Tracking keyword rankings in Google can be one of the most fun and
frustrating parts of SEO. When we see movement for those phrases that
are the "Big money, big money, no whammies, no whammies, stop" keywords,
it’s a good day. But when day after day those words still linger off
the first page, it can make you want to chuck it all and go back to an
analog world.
But sometimes, we spend so much time looking at ranking reports for
what we want to see that we miss the forest for the trees. If we only
listen for what we want to hear, we may not pick up on what is actually
being said.
Sometimes keyword reports, especially the extended ones from tools like
SEM Rush or
SpyFu,
that give you more than just the phrases you’re looking for have a
bigger story to tell. At least they do if you know how to read between
the keywords.
Dominant Theme of Relevance
Looking at the kinds of phrases you rank for can be a huge message
about how a search engine interprets your most relevant concepts. If
there is a large ratio of your ranking phrases that are based around one
prominent theme, that is a strong indicator of the topics on which your
site is most trusted. If there is a common subject among dozens of
keywords, that can represent opportunities and areas of weakness.
On the opportunity side, if a theme is strong, and it’s an important
theme for the site, you can work on focusing other signals around that.
By creating additional content, links, and digital assets to enforce
that perception of authority on a topic, a site can strengthen its
position.
As a top-ranking site in a niche, there is also the value of
perception. Having strong Google rankings surrounding a theme can help
influence others regarding your authority. This can extend to media
outreach including press releases, social media interactions, and even
print materials. Promotions that encourage potential visitors to "Google
a prominent keyword" for which you rank well can also capitalize on
that prominence.
The scope of your ranking phrases can also indicate a weakness in
relevance. If you are not ranking well for a major theme of your
business, then it may be time to consider creating more signals
surrounding that subject.
Where You Need New Content
One of the biggest clues you can read from a keyword report is where
you should focus efforts around content creation. Content creation can
support existing relevance or enhance authority where relevance is
lacking. It can also help indicate where a user experience might be
incomplete.
When Google ranks a site for any given keyword, it is a result of
multiple on- and off-page factors being weighed to determine which pages
should be served to users as a result of a search. Google is not wholly
infallible in this endeavor. Sometimes a page that ranks for a keyword
is not necessarily the best or most appropriate. In other circumstances,
a page may rank for a phrase but not fully serve the user intent. By
examining your keyword rankings for these situations you have the
opportunity to better present information on the pages that rank or
expand your content to provide a better, more comprehensive page that
should rank.
Competition and Co-Citation
Studying your keyword rankings can also help you determine new
competitors, and new strategies for SEO. Most businesses have isolated a
core of key competitors who may bid on the same phrases or may appear
together in the SERPS for several different searches. Outside of that,
an expanded analysis of keyword rankings can reveal additional
businesses that may be on the rise, or may be utilizing tactics that can
be learned from.
A newer site that has become competitive in the long-tail may have
structural, content, or optimization tactics that can be implemented on
your site. They may also represent successful off-site marketing
campaigns from link-building, marketing, or networking. While we may
focus on who ranks alongside us for the head terms, evaluating the
broader field on longer phrases or queries which tend to get less
attention may reveal new information that is useful.
Also, evaluating the scope of rankings can reveal websites that
aren’t competitive that may be ripe for partnerships or co-citation.
Another site that ranks below you but does not target your customers
could be a good site to work with on an initiative or just to link to.
Linking to similarly relevant, but not competitive, websites enhances
the comprehensiveness of content, but may also send additional signals
of relevance to search engines.
Filtering keyword reports to a small section of phrases can be useful
when it helps quiet the noise a bit. But it can also keep us from
hearing things we need to know. It is absolutely worth examining and
considering the implications of the entire volume of ranking phrases, at
least on occasion. There are messages within that report that can be
applied to strategic development and competitive analysis. There is
subtext in a ranking report that deserves to be understood because it
may be those quiet suggestions that help bring forth some of the best
new ideas.
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