In my SMX East presentation on Actionable SEO Insights from Analytics Data this past October I spoke a bit on what I call keyword branches – and why you need to consider the entire branch before you make a shift in your keyword targeting.
I want to highlight the point here, because I think it’s something often overlooked when we’re choosing which keyword(s) to target (I know I’ve made the mistake in the past).
Normally when we compare keywords on metrics we do it as follows (simplified):
From a usability standpoint it’s usually best to pick a root keyword and stick with it. If you’re calling it “Accounting Services” one minute and “Financial Services” the next you’re going to confuse some people – it sounds like you’re discussing two different things (for the sake of the example let’s assume these two are actually synonymous).
So you might put one root keyword up against another, look at the metrics for each and make a judgment call based on how the two root keywords compare.
But you’d be missing the big picture.
This issue gets at the net effect of targeting one keyword over another – and it has to do primarily with the long tail.
Some of the long tail keywords for the two root keywords above might look as follows:
When you optimize your page(s) to target one of these root keywords you’re naturally targeting all of the long tail keywords that contain it. And, on the flip side, you’re tossing the set of long tail keywords for the other root.
So it’s important when doing this kind of comparative analysis to look at entire keyword branches, not just individual keywords, to get a clear picture of how the metrics measure up.
Viewing Keyword Branches in Google Analytics
If you’re using Google Analytics isolating a keyword branch, based on the root keyword, is pretty straightforward.
When viewing your Keywords report in Google Analytics, at the bottom of the list you’ll find the “Filter Keyword:” option.
Simply enter the root keyword of the branch you’re examining, hit “Go” and the list will be narrowed down only to that keyword branch.
Now you can refer to the overall numbers at the top of the report – which Google Analytics averages automatically.
And, if you’re tracking conversions, you can click over to the “Goal Set” tab and see how this keyword branch is performing overall. If you’re tracking eCommerce sales (which, if you’re running an eCommerce store, you should be) you can tie the whole keyword branch down to average per visit value and overall revenues.
Whenever possible you should be basing your decisions on metrics as close to possible to actual business goals – not fuzzy metrics like “bounce rates” and “pages per visit.”
Then, when you’re looking at the metrics for the entire branch, make a branch-to-branch comparison – and make your optimization choices based on that. Otherwise you might find out after the fact, a few months after you tossed the dirty bathwater, that the baby went with it.
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Very good points Mike. I’d never thought about the implications of the long tail when selecting root keywords to use.
I’ve overlooked it myself so many times in the past.
Sometimes the trends will follow through to the long tail – in other words, the root keyword that performs better (or looks to perform better) will have a branch that performs better as well. But that isn’t always the case, and it’s important to look at the big picture of your on-page work to make the most educated guess possible.
You can also use regular expressions in the filter field. This greatly expands your possibilities, especially on high traffic sites.
Good point – a lot of newcomers find RegEx somewhat daunting and confusing, but it is quite powerful.