The invention relates to a preparation method suitable for a silica gel key gold plated nickel material. The preparation method comprises the steps that a substrate is subjected to pickling and alkali washing in sequence, then acetone, ethyl alcohol and deionized water ultrasonic treatment is carried out, and residual alkali liquor is removed; then an electrodeposition method is adopted, a Ni or Ni alloy nanocone is constructed on the surface of the nickel material, oxygen plasma treatment is adopted for further activation, and then a vacuum coating instrument is used for sputtering a gold film; finally, the nickel material is subjected to surface chemical modification, and the needed gold plated nickel material is obtained. According to the gold plating process, the pollution of silicon to the gold film can be avoided during coating, adhering of silica gel can be avoided when the gold film is bonded with the silica gel, and therefore the influence of silicon on the quality of the gold film is effectively avoided. The preparation method is simple in process, free of pollution, easy to operate and capable of achieving large-scale preparation, and has wide application prospects and great market benefits in the fields of cars, electronics and the like.