How to Unlock "Not Provided" Keywords in Google Analytics (2024 Guide)

Are you tired of seeing "not provided" in your Google Analytics reports where your organic keywords should be? You‘re not alone. Since Google started encrypting search data back in 2011, website owners have been struggling to get the insights they need to inform their SEO strategies.

But here‘s the good news: while you can‘t directly unlock "not provided" keywords, there are still ways to uncover the search terms driving traffic to your site. In this guide, we‘ll walk you through the history of "not provided" keywords, explain your options for accessing organic keyword data today, and share proven tips for choosing and optimizing for the right keywords in 2024 and beyond.

The Rise of "Not Provided" Keywords

Back in October 2011, Google announced it would start encrypting search queries for users logged into their Google accounts. The goal was to protect user privacy, but the result was that website owners could no longer see the specific keywords those logged-in users typed into Google to land on their sites.

Image source: Google Blog

At first, the impact was relatively small. In November 2011, NotProvidedCount.com reported that "not provided" keywords accounted for an average of just 11.36% of organic search traffic.

However, that number steadily climbed over the next two years as Google expanded its encryption efforts. By September 2013, Google announced it would start encrypting searches for all users, regardless of whether they were logged in. As a result, the average percentage of "not provided" traffic skyrocketed to over 74% by the end of that month.

Image source: Moz

In the years that followed, "not provided" continued to eat up a larger and larger share of organic keyword data in Google Analytics. By 2016, Ahrefs found that a staggering 87% of organic keywords were "not provided" on average across 100,000+ websites.

When Google Analytics 4 (GA4) launched in October 2020, Google stopped providing organic keyword data entirely for any new properties. While frustrating, this decision made sense since the vast majority of that data was already lost to encryption.

Can You Still Access "Not Provided" Keywords?

Unfortunately, there is no way to directly unlock or reveal "not provided" keywords in Google Analytics. Once that data is encrypted by Google, it‘s gone for good.

However, if you previously linked your Google Search Console account to your Universal Analytics property, you may be able to access some additional keyword data there. In Universal Analytics, you can find this report by navigating to Acquisition > Search Console > Queries.

Keep in mind that Search Console only stores data for the last 16 months, so this is far from a complete solution. Plus, as of July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics has been officially sunset and is no longer collecting new data. So while you can still access your historical reports, you won‘t see any fresh keyword insights there.

How to Find Keyword Data in Google Analytics 4

While Google Analytics 4 doesn‘t provide any organic keyword data natively, you can still pull in data from Google Search Console to get valuable insights. Here‘s how to link your GA4 property to Search Console:

Sign in to your Google Analytics account and select the relevant GA4 property.
Click on the gear icon in the bottom left corner to access your Admin settings.
In the Property column, click on Data Streams.
Click on the data stream for your website, then click on the Settings tab.
Under Google Search Console Links, click on Link.
Select the relevant Search Console property and click Continue.
Click Link accounts to complete the integration.

Once your accounts are linked, you can access Search Console keyword data in GA4 by navigating to Acquisition > Overview. Look for the Search Console box, which shows high-level metrics like clicks, impressions, and average position along with a list of your top keywords.

The Search Console box in the GA4 Acquisition overview report

Alternative Keyword Research Methods

In addition to using Search Console data in GA4, there are a few other ways you can uncover keyword insights for your website:

Use third-party keyword research tools. Platforms like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz Pro offer robust keyword research features that can show you the terms you‘re ranking for, estimate your monthly search traffic, and suggest new keyword ideas. These tools are pricey but powerful for serious SEOs.
Dig into your Google Search Console performance report. In addition to the high-level keyword data you can see in GA4, Search Console provides much more detail in its native interface. The performance report shows you up to 1000 keywords you rank for, along with the number of clicks, impressions, average position, and click-through rate for each term.
Set up internal site search tracking. If your website has a search bar, you can enable site search tracking in Google Analytics to see what terms users are searching for once they‘re on your site. While these may not be driving traffic from Google, they can still provide valuable insights into the topics your visitors are interested in.
Analyze your paid search data. If you‘re running Google Ads campaigns, you can use the search terms report to see the actual queries that triggered your ads. These terms can be a goldmine for SEO keyword ideas since you know they‘re relevant to your business and are actively being searched for.
Ask your audience directly. Sometimes the best way to understand how your target customers search for your products or services is to simply ask them. Consider running surveys or user interviews to gather insights into the language and terms they use when looking for businesses like yours online.

How to Choose the Right Keywords

Of course, collecting keyword data is just the first step – you also need to know how to select the best terms to target in your SEO strategy. Here are a few key factors to consider:

1. Relevance

The most important criterion for any keyword is whether it‘s relevant to your business and audience. There‘s no point ranking #1 for a term that has nothing to do with what you offer or what your target customers are looking for.

To gauge relevance, ask yourself:

Is this keyword related to my core products, services, or content topics?
If someone searches for this keyword and lands on my site, will they find what they‘re looking for?
Does this keyword align with my business goals and target audience?

2. Search Volume

Search volume refers to the number of times a keyword is searched per month. Generally speaking, you want to target keywords that have a decent amount of search volume – otherwise, you‘ll be putting in a lot of work to rank for terms that don‘t drive much traffic.

However, keep in mind that search volume is relative. A "high-volume" keyword for a small, niche business might only get a few hundred searches per month, while a large, broad keyword for a major consumer brand could get hundreds of thousands.

When evaluating search volume, look for keywords that have enough volume to make an impact on your traffic, but not so much competition that you‘ll struggle to rank. A good rule of thumb is to start with lower-volume, long-tail keywords and work your way up to higher-volume head terms as you build your site‘s authority.

3. Keyword Difficulty

Keyword difficulty or competition refers to how hard it will be to rank for a given keyword based on the strength of the current ranking pages. Factors like domain authority, page authority, backlinks, and content quality all play a role in determining difficulty.

Most keyword research tools provide some form of keyword difficulty score, usually on a scale of 0-100 with higher numbers indicating greater difficulty. For example, Ahrefs uses a color-coded scale:

Ahrefs keyword difficulty scale. Source: Ahrefs

As a general rule, you want to target keywords with a difficulty score that aligns with your website‘s current authority and ranking power. If you‘re a newer site, focus on keywords in the 20-30 range and slowly work your way up as you build more links and trust.

4. User Intent

User intent refers to the reason behind a searcher‘s query and what they‘re hoping to accomplish. The four main types of search intent are:

Informational: The user is looking for information or an answer to a question.
Navigational: The user wants to find a specific website or page.
Commercial: The user is considering a purchase and looking for product reviews, comparisons, or recommendations.
Transactional: The user is ready to buy and looking for a place to make their purchase.

To choose keywords that align with user intent, think about what stage of the buyer‘s journey someone might be in when searching for that term. Then, create content that matches their needs and guides them to the next step.

For example, let‘s say you sell natural dog food. An informational keyword might be "what is the healthiest food for dogs," while a commercial keyword could be "best natural dog food brands." A transactional keyword would be something like "buy organic dog food online."

By targeting keywords that match user intent and creating content that satisfies those needs, you‘ll be more likely to attract qualified traffic and convert those visitors into customers.

On-Page SEO Best Practices

Once you‘ve chosen your target keywords, the next step is to optimize your website content to rank for those terms. Here are some on-page SEO best practices to keep in mind:

Use your keyword in key on-page elements. Include your target keyword naturally in your page title, meta description, header tags (H1, H2, etc.), and throughout the body of your content. However, avoid overusing the keyword or stuffing it in unnaturally – this can actually hurt your rankings.
Optimize your title tag and meta description. Your title tag and meta description are what show up in the search results, so it‘s important to make them compelling and click-worthy while still including your keyword. Keep your title tag under 60 characters and your meta description under 160 characters for best results.
Use descriptive, keyword-rich URLs. Your page URL should be short, descriptive, and include your target keyword if possible. For example, a good URL for a page about the best natural dog food would be something like www.example.com/best-natural-dog-food.
Optimize your images. Always use descriptive file names and alt text for your images, and include your target keyword if relevant. This helps search engines understand the content of your images and can also help you rank in image search results.
Use internal linking. Linking to other relevant pages on your site can help search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your content. Use descriptive anchor text that includes your target keywords when linking internally.
Improve page speed and mobile-friendliness. In addition to content, search engines also consider technical factors like page speed and mobile-friendliness when ranking pages. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify opportunities to improve your site‘s performance.

By following these on-page SEO best practices and targeting the right keywords in your content, you can improve your chances of ranking in search results and driving more organic traffic to your website.

Measuring Your Results

Finally, it‘s important to track your keyword rankings and organic traffic over time to see how your SEO efforts are paying off. Here are a few key metrics to track:

Keyword rankings: Use a tool like Google Search Console or Semrush to track your rankings for target keywords over time. Look for improvements in rankings, especially for high-priority keywords.
Organic traffic: Use Google Analytics to track the number of visitors coming to your site from organic search. Look for growth in organic traffic overall, as well as traffic to specific pages optimized for target keywords.
Conversions: Track conversions from organic search traffic, whether that‘s sales, leads, email sign-ups, or other goals. This will help you understand the true business impact of your SEO efforts.
Backlinks: Monitor your site‘s backlink profile using a tool like Ahrefs or Moz Pro. Look for growth in the number and quality of links pointing to your site, as this can be a strong signal to search engines.

By regularly tracking these metrics, you can identify what‘s working well in your SEO strategy and where there might be room for improvement.

FAQs

Before we wrap up, let‘s address a few common questions about "not provided" keywords and keyword research:

Can I still see all my organic keywords in Google Analytics?

No, unfortunately Google stopped providing complete organic keyword data in Analytics due to privacy concerns. While you can still see some keyword data in Google Search Console, it will only be a sample and not a complete picture.

How can I find keywords for my website?

There are a number of tools and methods you can use to find keywords, including:

Brainstorming topics related to your business or industry
Using keyword research tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Moz Keyword Explorer
Analyzing competitor websites to see what terms they‘re ranking for
Looking at related searches or autocomplete suggestions in Google
Running surveys or interviews with your target audience

How many keywords should I target per page?

In general, it‘s best to focus on 1-2 primary keywords per page, along with a few secondary or related keywords. Trying to stuff too many keywords onto a single page can actually hurt your rankings and make your content feel unnatural.

How long does SEO take to work?

SEO is a long-term strategy, and it can take several months to a year or more to see significant results. However, the timeline depends on a number of factors, including the competitiveness of your industry, the strength of your website, and the quality of your content and backlinks.

How often should I update my content for SEO?

It‘s a good idea to regularly update and refresh your content to keep it relevant and engaging for both users and search engines. Depending on your industry and the type of content, this could mean updating old blog posts every few months, adding new sections to evergreen pages, or creating new content on a weekly or monthly basis.

Wrapping Up

While the loss of "not provided" keyword data in Google Analytics has been a major source of frustration for SEOs and website owners, there are still plenty of ways to uncover valuable insights about the terms driving traffic to your site. By using tools like Google Search Console and third-party keyword research platforms, you can identify opportunities to optimize your content and improve your rankings.

The key is to focus on relevance, search volume, competition, and user intent when choosing your target keywords. Then, follow on-page SEO best practices to ensure your content is optimized for both search engines and users.

Remember, SEO is a long-term game – it takes time, effort, and patience to see results. But by consistently creating high-quality, keyword-rich content and building authoritative backlinks, you can improve your organic search visibility and drive more qualified traffic to your website.