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Google Search keywords tab with trend and table
Use this page to see which keywords are helping you grow and which ones need work. It helps you answer three practical questions:
  1. Which keyword groups are going up or down?
  2. Are changes caused by ranking movement, search demand, or CTR?
  3. Which queries should be prioritized in this sprint?

Important: Separate branded, non-branded, and question intent before assigning keyword work. Mixed intent creates misleading priorities.

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Before you analyze

  • Set a clear date range (weekly for execution, monthly for strategy).
  • Reset filters unless you are intentionally reviewing one segment.
  • Compare similar periods so seasonality does not mislead you.

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What this page gives you

The Keywords page combines:
  • Keyword distribution cards (Top 3, 4-10, 11-50) to show ranking health.
  • A trend chart for clicks, impressions, position, and CTR.
  • A keyword table for row-level prioritization by query.
  • Segment tabs (Totals, Individual keywords, Branded keywords, Questions) for different analysis modes.

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How to read the top cards

  • Total organic keywords: total number of keywords you rank for.
  • Top 3 positions: strongest visibility and highest click potential.
  • 4-10 positions: immediate page-one opportunities.
  • 11-50 positions: keywords that need more content depth and linking support.
If Top 3 drops while 11-50 grows, you are usually losing rankings instead of gaining stronger visibility.

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How these metrics are calculated (simple)

Average position is calculated across the selected keywords, pages, date range, and filters.

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Individual keywords tab

Use this tab when you want to prioritize exact queries, one by one.
Google Search Individual keywords tab with query-level trends and table
Focus on high-impression queries first, then decide the action:
  • Good position, weak CTR: improve title and meta copy.
  • Weak position, stable impressions: improve page depth and internal links.
  • Rising impressions, flat clicks: adjust content to match search intent better.

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Branded keywords tab

Use this tab to separate brand demand from non-brand SEO performance.
Google Search Branded keywords tab with brand query performance
This is useful for clean reporting:
  • If branded is stable but totals drop, the problem is usually non-brand visibility.
  • If branded drops hard, check campaigns, PR activity, and brand SERP competition.
  • Keep branded and non-branded actions separate so priorities stay clear.

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Questions tab

Use this tab to find question-based queries you can win with clearer answers.
Google Search Questions tab with question-intent keyword performance
This tab helps with content updates:
  • Find question keywords with impressions but low clicks.
  • Add short, direct answers near the top of the matching page.
  • Expand FAQ sections and structure headings around real question phrasing.

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Quick weekly checklist

  1. Check trend direction first. Compare clicks and impressions before reading CTR.
  2. Review position movement. Rising average position value with stable impressions usually means ranking loss.
  3. Scan the table for high-impact rows. Prioritize high-impression keywords with weak CTR or declining clicks.
  4. Split by tab. Use Branded and Questions to avoid mixing intent and demand patterns.
  5. Create actions by keyword group. Map each target query to a page update, internal link change, or new supporting content.
The lower part of the table is where new and long-tail opportunities often appear.
Google Search keywords table with deeper rows and row-level metrics

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How to use filters

Use filters to test one idea at a time before creating tasks.
Google Search keywords filters panel
  • Keyword contains [cluster term] Check one topic area without noise from unrelated keywords.
  • Page contains [/blog/ or /product/] Separate informational vs commercial intent performance.
  • Device = Mobile Diagnose mobile-specific CTR and ranking differences.
  • Country = [market] Check whether changes are global or localized.

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What to fix first

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Team routine

  1. Weekly: identify top gains/losses and assign actions.
  2. Bi-weekly: compare branded vs non-branded trends.
  3. Monthly: report cluster movement and completed updates.
  4. Quarterly: review 11-50 keywords for new content opportunities.

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Keep in mind

  • Google Search Console is delayed, so avoid same-day conclusions.
  • Average position combines many URLs and keywords.
  • A CTR drop is not always a copy issue; intent can change too.

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Where to go next