When you check Google Analytics to see which organic search terms brought visitors to your site and whether those visits led to a conversion, you’ll see “not provided” listed for 99% of the organic search terms. For a successful search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, it’s very helpful to know which keywords led to conversions. In this blog post, we’ll explain how you can still gain insight into your keywords and conversions in Google Analytics 4.
Connect Google Analytics 4 to the website and set the goals you want to achieve with your website. For example, requesting a quote or making a purchase. To gain insight into how well you’re meeting these goals and the keywords visitors used to find your site, linking to Google Search Console is required. This free tool from Google shows you the keywords, rankings, and much more.
However, you’ll run into a major problem in Google Analytics. When you click on the Acquisition tab , go to the overview, and click on organic search traffic, Google Analytics shows 99% of organic keywords as “not provided.” This means you can’t see which organic search terms led to conversions. Thanks to the integration with Search Console, you can still gain more insight.
Under the ” Acquisition ” tab, you ‘ll also find the Search Console results. When you click on this, the menu expands, giving you insight into visitors’ search queries. Here, Google Analytics displays a large portion of the organic keywords. You’ll also see the click-through rate, as well as your average position for each keyword.
You’ll also find valuable information here about the visitors’ landing pages. All of this is valuable information for the search engine optimization process, but you still can’t see which organic keywords led to conversions.
The problem can be solved using the Keyword Hero tool and a connection to Google Analytics 4. Keyword Hero displays at least 85% of your organic keywords, which were previously marked as “not provided.” In addition, you can set up goals here and see whether the organic keywords led to conversions.
Keyword Hero is the solution for gaining insight into organic keywords and conversions. Although Keyword Hero promises to show 85% of organic keywords, in practice this figure turns out to be lower. You’ll also notice some delays with Google Analytics and Search Console. Therefore, consider Keyword Hero a valuable tool for gaining more insight into the organic keywords that do convert. This is valuable information for any search engine optimization project.
For a search engine optimization (SEO) project, the results related to organic keywords and conversions are important and insightful. This information allows you to implement more targeted SEO strategies. The first thing you’ll notice is that search queries that lead to conversions consist of multiple keywords. A visitor who is just exploring will search for a general keyword, such as “dishwasher.”
The likelihood that this visitor will convert is lower because they are still at the beginning of the purchasing process. After an initial exploration phase, a visitor begins searching more specifically using the information they’ve gathered—for example, searches including the words “dishwasher,” as well as product type, color, and price range. This visitor is further along in the purchasing process and is very likely to convert. It’s just a matter of enticing the visitor with the best deal.
Because you know which organic search queries lead to conversions, you can optimize your pages more effectively. It’s easier to create pages that convert when you know what users want to see and what information they’re looking for. Plus, there’s less competition for these search queries, so it’s also easier to drive conversions.
With a passion for SEO and an unmatched drive for results, Jarik Oosting is the driving force behind SmartRanking. With over 15 years of experience in the field, he has built an extensive body of knowledge spanning technical SEO to complex site migrations. As the founder of SmartRanking, he has assembled a team of like-minded SEO specialists who help businesses achieve sustainable online growth.
His academic background in information science at the University of Groningen, with a specialization in natural language processing, gives him a unique perspective on the world of SEO. For Jarik, it’s not just about visibility in search engines, it’s about sharing knowledge and guiding businesses toward sustainable online success. That mission also led him to write a Dutch book about GEO.