New and Lost Keywords: What They Reveal About Your SEO Performance
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Our Search Analytics tool evaluates data from the Google Search Console and shows two key metrics over a specific time period (e.g., day by day):
- New Search Terms
- Lost Search Terms
Below, you’ll find an explanation of what these two metrics mean, how they are interpreted in the context of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and which measures you can derive from them.
#Starting Point
Your SaaS tool, Search Analytics, evaluates data from the Google Search Console and displays, over a timeline (e.g., day by day), two important metrics:
- New Search Terms
- Lost Search Terms
In the following, we explain what these two metrics mean, how to interpret them for SEO, and which actions you can take based on this information.
#New Search Terms
What does “New Search Terms” mean?
These are search queries (keywords) under which your website now appears in Google’s search results (and therefore receives impressions and possibly clicks), even though it was not listed for them before. Essentially, Google has recently deemed your website relevant for these specific queries.
Why are new search terms important for SEO?
- Expanding Visibility: Every new query you rank for can potentially bring additional traffic. It also indicates that Google finds your content relevant for a broader range of topics.
- Opportunities with Long-Tail Keywords: Many of these new search terms are so-called long-tail keywords. They’re typically less competitive and can be an effective way to acquire targeted traffic.
- Signals for Content and Topics: New keywords reveal what topics Google now associates with your site. Use this information to expand your content and align it more precisely with specific queries.
How should you handle new search terms?
- Analyze Your Ranking and the Search Intent: Determine whether your new keywords already rank well (position, CTR, etc.). Check if your content matches the search intent.
- Optimize Your Content: If your content isn’t perfectly optimized for a certain keyword, consider fine-tuning it (e.g., by adding details, using structured data, or creating internal links).
- Close Potential Content Gaps: If needed, create new content to cover related subtopics, thereby strengthening your presence in that subject area.
#Lost Search Terms
What does “Lost Search Terms” mean?
These are search queries (keywords) for which your website previously appeared in Google’s search results (and thus received impressions or even clicks), but for which it no longer appears. From Google’s perspective, your site has lost relevance for these keywords—or has been displaced by other websites.
Why are lost search terms a concern for SEO?
- Loss of Traffic: Losing visibility for certain keywords means losing potential traffic, which can negatively impact revenue, leads, or other business goals—especially for high-value keywords.
- Indicator of Technical or Content Issues: A sudden loss of rankings could indicate technical SEO problems (e.g., crawling/indexing errors, slow page speed, mobile usability issues) or content-related shortcomings (e.g., outdated or low-quality content).
- Increased Competition: It may also be that competitors have improved their SEO measures, pushing your site down in the rankings.
How should you handle lost search terms?
- Investigate the Causes: Analyze when the keywords dropped off and whether any changes occurred simultaneously on your site, in Google’s algorithms, or among competitors.
- Conduct a Technical Audit: Make sure there are no technical issues (indexing problems, incorrect redirects, robots.txt restrictions, structural changes) that hinder your rankings.
- Update and Optimize Your Content: Check if your content still meets users’ needs and stands up to competitor pages. Update or expand it if necessary to regain competitiveness.
- Build Backlinks and Authority: For highly competitive keywords, focused off-page optimization (link building, brand-building) may be essential to regain lost positions.
#How These Metrics Work Together
“New Search Terms” and “Lost Search Terms” provide strong indicators of how your SEO performance is evolving:
- Net Development: Ideally, the number of new keywords goes up over time while the number of lost keywords goes down. This means you’re steadily expanding your organic visibility. Conversely, if lost keywords increase and new keywords drop, your visibility may be in decline, suggesting weaknesses in your SEO strategy or potential technical issues.
- Regular Monitoring: Search trends can shift quickly. It’s crucial to track both metrics over time and respond promptly to any significant changes.
#Practical Examples
- New Keywords After Content Expansion: When you add more information to a blog post, Google may rank it for new, more specific long-tail queries. As a result, your “New Search Terms” count goes up.
- Losing Keywords After a Website Relaunch: A website relaunch may lead to lost keywords if old URLs aren’t properly redirected or if Google gets “confused” by new site structures. In such cases, it’s no longer clear how to match your content to certain queries.
- Seasonal Fluctuations: For some topics, keywords disappear if search volume drops (for example, seasonal products). Conversely, you might see new, seasonal keywords appear at certain times of the year.
#Conclusion
- New Search Terms point to growth potential and show that Google considers your website relevant for more (or newly identified) topics.
- Lost Search Terms indicate a decrease in visibility for specific keywords—possibly because of stronger competition, content shortcomings, or technical SEO hurdles.
- Ongoing Monitoring of both metrics is critical to respond quickly and optimize your SEO strategy. When you identify new keywords, capitalize on them. When keywords are lost, investigate and implement corrective measures.
By keeping both metrics in view and acting accordingly, you can strengthen your rankings and continually increase the flow of relevant traffic.
