Keyword & URL Segmentation for SEO

Custom Keyword and URL Segmentation for Targeted SEO Insights

Custom segmentation of keywords and URLs is a powerful approach to derive targeted SEO insights that align with specific business goals or content strategies. By grouping keywords and URLs in meaningful ways, you can analyze performance across different topics, product lines, or user intents. In this section, we’ll walk through how to use keyword segmentation and URL segmentation in BigQuery for more refined and actionable SEO analysis.

1. Why Segment Keywords and URLs?

Segmenting keywords and URLs allows you to tailor your analysis to specific SEO objectives, such as:

Tracking performance for individual product categories or content themes.
Understanding which keyword groups drive the most clicks and impressions.
Evaluating SEO performance by URL structure, allowing insights into areas like blog posts, product pages, or landing pages.

By setting up custom segments, you create targeted insights that inform strategy at a more granular level.

2. Setting Up Keyword and URL Segmentation in BigQuery

To begin with keyword segmentation SEO in BigQuery, we’ll use SQL queries to group keywords and URLs based on shared characteristics, such as themes or content types.

Step 1: Define Keyword Groups for Segmentation
- Start by identifying the keyword groups you want to analyze. Common segments include branded vs. non-branded keywords, topic clusters, or keywords based on user intent (e.g., informational, transactional).
- Create SQL queries that group keywords accordingly. For example, to separate branded and non-branded keywords:
```
SELECT
  query,
  SUM(clicks) AS total_clicks,
  SUM(impressions) AS total_impressions,
  CASE
    WHEN query LIKE '%brand%' THEN 'Branded'
    ELSE 'Non-Branded'
  END AS keyword_segment
FROM
  `your_project.your_dataset.search_data`
GROUP BY
  query, keyword_segment
ORDER BY
  total_impressions DESC;
```
- This query segments keywords into “Branded” and “Non-Branded” groups, giving you insight into how well your brand-related terms perform compared to other queries.
Step 2: Segment URLs by Content Type
- URL segmentation can help analyze different content types, such as blog posts, product pages, or guides.
- Define URL patterns for each content type (e.g., URLs containing /blog/ for blog posts). Use SQL to create these segments:
```
SELECT
  page,
  SUM(clicks) AS total_clicks,
  SUM(impressions) AS total_impressions,
  CASE
    WHEN page LIKE '%/blog/%' THEN 'Blog'
    WHEN page LIKE '%/product/%' THEN 'Product Page'
    ELSE 'Other'
  END AS url_segment
FROM
  `your_project.your_dataset.search_data`
GROUP BY
  page, url_segment
ORDER BY
  total_clicks DESC;
```
- This query categorizes URLs into different segments, helping you analyze SEO performance based on content type.

Step 3: Combine Keyword and URL Segments for Targeted Insights

For a deeper analysis, you can combine keyword and URL segments to look at performance within specific content types. For instance:

SELECT
  query,
  page,
  SUM(clicks) AS total_clicks,
  SUM(impressions) AS total_impressions,
  CASE
    WHEN query LIKE '%buy%' THEN 'Transactional'
    ELSE 'Informational'
  END AS keyword_intent,
  CASE
    WHEN page LIKE '%/blog/%' THEN 'Blog'
    ELSE 'Product Page'
  END AS url_type
FROM
  `your_project.your_dataset.search_data`
GROUP BY
  query, page, keyword_intent, url_type
ORDER BY
  total_clicks DESC;

This query provides insights into how well different keyword intents perform within specific content types, guiding optimization based on user intent.

3. Visualizing Segmentation Insights in Looker Studio

After setting up segmentation in BigQuery, visualize the data in Looker Studio to make insights clearer and easier to act upon.

Step 1: Connect BigQuery to Looker Studio
- Add BigQuery as a data source in Looker Studio, linking it to your segmented data.
Step 2: Create Visualizations for Keyword and URL Segments
- Use charts and tables to display the performance of each keyword and URL segment. For instance:
  - A bar chart for “Branded” vs. “Non-Branded” keywords shows which segment drives more impressions and clicks.
  - A table with URL segments like “Blog” and “Product Page” allows for a quick comparison of different content types.
Step 3: Filter by Segments for Deeper Analysis
- Apply filters to narrow down your analysis by specific keyword or URL segments. For example, use filters to view only transactional keywords within product pages, providing highly targeted insights.

Example: A table displaying “Transactional” keywords in “Product Pages” can reveal high-performing terms to prioritize for e-commerce optimization.

4. Using Segmentation Insights for SEO Strategy

Once you’ve segmented keywords and URLs, you can use the insights to refine your SEO strategy:

Optimize Content for Specific Segments: If informational keywords perform better on your blog pages, focus on optimizing blog content around these terms.
Prioritize High-Impact Keywords and Content Types: Identify which keyword and content segments drive the most traffic, helping you allocate resources to high-impact areas.
Tailor SEO Strategies to User Intent: Use keyword segmentation by intent (e.g., transactional vs. informational) to align content with user needs, improving relevance and engagement.

Summary

Custom keyword segmentation and URL segmentation allow for targeted SEO insights that go beyond generic metrics. By grouping keywords and URLs based on factors like brand, content type, and user intent, you can gain a nuanced understanding of what drives performance on your site. Visualizing these segments in Looker Studio makes it easy to interpret and act on insights, helping you develop a more strategic, data-driven SEO approach.

Published 11 Nov 2024