What to do if you rank for the wrong keywords on Google?
- marieutsch
- Jul 31
- 4 min read
What to do if you're ranking for the wrong keywords on Google?🤔 Ranking for the wrong keywords can be frustrating, especially if your positioning has changed and you now want to reach a new audience. Don't worry, you're not alone! In this blog post, you'll learn how to address this problem and target your Google traffic to the right keywords.
Table of contents
Why is ranking for the wrong keywords a problem?
Your audience, products and the content on your website change over time. You may continue to receive traffic from old keywords that no longer relate to your current targeting. This leads to you attracting visitors who aren't actually interested in your current offering. Therefore, it's important to correct your ranking for incorrect keywords and focus on keywords that appeal to your new target audience.
Detailed analysis of your traffic
The first step to solving the problem is a thorough analysis of your current traffic. Is the traffic you're getting from the "old" keywords still relevant to your current business? Or can you redesign this content to better suit your new target audience? Questions you should ask yourself include:
Is the old traffic still bringing a relevant target audience to your site?
Is old traffic hindering your business growth?
Does the search intent of this target audience differ so much from the content on your website that you no longer want these people on your website?
Or do you keep track of the click numbers even if the traffic no longer 100% matches your target audience?
Through this analysis, you can decide whether it is worth adapting the existing content or whether you should create completely new content.
SEO analysis for your new target group
After analyzing your current traffic, it's time to conduct an SEO analysis for your new target audience. Who do you want to attract to your website instead? What content interests this new audience, and which keywords do they use to express their interest? Tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console can provide you with valuable insights.
Creating content for new keywords
Now you know which new keywords you want to place on your website. Now it's time to create optimized content that's precisely targeted at these new keywords.
Here are some tips:
Write informative and relevant blog posts that answer the questions and needs of your new target audience.
Use the new keywords naturally and meaningfully in the text, without keyword stuffing.
Update existing content to align with your new direction.
Be patient
Believe me, I know patience isn't always our strong suit. But you didn't get traffic to your old keywords overnight either. So be patient and watch how the new keywords develop over time and outperform the old ones. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint!
Deactivate or adjust "old" keywords
The more traffic you receive from your new target keywords, the easier it will be for you to decide whether to deactivate or adjust content with old keywords. You could also provide your readers with a small disclaimer that this content will no longer be updated. It's important that you first establish new keywords and generate new target traffic before deactivating anything.
Conclusion
Ranking for the wrong keywords can be a real obstacle, but with thorough analysis and a clear strategy, you can target your traffic to the right keywords. Remember that SEO takes time, so be patient. With the right approach, you'll see your new traffic grow and outrank your old keywords.
FAQs
1. How do I find out which keywords my website is currently ranking for?
An easy way to identify the keywords your website is currently ranking for is to use tools like Google Search Console. Here, you can see which search terms are driving users to your site. Google Analytics can also show you which pages generate the most traffic and how users behave on your website. This allows you to analyze whether these keywords still fit your business's focus.
2. How long does it take for the rankings for the new keywords to improve?
SEO is a long-term process. After you create new content for your target keywords, it typically takes several weeks to months for Google to recognize these changes and adjust your ranking. It's important to be patient and continually work on optimizing your content to achieve sustainable results.
3. Should I delete old content that ranks for inappropriate keywords?
It's not always necessary to delete old content completely. Instead, you can revise existing content to adapt it to your new target audience. Update the text and keywords, add new relevant information, and ensure the content remains useful and search engine optimized. However, if the content has become completely irrelevant, it may be a good idea to remove it or replace it with new content. Please make sure you set up the necessary redirects before removing the old content!
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