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9 Ways to Compare Keywords: Ultimate Guide
Comparing keywords? Well, most marketers are just focused on finding keywords and putting them to work. But here's the thing: comparing keywords can actually be your key to better SEO.
In this article, I’m going to break down nine effective methods for comparing keywords to help you optimize your strategy and maximize your SEO results. Let’s dive in!
Where to start: preparation steps
Before you dive into comparing keywords, there’s some prep work you need to do. After all, you can’t compare what you don’t have, right?
For starters, you should create a list of seed keywords. These are the basic terms that best describe your business. For example, if you’re running a bakery, your seed keywords might be fresh bread, custom cakes, and pastries. These words represent what you do and what you want people to find you for.
With your seed keywords in hand, you’re now ready to expand your list with more long-tail keywords. To do that, you can use Rank Tracker.
How to Do Keyword Research [Cheat Sheet]
Next, you can dive into full-scale keyword research with each seed keyword. Choose any of Rank Tracker’s keyword research methods and type any seed keyword(s) of your interest.
Thus, you’ll gather more options to compare and figure out which ones are going to work best for you.
Tip: All your searched keywords are automatically saved in the Keywords Sandbox, ensuring you don’t miss a thing.
Once you've completed your research on all your seed keywords, you can head over to the Keyword Sandbox to compare them. Or, you can do your comparison in any workspace that suits you best.
Why compare keywords?
Comparing keywords isn’t just a nice-to-have step. Why bother? Because not every keyword is suitable for your website. Some might be too broad, attracting a ton of visitors who aren’t really interested in what you offer. Others might be too niche, barely getting any traffic at all.
When you take the time to compare, you can figure out which keywords are going to drive the most relevant traffic to your site. Otherwise, you may end up targeting the wrong keywords and then wonder why your SEO efforts aren’t paying off.
How to compare keywords: 9 ways
Comparing keywords isn’t as tricky as it sounds. In fact, it can be pretty easy when you know what to look for. Here are nine simple ways to compare your keywords and find the ones that will give you the best results.
Search volume
Search volume tells you how many people are searching for a particular keyword. With Rank Tracker, you can easily see which keywords are like hot pies and which are not.
In Rank Tracker, search volume refers to the # of Searches metric. The column of the same name will be in your workspace by default.
I know it’s tempting to target keywords with the highest search volume, but very often, it’s the wrong path to go. Right, keywords with high search volumes attract more traffic but are often highly competitive. So, using such keywords will make sense if you have strong domain authority.
In fact, keywords with medium and low search volume can be easier to rank for, which makes them ideal for niche markets or newer sites.
Thus, the win-win scenario is to mix high, medium, and low-volume keywords to balance visibility and rankability. Plus, I recommend comparing search volume along with keyword difficulty, which we’ll discuss further.
Tip: Once you’ve done comparing keywords and selected the best ones, you can mark them as Tracked by clicking on a dedicated button next to a keyword.
By doing so, you will have them in one place in a separate Tracked Keywords dashboard in the Rank Tracking section.
Keyword difficulty
Keyword difficulty shows how tough it is to rank for a certain keyword. Like a difficulty level in a game.
Rank Tracker provides a Keyword Difficulty score for each keyword. This score is calculated based on the number of backlinks and domain authority of the top-ranking sites for that keyword.
Compare this score across your keywords to choose the most suitable ones. Just like with # of Searches, I recommend considering your domain authority when deciding which keywords to target based on Keyword Difficulty.
Tip: If you need to check all the metrics for a certain keyword quickly, you can head to SERP Analysis and type the term in a search bar.
Rank Tracker will show info like Keyword Difficulty, # of Searches, Competition, and more for this particular keyword.
Competition
When you’re up for a big race, it’s smart to know if the competition is fierce or not. The same applies to choosing keywords.
You have to decide if it's worth competing for those super tough keywords where you might not make much profit. Sometimes, it’s better to go for less competitive options where you can really make your content shine.
To check how competitive your keywords are, you can consult a dedicated Competition column in Rank Tracker.
Obviously, high competition leads to a higher struggle to rank, while with lower competition, you can compete effectively without too much effort.
Tip: If you want a more detailed overview of rivals competing with you for a certain keyword, you can head to Competitor Research > Topic Competitors.
Rank Tracker will show details about each competitor, including the number of keywords they rank for in Google, their organic traffic, linking domains, and more.
Cost per click (CPC)
A high CPC indicates that advertisers are willing to pay more for clicks on that keyword. Simply put, it has high commercial intent. This often means that the keyword is valuable and can lead to sales, making it a good target for organic optimization as well.
Rank Tracker shows you how much each click is worth for different keywords. You can find this information in the dedicated Cost Per Click column.
Keywords with a high CPC are typically more competitive, both in paid search and organically. Knowing this can help SEO specialists spot opportunities to target less competitive terms that still align with their goals.
Expected visits
Rank Tracker estimates the potential monthly traffic a keyword can bring if your website ranks first for this term on Google. Let’s be honest: if you can predict how many visitors a keyword may bring, planning becomes a lot easier.
In Rank Tracker, this information is displayed in the Expected Visits column while you're researching keywords.
If your goal is to boost organic traffic, comparing keywords by expected visits is essential. It helps you focus on the keywords most likely to drive significant traffic. By prioritizing keywords with higher expected visits, you can maximize your site’s visibility.
Keyword effectiveness index (KEI)
KEI is a unique metric in Rank Tracker. It helps you understand the profitability of a keyword. It’s calculated by balancing two key factors: search volume and competition.
A high-value KEI with a green indicator shows that a keyword is popular (it’s searched frequently) and not too competitive, making it a prime target for your SEO efforts.
In Rank Tracker, you can easily check and compare keywords’ KEI in a dedicated column during your research.
By comparing KEI, you can spot keywords that offer more opportunities to bring organic traffic to your website.
Keyword gap
The keyword gap analysis shows you the keyword intersection between the mentioned domains. The most interesting part here is discovering terms your competitors already rank for, but you’re missing out on. This is like discovering a secret sauce your competitors are using to get ahead.
Rank Tracker can help you find and close that gap. Navigate to Keyword Research> Keyword Gap and type the domains you want to compare.
If you want Rank Tracker to show keywords that your competitors are ranking for, but you’re not, select the Compare keywords (all competitors but not your site) option in the dropdown.
This type of keyword comparison is a nice way to get new keyword ideas and areas to improve in your content plan.
For your convenience, you can also use our online Keyword Gap Analysis Tool.
Search intent
Understanding what drives people to search for a specific keyword is crucial for creating content that captures their interest. When you align your content with the search intent, you increase the chances of engaging users.
In Rank Tracker, you can sort your top-ranking keywords by search intent by setting up manual filters. Here's how you can identify different intents:
- Navigational: Keywords that include brand, product, or service names.
- Informational: Keywords with words like how, what, why, or who.
- Transactional: Keywords with terms like buy, sale, discount, or near me.
- Commercial: Keywords including terms like best, top, alternatives, or reviews.
To filter out words, click on a funnel icon and set the needed parameters. Here’s an example of filters for informational search intent:
By understanding and comparing keywords based on search intent, you can better match your content to what users are looking for. This leads to a better user experience, where visitors find exactly what they need on your site, and it can also boost your search rankings.
Pro method: SERP overview
When it comes to SEO, it’s better to pick battles you’re more likely to win. So, you need to see how tough it would be to outrank your competitors and identify what factors are boosting those top pages to the first positions.
The SERP Analysis feature in Rank Tracker gives you a profound keyword overview. The SERP Averagewidget displays the most important ranking factors. To find the correlation between the ranking factor and the ranks, check the graph above. Click the drop-down menu and select a factor with a high or moderate correlation. This will help you identify what's missing to improve your ranking.
Plus, the table below shows the top 50 pages ranking for the mentioned keyword and SERP features (like Reviews, News, etc.) they have.
Comparing keywords based on this info can help you focus your efforts on keywords that have the potential to stand out in the SERP.
How to use keyword comparison data
Developing content strategy
When you plan your content strategy, keyword comparison data is your helping hand to pinpoint high-potential topics. By analyzing search volume, difficulty, and other factors, you can identify which keywords are most likely to succeed.
How to Create a Content Plan in 6 Steps
This lets you prioritize content that will attract more traffic and engage your audience effectively. Instead of guessing, you’re making informed decisions that focus your efforts where they matter most.
Optimizing on-page SEO
Optimizing individual pages with the right keywords can boost your conversion rates. You can do that by adding the most relevant terms for your titles, meta descriptions, and main content.
Thus, your pages align with what people are actually searching for, and you have a higher chance they’ll click on your link and stay on your site. It’s about making sure every part of your page speaks directly to user intent.
Ultimate On-Page SEO Guide
Running PPC campaigns
For PPC campaigns, keyword comparison data is a must-have. It helps you target keywords that not only have high search intent but also a strong potential for conversion. This means your ads are more likely to reach the audience ready to take action.
By focusing on these high-value keywords, you can improve your campaign’s performance, ensuring that your ad spend is driving meaningful results and not just clicks.
Final word
All in all, comparing keywords is a step that should be taken seriously. This helps you dive into your keyword data and guide your SEO decisions toward higher traffic and conversions.
Do you use any other criteria when comparing keywords? Join our private Facebook group to share your insights and experiences!
