Okay, you can shut down your 17 cat video tabs—this page may just revolutionize how you keyword research forever.
Still reading? Great. You want evidence, right? Let’s get started.
Or perhaps you have no idea even what the Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR) is. No worries—I’ve got your back.
What Is the Keyword Golden Ratio?
Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR) is a term used by Doug Cunnington of nichesiteproject.com. It is referring to a particular method of identifying low-competition keywords that are pathetically easy to rank for—particularly if your site is not an authority yet.
The calculation itself is basic:
KGR = Allintitle Results / Monthly Search Volume
- ✔ If the ratio is less than 0.25 and the search volume is less than 250/month, it’s golden.
- ✔ Between 0.25 and 1? Maybe it’s still winnable.
- ✔ More than 1? Meh. Not likely worth it.
Doug explains it in this video, and we even had him on the podcast to discuss it (Part 1 and Part 2).
There’s More Than Meets the Eye
Here’s something we’ve learned from testing this approach at scale:
Any keyword with less than 63 “allintitle:” results can be a sleeper hit—despite receiving over 250 monthly searches.
Why 63? That’s about three pages of Google results going after that very specific keyword. And honestly, all of those pages are going to be forums, Quora answers, and other low-hanging fruit content. So while it technically violates the “less than 250 searches” rule, it’s still a plum opportunity.
Let’s discuss real-life examples.
Behind the Rankings: What We’ve Learned from Targeting KGR Terms
I’ve been testing KGR keywords on one of my niche sites, and the results are self-explanatory (yes, I’m bragging a bit). But if you examine it closely, there are some takeaways:
1. It Mostly Works
80–90% of the time, if your site has some domain authority and you’re establishing topical relevance with internal links, KGR content makes Page 1.
Some of them take a little longer (3–4 months), so I labeled them with baby icons in my docs—because they’re still growing up.
2. Avoid Cannibalization
When you’re targeting several keywords that are too close to each other, you might end up with pages fighting each other.
Been there, done that. One of my KGR pages got eclipsed because another article on the site was too close in topic. Oops.
3. Don’t Believe Search Volume Blindly
Notice how some of the keywords which allegedly had “low volume” actually pulled hordes of traffic.
Why? Two reasons:
- Seasonality: Tools average out search volume for 12 months. That obscures spikes that occur during peak season booms.
- Long-tail Variations: One single article can rank for dozens if not hundreds of related queries. The keyword that you optimized is only the tip of the iceberg.
Moral of the story: low volume doesn’t equal low traffic. Don’t underestimate KGR keywords.
4. Bunching Keywords Works
Suppose you stumble upon a keyword such as “ABC 2 vs 4.” If ABC is offered in more than two sizes, take it one step further. Make a mega comparison:
“ABC 2 vs 4 vs 5 – Which Is Best?”
A good, well-researched guide by an authority can rank on all variations—and drive traffic to your money content.
5. Pay Attention to the Intent
Most KGR keywords we work with are informational:
- how-tos
- comparisons
- why/when/what
- lists
- problem/solution formats
There will also be some product reviews and “Best XYZ” roundups.
When searching with Ahrefs or Semrush, I filter with modifiers such as:
types, why, when, how, what, best way, get rid of, sizes, list
Steal those. They work.
Known Limitations
Let’s be realistic:
KGR is more difficult to apply to product keywords.
“Best ABC for XYZ” is a style that will work sometimes, but in close niches, you’re going to have only a few choices. It’s much simpler to locate KGR keywords for info content.
So how do you monetize that money?
Monetizing Info Content (The Clever Way)
Here’s my process:
Use KGR content to back your money pages.
If I have a product roundup, like “Best Straight Razors,” I’ll nest it with 4–5 KGR posts on shaving techniques, tips, or care.
Each one links internally to the money post using appropriate anchor text. This creates topical authority and drives rankings higher.
I also use underperforming KGR posts as buffer pages when building backlinks. Instead of throwing 20 links at my money post and looking spammy, I spread them across my content ecosystem. It looks natural and reduces the risk of a penalty.
Ready to Use KGR? Save Hours of Work
If you’re excited to try this strategy but don’t want to spend days digging through keywords, we’ve got you covered.
Check out our [KGR Keyword Pack] – hundreds of hand-picked KGR-compliant terms to get you started fast.
Now go crush it.
And if you must go back to those cat videos, at least bookmark this page first.
