SEO moves fast. With so many factors—keywords, rankings, competitors—it’s hard to predict what will drive traffic.
But imagine knowing a keyword or topic’s performance before targeting it. This would be a game-changer for efficiency.
That’s where SEO forecasting comes in.
Accurate forecasting is more important than ever. It helps you focus on the right keywords, make smarter decisions, and stay ahead.
And crucially, it provides a compelling argument for leadership to back your SEO efforts with confidence.
Our new Traffic Predictions feature takes the guesswork out of keyword research, making your campaigns sharper and easier.
What’s New: Semrush’s Potential Traffic Predictions
Semrush has introduced a groundbreaking metric, aimed at helping SEO professionals quickly and accurately forecast traffic from target keywords based on your specific domain.
It’s your crystal ball that shows you how much potential traffic your website could get from any keyword.
How It Works
This AI-powered tool is not just smart; it’s specialized for your website.
Unlike generic forecasting tools, Semrush uses domain-specific metrics to calculate its estimates. It analyzes keywords in the context of your domain’s highest possible position, factoring in your competitive landscape and topical authority.
This tailored approach results in more accurate, relevant predictions for your specific website.
Get a More Specific Forecast
No two domains are alike, and you wouldn’t want to forecast the same expectations for a large, established website as you would for a brand new site in the same niche.
What sets Semrush’s Traffic Prediction feature apart is its specificity. Instead of relying on broad metrics, the tool dives deep into your domain’s unique characteristics, ensuring that every prediction is relevant to your situation.
This approach leads to more reliable forecasts and, ultimately, better-informed SEO decisions.
Forecast on the Keyword Level and Topic Level
Another standout feature is the tool’s ability to explore beyond single keywords and predict traffic from entire topics.
For example, this is the tool’s prediction for potential traffic from the entire topic of “online marketing” if semrush.com were to target that topic with SEO.
By analyzing related topics, Potential Topic Traffic gives you a broader view of your potential growth.
With this tool, SEO professionals can save time, prioritize effectively, and confidently make data-driven decisions.
To use this feature, just enter a target keyword and a domain into the Keyword Overview.
Let’s explore some key benefits and use cases.
Save Time on SEO Forecasting
Imagine that you’re tasked with estimating potential traffic for barnesandnoble.com. How would you approach this challenge?
The Old Way:
Before, you could dig into national search volumes and keyword difficulties. Then, you’d spend ages crunching numbers and eyeing your SERP competitors. It was a long, tedious process with no guarantee of accuracy.
The New Way:
Now, you simply type in your domain and keyword(s) and let AI do the heavy lifting for your specific site.
Here’s what happens when you enter barnesandnoble.com and “audiobook”:
In seconds, you get a tailor-made forecast:
- The “audiobook” keyword could bring in 273 monthly visits to barnesandnoble.com
- The entire topic surrounding this keyword has a potential of 4,400 monthly visits
How is this calculated?
The AI considers multiple factors specific to rd.com:
- Authority score
- Current rankings
- Potential for improvement
- Keyword to domain relevancy
- Competition on the search results page
It’s like having a super-smart SEO expert who knows your site inside out, giving you personalized predictions in the blink of an eye.
Prioritize High-Impact Keywords
While knowing potential traffic is valuable, the real power lies in understanding which keywords align best with your domain’s strengths. This is where Semrush’s Traffic Predictions truly shine.
Imagine you run an online outdoor gear store, campingworld.com. You’re planning your content strategy and are torn between two potential focus areas: “camping gear essentials” and “rock climbing equipment.”
How do you decide which one to prioritize?
The Old Way:
You might look at search volumes and assume that the higher volume keyword is always the better choice. Or you’d spend hours analyzing your competitors, trying to guess where you have the best chance of ranking.
The New Way:
You enter your domain (campingworld.com) and the first keyword (pop up tent) into the tool. Here’s what you’d see:
Next, enter your second keyword (camping tent), keeping the domain the same.
At first glance, “pop up tent” seems like the larger opportunity because of its higher volume. But the analysis doesn’t stop there.
Semrush considers your domain’s relevance to the keyword and reveals that your site has a higher Topical Authority for “camping tent” than “pop up tent.”
This means you have a better chance of ranking in top positions for “camping tent” terms.
Based on this, Semrush predicts more traffic potential for the site to go after “camping tent.”
Where to Find Traffic Predictions in Semrush
Semrush has added Potential Traffic as a metric to its Keyword Overview, Keyword Magic Tool, and Position Tracking tool. Here’s where you’ll see it in each.
Keyword Overview
To begin, enter your keywords and domain into Keyword Overview.
Select your country and click “Search.”
The tool will return the national and global keyword volume along with personalized data, like the Personalized Keyword Difficulty, the domain’s Topical Authority, and the potential SERP position.
This estimate is calculated using several key factors: your domain’s Authority Score, the Percentage of Keyword Difficulty (PKD%), potential ranking position, expected traffic volumes, and the competitive landscape on the SERP.
To see the list of keywords that make up this topic, click on “See topic details” to open the Bulk Analysis.
Here you’ll get a breakdown of the entire topic, and how much potential traffic your site could get if you successfully targeted every keyword with SEO.
If you already have a list of keywords you want to forecast potential traffic for, you can check them in the Bulk Analysis section. Simply enter your keyword list and click “Analyze” to review the traffic prediction for the provided keywords.
The tool details the potential traffic gain alongside the Personal Keyword Difficulty score for your domain, giving you insights on which keywords would be easiest for your domain to compete for first.
Keyword Magic Tool
Navigate to the Keyword Magic Tool and enter your seed keyword, domain, and target country. Then click “Search.”
The tool now displays a “Potential traffic” column for each keyword alongside the Personal Keyword Difficulty.
This metric shows the estimated monthly traffic your domain could receive if ranking in the top potential position estimated by Semrush.
To get the most out of this feature, sort your results by “Potential traffic” to spot keywords that are most relevant to your site and could drive significant traffic.
Position Tracking
By referencing this feature in the Position Tracking tool, you can gain deeper insights into how ranking for all of your target keywords would impact the site’s overall traffic.
Based on the target keywords added to a Position Tracking campaign, the tool now offers a 3-month traffic potential prediction for your reference.
For instance, let’s imagine you’re managing SEO for goodbookstore.com. You’ve been monitoring your keyword positions, but your boss wants to know how much growth can be expected.
Traffic Predictions within Position Tracking can show you exactly that.
How to Use It: To access Traffic Predictions, go to the Position Tracking tool and launch a new campaign with your target keywords.
Here’s a breakdown of what the tool will show in the Position Tracking Landscape view:
Notice the current stats vs. potential:
- Visibility: Currently at 3.12%, with potential to increase by 6.10%
- Estimated Traffic: Currently at 83.76 daily visits, with room to grow by 214.3
- Average Position: Currently at 45.96, with potential to climb 10.45 positions
These forecasts show the potential improvements you could see for your specified list of target keywords if you engage in similar optimization efforts.
To determine these estimates, the Position Tracking tool uses a prediction model with data from our trusted agencies that focus on content optimization and improving domains.
In the Overview tab, you’ll find a table that provides forecasts for potential traffic and growth for specific keywords.
By sorting this table by “Your Potential Growth,” you can find the keywords that offer the greatest opportunities for improvement.
Adjusting Tracking Parameters
The Traffic Prediction feature in Position Tracking uses the parameters you set during your Project setup. However, you can easily adjust these settings.
To change parameters regarding your website tracking, like location or search engine, simply click the current settings under the Position Tracking title and click “+ Add new target.”
This allows you to update tracking details such as location or search engine.
By customizing these settings, you ensure that the Traffic Prediction feature provides data that’s most relevant to your specific SEO goals.
Why Traffic Predictions Matter for Your SEO Campaigns
Being able to predict potential SEO traffic and make a forecast can be huge for your campaigns. Here’s how:
Get Stakeholders to Buy Into Your Plans
Having a clear forecast of potential SEO traffic is not just useful for planning; it’s vital for making your case to leadership. When you can present data-driven predictions showing the value of your strategy, you increase the likelihood of securing the necessary resources and support.
Smarter, Data-Driven Campaign Planning
By forecasting potential traffic for keywords and topics, you can prioritize efforts that promise the highest returns based on Semrush data and AI analysis. No more shooting in the dark or spreading resources thin across low-impact keywords.
Competitive Edge
Real-time insights into traffic potential help you spot opportunities before your competitors. You can quickly identify and capitalize on high-potential keywords where your site has a topical advantage.
Time and Resource Optimization
By focusing on keywords with the highest predicted impact, you’re maximizing the efficiency of your SEO efforts. This means better results without increasing your workload.
Get a Clearer SEO Forecast with Semrush’s Traffic Predictions
Forecasting traffic for SEO can be as complex as predicting the weather. However, the right tools can help.
With Semrush’s Traffic Predictions, you can skip the grunt work and use AI to instantly see how your keywords might perform. This not only sharpens your strategy but also gives you a powerful, data-backed argument to secure leadership support.
Ready to make your SEO strategy smarter with solid, data-driven insights?
