SEO

Keyword Volume: Keyword Search Volume Concepts Businesses Should Know

December 9, 2024

Welcome to the fast-paced and dynamic digital world, where Google reigns supreme, and SEO is the key weapon in the battle for top rankings on search engines. In this blog post, we’ll discuss search volume and how targeting keyword search volume, traffic, and metrics can help you select the right keywords for your SEO campaign. This hypothesis is based on our research and experience as an SEO agency for over 15 years.

You might be wondering, what exactly is search volume? How does it work? And more importantly, how can you leverage it to improve your website’s ranking on Google? Don’t worry, because we’ll cover everything here for free!

What is Keyword Search Volume?

Keyword search volume is a concept in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) that refers to the average number of searches per month for a specific keyword. It’s an essential metric used in keyword research to assess how much traffic you could potentially generate from that keyword. By knowing the search volume of a keyword, you can target keywords with high search volumes to increase your website’s visibility in search engines.

Read Also: Get to Know More About Branded Keywords: Usage, Benefits, and SEO Optimisation

How to Find Keyword Search Volume?

One of the tools you can use to find keyword search volume is Google Keyword Planner. This tool helps you discover relevant keywords for your business and provides an estimate of how often those keywords are searched. Google Keyword Planner is part of Google Ads.

Apart from Google Keyword Planner, search volume can also be found in various SEO tools such as Semrush and Ahrefs, where the keyword data is sourced from Google Keyword Planner, along with additional data from third-party sources.

How is Keyword Search Volume Calculated?

Search volume is calculated using several factors, including:

  • The number of searches made for a particular keyword or phrase
  • The location of the users performing the search
  • The device used to perform the search
  • The time the search is conducted

Search volume data can be used to create a list of relevant keywords for your website. Keywords with high search volumes are more likely to drive traffic to your site, while low-volume keywords might be easier to rank for in search engines.

4 Key Points About Keyword Search Volume Every Business Should Know

For years, SEO practitioners have focused on keyword search volume as the main factor for determining which keywords to target in an SEO campaign. However, with recent updates, search engine algorithms have evolved from focusing on keywords to concepts or topics, and search engines have become more semantic. How SEO consultants view keyword search volume may need to change. Below are some points about search volume that require a re-evaluation:

Keyword Search Volume Reflects Market Potential

It’s not entirely true that keyword search volume directly reflects market demand. Several factors can skew the validity of search volume data as a market demand indicator. Some of these factors include:

  • SEO professionals or content writers who regularly monitor specific keywords
  • SEO software that scrapes certain keywords periodically

These are not potential market users, yet their activity can impact search volume.

For example, the search volume for the keyword “SEO is” may appear high (12,100 searches) in Indonesia, but this isn’t a typical search query used by the average user. The normal market might search for phrases like “What is SEO?” or “SEO definition.” In more advanced markets like the U.S., the equivalent search volume for “SEO is” is much lower, at only 880 searches.

Keyword Search Volume is Average Monthly Potential

Consider a keyword such as “Susi is at the night market and pays 3000.” While it shows an average of 210 searches over the last 12 months, this figure doesn’t tell the whole story. In fact, the search volume spiked in January 2023 and dropped significantly in the following months, with less than 1% of searches by March.

What can we learn from this?

  • Apart from the average monthly volume, pay attention to trends. Unusual patterns indicate abnormal behavior.
  • Don’t focus solely on keywords with low or zero search volume.

Don’t Focus Solely on Keywords with Low or Zero Search Volume

As we’ve seen in the data, keyword volume doesn’t always match market behavior. Google may show data about common SEO questions even if the keyword doesn’t have a recorded search volume.

What can we learn?

  • Keywords with zero or very low search volume can still be valuable, as they may relate to the contextual relevance of a query (for example, “SEO definition”).

How We Approach Keyword Search Volume in SEO Campaigns

At Doxadigital, we believe in the concept of Topical Authority and Semantic SEO. While keyword search volume can provide insight into the volume of searches for a specific keyword, focusing solely on this number is not ideal. There are many topics with low volume that still need to be included to build a strong thematic website.

We use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner and Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to generate keyword ideas, without solely relying on search volume for the reasons mentioned above.

Conclusion

Search volume is calculated based on factors such as the number of searches, user location, device used, and the time of the search. This data helps create a list of relevant keywords for your website. High-volume keywords have the potential to bring more visitors to your site, while low-volume keywords may be easier to rank for in search engines.

When selecting keywords for your SEO campaign, businesses should consider keyword search volume as an indicator of market potential. However, other factors, such as contextual relevance and trends, should also be taken into account. High search volume does not always guarantee success, and low or zero search volume keywords may still have value if they are contextually relevant.

For SEO campaigns, it’s important to understand Topical Authority and Semantic SEO. While keyword search volume provides insight into search activity, it’s also essential to consider a wide range of topics and low-volume keywords that contribute to the overall theme of your website.

If you’re looking for a trusted partner to enhance your digital presence and grow your business online, Doxadigital Creative Digital Agency is here to help. Master your business’s keywords through organic SEO and paid SEM campaigns. As a Google Premier Partner, Facebook Preferred Agency, and TikTok Silver Plus Agency, Doxadigital is at the forefront of digital marketing strategies.

Contact us via WhatsApp at +6281288883692 or email info@doxadigital.com to start your digital marketing journey today.

Disclaimer: SEO is not a fixed science; algorithms continually evolve, and no third-party service can accurately predict how SEO works. The opinions and hypotheses in this article are derived from research and personal conclusions.

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