Do you run an online business and are looking for a proven way to outperform your competitors? Then the terms " website positioning ," "keywords," and "SEO" are familiar to you. You include the right keywords in your texts, you ensure high-quality content—all well and good. But how do you measure the effectiveness of your website's keywords? We'll give you some advice.
The best and most reliable tool for analyzing keywords and organic traffic (from Google search) is Google Search Console. It's a free platform designed for website owners and administrators.
Good to know…
Keywords are the phrase or phrases that web users enter into search engines. We distinguish between the main keyword, the base keyword, and a set of secondary keywords, which make up the so-called long tail. Both the main keyword and the long tail keywords form the foundation for website positioning.
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Google Search Console for keyword analysis
If you are a verified user, all you need to do is go to the "Performance" section and go to the bottom of the page - there, in the "Queries" tab (sorted by most popular), you will see the keywords on the page that users enter into the search engine and end up on your domain.
Clicking on a selected phrase will display graphs showing its visibility and click-through rate over the selected time period (the last 3 months by default, and a maximum of 16 months). Go to the "Pages" tab and you'll see which subpages users are redirected to on your website.
Keyword selection. Check words containing the keyword phrase you're interested in.
You can also search for phrases that contain the word you're interested in: At the top of the report, click the "+New" field -> "Query containing" -> enter the keyword you're interested in and "Apply." GSC will generate personalized statistics for the words you entered.
With this option you can also check the position history in the search results.
Where should you place keywords?
Properly placing keywords within your website is one of the first steps you should take after selecting them. There are several places on each page where the absence of a keyword could result in a lower ranking in search results.
Keywords in Meta title (Page title)
This is a very important area that should be utilized effectively. It's officially considered a ranking factor by search engine algorithms and presented in search results. The maximum display length for the entire title is approximately 60 characters (depending on letter size – the maximum text width is 600 pixels).
Tip…
If you're interested in adding an additional keyword you want to rank for (e.g., "cheap," "proven") but might exceed the character limit, try it. Even if it's truncated and doesn't appear in the SERPs, web crawlers should still recognize the additional word and include it in search results. Test this solution on a few pages and analyze the results in Google Search Console after a few weeks.
General keywords in the category or subcategory name
Properly developed and keyword-specific category and subcategory names are another SEO ranking factor . Of course, it's important to maintain balance, maintain clear navigation, and avoid overly heavy use of keywords. This can look unnatural and negatively impact user experience, leading to lower conversions . On the other hand, overly general, single-word titles won't serve the purpose of product titles. Below are examples of well-named subcategories using keywords:
- Shoe shop -> "Trekking shoes" instead of "trekking" or "trekking boots",
- Stool shop -> "Velour stools" instead of "velour" or "velour",
- Picture shop -> "Pictures for the living room" instead of "for the living room" or "living room".
Remember about breadcrumbs
Implementing this feature on your website will allow your customers to more easily navigate through tabs, especially if you have a very broad product offering. Additionally, with well-optimized category and subcategory names (which breadcrumb navigation typically uses), you can improve rankings for keywords that can combine their SEO power for a given query.
In this example, Breadcrumbs will be helpful for combinations of phrases such as: insulated boots, insulated work boots, insulated safety boots, etc.
Keywords in content headings
Headings serve to organize the content on a page. They separate certain threads and should suggest content or a product name. Their role is important for both users and Google's crawlers. Therefore, it's worth remembering to load them with keywords and following a few important SEO rules.
- H1 Header It can only be used once per subpage and has the highest ranking power among headlines. Depending on the type of subpage and website, it should contain:
- The most important keywords related to business activities – on the home page;
- Category name – on subpages related to categories;
- Product name – on product subpages;
- Post title – in blog articles;
- H2 Header It can be treated like a chapter in a book. It will help the internet user find the piece of content they're interested in. Like H1, it applies to all types of subpages. It should contain the positioning keyword in various variations;
- H3-H6 headings They further expand on more extensive content and serve as subsections. It's also worth including keywords in them, although they have less SEO impact than higher-level headings.
>> Google Position – How to Effectively Monitor the Results of Your SEO Activities? <<
Selection of keywords in the website content
Saturating your content with keywords that comprehensively describe your services is a good way to achieve high search engine rankings. It's worth ensuring rich content on information pages, category subpages, and product pages.
However, it's important to remember that the inserted text affects both web crawlers and users. Forcing uninflected keywords into your site can undermine the trust of potential customers, who are often overly sensitive to the ads they encounter daily.
Keyword-friendly URL
Including keywords in your URL is another way to improve your ranking in the SERPs for keywords you care about. A user-friendly link will inform users about the page's subject matter and positively impact their trust. When implementing changes, keep a few important rules in mind:
- do not use special characters and spaces,
- do not use Polish characters (ł, ć,),
- try to avoid capital letters,
- separate keywords with hyphens.
Examples of a valid URL containing a keyword:
Friendly link for your blog -> www.twojastrona.pl/blog/jak-wyglada-przyjaty-link
Friendly link for the category -> www.twojastrona.pl/buty/buty-do-biegania
Friendly link for the product -> www.twojastrona.pl/foremki-do-babeczek/7213-forma-silikonowa-do-muffinek-silikomart-muffin-6-szt
Important…
When changing URL names, don't forget to 301 redirect the old link to the new one.
Internal links that capture keywords
Implementing links hidden within clickable words (anchors) is another way to place preferred keywords within your website. This can be done using:
- additional bottom or side navigation,
- blog texts,
- cross-linking to similar categories/products.
Alternative text for images (ALT)
The ALT attribute is used to provide textual descriptions of photos, images, and illustrations. It's invisible to the user upon entering the page, appearing only if the browser is having technical difficulties reading the image. It's also helpful for visually impaired users. In HTML, ALT is an attribute of the img tag and looks like this:
For very complex websites, it's worth automating the generation of alt text containing keywords using a plugin or dedicated code that retrieves the attribute name, for example, from an image title. Examples of better ALT usage include:
- Website logo -> "Verseo – an interactive agency in Poznań offering website positioning” instead of “verseo logo”;
- Graphic showing the service provider -> "Jan Nowak – Personal Trainer in Poznań" instead of "Jan Nowak";
- Image offering the product -> "Oil dye for greasy masses Colour Mill White, 20 ml" instead of "oil dye".
Each of the areas mentioned above influences how a website is evaluated by the search engine algorithm. Don't be afraid to use different types of queries, but don't force them all into one place.
Many CMSs may have limitations on modifying certain elements on a page, so it's important to approach it in a multi-dimensional manner. If you find that changing URL names, for example, is impossible or will do more harm than good (which is possible), consider other places to implement keywords.
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How to choose keywords?
If you want to enrich your website with new keywords that your potential customers are entering into Google, you can use many tools. Keyword suggestions are provided by paid and free platforms, which are intuitive to use and very helpful in creating valuable content.
We wrote more about keyword selection in this article . Familiarize yourself with the material to strengthen your Google search engine rankings and reach an even wider audience. Relevant keyword suggestions will definitely help you achieve this.
Frequently asked questions about keyword effectiveness
The basic and free tool of choice is Google Search Console (GSC). The "Performance" tab provides a detailed breakdown of the search queries (keyword phrases) that led users to see and click on a link to your website in the search engine.
To gain broader context and compare ourselves with competitors, specialists use advanced analytical tools. The most popular on the Polish market include:
- Senuto and Semstorm (great for analyzing visibility in Polish Google),
- Ahrefs (a powerful tool for link and keyword profile analysis in global markets),
- Surfer SEO (invaluable when optimizing and creating content for specific phrases).
Merely appearing in search results isn't enough. To assess a keyword's effectiveness, you should analyze:
- Average position: determines visibility (TOP 3 positions receive the most traffic).
- Search Volume: the potential of a word, i.e. how many times a month it is entered into a search engine.
- CTR (Click-Through Rate): The percentage of people who clicked on your link after it was displayed.
- Conversion rate: information from Google Analytics about whether traffic from a given keyword translates into real business (e.g., purchases, newsletter signups).
This is a common problem, most often stemming from a mismatch in search intent. A user might be looking for free advice or a definition, only to be met with a sales page and quickly abandoned. Another reason could be the poor appeal of the search result itself (poorly optimized Title and Meta Description tags, which lower CTR) or the fact that the selected phrase is too general.
Regular analytics should be the foundation for further website development. Based on the collected data, you should:
- Expand current content with missing questions and issues (filling the so-called content gap).
- Optimize headlines and meta tags for phrases that appear frequently but have a low CTR.
- Create new blog articles that respond to long-tail keywords, which are easier to position and bring in very determined users.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- Using GSC in keyword selection,
- Keyword placement,
- How to find the perfect keywords?
