{"id":583,"date":"2019-09-12T23:12:22","date_gmt":"2019-09-12T23:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/?p=583"},"modified":"2019-09-29T19:39:56","modified_gmt":"2019-09-29T19:39:56","slug":"where-the-wild-things-grow-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/?p=583","title":{"rendered":"Google Search Console Can Increase Traffic to Your Site: Here&#8217;s How"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"583\" class=\"elementor elementor-583\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-11c1bc6f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"11c1bc6f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2cfa4200\" data-id=\"2cfa4200\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-40b373 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"40b373\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Google ranks your most popular pages for dozens, if not hundreds, of search terms. Even if you target some of those keywords, you probably don\u2019t know all the terms attracting attention from search engines.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s a free tool that can help you identify these \u201chidden\u201d keywords and further optimize your content for them. This easy-to-implement, seven-step process can help you develop a strategy that could bring in thousands more visitors every month.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the basics. Over time, Google\u2019s algorithm will rank each page for terms it thinks are relevant to the content. You can access those conclusions through the free Google Search Console. (If you haven\u2019t already connected your site to your account, begin that process\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-gray\">\n<p><strong>HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"first-child\"><a href=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/05\/google-seo-keyword-rankings\/\">Why Google Keyword Rankings Still Matter for SEO<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"last-child\"><a href=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/05\/google-eyes-content\/\">How to Get Google Eyes for Your Content<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>1. Get the big and little picture<\/h2>\n<p>You arrive at the overview screen. Click on the performance tab in the left column to see an overview of your site\u2019s performance, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"first-child\">Total clicks<\/li>\n<li>Total impressions<\/li>\n<li>Average click-through rate<\/li>\n<li class=\"last-child\">Average position of your site (based on its highest position whenever it appeared in search)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>TIP:<\/strong>\u00a0The default view of the graphic (below) includes only total clicks and impressions. To see average CTR and average position in the graph, click on its corresponding box above.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-90609\" src=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-overview-600x274.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-overview-600x274.png 600w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-overview-125x57.png 125w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-overview-390x178.png 390w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-overview-768x351.png 768w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-overview.png 793w\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"274\" data-attachment-id=\"90609\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/gsc-overview\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-overview.png\" data-orig-size=\"793,362\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gsc-overview\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-overview-390x178.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-overview-600x274.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Below the overview graphic is a table with the individual pages on the site. Analyzing this information provides valuable insights about your content.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-90610\" src=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-page-performance-600x335.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-page-performance-600x335.png 600w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-page-performance-125x70.png 125w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-page-performance-390x218.png 390w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-page-performance-768x429.png 768w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-page-performance.png 827w\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"335\" data-attachment-id=\"90610\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/gsc-page-performance\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-page-performance.png\" data-orig-size=\"827,462\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gsc-page-performance\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-page-performance-390x218.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-page-performance-600x335.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The tabs \u2013 queries, pages, countries, devices, and search appearance \u2013 allow you to analyze the data points (clicks, impressions, CTR, position) in different ways. Here\u2019s a quick overview of the tabs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"first-child\">Queries \u2013 all your ranking search terms<\/li>\n<li>Pages \u2013 list of pages on your site<\/li>\n<li>Countries \u2013 origin of visitors on your site<\/li>\n<li>Device \u2013 how people interact with your site across mobile, desktop, tablet<\/li>\n<li class=\"last-child\">Search appearance \u2013 inclusion in elements like\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2018\/08\/content-featured-snippets\/\">rich snippets<\/a>\u00a0and accelerated mobile platforms (AMPs)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"bctt-click-to-tweet\"><span class=\"bctt-ctt-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/&amp;text=.%40Google%20Search%20Console%20lets%20you%20see%20all%20your%20ranking%20search%20terms%20for%20free.%20%40nhdprins%20%23SEO&amp;related\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">.@Google Search Console lets you see all your ranking search terms for free. @nhdprins #SEO<\/a><\/span><a class=\"bctt-ctt-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/&amp;text=.%40Google%20Search%20Console%20lets%20you%20see%20all%20your%20ranking%20search%20terms%20for%20free.%20%40nhdprins%20%23SEO&amp;related\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CLICK TO TWEET<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>TIP:\u00a0<\/strong>The default setting for sorting is bolded on the page. Click on a different header (i.e., impressions instead of clicks) to sort the pages by that measure.<\/p>\n<p>Now let\u2019s jump into how to evaluate this data. It involves spreadsheets, custom formatting, and a bit of color coding.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Export page keywords to Google Sheets<\/h2>\n<p>To understand which\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2018\/11\/search-intent-seo\/\">keywords<\/a>\u00a0your content is ranking for, review each page\u2019s analytics individually.<\/p>\n<p>Select the pages tab and export the data to Google Sheets. You now have the aggregate overview of each page\u2019s appearance in search results.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-90608\" src=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-600x355.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-600x355.png 600w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-125x74.png 125w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-390x230.png 390w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-768x454.png 768w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets.png 814w\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"355\" data-attachment-id=\"90608\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/gsc-google-sheets\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets.png\" data-orig-size=\"814,481\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gsc-google-sheets\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-390x230.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-600x355.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now, identify which pages have the biggest impact on traffic by using the sort feature in Google Sheets:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"first-child\">Highlight columns A to E.<\/li>\n<li>Click\u00a0<em>data<\/em>\u00a0in the menu.<\/li>\n<li>Select\u00a0<em>sort the range.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Click\u00a0<em>data has header row.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Select\u00a0<em>impressions.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Choose\u00a0<em>Z to A.<\/em><\/li>\n<li class=\"last-child\">Click\u00a0<em>sort.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s a screenshot of what you should see when you have followed all these steps.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-90607\" src=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-2-600x353.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-2-600x353.png 600w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-2-125x73.png 125w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-2-390x230.png 390w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-2-768x451.png 768w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-2.png 793w\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"353\" data-attachment-id=\"90607\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/gsc-google-sheets-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-2.png\" data-orig-size=\"793,466\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gsc-google-sheets-2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-2-390x230.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-google-sheets-2-600x353.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now you can see your site\u2019s individual URLs ranked by the number of impressions (high to low). The pages at the top are the ones with the most potential to bring more traffic with further optimization.<\/p>\n<p>Select your top 20 pages by impressions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TIP:\u00a0<\/strong>Pick only content-focused URLs \u2013 most often these are articles from your blog. You can\u2019t optimize your boilerplate pages such as the Contact Us page in this exercise.<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-box-gray\"><strong>HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/02\/seo-keywords-google\/\">2019 SEO Keywords and Google: What\u2019s in Your Poker Hand?<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n<h2>3. Download the keywords<\/h2>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s analyze the keywords for each of those 20 pages.<\/p>\n<p>Go back to Google Search Console to collect this data:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"first-child\">Click the\u00a0<em>new button<\/em>\u00a0and select\u00a0<em>page<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>Paste the first URL into the lightbox. Click\u00a0<em>apply<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li class=\"last-child\">Select\u00a0<em>queries<\/em>\u00a0from the table menu and click\u00a0<em>export to Google Sheets<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-90606\" src=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-download-keywords-600x347.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-download-keywords-600x347.png 600w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-download-keywords-125x72.png 125w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-download-keywords-390x226.png 390w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-download-keywords-768x445.png 768w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-download-keywords.png 974w\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"347\" data-attachment-id=\"90606\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/gsc-download-keywords\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-download-keywords.png\" data-orig-size=\"974,564\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gsc-download-keywords\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-download-keywords-390x226.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-download-keywords-600x347.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In your exported Google Sheet, sort the queries by impressions (see the sorting instructions in the previous step for a refresher on how to do this).<\/p>\n<p>Repeat this step for each of the 20 URLs. Your master Google Sheet should now have 21 tabs.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Apply conditional formatting<\/h2>\n<p>Conditional formatting is a set of rules you can use to analyze data on a spreadsheet. You can use it to identify keywords you want to focus on.<\/p>\n<p>For example, I applied this formatting to the average position column with the following conditions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"first-child\">Highlight rows with average position of 10 or lower in green<\/li>\n<li>Highlight rows with average position between 11 and 20 in yellow<\/li>\n<li class=\"last-child\">Highlight rows with average position 21 and higher in red<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"bctt-click-to-tweet\"><span class=\"bctt-ctt-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/&amp;text=Use%20conditional%20formatting%20to%20easily%20show%20your%20keyword%20analysis%20in%20your%20spreadsheet%2C%20advises%20%40nhdprins.%20%23SEO&amp;related\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Use conditional formatting to easily show your keyword analysis in your spreadsheet, advises @nhdprins. #SEO<\/a><\/span><a class=\"bctt-ctt-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/&amp;text=Use%20conditional%20formatting%20to%20easily%20show%20your%20keyword%20analysis%20in%20your%20spreadsheet%2C%20advises%20%40nhdprins.%20%23SEO&amp;related\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CLICK TO TWEET<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>You can apply conditional formatting to a column or a single cell. Select\u00a0<em>format<\/em>\u00a0on the main menu and click on\u00a0<em>conditional formatting<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-90604\" src=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/conditional-formatting-600x243.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/conditional-formatting-600x243.png 600w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/conditional-formatting-125x51.png 125w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/conditional-formatting-390x158.png 390w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/conditional-formatting-768x311.png 768w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/conditional-formatting.png 770w\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"243\" data-attachment-id=\"90604\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/conditional-formatting\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/conditional-formatting.png\" data-orig-size=\"770,312\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"conditional-formatting\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/conditional-formatting-390x158.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/conditional-formatting-600x243.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I applied a similar set of relevant rules for each of the four columns detailing the metrics.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1n2KBMHQXQxKu-3OXfFF8bba3wy0NWhgMbmnKJ0Sj6Iw\/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Access this template<\/a>, which already includes these rules (i.e., conditional formatting) for your analysis.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Analyze the results<\/h2>\n<p>The spreadsheet now colorfully displays your keyword and content opportunities using a traffic-signal approach. Look at the green opportunities first, followed by yellow and finally red.<\/p>\n<p>Take time to review the analysis to look for effectiveness of your targeted keywords, surprising keywords, patterns (e.g., high impressions but low CTR), etc.<\/p>\n<p>Let me give you two examples of how you might use the information:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"first-child\">If a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/05\/google-seo-keyword-rankings\/\">phrase<\/a>\u00a0is ranking on the first page and has a high number of impressions but a low CTR, optimize the page\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/07\/stop-bad-metadata\/\">metadata<\/a>\u00a0to attract more clicks.<\/li>\n<li class=\"last-child\">If a phrase in position 21 or higher has a high number of impressions but a low CTR, increase the keyword density in the existing content. (Don\u2019t just stuff the keyword into your content as many times as possible. Look for opportunities to include it organically. For example, instead of using the pronoun \u201cit,\u201d use the keyword.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>6. Update your content and SEO plans<\/h2>\n<p>Now, it\u2019s time to update your metadata and existing content to incorporate the high-ranking terms you have identified. Rather than rehashing how to do that here, I recommend you check out the following resources:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"first-child\"><a href=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2012\/02\/essential-guide-to-meta-descriptions\/\">The Essential Guide to Meta Descriptions That Will Get You Found Online<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/05\/republishing-blog-posts\/\">The Why, When, and How of Republishing Blog Posts<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"last-child\"><a href=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2017\/07\/page-ranking-keyword\/\">How to Boost Your Page Ranking for One Keyword<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That brings us nicely onto the final phase of how to use Search Console for SEO.<\/p>\n<h2>7. Review the SEO impact of your updates<\/h2>\n<p>Updating old content and improving the metadata of your content is an ongoing process. Get into the habit of reviewing the impact of your post-analysis change. Ideally, do it two weeks after you update a metadata description and three months after you change the existing content.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bctt-click-to-tweet\"><span class=\"bctt-ctt-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/&amp;text=Review%202%20weeks%20after%20you%20update%20a%20metadata%20description%20%26%203%20months%20after%20changing%20existing%20%23content.%20%40nhdprins.%20%23SEO&amp;related\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Review 2 weeks after you update a metadata description &amp; 3 months after changing existing #content. @nhdprins. #SEO<\/a><\/span><a class=\"bctt-ctt-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/&amp;text=Review%202%20weeks%20after%20you%20update%20a%20metadata%20description%20%26%203%20months%20after%20changing%20existing%20%23content.%20%40nhdprins.%20%23SEO&amp;related\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CLICK TO TWEET<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Go to Search Console and choose a page to review. Then select\u00a0<em>date range<\/em>\u00a0followed by\u00a0<em>compare<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-90605\" src=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-compare-600x305.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-compare-600x305.png 600w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-compare-125x64.png 125w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-compare-390x198.png 390w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-compare-768x390.png 768w, https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-compare.png 974w\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"305\" data-attachment-id=\"90605\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/2019\/09\/google-search-console\/gsc-compare\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-compare.png\" data-orig-size=\"974,495\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gsc-compare\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-compare-390x198.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/contentmarketinginstitute.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/gsc-compare-600x305.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You can analyze the data in Search Console or export it to a Google Sheet. If you see an increase in position, CTR, or number of impressions, your changes likely had a positive impact. If you see no change or a decrease in those metrics, you should tweak the metadata or make changes to your content.<\/p>\n<h2>Investigate and use the data<\/h2>\n<p>In this guide to using Google Search Console for SEO, I sought to provide a data-driven framework for reviewing and optimizing your existing content. It\u2019s a system that covers how to find keywords that you probably weren\u2019t even aware you were ranking for, how to identify the most relevant terms, and finally, how to review the results of your updates.<\/p>\n<p>Let me know how your analysis and implementation goes. If you have any questions about anything covered in this post, let me know in the comments.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google ranks your most popular pages for dozens, if not hundreds, of search terms. Even if you target some of those keywords, you probably don\u2019t know all the terms attracting attention from search engines. But there\u2019s a free tool that can help you identify these \u201chidden\u201d keywords and further optimize your content for them. This &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/?p=583\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Google Search Console Can Increase Traffic to Your Site: Here&#8217;s How&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-digital-marketing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=583"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":830,"href":"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583\/revisions\/830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketiqmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}