Surviving the 'Not Provided' Apocalypse

Surviving The [Not Provided] APOCALYDSE Ever since the first appearance of 'Not Provided' data many SEO's have been fearing the consumption of more and more keywords. The plague of 'Not Provided' has now hit us on a mass scale with Google expanding its keyword 'Not Provided' data to potentially 100% of all organic referrals! This poses the question, what insights can we gain without this keyword data and how do we find opportunities to improve a pages performance? To form part of the resistance this Inforgraphic has been created; it should help you understand more about the 'Not Provided' outbreak and what tools are at your disposal to help find the answers you need to keep providing impactful SEO recommendations. [Not Provided] - Timeline of Events Learn about the 'Not Provided' outbreak, when it started, who has played a part in movements and how it has increased to the threat we face today. Not Provided Count May 2010 The introduction of encrypted search option and change from https://google.com to https://encrypted.google.com for those wanting the option for better protection when searching. JANUARY 2010 SSL setting became the default setting for all Gmail users with the option to turn off the secure setting should you want it. OCTOBER 2011 Google search team announced that those users signed into Google will be redirected to https://google.com whereby this SSL setting would ensure search queries are encrypted - The first jump in 'Not Provided' data being seen in Google Analytics. FEBRUARY 2012 Twitter begun serving content over SSL by default. MARCH 2012 Estimated Google introduced SSL search beyond google.com to 10% international domains. of search queries JULY 2012 INFECTED' Evidence of more Firefox started using Google SSL search by default; users did not have to be signed in to a Google service for search queries to than 10% of search queries INFECTED contribute to 'Not Provided'. SEPTEMBER 2012 Apple follows suit with Safari i0S6 using Google SSL search. Along with this referrers are shown as 'direct' traffic for NOVEMBER 2012 Facebook serves content over SSL Optify study reveals 39% of search by default. Along with this the growth of the Google+ network encourages people to sign in and mobile devices as Google handles secure search differently. therefore 'Not Provided' data increases. 64% of companies traffic is now see 30-50% as INFECTED Not Provided AUGUST 2013 JANUARY 2013 With Apple's new ¡OS7 update, referrer data which was previously shown as 'direct' traffic when Chrome now uses Google secure search for users who search in the searched on a mobile device now address bar. Those users logged into a Google service searching from google.com are not yet affected. shows, however 'Not Provided' still remains. SEPTEMBER 2013 Google has confirmed it has begun work to encrypt all searches whether you are logged into a Google service or not. This huge Search queries face 100% INFECTION' step could potentially see search queries returning 100% 'Not Provided' data. Time What To Use - Tools, Strategies & Data Although the Not Provided' outbreak is upon us there are many tools we can use to continue to make informed decisions that will help us identify future opportunities for our clients. See how you can equip yourselves via our anti-apocalypse armoury. SEM Rush 8/10 SEMrush provides the map to navigate and plan your next destination safely. Use SEMrush to obtain your top traffic driving keywords. SEMrush enables you to gauge search visibility and identify keyword opportunities based on SEMrush's 95+million keywords database. Google Webmaster Tools 7/10 Making the most of every available resource is essential for the survival mindset. While not as accurate as Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools can still be used to look at 2,000 search queries over the past 90 days (may extend to a year). A rough guide of well-performing keywords can be built from statistics on impressions, click-throughs and positioning. Google Analytics 8/10 Although Google Analytics has weakened, don't underestimate its usefulness as a tool to survive! The landing page report coupled with data on high ranking pages can be used to estimate those broad search terms generating traffic to pages. BING 7/10 bing With no electrical sources in an apocalypse, Bing is the reliable light to see through the night. After Google, Bing's Keyword Research Tool receives the second highest volume of searches and gives recent accurate keyword volume data alongside other metrics. This would still give you a good starting point for actual keywords leading to your website Google Trends 5/10 With amazing features to help you focus on the big picture, Google Trends is another good tool in the fight for survival! It is great for gauging the popularity of potential search engine keywords over time and shows whether trends rise, fall or stay constant. It is also useful in comparing the relative popularity between two to five search engine keywords. Google Adwords 9/10 G Your secret weapon against the Not Provided population! Keyword performance from Adwords data will continue to tell you which keywords are driving traffic and conversions. It will also help you to see which landing pages are effective whereby these learnings can be applied throughout your site. DO DONT KEEP REGULAR CONTACT DONT GO OUT ALONE Communication with your clients is key! Be transparent and inform them of this update; it will show you are on top of industry movements. Explain your refined approach to tackle this update; it will reassure them that optimisation Working with PPC departments will give you more insight into what keywords are driving traffic. You can use this information to help inform your ongoing strategy. will continue. KEEP INFORMED VIA NEWS DONT FORGET FRIENDS Ensure you stay up-to-date with movements from leading industry sites. There are already some great articles on the use of Google Analytics and integration with Webmaster Tools to help extract useful information. Follow the top SEO figures to ensure you learn from the experts. Consider expanding your list to ensure you gather opinions and learning from multiple valued sources. KEEP YOUR ROUTINE DONT PANIC Due to the lack of search query information, keeping track of website performance is crucial. Looking at your top performing pages and visitor interaction on these pages will help connect the dots and enable you to If you're good at SEO and track performance regularly you should have a good idea of what needs improvement and where the best opportunities are. Your event tracking and goal setting feedback will tell you a lot of what you need to make more accurate decisions of what improvements to make and where to optimise. know. FUTURE PLANNING SEO has gone through many shifts and adaptations over the years, none of which have been as threatening as this movement towards encrypted search. This lack of data creates a big challenge for the SEO, however in short, simply means further investigation is required to pull out more insights to provide useful recommendations to ensure satisfaction from our clients. With the tools provided in this Infographic and new workarounds on the horizon the importance of SEO and it's benefits to businesses will stay strong. MEDIACOM BEYOND ADVERTISING DAJFulford a_RyanManning_ aFieldsofLaura http://wearesearch.com.au UCE LINE DO NOT CROSS POLICE LINE DO NO CE LINE DO NOT CROSS POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS F CROSS POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS POLICE LINE DO NUI Unuov.