Unified Search: Paid Keyword Research for organic growth & reduced Google Ads spend

Note: You must have active subscriptions to SEO Enterprise and Siteimprove Ads to use Unified Search. We need access to your Google Ads account data so we can provide cross‐channel keyword insights.

What is Unified Search?

Unified Search gives you a single, combined view of both your paid (Google Ads) and organic (SEO) keyword performance. By comparing high‐performing paid keywords with organic visibility, you can spot which terms to push into your SEO strategy, reduce inefficient ad spend, and uncover entirely new growth opportunities.

Why is it important?

Most companies spend heavily on Google Ads but overlook the same keywords in their SEO program—often more than 98% of paid keywords aren’t tracked organically with hundreds of millions of dollars spent in Google Ads. Unified Search helps you close this gap by:

• Quickly identifying which paid keywords also need organic optimization.
• Reducing costs by shifting budget away from paid keywords that can perform well (or better!) in organic search.
• Uncovering new, high‐potential keywords driven by fresh market trends, high impression counts, or rising CPC.

How do I get started using Unified Search?

1. Connect Your Google Ads Account

• In Siteimprove Ads, follow the on‐screen instructions to integrate your Google Ads account (Read more about how to connect Siteimprove Ads to your Google Ads account).
• Once connected, any relevant keyword, campaign, or cost data will automatically flow into the Unified Search dashboard and it will be ready for you to use within 24 hours.

2. Access Unified Search

• Go to SEO Enterprise and select Unified Search from the main menu.

3. Explore the Dashboard Insights

Within the Unified Search dashboard, keywords are categorized to help you spot opportunities at‐a‐glance:

• Recency: Emerging Trends
  • These are the newest keywords tapping into fresh market interest.
• Conversion Rate: High‐Impact Keywords
  • These terms drive the most conversions and deserve priority in your optimization efforts.
• High Impressions: Brand Visibility Boosters
  • Keywords with large search volumes that can bolster brand awareness.
• CPC Increasing: Investment Opportunities
  • Terms whose paid cost‐per‐click is going up—making them strong candidates for organic optimization.
• Avg. Frequency: Steady Traffic Generators
  • Keywords that consistently drive traffic and merit long‐term SEO investment.

4. Drill down into specific keywords

• Select a keyword from the list to see impressions, clicks, cost, conversions, and more.
• Determine if it’s worth optimizing organically:
  • If the conversion rate is high, this might be a strong candidate for SEO investment.
  • If the CPC is rising or cost is high, consider shifting some of your paid budget into organic efforts.
  • If the impressions are high but conversions are low, investigate whether better landing pages or more relevant ad copy could help.

5. Take Action: Monitor & Optimize

• Mark keywords you want to “Monitor” and create an action plan for your SEO team:
  • Improve on‐page content (e.g., headers, meta titles, body copy) with these high‐value terms.
  • Check technical SEO factors to ensure pages for these keywords are accessible and well‐optimized.
  • Revisit Unified Search regularly to review progress. As you optimize these keywords for organic, you may be able to reduce your paid spend or reallocate it to new growth areas.