must preserve the difference between tasks, references and product versions. An international site needs a language and market context as well as a target page.

These seven templates give you copyable CSV structures with filled examples, so you can start with a small working map rather than design an oversized spreadsheet first.

You can combine relevant fields when more than one applies. International ecommerce, for example, needs both inventory and locale information.

Every query, path, organization and page state in the examples is fictional. The templates are original planning structures, informed by current Google documentation; they are not tested ranking formulas, verified keyword lists or ready-to-run CMS imports. Replace the examples with your own inventory and evidence before acting on a row.

Before you copy a keyword mapping template

Use one row for a query cluster and its intended destination within a defined audience, language and product-version scope. A page can answer several related phrases. The map records your editorial choice; it does not instruct Google to rank a particular URL.

All seven CSVs share these fields:

Each template adds three fields for its particular constraint. Those columns are what make the variants useful, rather than seven copies with different titles.

Copy a CSV block into a UTF-8 .csv file and import it into your spreadsheet with a comma separator. Each example should produce ten columns and three data rows. Preserve identifiers, paths and locale codes as text. The pipe-separated phrases belong inside one cell; they are not extra columns.

Before confirming an assignment, inspect the existing page and relevant search results for your actual market. Our guide to matching content with search intent explains that decision in more detail.

Add evidence_ref, owner, reviewed_on and review_trigger when using the map with a team. Leave unavailable metrics absent or explicitly unknown. A blank search-volume field is not evidence of zero demand.

1. Ecommerce keyword mapping template

Use this template when category pages, individual products and buying advice are competing for an unclear assignment. Keep the commercial selection task separate from a specific product lookup and from a question that needs an explanation.

The extra fields are page_role, parent_path and entity_id. They connect a query assignment to the catalog instead of leaving it as an isolated content idea.

cluster_id,primary_query,supporting_queries,intent,target_path,url_state,action,page_role,parent_path,entity_id
EC01,oak desks,wooden writing desks|solid oak desks,commercial,/desks/oak/,existing,review,category,/desks/,CAT-OAK
EC02,Alder 120 oak desk,Alder writing desk,transactional,/products/alder-120/,existing,review,product,/desks/oak/,SKU-ALDER120
EC03,how to choose a desk size,desk size guide,informational,/guides/desk-size/,proposed,investigate,guide,/guides/,

In this example, EC01 should help someone choose among suitable desks. EC02 needs the details of a particular item. EC03 should explain a decision; copying the category description would not fulfill its purpose.

Use your real catalog identifier for entity_id where one exists. It helps you recognize that a renamed product is still the same item. A guide does not need a fabricated SKU just to fill the cell.

Treat parent_path as a navigation relationship to verify. Google's ecommerce site-structure guidance emphasizes links between categories and products. Writing a nested path in a spreadsheet does not create those links or establish the site's hierarchy by itself.

Check the actual selection, stock situation and navigation before approving the category assignment. Do not create a separate indexable page for every attribute combination simply because the sheet can hold another row. Our ecommerce category-page guide covers the destination's content in more detail.

2. SaaS keyword mapping template

Choose this version when commercial feature pages and educational articles keep receiving the same broad topic label. Add the task a visitor needs to complete and the evidence required to support a product promise.

The extra fields are page_role, reader_task and capability_check.

cluster_id,primary_query,supporting_queries,intent,target_path,url_state,action,page_role,reader_task,capability_check
SA01,automated invoice reminders,invoice reminder software,commercial,/features/payment-reminders/,existing,review,feature,automate overdue reminders,verify reminder settings
SA02,payment reminder email examples,polite invoice reminder wording,informational,/guides/payment-reminder-emails/,proposed,investigate,guide,write an appropriate reminder,provide usable examples
SA03,ExampleLedger pricing,ExampleLedger subscription cost,transactional,/pricing/,existing,review,pricing,check cost and plan fit,verify current plan terms

The first row needs a truthful product explanation. The second needs usable wording and context. Sending both visitors to the same sales pitch would ignore the difference in their tasks. Equally, a helpful email template does not demonstrate that a software product can send reminders automatically.

Keep capability_check specific enough for someone to resolve. “Confirm feature” is weaker than a link to the current settings, documentation or supported plan that establishes what the product can actually do. The example cells describe checks to perform, not completed verification.

Before opening a new use-case page, compare it with the existing feature page. If both would have the same explanation, evidence and next action, improve one destination instead of manufacturing a second angle. If they genuinely serve different audiences or workflows, record that distinction.

A pricing assignment also needs an owner for changing terms. The map should point readers toward current pricing information; it should not become an unattended copy of prices that can drift out of date.

3. Local service keyword mapping template

Use this template when service names and place names create more possible pages than the business can credibly support. The map needs to record the real operating area and useful local evidence, not just a city modifier.

The extra fields are service, service_area and local_proof.

cluster_id,primary_query,supporting_queries,intent,target_path,url_state,action,service,service_area,local_proof
LO01,bike repair Austin,bicycle repair Austin,local-commercial,/bike-repair-austin/,existing,review,general repairs,Austin,confirm workshop and available services
LO02,flat tire repair Austin,bicycle puncture repair Austin,local-commercial,/services/flat-tire-repair/,existing,review,tire repairs,Austin,confirm repair process and booking route
LO03,mobile bike repair Round Rock,onsite bicycle repair Round Rock,local-commercial,/service-areas/round-rock/,proposed,investigate,mobile repairs,Round Rock,coverage not yet confirmed

LO03 is deliberately unresolved. Before approving it, confirm that the business actually serves that area and can provide a useful destination. Do not invent an address or imply a branch exists because the proposed path contains a place name.

Also challenge the distinction between LO01 and LO02. Does tire repair need a separate explanation, booking route or other useful detail? If the same page satisfies both tasks, record the supporting phrase there instead of insisting on another URL.

Google's spam policies address doorway pages and scaled content created principally to manipulate results. That is a reason to evaluate useful differences, not a blanket prohibition on genuine location or service pages.

An acceptable row should identify the service, the verified coverage and the evidence the destination will provide. Our local SEO guide supplies broader context; this sheet keeps the page decision tied to the business's actual work.

4. Editorial keyword mapping template

Choose this version for a publication, company blog or resource library where several drafts appear to answer the same question. Record what the reader should be able to do after visiting each destination.

The extra fields are page_role, parent_topic and reader_outcome.

cluster_id,primary_query,supporting_queries,intent,target_path,url_state,action,page_role,parent_topic,reader_outcome
ED01,balcony gardening,small balcony garden,informational,/guides/balcony-gardening/,existing,review,overview,balcony gardening,plan a workable growing space
ED02,how to water balcony plants,balcony plant watering routine,informational,/guides/watering-balcony-plants/,proposed,investigate,task guide,balcony gardening,choose a practical watering routine
ED03,self watering planter comparison,self watering planter options,commercial,/guides/self-watering-planters/,proposed,investigate,comparison,balcony gardening,choose a suitable container

Compare the promised outcomes before commissioning the supporting pages. ED02 can justify its own destination if it needs a useful procedure that would overwhelm the overview. If it would only repeat two paragraphs already covered there, expand the overview instead.

Use page_role to distinguish an overview, a procedure, a reference or a comparison. The label is not a ranking tactic. It tells a writer which kind of answer is missing and helps an editor spot two outlines promising the same result.

A shared parent_topic also gives you an internal-link review list. Google's link best practices support descriptive anchors and useful context. Link when the destination helps the reader continue, rather than inserting the exact same phrase across every related article.

Before accepting a proposed row, outline its unique answer and identify the material needed to support it. A comparison needs actual decision evidence; changing “guide” to “best” in the title does not create that evidence. Keep unsupported ideas marked for investigation rather than letting the map become an automatic publishing list.

5. Documentation keyword mapping template

Use this template when readers need to execute a task, inspect a reference or migrate between versions. A commercial feature page and an implementation guide can mention the same capability while serving very different needs.

The extra fields are product_version, task_stage and content_type.

cluster_id,primary_query,supporting_queries,intent,target_path,url_state,action,product_version,task_stage,content_type
DO01,ExampleLedger webhook setup,configure payment notifications,informational,/docs/v3/webhooks/setup/,existing,review,v3,first configuration,tutorial
DO02,ExampleLedger webhook events,webhook event reference,informational,/docs/v3/webhooks/events/,existing,review,v3,implement a handler,reference
DO03,migrate ExampleLedger webhooks v2 to v3,webhook version migration,informational,/docs/migrations/webhooks-v2-v3/,proposed,investigate,v2-to-v3,upgrade an integration,migration

A setup tutorial needs prerequisites, ordered actions and a recognizable result. An event reference needs accurate fields and semantics. A migration page needs the actual differences and a safe transition path. The map makes these evidence requirements visible before someone starts writing three interchangeable introductions.

Keep the version field explicit even when the primary query omits it. An existing user may need instructions for a supported older version, while a new user needs the current workflow. Do not merge them merely because their query labels overlap.

Google's canonicalization guidance concerns duplicate or equivalent content. Distinct version-specific instructions should not automatically be canonicalized to the newest page as a keyword-mapping shortcut. Review the real content and support policy first.

Give the product maintainer a concrete approval question: does the destination's procedure or reference match the version named in this row? If the evidence is unavailable, retain the proposed state. The fictional CSV establishes a planning pattern, not that ExampleLedger or these webhook versions exist.

6. Directory and marketplace keyword mapping template

Choose this schema when individual entities, curated collections and filter states all look like possible destinations. The deciding question is what each page can reliably deliver from the available inventory.

The extra fields are entity_type, inventory_scope and page_role.

cluster_id,primary_query,supporting_queries,intent,target_path,url_state,action,entity_type,inventory_scope,page_role
DI01,coworking spaces Austin,shared offices Austin,commercial,/coworking/austin/,existing,review,workspace,Austin collection,hub
DI02,Harbor Yard coworking,Harbor Yard workspace,navigational,/spaces/harbor-yard/,existing,review,workspace,entity SPACE042,listing
DI03,coworking Austin day pass,Austin coworking daily access,commercial,/coworking/austin/?access=day-pass,existing,hold,workspace,Austin day passes,filtered state

DI01 needs a useful selection. DI02 needs accurate information about one entity. DI03 requires a decision about whether the filtered selection deserves its own search destination or should remain an interface state.

The hold action does not mean a filter is broken or applicants cannot use it. It means the map has not approved another search landing page. Inspect the selection, the visitor's task and the distinct information it can offer before changing the state.

Use inventory_scope to describe which records a collection includes. Do not put a made-up result count in the sheet. If the selection changes substantially, that change becomes a review trigger: the query promise may no longer match the destination.

Our faceted navigation guide covers the separate technical choices around filter URLs. This template does not automatically apply canonical, robots or indexing rules. It records which pages deserve further evaluation and which entities they represent.

Accept the assignment when the heading, selection and available information support the same task. A path generated by a filter engine is a candidate to inspect, not evidence that another indexable page is needed.

7. International keyword mapping template

Use this version when one concept has different language or market destinations. It adds an international layer to another schema; it does not replace ecommerce inventory, product capabilities or other constraints.

The extra fields are equivalence_group, locale and market.

cluster_id,primary_query,supporting_queries,intent,target_path,url_state,action,equivalence_group,locale,market
IN01,automated invoice reminders,invoice reminder software,commercial,/en-us/payment-reminders/,existing,review,payment-reminders,en-US,United States
IN02,automatische Zahlungserinnerungen,Zahlungserinnerung Software,commercial,/de-de/zahlungserinnerungen/,proposed,investigate,payment-reminders,de-DE,Germany
IN03,automated invoice reminders,invoice reminder software,commercial,/en-gb/payment-reminders/,proposed,investigate,payment-reminders,en-GB,United Kingdom

equivalence_group identifies pages intended to fulfill the same underlying task. It is different from cluster_id, which identifies a particular assignment. This lets you retain separate language research while recognizing related destinations.

Research the actual wording and expected page type in each market. Do not copy an English search-volume estimate into a German row or assume that a literal translation establishes demand. Check local product availability, terms and examples as well as the text.

A locale code is not a reason by itself to create another regional URL. For IN03, first decide whether a separate UK destination offers a useful difference or whether an existing English page can serve both audiences.

If you implement alternate-language annotations, follow Google's localized-page guidance. Actual alternate URLs must be fully qualified, and the implementation needs the applicable self and reciprocal references with supported language/region codes. The relative paths in this CSV are planning shorthand, not deployable hreflang values.

Finish the row only after its query, destination and language/market scope agree. An equivalence group in a spreadsheet neither creates a translated page nor proves that its annotations have been implemented correctly.

Review the map before publishing new pages

Start with a small set of priority rows and resolve their evidence. A completed spreadsheet cell is not the same as an approved page assignment.

Use Search Console's Performance report to examine available queries and pages, keeping the date range, country and device context with your observations. These are observations of your site's search performance, not total market search volume.

If two URLs receive impressions for related queries, investigate their scope and purpose. That alone does not establish harmful keyword cannibalization. Different versions, markets or reader tasks may justify both destinations. Conversely, two differently worded titles may still hide the same article promise.

Record a concrete next action. For example: “Compare the existing feature page with the proposed use-case outline; confirm a distinct reader task before drafting.” That is more useful than “improve SEO.” A retain decision is valid when the current page already does the job.

When an assignment changes, preserve the previous destination, the reason and the evidence date. Review after a relevant product change, catalog change, site move or substantive change in the page's purpose. Avoid treating a fixed refresh interval as proof that a map is current.

The result should be a short, accountable set of page decisions. Use these keyword mapping templates to connect queries to useful destinations, then verify the actual pages and internal links after the work is complete. The spreadsheet records that work; it does not perform redirects, publish pages or guarantee visibility.