Keywords are the cornerstone of successful online marketing. Whether you use free or paid methods to market, the success of your efforts depends on the keywords you choose.
But how do you decide which keywords to target?
Well, that depends on search engine optimization metrics, such as how many people are searching for information using a specific keyword, also known as "keyword search volume."
In this blog, we will talk about the importance of keyword search volume and how to find search volume for keywords.
What is keyword search volume and its importance?
Keyword search volume is defined as the average number of searches a term gets on a particular search engine over a given period of time. It can be measured daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly.
Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo have become the most popular go-to places for information. From increasing knowledge on a topic to buying high-ticket items, everything starts with search queries.
Keywords help you increase your organic search traffic for the words or phrases people use to find information related to your products and services.
But you are not the only one; competitors from your niche across the world are targeting the same keyword list. A blog post that ranks today might not rank tomorrow.
In such a scenario, stats like a keyword’s monthly search volume help you find the right keywords to target and create content that cuts through the noise to reach the top of the search engine results page.
What is the good keyword search volume?
Good keyword search volume usually ranges between 100 and 1000 searches per month. However, simply targeting the most popular keywords won’t be enough. We have to keep in mind that our competitors are also targeting common keywords.
So, to have a better chance of ranking in the SERPs, we need to come up with a mix of keywords that aren't too popular or too small. In SEO terms, these are called long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords are variations of a one- to three-word keyword that have less competition. These search terms are used by people when they are looking for specific information about a topic.
For example, let’s assume you are opening a new burger restaurant in Austin, Texas.
If you target the word "burgers,” you may not be able to rank.
Giants like Burger King and McDonald's dominate the search engine results for that keyword. But if you target a search term like “burgers in Austin, Texas,” or “burgers in Austin,” your chances increase.
A good keyword search volume for your brand depends on the products and services you're offering and the competitive landscape that you’re facing for that keyword. You can use keyword tools to help you find the best keywords.
How do I see keyword search volume in Google keyword planner?
Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword tool that helps you find the right keywords to target. Whether you want to publish a paid ad or not, the information you will find on Google's Keyword Planner is a good starting point for any type of marketing campaign.
To use this tool, you need a Google Ads account connected to your website. Once you have done that, the rest of the process is pretty simple:
- Visit the Google Ads Keyword Planner and log in to your account.
- Once you log in, you will see two options, ‘Discover New Keywords’ and ‘Get Search volume and forecasts.’
Finding Keyword Search Volume through ‘Get Search Volume and Forecasts’
If you already have a keyword in mind, you can use this option to find its search volume. Google Ads Keyword Planner will show you the average monthly searches, three-month and year-on-year changes, and the competition for your keyword.
- Simply click on this option and enter your keyword.
Finding Keyword Search Volume through ‘Discover New Ideas’
At times, you may not be sure of the exact keyword you want to target. In such a scenario, it is a good idea to use the "discover new ideas" option to find relevant keyword suggestions that you can use.
This will show you all the statistics from the previous option, plus many related keywords that potential customers are using to find information related to your products.
The process is the same; simply enter your primary keyword and search.
Following our example, here are the results of just ‘burgers.’
Here are the results for ‘burgers in austin tx.’
As you can see, the more specific your keyword is, the less competition you will face. Keywords like ‘burgers in austin tx’ or ‘top notch burgers in austin’ are ideal options for new and upcoming burger restaurants to establish a strong yet budget-friendly online presence.
You can also get information about the exact search term that people are using. For instance, people do not type "Texas”; instead, they use the short form "tx" for their search. Use this tool to find the search volume of your keywords and some good variations of your main keyword.
How do I see keyword search volume in Google trends?
Google Trends is another useful tool for finding search volumes for your keywords. This is a free-for-all tool that does not require you to sign up or create an account.
The tool offers helpful information, such as interest in a term based on geography, related searches, and the search trend for a keyword.
To use this keyword research tool, simply visit the Google Trends website and enter your target keyword.
The tool will produce a detailed result of the search trend for your term, where people are searching from, related topics, and related queries. You can get a lot of information from the results.
For instance, if we go to the second page of ‘interest by region,’ we find that Texas is 6th in terms of most people searching for burgers.
That should validate your idea of opening a burger restaurant in the first place. Further, if you notice the search trend, you will see that the search for burgers in the US is on the rise.
The tool does not offer numbers for search volume; instead, it shows a percentage of increased searches for your keyword. You can use this tool to validate your keyword ideas and the keywords you find from Google Ads Keyword Planner or any other source for that matter.
As you can see, search activity for "good burgers near me" has increased by 80% over the last 12 months. A good keyword to target in marketing campaigns.
Use Scalenut’s topic cluster tool to identify high search volume keyword
We saved the best for last. Scalenut’s topic cluster generator is a nifty tool to find keyword clusters/groups and their search volumes.
The tool looks at how Google SERPs are changing and makes a list of the most relevant keywords and how often they are searched for.
Simply enter your target keyword and select the target location.
The tool will produce multiple lists of related keywords with cumulative search volumes. To look at the search volume of individual keywords, simply click on a keyword cluster.
You can use this tool to find out how often your target keyword is searched for and find a suitable list of keywords based on how often they are searched for. The results from this tool can also be used to come up with a keyword strategy for your marketing campaigns and help you build authority over the topic.
We hope the tools mentioned in this article will help you find the right keywords and reach potential customers with your marketing campaigns. If you are looking for more information on keyword research, refer to this detailed guide on how to do keyword research for SEO and PPC (step-by-step).
About Scalenut
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