KEI analysis (or keyword effectiveness index) is a tool that is used to determine the effectiveness of search terms and keywords that relate to a website's content. This analysis helps marketers better understand the effectiveness of their website's content and the relevance of their chosen keywords to their target audience.
The aim of a KEI analysis is to understand how well your chosen keywords are performing based on a number of criteria. This analysis will help you to identify potential weaknesses in your content, areas that need improvement, and ultimately – what keywords are attracting traffic to your website.
To perform a KEI analysis, you must first define your content and then determine which keywords relate to it. Once you have identified the relevant keywords, you must then assess them based on three key criteria: volume, difficulty, and competition.
First, you will be looking at the volume of searches for each selected keyword. The number of searches that a particular keyword receives will give you an indication of how in-demand it is. A larger volume of searches for a keyword suggests that it is popular amongst users, and understanding its popularity will give you insights into how effective it will be in terms of attracting an audience.
Next, you must work out the difficulty of ranking for each keyword. This requires you to look at the number of competing websites for a particular keyword. You can use various free or paid tools to find out how many websites are competing for relevant keywords. A lower level of competition suggests that it will be relatively easy to rank for a given keyword.
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Lastly, you must consider the level of competition when making your decision. When you have gathered all of your data, you can assess which keywords are the most effective based on their volume, difficulty and competition rating. By assessing which keywords have the highest levels of each of these criteria, you can gain an understanding of the best options to use when targeting and engaging your audience.
It is worth noting that KEI analysis is not the only tool available to marketers in order to assess a keyword's potential. Manual research, as well as other digital analysis measures, remain popular amongst professionals. However, for those unfamiliar with research techniques, KEI analysis is a useful starting point.
In order to make the most of a KEI analysis, we would advise that you not just base decisions on individual rankings. It is important to assess the overall competitive landscape in order to make sure that more competitive keywords do not come with a raft of competitors, while the easier to rank terms do not have low search volumes.
Moreover, it is essential to assess the content’s relevance to the keyword you are considering. Even if a keyword is popular, competitive and easy to rank for, this could all be for nothing if the keyword has absolutely no relevance to the content of your website. Diversification – looking at a range of different keywords with varying degrees of difficulty – is also important, as it reduces the risk of manipulation and should help your content to gain a more natural reach.
When conducting a KEI analysis, consistency is key. Taking the time to review and analyse keyword performance on a regular basis will give you greater insights and understanding about how to improve your content. You should continue to assess and monitor the effectiveness of your chosen keywords to further maximise the impact of your website’s content.