Using Google Search Console for Keyword Research

Google Search Console (GSC) is the best and most genuine source for keyword research. Almost all the bloggers have their sites registered on GSC. However most of us do not trouble to explore the data which GSC provides.

In this lesson, I will try to explain how GSC can be used for keyword research and also how to use filters for targeted keyword ideas and opportunities.

Most of us only check this data

Google Search Console Front Page
Google Search Console Front Page

However, there is another section below the graphs which, if we learn to use properly, can provide us so much data that we won’t need any other tool for keyword research and even topic ideas.

Keyword Research using Google Search Console Data

We all know that this section has some columns like Queries, Pages, Countries, Devices, Search Appearance and Dates. These columns can be used as filters for getting targeted ideas.

Using Country Filter in Google Search Console

In order to do a good keyword research, we need to do as follows:

  1. Make the Data Range of 15 Months from top options
  2. Click Countries and then click the top country from list.
  3. Click Queries and now you will get all the keywords for which your site is ranking in a specific country. Export these keywords in .csv.
  4. Organise these keywords into two groups – those on which you have written and those on which you have not written or not written good content.
  5. Now make a separate list of those keywords for which your site is ranking but you did not write content. Organise those keywords into topics or courses or forum topics and write good content.
  6. Create anchor links from the ranking pages to those which you have written.
  7. You will be amazed to find how much content the users needed that you didn’t write and yet your site was ranking for it.
  8. Repeat the same process for each country and prefer those countries in which your site has more potential of gaining audience or earning money.

You can also search these country specific keywords in Google to get more keywords and topics for your content strategy.

Using Search Appearance Filter in Google Search Console

The next way of puling out valuable data and targeted keywords is the use of Search Appearance Filter in GSC.

Using Search Appearance Feature of Google Search Console
Search Appearance Feature of GSC

Search Appearance section essentially shows how exactly our site’s pages appear in Google Search Results. Note that search results are not limited to Meta-titles, URLs and Meta Descriptions. There are hundreds of other ways in which site’s pages appear.

e.g. my site which is QA forum mostly appears in Q&A Rich Results. The site with videos content may appear in videos column of Google Search Results, Images also rank and bring significant traffic and so on.

So you can click on any option available in Search Appearance section and then click Queries. You will get all the keywords.

In addition, you can click “Countries” to get a deeper insight of your site pages which rank in a rich snippet for particular keywords.

Export all these keywords and see which ones need more content. You can also search these keywords and get a lot more from People Also Ask section or “Searches Related to [keyword]” section.

However the most important thing is to explore these sections and use the filters as much as possible. This is the best way of making a professional keyword research.