So you’ve heard all about the Keyword Golden Ratio, but you’re still wondering…
“What about all those keywords with high search volume?
Do I just skip them because the search volume is higher than 250?
Why would I want to target such low search volume keywords anyway?”
Here’s the good news:
We’ve discovered a way to take advantage of high search volume (1000-3000+ searches per month) keywords with the KGR method.
Check out the video here:
Need a Refresher of the KGR Method, First?
The Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR) uses search volume and keyword placements for article titles, in order to discover low competition keyword opportunities. (We talk a lot about keyword research in our course.)
But for now, here’s the formula to help us find our “golden ratios”:
If the result is .25 or less, then you have a Golden Keyword.
If the result is .26 to 1, it will be a bit harder to rank for.
A ratio of more than 1 is considered not really worth targeting, unless you have other reasons to target the keyword (your website might need to cover the topic in order to be well rounded, etc.).
NOTE: “Allintitle:” is a Google search modifier; you use it in front of your search term like this:
If you’re still not sure what we’re talking about, then watch this video from Doug Cunnington himself:
We also did a 2 part interview with him here and here.
Now that we’re all cool. Let’s start off with an example!
Let’s say you have a keyword like “best tennis rackets for seniors”.
You discover it has a search volume of 30, so you check the allintitle: results and discover that there is only 1 result online:
In this example, it is quite obvious that you’ve found a good keyword to target, but let’s apply the formula anyway:
This results in a ratio of .034, which is well under the .25 required for a Golden Keyword, so this keyword is a good one to target!
So, how does the rule of 63 come in?
63 comes from working backwards with the supposed highest search volume that works with KGR: 250 searches per month.
Like this:
If I have a keyword with 250 searches per month, what is the highest number of allintitle: results I can have and still hit the Golden Ratio?
The answer is 63 because:
Then, the key is to understand what exactly the KGR ratio is telling us:
- The ratio is simply a good way to figure out the balance between how many people are searching for something in a given month (search volume) and how thoroughly the topic is covered online.
- People who have used KGR extensively have discovered that once you start using keywords with search volume over 250, you can have a ratio of .25 and the keyword will still be hard to rank for.
- Therefore, the sweet spot for the ratio is between 0 and 250 searches per month.
In this whole scenario above, we’re talking about search volume but that’s taking our eyes off of what is really critical here:
The number of allintitle: results, NOT search volume.
Let’s put this picture into words:
This calculation is saying to us:
You have achieved a .25 ratio since the keyword has 250 searches per month, and there are 63 allintitle: results.
The significance of this is that you have found a keyword which is used in the title of an article 63 times anywhere online.
Since the keyword gets 250 searches per month and is only served by 63 results, you should target this keyword (it has a Golden Ratio).
So, the power of the Rule of 63 is this:
If a keyword with 250 searches per month and served by only 63 articles is worth targeting, do you think a keyword with 4x the search volume but still only served by 63 results is worth targeting?
Of course it is! 4x worth it.
This is exactly why the focus on search volume alone is leaving money on the table.
KGR is great, but incomplete without the Rule of 63.
Take a look at this keyword:
You can see there are 1300 searches per month.
Traditional KGR research would stop here and discard the keyword because the search volume is much higher than 250.
Rule of 63 says no way, let’s check it!
And…
Only 2 results!
Does that look like a keyword you want to pass over?
Definitely not.
Here’s an example of KGR keywords ranking on Page 1-2, with no backlinks and many of them with higher than 250 search volume:
If you notice the keyword with 2600 searches for the second picture, just a short while ago it was at position 5.
Just remember that if a keyword has search volume greater than 250, but there are 63 or less allintitle: results, you’ve found a Golden Keyword!
Now that you have a better sense of how powerful this strategy can be, let us know in the comments how you’ve put the Rule of 63 into action!
