Use Google Analytics For Strategic Insight Into Your Keywords

by George Konetes | Jun 5, 2012 | Digital

For some, the phrase “Optimizing Keywords” is so intimidating and complex that mentally it gets lumped into the same categories as nuclear fission and time travel. In reality, it’s a lot harder to balance your checkbook than to optimize keywords, which is why I wrote the 7 Step Guide To SEO Keyword Optimization: In Laymen’s Terms. But here’s some more great news – often some of the keyword development work is already being done for you. One of the best places to look for keyword ideas is from your own analytics tool.

What Does Optimized Mean?

So what does optimized mean? You don’t need SEO consultants to crack the code: it’s simply creating a list of words that you have tested to determine their potential for drawling web traffic if used on your website or blog. But just saying that you’re “making a list of pre-tested keywords” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as optimized.

Going From Unintentional To Strategic

SEO content writing is not all that complex either. Just write what you want to write while using some relevant keywords and phrases. If you’re doing any content writing for your website or blog then you’re already using keyword phrases whether you know it or not. They’re just not intentional or optimized.

If you have any content then you’re being found through search engines to some degree. A good SEO strategy is to look at your Google Analytics or whatever tool you use and see which words are bringing in web traffic. Then simply use those search terms strategically to amplify your inbound traffic.

Finding Keyword Gold

Sometimes you’ll find new keywords that you never thought. Maybe it was just a phrase that you used in a blog post a year ago and as it turns out it’s been a big traffic magnet for you. What’s even bigger than that is sometimes you’ll learn that you’re pulling in traffic for keywords that you never thought you could rank for.

I remember checking our analytics just last week and I saw that we were pulling a surprising amount of traffic through Google for a keyword that had the highest degree of competition out there. It was just a word we used in writing sometimes, but we had never identified it as a strategic keyword because the competition was just too high. But you better believe I use that term anywhere I can now. Sure, the MATH says that keyword won’t work for us, but the reality can’t be denied.