6 Important Keyword Metrics & How to Analyze Them

Keyword metrics are indispensable information points that archer you whether a keyword is worthy targeting.

You tin find keyword metrics utilizing keyword analysis tools similar Keyword Overview.

They look similar this:

Keyword metrics are important due to the fact that not each keyword you find volition beryllium worthy creating contented for.

Some volition beryllium irrelevant to your audience. Many volition beryllium excessively competitive. And others volition person excessively small imaginable to beryllium worthy the effort.

But you’ll besides travel crossed immoderate that are cleanable for your site.

Keyword metrics assistance you benignant done these options and prime the champion keywords.

In this guide, we’ll screen the six astir important keyword metrics SEOs should look astatine erstwhile choosing keywords to target.

And past amusement you however to find the close keywords for your website. Today.

1. Search Volume

Search volume is the mean fig of times a keyword is searched per month.

High hunt measurement indicates popularity. Meaning a batch of radical are searching for that circumstantial keyword.

Targeting and ranking good for a keyword with precocious hunt measurement tin mean much website traffic. Which tin pb to much imaginable income (if that’s your goal).

To analyse a keyword’s hunt volume, usage Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool. 

Just participate your keyword into the tool. And you'll spot its monthly hunt volume. Along with different utile metrics.

Target keywords with capable hunt volume—we urge astatine slightest 100 monthly searches arsenic a wide regularisation of thumb. That way, your efforts are much apt to output meaningful traffic.

Targeting keywords with debased hunt measurement (like 10-20 searches per month) astir apt won’t bring capable visitors to your site.

2. Keyword Difficulty (KD)

Keyword difficulty shows however hard it would beryllium to fertile connected leafage 1 of Google for a circumstantial keyword.

A higher trouble people means you whitethorn request to enactment successful much effort to fertile good for that keyword.

Most SEO tools supply a trouble score. Usually connected a standard of 1-100.

Semrush does the aforesaid but goes 1 measurement further: It provides a personalized trouble people for your domain specifically.

We telephone this metric personal keyword difficulty (PKD).

To find your PKD, participate your keyword into the Keyword Overview tool. And participate your domain sanction into the tract provided.

Then deed “Search.”

This volition guarantee that your PKD people appears. Along with different AI-powered keyword metrics (e.g., “Topical Authority” and “Your imaginable presumption connected SERP”).

Lower trouble keywords are often easier targets, particularly for caller websites. If you autumn into this category, immoderate keyword with a PKD people beneath 30% is simply a large accidental to consider.

3. Search Intent

Search intent is the intent down a user's hunt query. 

This isn’t a “metric” successful the classical sense, but it’s important to recognize it. Because it tells you what benignant of contented to make to fertile for your people keyword.

Content that matches the searcher’s intent is overmuch much apt to fertile precocious successful hunt results.

The 4 superior hunt intents are:

• Informational: Users are looking for accusation oregon answers to questions. They whitethorn beryllium seeking how-to guides, explanation posts, oregon wide cognition astir a topic. For example, "What is SEO?" oregon "How to cook a cake."
• Navigational: Users mean to find a circumstantial website oregon page. They whitethorn participate a marque sanction arsenic portion of their query. For example, "Facebook login" oregon "Amazon."
• Commercial: Users are researching products oregon services with the intent to marque a acquisition successful the future. They whitethorn comparison options oregon work reviews. For example, "best smartphones 2024" oregon "laptop reviews."
• Transactional: Users are acceptable to marque a acquisition oregon implicit a transaction. This intent is often indicated by keywords similar "buy," "order," oregon "discount." For example, "buy moving shoes online" oregon "best terms for a camera."

Look up a keyword’s hunt intent successful Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool.

Once you place the hunt intent down a keyword, make prime contented that aligns with that intent.

Further reading: Quality Content: What It Is + 10 Actionable Tips for Success

4. Search Trend

Search inclination shows however the popularity of a keyword has changed implicit time. 

It gives you penetration into whether people’s involvement successful a taxable oregon keyword is growing, declining, oregon steady.

A declining inclination mightiness bespeak that the keyword is becoming little applicable implicit time. So it whitethorn beryllium OK to deprioritize this keyword.

An upward trend, connected the different hand, suggests that involvement successful the keyword is growing. Which means it mightiness beryllium a bully accidental to leap connected aboriginal and people that keyword.

The Keyword Overview instrumentality volition assistance you analyse keywords’ hunt trends.

5. Cost Per Click (CPC)

Cost per click shows you however overmuch advertisers wage for each click connected their ads for a circumstantial keyword.

While CPC is chiefly utilized successful paid advertising, it's besides invaluable for SEO.

A precocious CPC often suggests that advertisers are consenting to wage much for clicks connected that keyword. Which could bespeak a higher conversion imaginable and worth for your business.

CPC tin alteration importantly crossed industries. A "high" CPC successful 1 niche mightiness beryllium mean successful another.

Semrush’s Keyword Overview instrumentality volition amusement you CPC.

6. SERP Features

SERP features are peculiar elements that look connected hunt motor results pages (SERPs) successful summation to the modular integrated listings.

Like this:

SERP features are important to see erstwhile choosing keywords. Because SERP features tin importantly interaction your visibility.

Common SERP features include:

• Featured snippets: These are little answers oregon summaries that look astatine the apical of the SERP
• People besides ask: A container containing related questions and expandable answers
• Local pack: A representation and database of section businesses applicable to the hunt query
• Knowledge panel: An accusation container that appears connected the close broadside of the SERP for definite entity-based searches

If your keywords trigger SERP features, determination is an accidental to summation further visibility.

You tin cheque this utilizing Semrush's Keyword Overview tool. The instrumentality shows the snapshot of the results leafage and the assorted SERP features that look for that keyword.

Bonus: 4 Tips for Choosing the Right Keywords

Here are immoderate important things to support successful caput erstwhile selecting keywords for SEO. 

Make Sure Keywords Are Relevant to Your Business

This 1 is beauteous obvious. But it's worthy emphasizing. 

Relevance is important due to the fact that it ensures that you're attracting the close audience—people who are really funny successful what you offer.

The keywords you take should beryllium straight related to your products, services, oregon content. And your goals.

For example, a blog station selling products should people keywords similar “top 10 moving shoes successful 2024.” Not “How to hole your moving shoes.”

Using irrelevant keywords mightiness bring traffic. But that postulation astir apt won’t convert.

Identify the Quick Wins, but Have a Long-Term Strategy

When you’re conscionable starting out, take low-difficulty keywords to get speedy wins.

These keywords tin assistance you summation immoderate archetypal traction. And commencement driving postulation to your tract faster. 

While speedy wins are important, don't neglect much competitive, high-volume keywords entirely.

Ranking for these presumption volition instrumentality much clip and effort. But they tin supply important postulation successful the agelong run. So commencement targeting them from time 1 truthful you’re well-positioned for aboriginal growth.

Analyze the SERPs

Before you finalize your keyword choices, analyse the SERPs for those keywords. 

This investigation volition assistance you recognize the competitors you request to outrank.

If the top-ranking pages are from well-known brands successful your industry, it whitethorn beryllium much challenging to outrank them. Especially if you're a newer oregon smaller player. 

These established websites often person beardown authority, a ample fig of backlinks, and prime contented that hunt engines favor.

You tin spot the investigation study of apical competitors straight wrong Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool.

Look astatine Multiple Metrics Together

During keyword analysis, see aggregate metrics unneurotic (not successful isolation).

For instance, a keyword with mean hunt measurement and debased trouble mightiness look charismatic astatine archetypal glance. However, if it has a debased CPC and doesn't trigger immoderate utile SERP features, it whitethorn not beryllium arsenic invaluable arsenic initially thought. 

On the different hand, a keyword with somewhat little hunt measurement but a precocious CPC, mean difficulty, and the imaginable to look successful a featured snippet could beryllium a much strategical choice.

So look astatine each the metrics to get a well-rounded presumption of the imaginable worth from the keyword.

And retrieve that Semrush’s Keyword Overview instrumentality provides each the information you request to marque the close choices.

Use Keyword Metrics to Choose the Perfect Keywords

Keyword metrics archer you whether a keyword is worthy targeting.

While a keyword similar “what are way moving shoes” might look similar the cleanable keyword for a footwear store, it whitethorn not be, depending connected your goals.

Especially since the keyword is hard to fertile for (with a 57% keyword trouble score). And has an informational intent, meaning searchers looking up this keyword aren’t looking to bargain moving shoes.

Use Keyword Overview to find AI-powered keyword metrics. So you tin people applicable keywords that volition really lend to your brand’s bottommost line.