Keyword Research4 min

The Only Keyword Metrics That Actually Matter (Ignore the Rest)

There are dozens of keyword metrics. Most are noise. Here are the ones that drive real results.

Metric Overload Is Real

Open any keyword tool and you'll see 15+ columns of data.

Volume. Difficulty. CPC. Trend. SERP features. Clicks. Click percentage. Global volume. Regional volume. Parent topic...

Your eyes glaze over. You close the tab. You watch Netflix instead.

grabs popcorn

I get it. Here's what actually matters.

The Big Five

1. Search Volume — How many people search for this monthly. Important for prioritisation, but not gospel. Estimates only.

2. Keyword Difficulty — Can you realistically rank? If not, move on. Life's too short.

3. CPC — Are advertisers paying for this? High CPC = money keyword. Trust this signal.

4. Search Intent — Informational, commercial, transactional, or navigational. This determines what kind of content to create.

5. Click-Through Opportunity — Does the SERP even allow clicks? If Google answers the query in a featured snippet, your organic result might get 10% of the clicks even at position #1.

What to Ignore

  • Keyword trends (unless you're doing seasonal planning)
  • Global volume (unless you're targeting globally)
  • "Keyword power" or "keyword score" — made up composite metrics that mean different things in every tool
  • Competition score in Google Keyword Planner — that's for paid ads, not organic

    • The Only Formula You Need

    Good keyword = Reasonable volume + Low-to-medium difficulty + High CPC + Clear intent + Actual click opportunity.

    That's it. Five checkboxes. If a keyword passes all five, pursue it. Search Engine Journal's keyword research guide covers similar ground with additional data to back this up.

    Across 20+ years and 500+ campaigns, this framework has never failed us.

    Make It Systematic

    Don't just check these in your head. Use a checklist. Like SEO Checkup. 113 tasks, 4 checklists, keyword research baked right in. Free. 30 seconds to start.

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