Is Google’s (Not Provided) Keyword Update So Problematic?
The SEO community around the world have been keeping their ear to the ground more than usual over the past few weeks with rumours circulating about keywords disappearing and all traffic showing as (not provided) in analytics.
Keyword traffic is a significant part of helping our clients measure their ROI with us, and SEOs are up in arms about this update, but is this problem as significant as SEOs are making it out to be?
Listening for signals and hints from Google about its search query algorithm is essential, as anyone working in digital marketing will tell you. However, over the past few weeks Google’s supposed Analytics update has thrown a curveball for SEOs in what industry experts are describing as the first existential threat to SEO.
It would appear that by late November of this year, Google will block all keyword traffic data, showing all traffic from search as (not provided).
What Does This Mean?
This means you will have limited data. If you log into your Google Analytics account you will currently see under Traffic Sources > Sources > Search > Organic, the list of keywords that users have arrived to your website for.
Currently Google does not gather data on search queries from users logged into their Gmail accounts – currently shown as (not provided). From the indicators Google is showing, in the very near future all keywords will appear as (not provided), spelling out a big problem for SEO agencies around the world.
By looking at a snapshot of our organic search traffic we see which keywords drive traffic to the website. In less than two months, this search traffic will all come under (not provided).
Keyword data is undeniably an important part of SEO, but as search engine optimisation changes over time it has become more conversion based, therefore the (not provided) search keyword update is not as significant as first thought.
What Does This Mean For SEOs and Businesses?
In short, not a great deal. For SEOs this change means breaking down data in different ways through analytics to define ROI and KPIs. For businesses employing digital and search agencies it means understanding how these new measurement tools work, and why they work.
There are many different ways of measuring ROI on digital marketing work. Whether it is conversion based from sales, enquiry forms completed, or even making sure that users spend a certain amount of time on a particular page, the goals and conversions should be based on business objectives.
Clear goals and conversions demonstrate tangible ROI, but only by setting the right KPIs. This is why so many SEOs are concerned by the update.
Ways around the (not provided) keywords problem.
Rankings
Of course we want to see the search terms that users have arrived to our websites using, but information on ranking position is far more valuable, and as this is the key metric and where as SEOs we show true value. Here we can understand click through rates. We can calculate and reliably predict keywords that are driving traffic.
Some 80% of search users do not venture away from the first page of results. Tracking your ranking positions across keywords will help you understand what the (not provided) search queries actually are. The click through percentage rates by rank can help indicate traffic from organic search.
Landing Pages
This naturally leads on from rankings. Viewing the top landing pages from search (not provided) traffic will give a solid indication of those top performing keywords from their ranking positions.
For example our open source HTML to pdf tool jsPDF drives a tonne of traffic from search. We can see this at the moment. However when keyword traffic disappears down the line, we will be able to tell that we are getting traffic from this (and similar) keywords by looking at the landing page data from search engines.
You can find our top landing pages through Google Analytics: Traffic Source > Sources > Search > Organic and set the Primary Dimension as Landing Page.
The image to the right shows Landing Pages from search traffic only.
If your keywords are ranking well whatever they may be, you’ll still be able to measure CTR by rank by checking your search landing pages. For example if you sell property across the country and have keywords ranking for ‘houses in Leeds’ you will measure the amount of traffic reaching the landing page about Leeds properties that you have created.
PPC
Google Adwords has been subject to scrutiny in the news of this keyword monitoring update.
Many SEOs believe that Google are exploiting their search monopoly and that as the 100% (not provided) keywords comes into full effect, marketing agencies will need to show ROI to their clients. One way of doing this on the keyword basis is through PPC which will still highlight conversion rates through exact keywords as it currently does. Even if 0.001% of businesses around the world decided to employ Adwords either on top of the marketing spend – or from taking budget out of their search marketing efforts, Google will profit.
A Game of Data
Marketing Managers answering to CEOs on every continent need to justify their marketing spend – having (not provided) keywords is a far less efficient way of showing ROI compared to Google Adwords which will show the data and the performance of keywords.
For SEOs this comes back to your skills in educating your client.
Search marketing is fundamentally a simple concept. Whilst its techniques and practices are not necessarily simple, helping clients show effective data is essential. SEO client side relationships is about keeping clients updated and aware of these ongoing changes, whilst helping them learn about the process and reporting techniques that they too can benefit from.