Top Improving Keywords
What Are Improving Keywords?
Improving keywords are search terms that have recently gained better positions in search engine results for your website. These keywords show positive momentum in your SEO performance and represent opportunities for capitalizing on this success.
In technical terms, improving keywords are those where:
- The current position is better (lower number) than the previous position
- Both current and previous positions are within the top 100 search results
- The keyword is actively tracked for your domain
Why Improving Keywords Matter for Your Business
Tracking improving keywords provides several strategic advantages:
- Validate Strategy: Confirms which SEO efforts are working
- Identify Opportunities: Reveals terms with momentum that could be pushed further
- Allocate Resources: Helps focus efforts on areas showing positive results
- Predict Growth: Early improvements often lead to increased traffic and conversions
- Competitive Advantage: Shows where you're gaining ground against competitors
Accessing the Improving Keywords Table
The Improving Keywords Table automatically loads when you:
- Log in to your SEO dashboard
- Scroll down to the "Search Engine Visibility" section
Understanding the Improving Keywords Table
The Improving Keywords Table provides detailed information about each keyword showing positive movement:
Column | Description |
---|---|
Keyword | The specific search term that has improved in rankings |
Domain | The website domain benefiting from this ranking improvement |
Engine | The search engine where the ranking improved (Google, Bing, or Yahoo) - shown as an icon |
Search Group | The project or keyword group this term belongs to |
Latest | The current ranking position |
Previous | The previous ranking position |
Move | The numerical improvement (how many positions the keyword moved up) |
URL | The specific page on your website that ranks for this keyword |
How to Interpret Improving Keywords Data
Patterns to Look For
When analyzing your improving keywords, watch for these valuable patterns:
- Large position improvements: Keywords that jumped many positions (10+) may indicate significant content relevance
- Movements into top positions: Terms moving into the top 10 deserve special attention as they'll likely drive more traffic
- Patterns across search engines: Improvements in multiple search engines suggest universal quality improvements
- Clusters of related keywords: When several related terms improve simultaneously, it indicates topical authority
- URL patterns: Multiple keywords improving for the same URL shows that page is gaining overall strength
Significance of Position Changes
Not all improvements are created equal:
- Movement from position 80 to 20: Significant improvement but still limited traffic impact
- Movement from position 11 to 5: Major traffic opportunity (first page movement)
- Movement from position 5 to 1: Exceptional gain with exponential traffic potential
- New entries into rankings: Keywords appearing in rankings for the first time signal expanding visibility
Leveraging Improving Keywords to Boost Your SEO
Immediate Actions
For each improving keyword, consider these quick-win strategies:
- Update and enhance: Refresh the ranking content to make it even better
- Internal linking: Add links from this page to related content on your site
- Content promotion: Share the improving content on social media and in newsletters
- Capture featured snippets: Optimize content structure to win enhanced search results
Strategic Next Steps
Develop a system to capitalize on momentum:
- Expand content clusters: Create related content around improving topics
- Increase keyword targeting: Identify semantic variations of improving keywords
- Analyze success factors: Determine why these keywords are improving and replicate the approach
- Monitor competitors: Check if competitors are losing ground for these terms
Understanding Why Keywords Improve
Keywords typically improve for one or more of these reasons:
Content Improvements
- Content freshness: Recently updated or published content
- Content depth: More comprehensive information than competitors
- Better alignment: Content that better matches user intent
Technical Enhancements
- Improved page speed: Faster loading times
- Mobile optimization: Better performance on mobile devices
- Enhanced metadata: Improved titles, descriptions, and schema markup
External Factors
- New backlinks: Recent high-quality links to your content
- Algorithm updates: Search engine algorithm changes favoring your approach
- Competitor weakening: Competitors' content or authority declining
- Seasonal trends: Increased search interest in your topic
Best Practices for Capitalizing on Improving Keywords
Content Optimization
- Expand content: Add more depth to already-improving pages
- Update information: Ensure all facts and figures are current
- Enhance readability: Improve formatting, headings, and visual elements
- Add multimedia: Include videos, infographics, or interactive elements
Conversion Optimization
- Review call-to-actions: Ensure improving pages have clear CTAs
- Check user journey: Make sure the page guides users to the next step
- Add lead capture: Consider adding relevant lead generation elements
- Mobile experience: Verify the page converts well on mobile devices
Amplification Strategies
- Social sharing: Promote improving content across your social channels
- Email marketing: Feature improving pages in your email newsletters
- Paid promotion: Consider boosting organic momentum with targeted ads
- Outreach: Share content with industry influencers or publications
Measuring Success Beyond Rankings
Track these additional metrics for improving keywords:
- Click-through rate (CTR): Are you getting more clicks as positions improve?
- Organic traffic growth: Is traffic increasing to the ranking pages?
- Bounce rate changes: Are visitors engaging more with your content?
- Conversion impact: Are improving keywords leading to more leads or sales?
- Keyword stability: Are the improvements holding steady over time?
FAQ About Improving Keywords
How often do keywords typically improve?
Keyword rankings naturally fluctuate, but sustained improvements usually follow specific SEO efforts or algorithm updates. Most websites see meaningful improvements in 10-20% of their keywords each month.
How can I predict which keywords might improve next?
Look for:
- Keywords on the cusp of major thresholds (positions 11-20)
- Terms where you've recently enhanced content
- Keywords related to topics gaining industry attention
- Seasonal keywords approaching their high-interest period
What's the best way to prioritize improving keywords?
Prioritize based on:
- Business value: Keywords with higher conversion potential
- Traffic potential: Terms with significant search volume
- Competitive opportunity: Keywords where competitors are vulnerable
- Resource efficiency: Terms requiring minimal additional effort to push higher
How long will improvements last?
Ranking improvements can be temporary or permanent, depending on:
- The reason for the improvement
- Your continued optimization efforts
- Competitor responses
- Search engine algorithm stability
To maintain improvements, continue updating content and building authority.
Should I focus more on improving keywords or declining ones?
A balanced approach is best:
- Allocate 60-70% of resources to improving keywords to capitalize on momentum
- Reserve 30-40% for addressing declining keywords to prevent further losses
- Always prioritize based on business impact rather than just ranking changes
Conclusion
The Improving Keywords Table provides valuable insights into what's working in your SEO strategy. By systematically identifying patterns in improving keywords and taking strategic action to capitalize on this momentum, you can accelerate your organic search growth.
Remember that search engine rankings are dynamic, and improvement patterns offer a window into what search engines currently value in your content. Use these insights not just to celebrate wins but to inform your broader content and SEO strategy.