Keyword Traffic Analysis: How to Boost SEO Results

Sep 17, 2025 04:20 PM - 7 months ago 264989

What Is Keyword Traffic Analysis?

Keyword postulation study is the process of examining really overmuch postulation circumstantial keywords could bring to your website if you classed good for them. This study helps you determine which keywords to prioritize.

For example, erstwhile personification searches “email trading tools” connected Google, the results page appears. If the personification clicks your site’s result, that sojourn is keyword postulation (also called keyword hunt traffic).

Google hunt results for “email trading tools” showing blog and forum links

SEO devices for illustration Semrush’s Keyword Overview make postulation study easier. They supply valuable penetration into really often a peculiar word is searched per period (keyword hunt volume). And really difficult it will beryllium to rank for the keyword (keyword difficulty). 

Why Keyword Traffic Matters for SEO Success 

Keyword postulation study identifies which keywords already thrust postulation to your tract and which could thrust more. With this data, you tin create aliases optimize contented to target these high-potential keywords.

Better targeting leaders to stronger rankings, much website visitors, and, finally, much leads and sales.

Here’s an example.

Shopify ranks successful the first spot for the keyword “how to build an email list.”

Search results for “how to build an email list” pinch first consequence from Shopify

But their article is connected the eighth page of hunt results for the keyword “how to summation email subscribers,” which has a akin intent (the intent down the search) to the first keyword.

Search results for “how to summation email subscribers” showing Shopify station connected eighth page of SERPs.

Keyword postulation study highlights this gap. 

Shopify tin determine whether to optimize the existing article to target the different keyword aliases create a caller portion of contented focused connected expanding the number of email subscribers.

How to Conduct a Keyword Traffic Analysis

Check Estimated Keyword Traffic

Estimated keyword postulation shows the approximate number of visits you mightiness person if you rank for a keyword. 

Use this metric to prioritize keywords pinch precocious applicable postulation potential. And yet pull the correct target assemblage to your site, minimize contented fund waste, and maximize gross potential.

In the Keyword Overview tool, participate the hunt word and your domain to get personalized postulation potential.

Click “Search.”

Keyword Overview instrumentality input surface pinch ‘shopify email’ entered and arrow pointing to Search button

The dashboard will show important keyword metrics, specified as: 

  • Search volume: Average number of monthly searches
  • Personal keyword difficulty: How difficult it is for your tract to rank for this keyword

Now, look astatine the segments “Potential Traffic” and “Potential Topic Traffic.”

Keyword overview showing imaginable postulation of 480 and taxable postulation of 4.4K highlighted

Potential Traffic shows you the estimated monthly magnitude of postulation your tract could get if you were ranking for this keyword.

Potential Topic Traffic shows you a postulation estimate you could get by utilizing high-volume variations of the analyzed keyword.

Scroll down to the “SERP Analysis” conception for much information and prime the “URL” overview.

SERP study array pinch URL tab selected, showing apical Shopify pages ranking

In the “Search Traffic” column, position really overmuch postulation each of the top-ranking pages gets each month.

These estimates tin thief you cipher really overmuch postulation you’re getting based connected your ranking position. Or foretell really overmuch postulation you could get based connected position improvements.

SERP study array pinch Search Traffic file highlighted for aggregate URLs

Check the Keyword Traffic successful Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) shows really overmuch postulation your tract gets from circumstantial keywords. This information reveals which phrases bring the astir visitors, wherever you tin amended traffic, and which keywords to refine based connected existent performance. 

Here’s how.

Log successful to your GSC relationship and prime the tract you want to analyze.

Click “Search results” nether “Performance.”

Google Search Console dashboard pinch arrow pointing to Search results tab successful sidebar

This capacity chart shows 4 cardinal metrics:

  • Total clicks: Number of visits from hunt results
  • Total impressions: Number of times your tract appeared successful hunt results
  • Click-through complaint (CTR): Percentage of impressions that led to clicks 
  • Average position: Average ranking of your tract successful hunt crossed each hunt queries

Scroll down to spot your top-performing keywords, called “queries” successful GSC.

This database is sorted by clicks, showing which queries thrust the astir visitors to your site.

Google Search Console queries array pinch Clicks file highlighted

These are your apical performers. Record these queries and way postulation changes complete clip truthful you tin respond quickly to abrupt drops. Later successful the article, we’ll show you really to do this easy pinch Position Tracking.

To find opportunities for improvement, click “CTR” 2 times to benignant the database from lowest to highest click-through rate.

Search Console queries array pinch CTR file highlighted

These are position wherever your pages look often but don’t gain galore clicks.

Check the “Position” tab to spot the mean position and corroborate this page ranks low.

Search Console queries array pinch Position file highlighted

By optimizing pages for these terms, you tin amended rankings and seizure much visitors.

Connect Google Search Console and Google Analytics for More Insights

Connecting GSC pinch Google Analytics (GA4) gives you much penetration into why queries and pages pinch debased CTR underperform.

To nexus GSC and GA4, unfastened the left-hand paper and click “Admin.”

Google Analytics sidebar pinch arrow pointing to Admin option

Under Product links, click “Search Console links.”

Google Analytics Admin sheet pinch Search Console links action highlighted successful Product links section

Click “Link” to link GA4 and GSC.

Search Console links page pinch arrow pointing to Link button

In the conception “Choose Search Console property,” click “Choose accounts.”

Create a nexus setup surface pinch arrow pointing to Choose accounts

Select the website you want to link to. Then click “Confirm.”

Property action surface pinch website checked and arrow pointing to Confirm

Next, prime a web watercourse for your domain and click “Next.”

Step 2 of linking travel showing web watercourse and arrow pointing to Next

Finally, reappraisal the information and click “Submit.”

Final measurement of linking travel pinch website selected and arrow pointing to Submit

Your GSC and GA4 information are now connected. Let’s spot what you tin do pinch these insights.

In the left-hand menu, click “Reports” > “Search Console” > “Google integrated hunt traffic.”

In this view, you tin spot the mixed information from 2 tools. 

Let’s opportunity you identified a page successful GSC that’s ranking debased successful hunt results but still gets immoderate clicks.

Now, you tin usage GA4 to cheque metrics for illustration “Average engagement clip per progressive user.” This metric shows you the mean clip a personification spends connected your page.

Landing page study pinch Average engagement clip per progressive personification file highlighted

A debased engagement clip intends users are leaving your page quickly aft viewing it. That could beryllium owed to various reasons, for illustration the page isn’t loading quickly capable aliases the contented doesn’t reply their question.

Use this information to place low-performing pages, analyse the issues, and make changes. Improving these pages increases the chance of capturing much keyword traffic. 

Analyze Keyword Gaps for Content Optimization Ideas

Keyword spread study compares your contented pinch competitors’ to show wherever they pull postulation that you don’t. So you tin find optimization ideas for your content. 

Here’s how.

Open Keyword Gap.

Enter your page URL and a competitor’s URL. 

Select “Exact URL” for some pages truthful you tin analyse differences betwixt the two. 

Click “Compare.”

Keyword Gap setup comparing Shopify and Omnisend URLs pinch arrow pointing to Compare

The chart connected the adjacent page shows you really galore keywords you and your competitor person successful common.

Keyword Gap results showing Venn sketch of overlapping keywords betwixt 2 URLs

Scroll down to “All keyword specifications for,” and prime “Missing.”

All keyword specifications array pinch arrow pointing to Missing tab

These are the keywords your competitor ranks for but you don’t.

Keyword specifications array pinch Missing tab selected and Keywords file highlighted

Now, click “Weak” to spot keywords some of you are ranking for, but your rankings are little than your competitor’s.

Keyword specifications array pinch Weak tab highlighted and arrow pointing to 'email list' keyword

When you place the keyword worthy targeting, click connected it to spell to Keyword Overview to cheque the estimated postulation for the keyword.

Keyword Overview for 'email list' showing KD, traffic, topical authority, and CPC

By updating your article to target immoderate of these keyword variations, you tin summation the postulation to this circumstantial page and amended the life worth of this contented asset. Ensuring it keeps connected bringing applicable postulation and gross and exceeding the finance it took to create it.

Analyze Competitors’ Keyword Traffic to Find New Ideas

Competitor keyword postulation study shows wherever competitors get their visitors, which reveals high-traffic keywords you tin besides target. 

Use these insights to create caller contented aliases update existing pages to seizure portion of that traffic. 

Here’s really to behaviour competitor postulation study pinch Organic Research.

Enter the competitor’s URL. Then click “Search.”

Organic Research instrumentality pinch omnisend.com entered and arrow pointing to Search

Click “Positions.” You’ll get a database of the keywords this competitor is ranking for.

The “Traffic” file will show you an estimate of really overmuch postulation your competitor gets from a circumstantial keyword.

Organic Research results for omnisend.com pinch Traffic file highlighted

Analyze this database to find keywords you could besides target and get a postulation estimate connected really overmuch postulation your tract could get if it managed to outperform your competitor.

Select the keywords you want to target and click “+ Add to keyword list” to prevention them successful Keyword Strategy Builder.

Keyword array pinch keywords selected and arrow pointing to Add to keyword list

Name your list. And click the greenish checkmark to prevention it.

Dropdown to sanction keyword database pinch 'Competitor investigation keywords' entered

Find these keywords successful Keyword Strategy Builder to commencement building retired a contented scheme to summation keyword postulation based connected your competitor research.

Weigh the Factors to Prioritize Keywords

Prioritizing keywords requires weighing aggregate factors. A system scoring strategy helps you take phrases that could person the biggest effect connected postulation and business goals. 

To thief you, we created an illustration scoring model pinch each weighted factors.

In this example, we’ll database retired each factors and springiness them a people of 1, 2, aliases 3. At the end, adhd the scores to find keywords pinch the strongest potential.

Factor

1 = Low priority

2 = Medium priority

3 = High priority

Traffic potential

Low postulation imaginable (less than 50 visits per month)

Moderate postulation imaginable (between 50 and 500 visits per month)

High postulation imaginable (over 500 visits per month)

Personal keyword difficulty

Highly competitory (PKD % complete 70%)

Somewhat competitory (PKD % betwixt 40% and 70%)

Low title (PKD % little than 40%)

Content relevance

Loosely related to your audience’s needs, contented goals, aliases your offering

Related to immoderate of your audience’s needs aliases contented goals but not the halfway offering

Directly related to your audience’s needs, contented goals, and/or your offering

Existing performance

Already ranking good and driving traffic

A driblet successful rankings and traffic; it has immoderate visibility, but there’s abstraction for improvement

Very debased CTR pinch a precocious imaginable to thrust postulation if improved

Competitive landscape

No clear contented gaps identified

Some contented gaps were identified, but not related to your offering

Clear contented spread opportunity pinch relevance to your offering

Use this scoring strategy arsenic a starting constituent for evaluating and prioritizing keywords. Adjust arsenic you refine your goals and study much astir your assemblage and competition. 

Track Keyword Positions to Determine Keyword Traffic

The past measurement successful keyword investigation is search keyword positions to understand really rankings impact keyword postulation and thief you observe issues for illustration abrupt drops for high-traffic terms. 

Use Position Tracking to automate this process and easy enactment connected apical of your rankings successful hunt results.

After first setup, the instrumentality tracks rankings for you and sends you updates automatically.

To group up Position Tracking, click “+ Create project.”

Position Tracking dashboard pinch arrow pointing to Create task button

Enter the domain and task name. Then click “Create project.”

Create task shape pinch domain entered and arrow pointing to Create project

Choose the hunt engine, device, and location for which you want to way positions.

Click “Continue To Keywords.”

Position Tracking setup surface pinch Continue fastener highlighted

You tin participate keywords manually aliases import them from devices for illustration Keyword Strategy Builder aliases Google Search Console.

Keywords entered manually pinch arrow pointing to "Import from" paper showing aggregate import options

Click “Keyword Strategy Builder.” Then prime the database you saved earlier while doing competitor research. 

Click “Import keywords” > “Add keywords to campaign.”

Keyword Strategy Builder popup pinch a database selected and arrow pointing to "Import keywords" button

By default, the instrumentality will nonstop you play ranking updates. If you don’t want this, uncheck the box.

Then, click “Start Tracking.”

Keywords added to run database pinch checkbox for email updates and arrow pointing to "Start Tracking" button

After the instrumentality finishes the analysis, you’ll spot a summary of your domain, on pinch visibility, estimated traffic, and mean position.

Click the “Overview” tab to reappraisal estimated postulation and different keyword metrics.

Position Tracking dashboard showing visibility and postulation metrics pinch container highlighting the "Overview" tab

Scroll down to the “Rankings Overview” section.

These are the keywords you entered before, on pinch page rankings, estimated keyword traffic, hunt volume, and more.

Rankings Overview array listing tracked keywords pinch positions, traffic, and different SEO metrics

Knowing which keywords thrust the astir postulation to your tract helps you support beardown visibility successful hunt results and guarantee your integrated postulation remains strong.

Don’t hold keyword postulation analysis. Sign up for a free seven-day Semrush proceedings coming and find insights that could move the needle for your site.

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