Keyword Performance

Keyword Performance shows how individual tracked keywords are ranking, moving and changing across search engines.

Overview

Use Keyword Performance to find winning and declining search terms, inspect the history of one keyword and decide which specialist Wheremore feature should be used next.

The main table gives each keyword and search engine its own row. Expanding a row opens its position chart. Analyse with AI runs Keyword Deep-Dive for that selected keyword and its current filters rather than analysing the whole table.

Keyword Performance diagnoses and refers. Where an analysis recommends another Wheremore feature, the link opens that feature as a new investigation. It does not transfer the diagnosis, complete the fix or add an item to the Action Board.

Access and data scope

Keyword Performance uses the active workspace and selected search group.
It only returns domains and search groups available to the signed-in user.
Category, competitor and search-engine choices depend on data available in that accessible scope.
Changing workspace or search group changes the keyword set under review.
Keyword chart annotations are tied to the relevant keyword and search context.

Quick start

Select the relevant workspace and search group.
Start with Last 30 Days and All Keywords.
Use the search box, category or engine filter to narrow the table.
Select a keyword row to open its position chart.
Select Analyse with AI when the open keyword needs diagnosis.

Use the performance views

The tabs provide different ways to review the tracked keyword set:

All Keywords: The complete keyword list for the current scope.
Position Gains: Keywords showing positive ranking movement.
Position Drops: Keywords showing negative ranking movement.
Lost Keywords: Keywords that no longer hold a recorded ranking in the current comparison.
Opportunities: Keywords identified as useful ranking opportunities.
Distribution: A broader view of how rankings are distributed across position ranges.

The classification depends on the selected data and comparison period. Treat each tab as a way to focus the investigation, then open the relevant keyword for its detailed history.

Understand the table

Each row represents one keyword on one search engine. The same keyword can therefore appear more than once.

Keyword: The tracked search term.
Vol: Recorded search volume.
Difficulty: The available keyword difficulty score.
Domain: The tracked website.
Engine: The search engine for that row.
Latest: The most recent recorded position and date.
Avg Move: Average movement across the selected period.
Avg Pos: Average position across the selected period.
Status: The recorded movement state, such as improving, declining, new, disappeared or not ranked.

Lower position numbers are better. Position 3 is stronger than position 30. Not Ranked means no ranking position was recorded within the tracked result depth for that check; it does not prove that the page is absent from every search result.

Select a column heading to sort the table. Use the page controls below the table to move through larger keyword sets.

Filter and export the table

Date range changes the period used for the table, chart and analysis.
Search group selects the configured collection of tracked keywords.
Category narrows the view to a related keyword group.
Search Keywords filters the visible list by keyword text.
All Engines can be changed to one available search engine.
All Competitors controls the competitor comparison used by the open keyword chart.
CSV exports the current keyword data.

If a category, engine or competitor is missing, confirm the active workspace and search group before assuming its data has been removed.

Open a keyword chart

Select a row or its chevron to expand it. Only one keyword chart remains open at a time.

The chart shows the selected keyword’s recorded position by date:

A solid line represents the tracked domain.
A dotted line represents the selected competitor or competitor comparison when data is available.
Colours distinguish search engines.
Position 1 appears at the top, so an upward movement is an improvement.
Not ranked appears below the ranked position range.
A carried-forward point repeats the previous confirmed position when there was no fresh check.

Hover over a point to inspect its date and position. Use the legend to show or hide a series and the chart menu to export or print the view.

Changing the date range, category or competitor refreshes the open chart.

Add and remove annotations

Annotations record context such as a content update, release or campaign event. They do not prove that the event caused a ranking change.

To add an annotation:

Open the relevant keyword chart.
Select the required date inside the plot.
Enter a short label.
Select Save or press Enter.

The annotation appears as a labelled dashed line. Select its label and confirm the prompt to delete it.

If an annotation is missing, check the workspace, search group and keyword used when it was created.

Download a SERP screenshot

Select the camera icon on a keyword row to open Download SERP Screenshot.

Choose an available ranking date and result page, then download the screenshot. The available dates and pages depend on the stored search-result data for that keyword, search engine and search group.

If no dates are available, confirm that search-result data exists for the selected row.

Analyse a keyword with AI

First expand the keyword row that should be analysed. Analyse with AI runs Keyword Deep-Dive using that keyword together with the current domain, search group, date range, category and competitor context.

Open the relevant keyword chart.
Set the filters to match the question being investigated.
Select Analyse with AI.
Review the Keyword Deep-Dive verdict and prioritised causes.
Expand Detailed analysis to inspect the supporting evidence.

Keyword Deep-Dive brings together the available cross-surface evidence for one keyword in a single report.

Understand Keyword Deep-Dive

Keyword Deep-Dive begins with a verdict and presents evidence-backed causes in priority order. One finding is marked as the primary cause when a material issue is found.

A cause can show:

A plain-English finding
The evidence supporting it
The current state
A recommended action
A priority of immediate, near-term or can-wait

The detailed analysis can cover:

Position intelligence: Movement and reliability by search engine.
Competitors and SERP roster: Tracked competitors first, followed by visible search-result competitors when needed.
AI Overview: Whether an AI Overview appears and whether the tracked page or relevant competitors are cited.
Content freshness: Supporting diagnostic context, not proof of a ranking cause.
Behaviour: A content-quality signal, not a search-engine ranking input.
Internal links: Available inbound and outbound link evidence and link-health status.

When a ranking URL is not linked to a tracked content record, content freshness, behaviour and internal links cannot be assessed. This does not mean the keyword has no ranking page.

If no material issue is found, the report says so and retains the detailed evidence for review.

Follow a recommended investigation

Depending on the diagnosed cause, Keyword Deep-Dive can refer to:

Keyword Cannibalisation to investigate confirmed multi-page competition signals.
SERP Check to investigate a meaningful search-intent mismatch.
Link Management to address an under-linked or orphaned tracked page.
Content Comparison to investigate a same-intent competitor content gap.
Page Optimisation to address a single-page weakness.
SERP Features within Keyword Performance to review search-result features and AI Overview visibility.

These are plain navigation links. The receiving feature opens normally and does not receive the deep-dive payload. Review and configure the destination feature before running its investigation.

Keyword Performance does not add these findings directly to the Action Board.

Ask Wheremore about the analysis

After a successful Keyword Deep-Dive, Ask Wheremore opens with that report and its supporting context available for the conversation.

Useful questions include:

What is the primary cause and what evidence supports it?
How does performance differ by search engine?
Which competitor evidence matters most?
Why was this specialist feature recommended?
Which parts of the diagnosis were not assessed?

Ask Wheremore can use supported live workspace tools when further information is needed. Its analysis context and chat session are temporary; a chat session lasts for up to 60 minutes.

What should I do next?

Strong and stable: Protect the ranking and monitor it for material change.
Improving: Review the timeline and annotations to understand what changed, without assuming causation.
Declining: Compare engines, review the evidence and run the deep-dive before choosing a fix.
Disappeared or not ranked: Check data freshness and the selected search configuration, then inspect the keyword history.
Different results by engine: Treat each engine separately; one engine’s competitor results do not explain another engine’s movement.
Competitor ahead for the same intent: Continue to Content Comparison when the deep-dive recommends it.
No content-level assessment: Link the ranking URL to a tracked content record if content, link and behaviour evidence is required.

Troubleshooting

No keywords appear: Confirm the workspace and search group, clear the keyword search, select all categories and broaden the date range.
A keyword appears more than once: Each row represents a separate search engine.
No chart appears: Confirm that the selected row has position history for the current period.
Competitor line is missing: Select All Competitors, check the legend and confirm that competitor data exists for that keyword and engine.
The chart looks reversed: Position 1 is at the top; upward movement is improvement.
Analysis asks for an open chart: Expand a keyword row before selecting Analyse with AI.
Analysis fails or times out: Run it again with a shorter date range and a focused category or competitor.
A deep-dive section says not assessed: Link the ranking URL to a tracked content record before rerunning if that evidence is needed.
A referral opens an empty feature: Configure the destination feature and select the appropriate project, page or keyword there.
An annotation is missing: Return to the workspace, search group and keyword where it was saved.

Frequently asked questions

Is Keyword Performance the same as Average Position?

No. Average Position summarises a keyword portfolio. Keyword Performance shows individual keyword and engine rows and lets one keyword be inspected in detail.

Does a deep-dive referral carry the finding into the next feature?

No. It opens the relevant specialist feature as a normal navigation link.

Can Keyword Performance add a finding to the Action Board?

No. It refers the user to the appropriate specialist feature rather than creating an Action Board item directly.

Does low engagement cause a ranking decline?

Keyword Deep-Dive uses available behaviour as content-quality context only. It does not treat Wheremore behaviour data as a search-engine ranking input.

Does stale content prove why a ranking changed?

No. Content freshness can support an investigation but does not prove causation.

Why can the same keyword rank differently across engines?

Each search engine has its own results and competitor set. Compare evidence within the relevant engine.

Who can see the data?

The feature uses the active workspace and only returns domains and search groups available to the signed-in user.