The Keyword Golden Ratio is a popular strategy to rank quickly in Google’s top results. In this post, we’ll explain:
- What exactly is Keyword Golden Ratio.
- How to use it.
- Some considerations to keep in mind.
Let’s go!
But first, you might wonder:
Why KGR is popular
When it comes down to optimizing for SEO, there are 4 main attributes your site needs:
Of course, ticking all the boxes takes time. And especially when it’s income-related, it’s hard to have patience. That’s what KGR is about: a quick solution to ranking in the SERP (Search Engine Results Pages). But then again, how does it work?
What is Keyword Golden Ratio?
The Keyword Golden Ratio is a strategy that helps you rank in Google’s top results within a few days.
This data-driven strategy was created by Doug Cunnington and is basically about finding long-tail keywords that have a greater demand than supply.
Doug claims that you’ll be in the top 50 results in days or even HOURS if you stick to the Keyword Golden Ratio.
But how do you calculate the KGR?
Time for math class, my friends.
The ratio is the number of Google results that have the keyword phrase in the title divided by the local monthly search volume (250 or less).
Doug says that, after a lot of testing, he found a search volume of 250 is a nice number to achieve the KGR we want.
Results will fall into three different categories then:
0,25 or less. If the ratio is less than 0,25, you should go for that keyword. You’ll probably reach the top 50 results in a couple days. This is recommended especially for people that are just starting out because they need to stay motivated and every small win counts.
As years go by, there’s more and more content online and it gets very hard to appear in the top results. So if you’re new in the game, don’t enter the wild competition for high-targeted keywords. It might be discouraging.
A KGR between 0.25 and 1.00 indicates moderate competition and means you will rank in the top 250 as soon as possible.
The final range is for the KGR above 1.00 where is harder to rank. Here, Google shows users tons of results, and your page gets easily lost in the flood. However, if your site is already established, you might still be able to reach a high rank.
So how do you use it?
1. Find the keyword.
We start just the same as on a regular occasion: with keyword research. This can be done manually, searching on Google, or automatically with a keyword tool. You’ll find both free and paid options.
I won’t go in-depth about this but if you never did keyword research or want to upgrade your strategy, we have a complete guide on 20 Smart Keyword Research Strategies that will really help you.
2. Filter out keywords with a search volume higher than 250.
This is when a nice tool comes in handy. Normally they have filters that help you sort the keywords.
Enter “250” for the max search volume. This will shorten your list a lot. Remember, it’s important that the search volume is not too big.
Now that it’s easier to pick, choose one keyword and pay attention to its search volume.
Although we’re doing mathematics here, don’t obsess over exactness. Keyword research tools give you estimates of search volume. So the exact number doesn’t really matter: what does is the relative number compared to other keywords. Paraphrasing Einstein: relativity is the answer.
3. Find the number of websites with that exact title.
After selecting your keyword, it’s time to see what the search engines show you.
Let me introduce you to All in Title. By doing any search with the “allintitle:” command, you restrict the results to only pages that have that specific keyword.
So you copy the keyword you choose, let’s say “eco-friendly shoes for women” and added the advanced Google Search command like this:
Note: I made a mistake here since there shouldn’t be any space between the command and the first word of your keyword. But, you know, it was purely for demonstration purposes, in real life I’m actually perfect.
Don’t worry if, after a few searches, Google sends you to a page to see if you’re a robot. Google does that to make sure you’re not malicious software. Just solve the CAPTCHA and it’ll let you continue. Unless, of course, you ARE an evil robot. In that case, please don’t hurt me, I’m a big fan of Isaac Asimov.
Google tells you the number of results, which is exactly what we’re looking for. You’ll use it for the KGR formula. So now you have all the data and can finally apply the formula.
Recapitulating:
KGR = “Allintitle results” divided by “search volume”
If all this sounds like too much for you, consider using a KGR tool. There’s software, Allintitle, and some spreadsheet available to put this practice into action as fast and easy as possible.
Things that help your KGR:
- Having 4 or more words. The longer the keyword, the better. Here are some ideas for long keywords:
- Best (product-type) for (application or user-type). E.g., best tablet for kids.
- Use keyword modifiers like why, when, how, etc.
- Pay attention to Google’s related searches.
- Matching informational intent. Since search queries mainly match informational intent, it’s easier to find keywords related to information. Sure, you want to sell, so link your informational pages to your product pages. That way, your informational pages will increase the authority of your product pages.
Questions you might be asking yourself:
- So how is it that nobody thought of this?
Most people target keywords with high volume since there’s a bigger profit potential there. But when everybody wants candy, it’s harder to get it.
- What problems does it solve?
It gets you out of the sandbox faster. There’s the idea that new sites take longer to rank. To work your way out of the ladder faster, consider KGR. On the other hand, if your site is already established, you don’t need to stick to KGR all the time. You can be a bit looser with the formula since it’ll be easier for you to rank. This involves site authority.
Some important points to consider
A. Keyword stuffing.
When you read about SEO and keywords, you’re drawn to put your keyword everywhere. Your Yoast SEO plugin will give you a green bullet and you’ll feel like you’re doing everything right. However, adding your keyword on your post multiple times can feel forced and unnatural.
This goes particularly for your KGR when you’ll be using long-tail keywords that normally appear a few times. Besides, if Google senses that you’re writing for SEO but not for humans, it’ll probably punish you.
So in this situation, it’s better to ignore the Yoast SEO.
B. Intent.
Don’t forget about intent. The sites that are ranking should have the same search intent as yours. Otherwise, that’s bad. It’s likely a sign that your KGR won’t rank.
As we mentioned earlier, the main search intent is informational intent. Try to teach before showing your products.
C. The big picture.
As you’re just trying out the Keyword Golden Ratio, you might feel tempted to use it only in one post. However, the KGR works better at scale, so it’s more likely you see results if you publish at least 20 KGR terms on your site.
D. Similar keywords.
Suppose you find two very similar keywords. What do you do? You’ll say: write a post for each one, of course!
But first, ask yourself this: are these keywords the same one at their core? Example: “how to take good photos of yourself” and “how to take good pictures of yourself” are two different keywords but they are basically the same.
The content that you can make for one or the other won’t be any different. But you can try “how to take good pictures of yourself with a camera” and “how to take good pictures of yourself with iPhone 11” for different posts and it will make total sense.
Another way to avoid keyword cannibalization is simply by writing a bigger, broader article, instead of many related posts. However, you wouldn’t be using KGR in that case.
We recommend trying AnswerThePublic as well to quickly find tons of questions related to your keyword.
F. Score.
Your KGR could be lower than 0.25 but have a search volume over 250. That means it’s not a Keyword Golden Ratio term. Which also means it’ll have more competition.
However, the number is still pretty low and it might be a good thing to still go for it.
Keyword Golden Ratio: Debatable
Naturally, not everybody agrees with Doug. Here are some of the other expert’s opinions.
It’s not that efficient
Many think that KGR isn’t as incredible as Doug puts it. The strategy certainly seems pretty cool. It’s based on heavy testing Doug himself conducted and, well, it uses a math equation. It looks scientific. According to Doug, the Keyword Golden Ratio also works because few people put it into practice.
However, it’s been some years since Doug first talked about KGR and it has become increasingly popular recently. As more people use it, odds are it’ll be harder and harder to finds its benefits and we’ll have to find an alternative for it.
Short-term strategies don’t work on SEO
With KGR, you go for the low-difficulty keywords to have an overnight success. That’s great, it’s the whole point of it. Still, some experts argue that long-term rankings require aiming for the difficult keywords and putting in all the extra work needed to pursue them.
For Doug, a keyword phrase that’s compliant with low keyword difficulty, it’s a gem.
How much extra work? You can use a keyword difficulty metric to find out.
Conclusion
In this post, we’ve seen what is Keyword Golden Ratio, how you can use it, and some of its problems.
I’m curious: what do you think about KGR? Have you tried it? If so, how did it go?
Tell me in the comments!
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