Historical Data

Types of Historical Data

Keyword Analytics Historical Data: Keyword Analytics historical data is an essential tool for understanding how a website’s target keywords have performed over time. This data tracks how specific keywords rank on search engine results pages (SERPs) over a defined period. With access to keyword history, SEO professionals can observe how rankings have changed, identify trends, and make informed decisions about which keywords to target in future campaigns.

Use Case Example:
If you’ve been optimising your website for the keyword “best running shoes,” historical data allows you to see how your ranking has evolved for that term. If you notice a drop in rankings over the past few months, you can investigate whether a recent algorithm update, changes in user intent, or increased competition might be responsible.

Keyword Analytics data is available from as far back as January 2012, which allows businesses to conduct long-term research into keyword performance, search volume fluctuations, and seasonal trends.

Domain Analytics Historical Data: Domain Analytics historical data helps you track the performance of specific domains over time, including their traffic trends, backlink profiles, and authority scores. This data can provide insights into how your website’s authority has grown or declined, based on changes in the quantity and quality of backlinks, content performance, and user engagement. By analysing this historical data, businesses can identify patterns, assess the impact of SEO efforts, and identify strategies that led to success or failure.

Use Case Example:
If you own a blog and want to understand how the domain’s authority has changed since its inception, historical data will show you when significant increases or decreases in traffic occurred. By correlating these fluctuations with specific events (e.g., a Google algorithm update or a successful content marketing campaign), you can determine which activities contributed to the website’s success.

Historical data for domain analytics is available from January 2012, making it a valuable resource for assessing long-term performance and understanding the factors that affect a website’s authority.

Paid Search (PLA) Historical Data: Paid Search (PLA) historical data refers to past performance data for paid advertising campaigns, specifically Product Listing Ads (PLAs) in Google Shopping. This data is crucial for evaluating how your ads performed in the past and adjusting your campaigns for maximum efficiency. By analysing historical PLA data, you can determine which ads were most successful, identify trends in click-through rates (CTR), and optimise your bids and targeting strategies.

Use Case Example:
A retail store running Google Shopping ads can use historical PLA data (going back to September 2013) to understand which products had the best ad performance during particular seasons. This allows them to refine their ad targeting, optimise their product listings, and ensure a better return on investment (ROI) for future campaigns.

Traffic Analytics Historical Data: Traffic Analytics historical data is one of the most valuable forms of historical data for SEO professionals. This data provides insights into the volume of traffic coming to your website, the sources of that traffic (e.g., organic, paid, referral, social), user behaviour on the site, and the performance of different landing pages. By analysing traffic data over time, businesses can see how their website traffic has evolved and pinpoint the strategies that led to growth or decline.

Use Case Example:
If your website has been experiencing fluctuating traffic levels, historical traffic data (going back to January 2017) can help identify when these fluctuations started. For instance, if traffic dropped after a particular algorithm update, you can review your content or backlinks to pinpoint what needs improvement.

This data allows businesses to assess the effectiveness of their SEO campaigns, user engagement, and the impact of any changes to the website, such as design updates or content additions.

Benefits of Using Historical Data

Track Long-Term Trends: Historical data allows you to look at long-term trends, rather than just short-term fluctuations. This helps businesses understand the bigger picture and recognise patterns that may not be immediately obvious.

Identify Seasonal Patterns: For many industries, traffic and search interest can be seasonal. Historical data helps you identify these patterns, so you can plan campaigns and content strategies around peak times and adjust during quieter periods.

Evaluate SEO Strategy Effectiveness: By comparing historical data before and after implementing SEO strategies, businesses can assess which tactics led to improvements in rankings, traffic, and conversions. This helps refine future strategies and maximise ROI.

Improve Paid Advertising Campaigns: For businesses running paid advertising campaigns, historical data for PLA and other ad formats provides insights into which ads performed best, allowing you to optimise your budget and targeting. It helps in determining which products or services to focus on, and which audiences to target.

Monitor Algorithm Changes: By analysing keyword rankings and domain analytics over time, businesses can detect the impact of Google algorithm updates on their performance. Historical data can show when significant changes occurred in rankings or traffic, allowing businesses to adjust their strategies accordingly.

Benchmark Performance: Historical data provides a benchmark for measuring performance. By comparing your current performance with data from past months or years, you can see whether you’re improving, stagnating, or falling behind.

Refine Content Strategy: Historical data on traffic and keyword rankings helps you understand which types of content performed best in the past. You can use this information to create more of the content that resonates with your audience and aligns with search trends.

How to Use Historical Data Effectively

Perform Regular Audits: To get the most out of historical data, it’s important to regularly audit your SEO efforts. By tracking performance over time, you can detect areas of improvement, adjust your strategy, and respond quickly to any downward trends.

Leverage Comparative Analysis: Compare historical data against key milestones, such as when you launched a major content update or ran a marketing campaign. This will help you understand how specific actions have impacted your site’s performance.

Combine with Current Data: Historical data should be used in conjunction with current performance data to get a complete picture. This combination will help you identify opportunities and optimise your ongoing efforts more effectively.

Focus on KPIs: Identify your key performance indicators (KPIs) when analysing historical data, whether it’s traffic growth, conversion rates, or keyword rankings. This will help you make data-driven decisions focused on achieving your business objectives.

Conclusion

Historical data plays a critical role in SEO, marketing, and digital strategy. By reviewing data collected over time, businesses can gain valuable insights into their past performance, understand trends, and optimise their future strategies. Whether you’re tracking keyword rankings, website traffic, or the performance of paid ads, historical data provides the foundation for making informed, data-driven decisions. As you continue to use historical data to assess and refine your SEO and marketing efforts, you’ll be better positioned to achieve sustainable growth and success.