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How to Identify ‘Not Provided’ Keywords in Google Analytics

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In the SEO world where keywords play an important role, not being able to identify ‘not provided’ keywords in Google Analytics (the search terms that brought visitors to a site) is comparable to sailing through heavy fog. The imposed blindness weakens our performance and productivity. In the absence of actionable data, what can we do to gain some insight on what works? There are a handful of methods that help us get the information we need.

What are ‘Not Set’ Keywords in Google Analytics

not provided Google Analytics

Back in 2011, Google implemented a way to hide search terms issued from a secure connection linked to a Google account (Gmail, YouTube, Analytics, and a few more) in its Analytics reports. The move was officially motivated by privacy concerns: any query keyed in using the secure protocol “https://” would not reveal the keywords in Google Analytics Reports. In other words, it became impossible to identify true organic traffic to a website. (Since then, some browsers have defaulted to this standard).

keywords Google Analytics

The exception to the rule is that keywords associated with paid Google ads are exempt from the lockdown.

Between a secure search connection and a website Google filters the search terms: PPC associated keywords pass through and show up in your data; independent search terms do not.

As a result, you are getting traffic on your pages (and possibly conversions and sales), but you don’t know what visitors searched for to land there, making it difficult to know your audience and implement action plans and targeting campaigns or improve your SEO.

Methods to Identify ‘Not Provided’ Keywords in Google Analytics

Create a Custom Report for Landing Pages
Creating a report that filters ‘not provided’ keywords per URL can help weed through the unknown, at least for new visits.

• From a profile in Google Analytics account, select Filters
• Select ‘+ New Filter’
• Add (advanced) Filter to Profile

Google Analytics optimization

The output will list all pages that were visited while the search terms are unavailable.

If you are confident the pages carry relevant keywords, you will have a better idea of their performance based on number of visits.

If you are running PPC campaign, you can correlate the ranking with ‘not provided’ keyword analyze the trends.

Use Google Webmaster Tools Reports

Another way to identify ‘not provided’ keywords is to use the queries report from Webmaster Tools. It displays the Google search queries that generated the most impressions for your URLs. All you need is to set up Webmaster Tools data sharing.
Analyze the traffic sources to understand where the searches are coming from. The queries report allows you to identify the most popular keywords and provide new keywords to consider. With this data, you can isolate the pages that have a good position but low click-through, and focus on improving content.
The inconvenient of this method is it works for one website at a time. If you manage several sites, you have to manually change the association between Webmaster and Google Analytics each time.

Google Analytics keyword analyze

Use Adwords reports to identify ‘not provided’ keywords

Paid search is not subject to the privacy filter, so this is a good place to go fish.

The Adwords keyword report gives the whole data of traffic sources  in “Matched Search Queries”.

If Adwords is part of your campaigns, comparing page data between paid and organic searches is useful.
Where it gets interesting is to analyze your competitors’ performance in the Google Adwords Auction Insights Report.

This reveals great information on keywords that hit, along with a glimpse of your competition’s strategies: if a keyword consistently makes it to the top, it could mean they are focusing on it…for a (good) reason.

When Google pulled the plug and created the ‘not provided’ keywords creature, they sparked a fierce controversy. Solutions to identify organic search or circumvent the absence of data exist but are far from providing satisfactory results (not to mention the amount of work it represents to get information that was available before). Third party developers are working around the clock to bring back sanity to the SEO world.

Best Mobile Analytics Apps 2016

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Mobile devices have become an extension of our desk and mobile analytics apps let us do our job anytime, anywhere.

Running an online business, managing websites, or optimizing digital marketing campaigns… We are not necessarily sitting in front of a screen all day; we need access to data when we are off work. Such is the virtual world that it changes constantly and necessitates we take prompt actions.

Imagine being out of the office for hours. No desktop computer, no laptop. At any given moment, something could happen that needs fixing.

Without the possibility to react, we lose control of productivity. In fact, even a few minutes can make a difference. That’s how fast the world moves.
In our job, in our business, all depending upon virtual behaviors, we rely on numbers, reports and graphs to continually assess our position, visibility and performance. It can all be in our palm and at our fingertips, thanks to mobile analytics tools.

Mobile Analytics Apps Best for SEO Essentials: iWebmaster Tools

iWebmaster screen

(available for iPhone and iPad- free)
For digital marketing professionals and online business owners, SEO is at the forefront of operations. The need for outstanding execution calls for powerful tools that give access to data and key metrics.
iWebmaster Tools is a mobile analytics app that scans all aspects of SEO and deliver the results in clear design. From SEO reports to Alexa stats and social analytics (counting shares, tweets and attached comments), you can monitor your performance in seconds.

The Directory Listing Checker allows you to make sure you are listed in the most popular directories, essential to your visibility.
The app is kind enough to highlight your website vulnerabilities and offer advice to improve along with providing website diagnostic (including potential malware threats using our trusted guardians Norton, McAfee and AVG).
The Resources tab and E-Learning Center offer videos from the likes of MOZ and SEOBook so you can keep up to date with the industry news and happenings, and courses about Email marketing list building or how to conquer social media (with titles like “secret strategies” and “plan of attack” , you’re set to dominate the virtual universe).

To put it simply : must have mobile analytics app.

Mobile Analytics Apps Best for in Depth Reports: Google Analytics

(available for IOS and Android – free)

Google Analytics

Digital marketers, online retailers, website owners all rely on reports to track productivity, analyse traffic and retention and increase conversion. Chances are Google Analytics is installed on their desktop.

The mobile version offers the same functionalities with the added benefit of manageable size.
Data are displayed in real time so the slightest anomaly can quickly be detected and addressed.

The mobile analytics app lets you configure your favorite views, controls are easy to master and navigation is user friendly.

While it’s loaded with reports, the one page overviews make it less daunting than the desktop version. A smaller scale forces you to look at the whole before digging in, allowing for better evaluation of your audience, acquisition or conversions, to name a few . One glance and you immediately notice if traffic is timid, giving you the opportunity to react. This mobile analytics app also features automatic alerts if it detects anomalies so you don’t wait hours before being able to fix them.

To put it simply: robust mobile analytics app.

Mobile Analytics Apps Best for at a Glance: Dashboard for Google Analytics

(available for iPhone and Android – free)

Dashboard for Google
One might think Google dominates, but we have to admit they know a lot about online business and the best tools to run it. The mobile analytics app “Dashboard” brings the essence of Google Analytics without the overwhelming effect.

In a matter of seconds, you can see if you met your goals thanks to auto-updating charts. Anything displayed in red alerts you of a matter that requires your attention. The app is particularly useful at critical times of a campaign (at launch for example), special events or promotions when you must be able to track performance and cost effectiveness. Dashboard for Google Analytics drills through over 80 reports to deliver their essence in simple, understandable form.

To put it simply: mobile analytics app for pros on the go.
Internet users are using their mobile device more and more to search, surf and shop on the net. It’s only common sense that we too use those devices to make sure we cater to their exact needs.