Top 13 expert methods to replace Not Provided data

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Top 14 SEO expertson Google’s “Not Provided”

Pro methods to get the “Not Provided” data

What is “Not Provided”?

Google restricts the keyword data they send to websites so that visits coming from secure Google search pages would appear in Google Analytics under the label “not provided”, instead of the actual search term.Grouping a large number of keywords under the banner of “Not Provided” denies site owners fundamental information about how their site is performing in organic search.

How big is the problem?

• The percentage of “not provided” traffic Google is sending to sites is steadily rising.

• As for Feb, 2014, 82.42% of all keywords are hidden behind the “not provided” data

• And very soon it will hit 100%.

What Remains? Keyword Data Options

Here are 14 experts methods to still get the “not provided” data, from very simple to quite difficult.

You choose which one suits you best.

http://webmeup.com/blog/not-provided.html

#1 Focus on landing pagesDan Barker@danbarkerE-business consultant

Go to Google Analytics• Look for “Not Provided” search terms.• Where you find them, look to see which page

the visitor landed on.• Change your keywords report in Google

Analytics to show those two pieces of information (the fact that Google suppressed the keyword, and the landing page), rather than just the utterly anonymous “Not provided”

#2 Focus on landing pages

Rachael Gerson@rachaelgersonSEER Interactive

Go to Google Analytics

• Create filter to view Keyword + Landing page (the easiest)

• Create advanced segments to include only “Not Provided”

• Create a brand-new profile to include “Not Provided”

#3 Set up internal search

Megan Marrs@marrsipanWordstream

Set up site search to see the queries visitors have used in the search box on your site.

#4 Dissect Google Analytics strings

Sean Ellis@seanellisQualarooIf you look at the URL from a Google

search in your address bar, you’ll see that it is not the actual URL of the page. Rather it is a redirect URL with a string of parameters and codes attached to the end. This string provides a wealth of information about the keyword and relative link position of the result that was clicked.

#5 Rely on Approximated Traffic

Viktar Khamianok

WebMeUp

What we came up with is the Approximated Traffic feature in WebMeUp…

We take a lot of SEO data, apply complex calculation – based on research and statistics – and here it is – the figures you weren't supposed to see are to be found under Approximated traffic in WebMeUp.

#6 Make use of SEMRush/Keyword Spy data

Annie Cushing@AnnieCushingSEO consultant

I love these reports. But you have to throw it into a pivot table to get any kind of insight from it.

Some SEO tools like SEMRush or Keyword Spy reports can provide insights on keywords that work.

#7 Look at Bing and Yahoo! statsGraham Charlton

@gcharlton Econsultancy

This is a possible solution, and will provide some insight, but Google's sheer dominance of the search market means that there just isn't much of it.

Rely on keyword data from Yahoo! and Bing as an alternative to Google Not Provided. But be careful…

#8 Use Google Webmaster Tools

Avinash Kaushik

@avinashGoogle

Here are the challenges Google's Webmaster Tools solves: Which search queries does my website show up for, and what does my click-through rate look like?

#9 Open a Google AdWords account

Mike Murray@mikeonlinecoachOnline Marketing Coach Google isn’t so concerned with privacy

that it won’t continue to provide keyword data for paid search customers...

Now, it’s hardly organic data, but an AdWords account will provide some insights and an indication about whether a keyword phrase has any value.

#10 Identify decision you base on keyword data

Reid Bandremer@ReidBandremer

Lunametrics

First, SEOs need to pin down the gaps in actionable insight they need to fill. Ask some deep questions.

Break this down into a set of problems, then prioritize the problems. Then you’ll be on the path to develop the right package of solutions.

#11 Realize Not Provided approaching 100% is not fatal

John Doherty@dohertyjf Ex-Head of Distilled

Most execs don’t care which keywords are driving traffic and converting best. They’re too busy to care about that..

Most execs care about overall revenue coming from the organic, or any other, channel. They also care about their pet keywords, for better or for worse…

#12 Base your keyword researchon personas

Michael King@iPullRankiAcquire

Rather than just putting together a list of keywords and search volumes, we run survey to understand where users are in their Consumer Decision Journey with their search.

#13 Rely on search rankings

Ray Comstock@SEOCatfishBusinessOnline

Analyzing ranking changes across keywords that have historically driven traffic will now be a critical tool in identifying and reacting to negative traffic changes.

It will also be important to carefully track which URLs are ranking for which keywords in order to correlate ranking changes to traffic changes.

#14 Consider CRO for pages, not keywords

Rob Ousbey@RobOusbeyDistilled

… As long as you begin by measuring the CR for people landing on that particular page and work to improve that, you’ll be working on the right thing.

Many sites would previously run Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) tests for particular keywords or group of keywords. Now they can only consider conversion rate of individual pages – and for good.

Thank you!

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