How to use Google Analytics to see which keywords lead to your blog

Yesterday, I made a post about the Top 5 things to do for your SEO and received several emails regarding number 5, which was using Google Analytics. One tip in there was to learn more about the keywords that are driving traffic to your blog and apparently, some folks didn’t know how to do that . It’s really not hard but like most tools, many of us have our “blinders” on and go straight to areas that we already know and don’t have enough time to explore.

So, to access the keywords that are bringing visitors to your site from search engines, here’s all you have to do:

Log in to your Google Analytics account.
Next to the Website Profile (i.e. your blog URL), you’ll see View Report. Click on that.
In the left nav, click on Traffic Sources. This will expand the nav.
Under the expanded Traffic Sources nav, click on Keywords.

The default is only at 10 keywords so make sure you change the Show rows drop down on the bottom of the page to at least 50 to get a better picture.

Hopefully this saves you a little time because once you know it exists, it’s only a matter of time for you to find it yourself. Once you pop that keyword page up, you quickly realize that it’s one of the more interesting reports to look at. You’ll find yourself saying “Really? Someone who searched for <bleep> ended up on my site?” just about every time you look at the report.

Lastly, if you are reading this and don’t have a Google Analytics account, well, what are you waiting for? Go get one! It’s free and as I mentioned before, it’s arguably the best tool out there to analyze your blog.

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Tags: SEO

This entry was posted on 2009/09/16, 10:31 am and is filed under Leveraging tools, Promoting your site. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

At 2009.09.17 19:46, Tweets that mention How to use Google Analytics to see which keywords lead to your blog | Free Blog Help dot Com -- Topsy.com said:

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[Reply]

At 2009.10.08 00:11, Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti said:

I don’t have a blog, but I do have a website. I wonder if Google Analytics would work with that or how I would access it. I’ll have to check it out. My website provider has a traffic tool, but it does not update as quickly as I would like.

At 2009.10.08 01:28, Gabe Young said:

You absolutely should get Google Analytics on your website. Just go to http://www.google.com/analytics and sign up. You’ll get a piece of code to put on your site and then you’ll be set.

At 2010.06.03 12:19, Sudeep Acharya said:

Yes nice man
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At 2010.07.05 11:04, Alamin said:

Thanks nice post i use google analysis too

At 2011.09.22 02:14, gongju said:

I don’t have a blog, but I do have a website. I wonder if Google Analytics would work with that or how I would access it. I’ll have to check it out. My website provider has a traffic tool, but it does not update as quickly as I would like.
gongju’s last post…カクダイ泡沫UJパイプ 9127: DIY・工具

[Reply]

At 2010.07.06 00:31, Joynal Abedin said:

Helpful post, Gabe Young. I like your style of writing. Your post always helps us to make our blogging easier.

Thanks.

At 2010.07.22 13:20, etipz said:

nice post. it’s very useful for bloggers
etipz’s last post…Sweet and White Mashed Potato Swirl

At 2010.08.10 16:07, Marty said:

Great tips, now I can use Analytics more effectively
Marty’s last post…AT&T Blackberry Torch 9800 Unveiled

At 2010.09.11 11:53, Icechen1 said:

Thanks, I also noticed that my search engine traffic decreased a bit with the release of Google Instant, what a bummer.
Icechen1′s last post…Google Instant released- what is it

At 2010.11.14 15:33, HD Guy said:

Very good tips, knowing your keywords is very important for the success of any blog
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At 2010.12.02 02:28, off page seo said:

nice information for google analytics beginners
thx for sharing us!

At 2011.01.21 09:48, perra-st said:

Thanx for this useful information.

At 2011.01.26 12:08, perra-st said:

Thanks for this article

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At 2011.04.08 14:57, Kanute Fleming said:

Thanks, Gabe Young, for this helpful post for us who don’t know much about these things. You explain so cleary and thoroughly that’s it easy to understand for most people.

Thank you,
Kanute
Kanute Fleming’s last post…Yahoo Questions And Answers Can Generate Traffic

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