Quick summary
Google Search Console shows you the real searches people use to find your website. Use them to understand your customers’ language, improve existing pages and find useful topics to write about.
For many business owners, this feels like guesswork. Quite often, websites are littered with keywords that no one uses or enters in Google or other search engines. In this article, I will explain how you can figure out what people actually type into Google before they find your website.
You don’t need an expensive SEO tool to find out. If your website is connected to Google Search Console, Google will show you.
Google Search Console is a free tool, and it’s one of my favourite places to find a) the keywords people entered to find your information you’ve published on your website, and b) to find content ideas. You’re looking at real searches where Google has already shown your website.
How to find your Google searches
Log into Google Search Console and select your website.
In the left-hand menu, go to:
Performance → Search results
Scroll down until you see the table underneath the graph and select Queries.
You’ll now see a list of searches people have entered into Google where your website appeared in the search results.
You’ll also see some useful numbers alongside them:
- Clicks: How many times someone clicked through to your website.
- Impressions: This number shows you how many times Google displayed your website in the search results (not just on page 1, but subsequent pages too).
- CTR (Click-Through Rate): This is the percentage of people who clicked after seeing your website in the search results.
- Position: Your website’s average position in the search results.
Don’t just look at the obvious searches
This is where it gets interesting.
You might find that customers use completely different words from the ones you use within your industry.
For example, a cake designer might describe a product as a celebration cake, while potential customers search for birthday cakes or anniversary cakes.
Quite often, business owners use “industry speak” on their website. A builder might talk about change of use or garage conversions, while customers ask Google “can I turn my garage into a bedroom?”
These searches can tell you a lot about the language your customers actually use.
Look for questions
Pay particular attention to longer searches and questions.
You might discover searches such as:
“Do I need planning permission for a garage conversion?”
“How much does a garage conversion cost?”
“Can I convert an integral garage into a bedroom?”
If Google already shows your website for a question but you don’t have a page or blog posts that answers it properly, you’ve found a potential content idea.
Start with the pages you already have, i.e. your service pages, your home page, your about page and your blog posts. Add more useful information, include FAQs and write blog posts that answer real customer questions. Focus each blog post on one question only and answer it in detail. If possible and useful, include before-and-after images or exisitng projects. and Link to useful, trusted sources where people can learn more. Your aim is to help potential customers find the answers they need before they’re ready to buy.
Look at searches with lots of impressions but few clicks
Here’s another useful trick.
Look for searches that have a reasonable number of impressions but very few clicks.
Google is already associating your website with that subject, but people aren’t choosing your result.
That could mean you need to improve the page, write a better page title and description, or provide a much clearer answer to what people are looking for.
Don’t obsess over individual numbers
Search Console isn’t perfect and you won’t see every single search made by every visitor.
Don’t check Search Console every day try to use it to spot patterns in the keywords people enter to find your business.
What questions keep appearing? What terminology do customers use? What subjects does Google already associate with your website?
This information can help you decide what content your customers look for online, what to write about next and, more importantly, help you write using the language your customers actually use.
Your customers are already telling Google what they want. Search Console lets you listen.
