seo
Top 7 Ways to Get Around “Not Provided” OR Why Google’s “Not Provided” Isn’t the End of the World
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t seemed like the end of the world on September 23rd when the SEO community realized that Google had pushed all users to secure search (http://searchengineland.com/post-prism-google-securesearches-172487). It was the confirmation of the end of keyword data as we know it, and marketers who had survived on keyword data, and acknowledged the growing (not provided) percentage like ostriches with their heads in the sand, were challenged to find new ways of tracking keywords. This change for Google was so important that the searchmarketing world seemed more focused on this update than on the impending US government shutdown. As with any controversial decision, there are differing opinions on Google’s move. Some marketers believe that it was an effort by Google to monetize keyword data and force people into AdWords. Others maintain that it was a move towards better information security for users. Regardless of your take on the subject, we all face the same problem: finding an alternative way to measure keyword data. At our agency, we’ve come up with several different ways of reporting on keyword data and using different tools to get coveted keyword information. 1. Google Webmaster Tools. GWT reports on the search queries that are bringing traffic to your website and breaks it down by clicks and impressions. It will also give you the click-through-rates and your average position in the search results. While not as user-friendly as Google Analytics, it’s still better than nothing. 2. Cross Reference Analytics & WMT. It’s a complicated process, but it can provide good data. First use Analytics to determine which pages receive the highest number of visitors. Then cross-reference these pages with WMT to see the number of visits generated from specific queries. Cross-reference these two reports to gain new insights. 3. Use AdWords Keyword Planner and Content Page Reports. You won’t get awesome data for your website, but this could give you a general idea. Use the keyword planner to optimize for a term on a page and then monitor that page’s change in traffic to determine whether that keyword phrase is driving more people to your site. 4. Compare Paid and Organic Traffic. If your company is already using AdWords, you have access to the organic keyword data for the terms you are bidding on. This is best used to analyze how your paid and organic SEO efforts work together. To see this report in
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Winter 2013
your AdWords account, you have to first link Google Webmaster Tools to AdWords. You can find this report by clicking on the “Dimensions” tab for the Campaign/Ad Group and selecting “Paid & Organic” from the “View” menu. 5. Try Bing! Granted, Bing isn’t driving a huge portion of your website traffic, but the keyword data is probably along the same lines as Google’s, so it’s an easy substitute. 6. In-Site Search Engines. Does your website have a search feature enabled on it? It’s not the exact same as the keyword data, but it will provide some valuable insights as to what people are looking for on your site. 7. Track your rankings. What keywords were you ranking for? What keywords would you like to rank for? Enter those keywords into a tool like Moz or SEMRush and track changes over time. You can see how altering the page text, changing meta descriptions or page titles, and adding content can affect your rankings. One good thing about Google securing organic keyword data is that it forces us to be creative and think outside the box. It may even inspire you to focus on improving brand recognition outside of Google. A quick Google search for “insurance” brings up a Wikipedia page, a list of local insurance providers in my area, and then the big name brands: Progressive, Nationwide, Esurance, Travelers, etc. You know what company was dead last on page one? Geico. But when I think of insurance – the first company I think of is Geico. Why? Because they’ve done an awesome job of branding themselves and building awareness. Geico doesn’t have to depend solely on rankings in the SERPs since they’ve done a great job of building brand awareness elsewhere. I miss keyword data, too. I think it helped my company create great content for clients and get into the mind of the consumer a little better. However, not having keyword data can be viewed as an opportunity to get creative with our SEO efforts and become better marketers. I think we’ll all be better off that way. n
Caitlin Dodds is a SEO Specialist at Internet marketing firm, Web Talent Marketing. Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Web Talent Marketing offers search engine-marketing services to clients nationwide. For more information visit www.webtalentmarketing.com.
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