The Benefits of Keyword Freshness: Why You Need to Know About It

 

In the ever-evolving and ever-competitive world of digital marketing, staying ahead of the curve means you’ve got to embrace the changes around us.

We’re not only talking about the constant Google algorithm updates or changes in search engine optimization processes, but also new trends, phrases, topics that emerge every single day.

“BUT HOW?”, we hear you scream internally. And the answer is simple: Through data – fresh, fresh data.

We call it ‘keyword freshness’, and we’re about to go into detail about why continuously updating and refining your SEO and PPC strategies with fresh keyword data is so important.

The best bit? Not everyone has clocked the power of keyword freshness beyond news and media yet – hello, competitive advantage. But master it quick, before they all catch on.

So, here we are – 6 reasons why you should adopt keyword freshness, and how to go about it.

6 benefits of adopting fresh keyword data in your strategy

1) Better data means better traffic

☝️ What they said.

When your data is accurate and up-to-date, you can adapt and optimize your strategy to stand out in front of the eyes that matter: your target audience.

Using keyword research and competitor analysis, you can ensure that you are focusing on the right keywords and content; the keywords and content your users are actually searching for.

At Similarweb, our aim is to bring marketers like you the very best data on the market. How do we do it? We bring together multiple sources of data into one easy-to-use platform, and it’s kinda ended up a – very insightful – goldmine for marketing teams, big and small, around the world. Some of our key features include:

• Real-user data: Our data comes from real-user searches, meaning you get to see exactly what they’re searching for (the good, the bad, and the ugly).
• Keyword Generator: Never skip a beat with your target keywords, and really keep up with the trends with our (exclusive) past 28 day view.
• Keyword Gap tool: Get a glimpse into your competitors’ keyword strategies, and see where the gaps are in your own strategy – now go win back that traffic you want!
• Organic Pages: Can’t spot any major keywords you’re missing? Use Organic Pages to see competitors’ pages that are performing and the traffic-driving keywords they’re ranking for.
• Brand Protection tools: Receive alerts any time paid search moves are made on your brand keywords, including full insight into the ad and its creatives, to make sure they’re not taking traffic that’s rightfully yours.
• Rank Tracker: Our always-on data gives you daily ranking performance of your keywords and pages. Backed by Similarweb’s superior (and fresh) data, spot gains, drops and opportunities for ranking as well as see every competitor ranking for your target keyword.

Of course, everyone says they are the best at what they do (that’s marketing for you, right?), but you don’t need to take our word for it: here are some words from Rand Fishkin about Similarweb versus ‘the rest’.

Our Keyword Gap feature: scroll down to see the list of keywords you and your competitors share, the keywords you’re winning, and the keywords you’re missing out on.

2) Keep your strategy up-to-date

1 in 6 searches on Google are new searches, which means a lot of new queries and questions are introduced to search engines on an hourly basis; queries and questions that could unlock more for your business.

The world is an unpredictable place, with digital marketing being even more unpredictable. The next best thing to whacking out a crystal ball and predicting the future is to follow trends in your industry, and see them as and when they happen.

But here’s the thing: the month-old data you’re using? It’s not going to cut it anymore.

You need fresh data if you want to really make the most of new trends, seasonal trends, news and events. It’s in the nature of trends and humanity to move fast, and for maximum impact, your strategy has got to keep up.

If you don’t keep up, you might just be targeting keywords that are declining in traffic and search volume – wasting your time, your optimization efforts, and your money, and losing opportunities as a result.

Just look at Threads by Meta as an example. Gaining a huge 100 million users in 5 days after its launch on July 5th, who was still searching about it a month later? Answer: nowhere near as many people.

In fact, it lost half of its active users in the space of a week, and that’s only continued (shown by our week-by-week traffic for the search term “threads meta” in July). Sorry, Zuckerburg.

Want the August update on Threads’ search volume? Similarweb Platform’s got it.

3) Beat your competition to it

… need we say anymore?

Competitor research is generally an undervalued tactic in marketing strategies to steal traffic. You may think you’ve ticked all the boxes in terms of keywords, but looking into what your competitors are up to or focusing on, may unlock a whole new level in your future SEO and PPC campaigns.

The beauty of having fresh data is that you don’t have to wait until your competitor’s campaign has been successful – instead, you can track it as soon as it takes off. For example, Lululemon and its famous belt bag.

Use Organic Pages to see your competitor’s best-performing pages in specific months, along with the Clicks Trend throughout the year and the related keyword that’s getting their users there.

On the other side of things, some of your competitors will wait a month to get specific keyword data – but not you, because beating your competition to it and keeping up with your target audience is important to you.

Getting your hands on the freshest data means you can act fast or pivot to win keywords before anyone else gets there, and this opens more opportunities too which leads us on nicely to our next section….

4) More (and cheaper) opportunities to win

With fresh keywords and beating your competition to it, you can really ride the marketing waves – especially when it comes to SEO and PPC.

Those gnarly waves of search marketing being:

• High search volume
• Low competition
• Low keyword difficulty
• Low CPC

Four things that marketers – especially marketers working in paid advertising – wouldn’t say no to. So keep track of the data, and save more dollar. Because, sometimes, even Google doesn’t see a trend coming.

For more on how to win big with your paid advertising, check out our ultimate guide to PPC marketing.

5) Stay relevant

The truth is, your target audience doesn’t look at your brand the same way you look at it.

Instead, they view your brand (or should view it) as a solution to a need or desire, whether that’s more practical necessity like roofers for a hole in the roof, or just a way to fuel an online shopping addiction.

Unlike your strategy being revolved around them, their buyer behavior, and what they’re searching for, their lives are not revolved around you.

The world is full of solutions like yours – some better, some worse – that are also bidding for or targeting the same generic keywords as you. But what makes the difference and gets them in front of the people that matter is your sales and marketing (smarketing) style.

For marketing in particular, this is where keyword freshness comes in.

Know what your target audience are searching for, talking about, and sharing about, and work it into your marketing strategy. It doesn’t have to be related directly to your business, so get creative with it…

Our Keyword Generator tool has a Last 28 Day view, where you can get your hands on the trending search terms when they’re *actually* trending.

 6) Accurate forecasting and reporting

Long gone are the days when you needed to rely on estimates for your monthly, quarterly or yearly reporting, or that you had to wait an extra month to write it up just because ‘the data hadn’t come in yet’.

Inaccurate or delayed reporting won’t help anything, and it definitely won’t help your forecasting either.

By having the right data at the right time means you can make the right data-driven decisions that will help grow your business – month on month, quarter on quarter, year on year, and all of the above.

Get the unique data you’re looking for with Similarweb

With ‘standard’ search data, you’re going to see some issues.

Most tools get their search data through Google AdWords Keyword Planner, which is a great data source (we also use it) but in isolation, it isn’t fresh or accurate. Why? A few reasons:

• Google AdWords data has a lag time in its delivery to search tools
• It clusters keywords together
• You won’t find an exact match for individual keywords

But Similarweb is different. While we do use AdWords data to benchmark, we use data from a contributory network to form a hybrid search volume. This takes into account real-user searches from more real-time and accurate results.

Oh, and the cherry on top: We also have real-user behavior metrics, so our click and traffic estimates are far more advanced and reliable. Without getting too techy here, this means we can better predict click-through rates based on ranking positions, SERP features, the industry, and the search intent. Great news for your forecasting.

In a nutshell:

• With new searches coming in all the time, our keyword set expands daily
• No lags in our monthly search volume (MSV) data for greater accuracy when you need it
• Reliable click and traffic data, based on hybrid search volume, real-user data and behavior metrics

Fresher than fresh

By keeping your ear to the ground and integrating fresh keywords into your strategy, you’ll be able to navigate the ebbs and flows, ups and downs, and side to sides of the digital realm, making sure your brand and messaging stay relevant and resonate with your audience.

Gain full insights into – both small and significant – opportunities, drops, successes and fails as they happen with Similarweb’s fresh data. Fresher than all other data platforms, and definitely fresher than the fruit bowl in your office, let’s see where you can take your marketing strategy with real-time, real-user data.

Try it for free today.

FAQs

What is keyword freshness?

Keyword freshness refers to the practice of regularly updating and refining keyword data to ensure that it aligns with current search trends and user behaviors. Just as fresh produce is more appealing and nutritious, fresh keywords ensure your content is relevant and attractive to search engines and users.

Why does Google value fresh keyword data?

Google’s primary aim is to provide its users with the most relevant and timely information. As user behaviors and interests change, so do the terms they search for. Google rewards websites that use up-to-date keywords with higher rankings because they are more likely to satisfy current user queries.

Can I just add new keywords to existing content?

While adding new keywords to existing content can be effective, it’s essential to ensure the content remains cohesive and user-friendly. Sometimes, it may be more appropriate to create new content centered around fresh keywords or to naturally integrate them into your current material.

What if my niche is very specific? Do I still need to prioritize keyword freshness?

Absolutely! Even in specific niches, user behaviors, industry terminologies, and interests can evolve. Regularly updating your keyword data ensures that you capture any new opportunities and remain authoritative in your niche.

Beyond SERP rankings, how does keyword freshness benefit my business?

Staying updated with fresh keywords ensures that your content remains relevant to your audience, fostering trust and authority. This can lead to higher engagement rates, improved brand perception, and increased conversion rates as you’re consistently addressing current interests and concerns.

Does keyword freshness play a role in PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaigns?

Yes, it does! In PPC campaigns, using fresh keywords can improve your ad’s relevance score, leading to better ad placements and potentially lower costs-per-click. By aligning your ads with current search trends, you can also boost click-through rates and conversions.