The Close Variants feature is designed to automatically identify keywords within an AWR project that share similar search volume, search intent, and SERP relevance. By detecting closely related keywords, this mechanism allows you to quickly assess which keyword variations are most effective (e.g., in terms of higher rankings or estimated traffic) for the selected website.
The keyword variations are computed based on three key criteria:
Search volume: the list of tracked keywords is first analyzed based on their search volume over the past 6 months. This approach ensures that seasonal variations and fluctuations in search trends are considered.
Search intent: among the keywords with identical search volumes, only those with the same search intent are selected. This ensures that the keywords are not just numerically similar but also contextually relevant.
SERP relevance: The Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) retrieved for these keywords are then evaluated. Keywords are considered close variants if the top 10 domains in SERPs are highly similar. This ensures that the keyword variations not only share the same search volumes and intents but also trigger similar SERPs.
When identified, keyword variations are automatically added to the Close Variants dynamic group. This group is updated monthly or whenever new keywords are added to the project, ensuring that the keyword variations list is relevant and up-to-date.
The Close Variants dynamic group can be used to filter aggregated data in views where the keywords drop-down menu is supported. This includes reports like Ranking, Visibility, Competitive Intel, and more.
Additionally, in the Ranking > Keywords and Ranking > Search Engines Comparison views, you can apply the Close Variants filter to view the list of similar keywords. This filter allows for a detailed analysis of keyword variations based on various performance metrics, including ranking positions, SERP Features, estimated visits, impressions, and more.
While in one of these Ranking views, you can use the Table Settings manager to toggle the options for displaying keyword group names, as well as branded and close variants keyword labels. This functionality helps you to better visualize your data.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact our support team.