For more than a decade, the “keyword not provided” issue in Google Analytics has frustrated SEO and marketing teams everywhere. This gap in visibility makes it harder to know exactly which search terms drove a visit.
What does “keyword not provided” mean?
In short: Google stopped showing many search terms in Analytics because the user was logged in or the search was encrypted. This means your analytics reports may say “(not provided)” instead of the actual keyword used by the visitor.
The result: you lose direct visibility of what people typed into Google before landing on your site, which makes refining SEO and content strategies more complex.
Why this still matters in 2025
Even with advanced tools today, the underlying challenge remains: you need insights to drive effective SEO and content decisions. Here’s what’s changed and what you need to work with now:
- Search behaviour has shifted: more voice/search assistant queries, and AI-powered summaries, so understanding intent is even more important.
- Privacy and encryption are stronger: Google and other engines increasingly treat search data as private, so “not provided” is now the norm rather than the exception.
- New data sources have emerged: tools like Google Search Console (GSC) and first-party site analytics are now vital for insights.
How to work around “not provided”
There’s no magic fix to get back all the keyword data you once had. But you can still build solid insight and act on what the data you *do* have shows you.
1. Use Google Search Console
In GSC you’ll find reports under Performance / Search Results that show search queries, clicks, impressions, click-through-rate (CTR) and average position. This helps you understand which queries lead to which pages on your site.
2. Analyse page-level data
Since you may not know the exact term a visitor searched, shift your view to the page they landed on. Ask: “What keywords or themes does this page target?” Then pair that with GSC data and your site’s performance to infer intent.
3. Use paid search data (if relevant)
If you’re running paid campaigns via Google Ads or other platforms, the keyword and search-query reports give you insights into what people are actually typing. These insights can shape your organic strategy too.
What this means for your SEO and content strategy
Because you can’t rely purely on Analytics keyword data, you’ll want to lean into a broader approach:
- Map content to topics, themes and user intent, not just individual keywords.
- Use GSC data regularly to track which queries lead to clicks and which pages are showing in search results.
- Improve your technical setup: structured data (schema markup), semantic content, internal linking and site performance still influence visibility and how search engines interpret content.
- Use onsite search, forms and site behaviour analytics to understand what visitors are doing once they arrive, this provides signals of intent beyond the original keyword.
Summary
The “keyword not provided” issue isn’t going away anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean you’re operating blind. By using tools like Google Search Console, focusing on pages and themes rather than individual keywords, and analysing visitor behaviour, you can still build an effective SEO and content strategy.
If you’d like to talk through how to set this up for your website, get in touch with our digital marketing team. We’d be glad to help you get clarity.
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