Search volume is the average number of times a specific search query is entered on a search engine per month. The volume represents the number of searches using national-level data. Therefore, volume can change when you change the regional database you're viewing (US, Canada, UK, etc). To find a keyword’s search volume, enter the keyword in one of the SEO tools' search bar to pull the keyword report.
In addition to the monthly search volume in a regional database, the keyword overview will also show you a keyword’s global volume. This is the sum of the keyword’s monthly search volumes across all of the regional databases.
Why Is Search Volume Important?
Keyword search volume is important for a number of reasons.
It enables you to identify how valuable a keyword will be to your strategy, allowing you to understand whether or not it is highly searched for and its fluctuation.
A high search volume means the term is popular and if you rank for it, you'll get more traffic.
This metric shouldn’t be solely relied on though. Things such as conversion rates, UX (User Experience), and the likelihood of your website ranking for a keyword are also important.
Why Does Keyword Search Volume Matter?
Search volume matters because search engines are one of the key ways that sites attract new visitors and traffic. For example, at WordStream, organic search drives about 70% of total traffic! So it’s crucial to target keywords in your content that actually have real search volume – if no one is searching for the keywords you’re targeting, no one will find your content. However, if you’re only targeting keywords with extremely high search volume, it will be difficult to compete with bigger sites and get your content ranking.
What Is the Average Monthly Search Volume?
Average monthly search volume represents the number of times the keyword was searched over the past twelve months divided by 12. For seasonal and trending keywords, this number could be higher or lower than the average in certain months. You can check Google Trends for trending topics.
Search volumes are updated every month mostly. This is to account for the most recent search data from Google and changes in the search results.
In addition to volume, SEO tools provide the CPC and competitiveness of keywords with Keyword Difficulty metrics. CPC relates to Google Ads and Keyword Difficulty relates to SEO.
Local Search Volume
In order to view the local search volume for a keyword, you will need to set up a Position Tracking or PPC Keyword Tool campaign with a set geographic location.
Which Keyword Search Volumes Should You Be Targeting?
Whether you’re an SEO, a PPC specialist, or a digital marketing generalist, keyword search volume is a crucial metric that is often overlooked in favour of other metrics such as click-through rate. However, keyword search volume should be part of the foundation upon which your efforts should be built – but how do you know which range of volumes you should be targeting?
Balancing Volume with Competition
When it comes to keyword search volume, there are two primary factors to take into consideration: volume and competitiveness. Keywords with higher volumes mean more potential exposure (or impression share), but will likely be much more competitive. This, in turn, makes it harder to rank for these terms as you’ll probably be going up against well-established publishers and sites, or higher CPCs if you’re bidding on these terms as part of a paid search campaign.
Evaluating the average monthly search volume for an ad group vs. the competition
of its keywords
Knowing which types of terms to target depends largely on your situation and goals. If you’re a brand-new website, you may want to begin by targeting low-volume, low-competition keywords as a starting point to establish some domain authority. Alternatively, if you’re a well-established site with strong organic rankings, you may want to delve into slightly more competitive territory to maintain your edge.
How to Rank for Keywords with High Search Volumes?
Whether you’re an SEO rookie or a seasoned veteran, going after keywords with high search volumes is always a challenge. On the one hand, these search terms can be immensely valuable to your business, bringing in tons of referral traffic and amassing a growing number of external links. On the other, these terms are often highly sought-after precisely because of the value they offer, meaning that competition to rank for them is intense.
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