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Understanding keyword metrics: relevancy, competition, and opportunity

10 min read
Last updated: December 2024

Why Understanding Metrics Matters for Success 📊

Keyword metrics are your compass in the competitive Walmart marketplace. They help you identify which keywords are worth pursuing, which ones to avoid, and how to prioritize your optimization efforts for maximum impact.

Mastering these metrics will transform you from someone who guesses at keywords to someone who makes data-driven decisions that drive real results.

Relevancy Score (0-100%)

What It Measures

Relevancy measures how closely a keyword matches your product or search intent. It's calculated by analyzing how often the keyword appears with products similar to what you're researching, the semantic relationship between terms, and customer behavior patterns.

How WallyPilot Calculates Relevancy

  • Product co-occurrence - How often the keyword appears with similar products
  • Search context - Whether customers searching this term want your type of product
  • Semantic similarity - How closely related the terms are in meaning
  • Category alignment - Whether the keyword fits your product category

What Different Ranges Mean

90-100% - Excellent Match

Perfect alignment with your product

Example: "wireless bluetooth earbuds" for bluetooth earbuds

70-89% - Strong Match

Very relevant, great for optimization

Example: "noise canceling earbuds" for bluetooth earbuds

50-69% - Moderate Match

Somewhat relevant, consider carefully

Example: "wireless headphones" for bluetooth earbuds

Below 50% - Poor Match

Not relevant, avoid these

Example: "phone accessories" for bluetooth earbuds

Practical Examples

For "Stainless Steel Water Bottle":

"stainless steel water bottle"
98% Relevancy
"insulated water bottle"
85% Relevancy
"reusable water bottle"
78% Relevancy
"water container"
55% Relevancy
"kitchen supplies"
25% Relevancy

When to Prioritize High vs. Lower Relevancy

Prioritize High Relevancy (85%+) When:

  • • Optimizing product titles and main descriptions
  • • Setting up exact match advertising campaigns
  • • You have limited optimization time/budget
  • • Building initial keyword foundation

Consider Lower Relevancy (60-84%) When:

  • • Discovering new market opportunities
  • • Building broad match advertising campaigns
  • • Looking for less competitive alternatives
  • • Expanding into adjacent product categories

Competition Level (Low/Medium/High)

What It Represents

Competition level indicates how difficult it will be to rank for a keyword based on the strength and number of competitors already ranking well for that term. This helps you choose battles you can actually win.

How WallyPilot Determines Competition

Competition Assessment Factors

  • Number of competitors - How many products are targeting this keyword
  • Competitor strength - Review counts, ratings, and sales velocity of ranking products
  • Market saturation - How crowded the space is for this term
  • Optimization quality - How well current top results are optimized

Strategic Implications for Each Level

Low Competition

Advantages:

  • • Easier to rank quickly
  • • Lower advertising costs
  • • Good for new products
  • • Fast results possible

Strategy:

  • • Perfect for initial optimization
  • • Start here for quick wins
  • • Build momentum and reviews
  • • Test market response

Medium Competition

Characteristics:

  • • Balanced effort vs. reward
  • • Moderate advertising costs
  • • Decent search volume
  • • Realistic ranking timeline

Strategy:

  • • Good for sustained growth
  • • Requires consistent effort
  • • Focus on superior optimization
  • • Monitor competitor moves

High Competition

Challenges:

  • • Difficult to rank quickly
  • • High advertising costs
  • • Established competitors
  • • Requires significant resources

When to Consider:

  • • High-volume business terms
  • • Long-term strategic goals
  • • Differentiated products
  • • Sufficient budget/resources

Examples: Competitive vs. Low-Competition Keywords

High Competition Examples

"bluetooth headphones"
High
"water bottle"
High
"phone case"
High

Broad, popular terms with many sellers competing

Low Competition Examples

"noise cancelling earbuds for small ears"
Low
"insulated steel water bottle 32oz"
Low
"clear phone case with grip"
Low

Specific, longer phrases with fewer competitors

Opportunity Score (Low/Medium/High)

What Constitutes a Good Opportunity

Opportunity represents the business potential of a keyword - essentially answering "If I rank for this keyword, how much business value will it drive?" It combines search demand, competition level, and commercial intent.

High Opportunity Keywords Typically Have:

  • Strong search demand - People are actively searching for this
  • Commercial intent - Searchers are likely to buy
  • Manageable competition - You can realistically rank
  • Conversion potential - Good fit for your product

How It Relates to Search Volume and Competition

Search VolumeCompetitionOpportunityStrategy
HighLow
High
Perfect target - prioritize these!
MediumLow
High
Great for building momentum
HighMedium
Medium
Worth effort if you can differentiate
LowLow
Medium
Good for long-tail strategy
HighHigh
Low
Avoid unless you have major advantages

When to Target Different Opportunity Levels

High Opportunity - Target First

These should be your primary focus for optimization and advertising spend.

Ideal for:

  • • Main product optimization
  • • Primary advertising campaigns
  • • Initial market entry

Expected results:

  • • Quick ranking improvements
  • • Strong ROI on ad spend
  • • Steady traffic growth

Medium Opportunity - Build Portfolio

Good for expanding your keyword portfolio and finding secondary opportunities.

Use for:

  • • Secondary optimization
  • • Broad match campaigns
  • • Market exploration

Expectations:

  • • Moderate traffic volume
  • • Steady, gradual growth
  • • Discovery of new niches

Low Opportunity - Use Strategically

Consider only when they fit specific strategic goals or have unique advantages.

Might be worth it for:

  • • Long-tail completeness
  • • Brand protection
  • • Future positioning

Typical outcomes:

  • • Low traffic volume
  • • Minimal ranking movement
  • • Limited business impact

Difficulty Score (0-100)

SEO Difficulty Explanation

Difficulty measures how hard it is to rank organically for a keyword, based on the strength of currently ranking pages, their optimization quality, and domain authority.

How It Differs from Competition

Competition

Overall marketplace competitiveness

Difficulty

Technical SEO ranking challenge

Realistic Expectations

0-30 (Easy)Rank in 1-3 months
31-60 (Medium)Rank in 3-6 months
61-100 (Hard)Rank in 6+ months

Estimated CPC ($)

What This Represents

Estimated Cost Per Click shows approximately how much you'd pay for each click if you advertised on this keyword. It's based on market competition and commercial value.

How to Use for Budget Planning

$0.30-$0.80 (Low)

Good for broad campaigns and testing

$0.80-$1.50 (Medium)

Standard for most product campaigns

$1.50+ (High)

Reserve for highest-converting terms

Why It's an Estimate

  • • Actual costs vary by competition
  • • Your bid strategy affects pricing
  • • Quality scores influence costs
  • • Market conditions change daily

Using Metrics Together

The real power comes from analyzing metrics in combination, not isolation:

The Sweet Spot Formula

85%+

High Relevancy

Matches your product perfectly

Low-Med

Manageable Competition

You can realistically rank

High

Strong Opportunity

Worth your time and effort

= Perfect Keyword Target! 🎯

Practical Decision Framework

Use this step-by-step approach when evaluating keywords:

Step 1: Filter by Relevancy First

Start with 75%+ relevancy to ensure good product fit

This eliminates keywords that won't convert well

Step 2: Check Opportunity Level

Prioritize High opportunity, consider Medium

Focus your limited time on keywords that matter

Step 3: Assess Competition Reality

Match competition level to your resources and timeline

New products should start with Low-Medium competition

Step 4: Consider Your Budget

Ensure estimated CPC fits your advertising budget

Mix high and low CPC keywords for balanced campaigns

Step 5: Make the Final Decision

Choose keywords that score well across multiple metrics

Perfect keywords are rare - look for good overall balance

Common Mistakes to Avoid

What NOT to Do

  • • Focusing only on high-volume keywords
  • • Ignoring relevancy scores below 90%
  • • Always avoiding high competition
  • • Choosing keywords based on one metric only
  • • Not considering your advertising budget
  • • Targeting 100+ keywords at once

Smart Approach

  • • Start with 10-20 well-chosen keywords
  • • Balance relevancy with opportunity
  • • Mix competition levels strategically
  • • Consider your timeline and resources
  • • Test and iterate based on results
  • • Focus on metrics that align with goals