SEO is in turmoil right now. Between tons of algorithm updates and Search Generative Experience (SGE) reports taking over the SERPs, there is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety about the way forward.
For me, it’s the perfect time to bring back into focus some little-used SEO research initiatives that we know are effective. My list includes:
Keyword trend analysis. Customer research. Analysis of non-content search channels. SERP analysis for “striking distance” keywords.
By the time you’re done reading this, I hope you feel (despite all the winds swirling around) that you’ll have more control over your SEO success in the coming months.
1. Keyword Trend Analysis
There’s keyword analysis, and then there’s the keyword trend analysis The latter helps SEOs surface things like:
New keywords. Changes in the keyword landscape. How your targeted keywords may have changed since you originally optimized them.
My favorite tool for keeping a pulse on trends is Glimpse Google Trends extensionwhich adds a lot of data and functionality to the regular Google Trends statistics.
Use this extension to get a wealth of long-tail keyword data, trending topics, trending alerts, and data exports. The tool (and a bit of a mindset shift) helps you apply a real-time approach to your top keywords, not an occasional set-and-revise process.
Dig Deeper: Beyond Search Volume: Future-Proof Keyword Research for SEO
2. Customer research
You’re no doubt doing some version of customer research (right?) to determine intent, needs, pain points, etc. But in my experience, it’s rare for SEOs to take a comprehensive approach to customer understanding that involves cross-team conversations and fluency with different tools.
Some tools to play with immediately if you haven’t already include:
Heatmap tools (I like Hotjar because even their free version gives you a lot of information about how users interact with your site). Survey tools, such as SurveyMonkey, Typeform or Google Forms.
A note about surveys: don’t overuse them. Be explicit about how the data will be used. If the data you’re collecting is valuable enough to your campaigns, you can even consider offering small gift cards or rewards.
As for the different teams, your brand or customer’s sales and customer service teams have a wealth of real-time information about questions, issues, use cases, challenges, etc. easy for them to communicate learnings with you) is a great use of your time.
Whether you work at an agency or in an in-house environment, your paid teams are also great (and often underutilized) resources for data on what’s working and what’s not.
From high-CTR ad copy to increased keyword volume to insights into top-performing audiences, paid media insights can be incredibly valuable in optimizing strategies and priorities organic search.
Dig Deeper: An SEO Guide to Audience Research and Content Analysis
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3. Analysis of non-search channels
Forums like Reddit and Quora, communities, brand and competitor FAQ pages, social media, and YouTube comments are rich sources of real-time insights into user understanding and emerging topics to address with content.
Slack communities are one of my favorite sources of data (and they’ve also helped me land new customers). Active Slack communities on topics related to your business are often incredibly fruitful, with users asking questions and looking for recommendations that you can address directly.
To get the most out of Slack, always respect the community rules, don’t be too pushy or salesy unless it’s a question explicitly looking for your product or service, and look for ways to add value to conversations ongoing although they do not benefit directly.
4. SERP analysis for “striking distance” keywords.
With Google’s old page system, it used to go from 11 to 10 (the first page of the SERPs and get away from the “where do you hide a dead body” jokes) or even from 4 to 2 ( above the fold), were movements with a growth multiplier effect.
Now that Google is using infinite scrolling in the SERPs, the consequential improvements depend less on page breaks and more on position relative to other SERP features, such as embedded videos or people also asking sections that make the content down to displacement.
However, not all keyword ranking improvements have the same ramifications, so make sure your reports reflect opportunities to evaluate the cost and benefit of making big leaps.
Looking to the future
I’ve been in the SEO industry long enough to remember many seemingly seismic changes in the search landscape that left marketers scrambling to adjust. this is perhaps the most dynamic period I have experienced; the introduction of AI-generated content is a whole new dimension for search marketers.
That said, during times of change, I’ve almost always seen brands lose control of certain SEO fundamentals that have been proven to drive growth. Whatever form your EMS rollout takes, the best way to prepare is to control what you can control, and make your best practices grow in the meantime.
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
