Keyword volume is an estimation of the number of searches per month for a certain keyword or keyphrase.
A high search volume means more potential traffic to your website from Google searches. But, more on that later.
This article will explore what high search volume is, where to find search word volume, and everything else you need to know about keywords and when to use them. Let’s go!
What Is High Search Volume?
What exactly is a high search volume? Think of it as a popularity contest. Whatever keywords are searched the most often is considered a high search volume. Google’s algorithm calculates the popularity of a keyword based on how often the user looks for it.
You can accomplish this by monitoring Google trends, your conversion rates, metrics, and keyword search volume data. Doing so can drive traffic to your business and boost your sales.
You might be wondering what the best ratio for search result volume is. The best keyword ratio is 0.25.
The best ratio is found by the keyword phrase in the title divided by the local monthly search volume. If the radio is less than 0.25, then you should rank in the top 100 search page results.
As much as you wish it were true, using any given keyword on your webpage and expecting it to gain high authority isn’t going to work. You need the right SEO tools, the best techniques, specific keywords, and a good digital marketing strategy to make it onto the top pages of Google.
Using high search volume keywords isn’t always the best strategy. You may gain more traffic but it often results in less conversion rates. Anchor text is also different from high volume keywords and is used differently in your SEO methods, but is still relevant to gaining traffic.
In 2020, there were only around 500 keywords for 8.4% of all search volume, so picking the best terms for your product or business is important if you choose to work with high-volume keywords.
High Volume Keywords
High-volume keywords are often very competitive and broadly targeted.
Although ranking for such keywords can send a lot of traffic to your website, it may not be worth the effort because they are too competitive and will require too much time and money to rank.
When someone searches for a high-volume targeted keyword, the search engine includes websites in the person’s search engine results pages (SERPs). So, incorporating the best keywords is vital for content strategy.
For example, let’s take the keyword “computers”:
You can see that although the search volume is high, the keyword difficulty is “high” according to this tool from ahrefs.
High volume keywords might also not be worth it because the keyword phrase is too broad and often won’t lead to conversions on your website.
In this case, the search intent isn’t explicitly clear.
Some people searching for that keyword might be looking for information about computers, while others might be shopping for a new computer.
People searching for this keyword are less likely to actually buy a computer than someone searching for a specific brand or type of computer.
High-volume keywords might be worth targeting if you have the resources to outperform the competition.
Such keyword phrases can take longer to rank for, but they can drive a lot of traffic to your website. Try our free keyword volume checker to see if you’re on the right track.
Medium Volume Keywords (Medium-Tail Keywords)
Medium-tail keywords can drive a significant amount of traffic to your web pages and can also be specific enough to drive targeted traffic and conversions.
Although there is no strict definition, medium tail keywords generally contain 2-3 words. The average keyword is around two words long. So, using medium-tail keywords can improve your business traffic.
For example, if you are selling a specific type of computer like business laptops, then ranking for “business laptops” might be more worthwhile than trying to rank for “computers”:
Although the search volume is lower, the phrase is more targeted towards someone likely to buy what you are selling. This can lead to higher conversion rates. You may gain less traffic, but the chances of qualifying a lead are much higher.
The keyword phrase is still competitive, but probably not as competitive as “computers.”
Long-Tail Keywords
Keywords that have 3+ words are often referred to as long-tail keywords.
Although these keyword phrases can be lower in volume in comparison to short-tail keywords, they often send highly targeted traffic that is more interested in what you have to offer, increasing your qualified leads.
For example, if you are selling a specific type of computer, like a Dynabook Toshiba Terca, then you might be better off targeting the phrase “Dynabook Toshiba Terca” instead of “computers” or even “laptop computers”:
You will receive less traffic for that search term, but the traffic you do receive will be much more likely to buy and you will also have less difficulty ranking for that lower volume SEO keyword phrase.
When creating informational content like blog articles, sometimes you can get traffic for long-tail keywords by simply including them on the page. This is a popular SEO method and is regarded as one of the top ways to boost online sales.
In fact, studies suggest that conversion rates are 2.5 times higher for websites that use long-tail keywords compared to just high-volume keywords.
Some long-tail keywords have very low search volume, but the cumulative traffic from lots of long-tail keywords can add up. In fact, an estimated 90% of all search traffic comes from long-tail searches.
Low-Volume Keywords
Low-volume keywords are terms that are not searched. It’s also important to know that Google Ads won’t show your PCP or CPC ad if it has too many low-volume search keywords.
However, there are some benefits to targeting low-volume keywords.
You can target an audience that is 100% relevant because they are definitely searching for your content. You can capitalize on buying keywords that can boost your conversion rates rather than focus on more traffic. You will also get a headstart in an underrated or new niche.
Google does tend to stop traffic to low-volume keywords because not enough people are actively searching for that keyword. If a user is indeed interested in specific content or a product that is hard to find in other mainstream places, then targeting these searchers might be worth it.
While low-volume keywords aren’t the best idea to incorporate into your content, it can be worth it to target some of the little guys. You won’t gain a huge improvement in your traffic; however, the click-through radio may increase because your audience is more targeted and searching for exactly what you are offering.
One great reason to target low-volume keywords is that there is way less competition than high-volume keywords. High-volume keywords can drown out your website because of broader search results in Google.
If user intent becomes high enough to be worth it, then using low-volume keywords will increase your sales. That’s why if you’re a smaller business that isn’t considered with a high amount of traffic, but wants to target a specific audience, then using low-volume keywords might be a good place to start.
Staying somewhere between medium and long-tail keywords can boost your traffic and get you higher conversion rates, you may not want to forget about low-volume keywords as well.
Conclusion
Keyword search volume is an important factor in keyword research, but you won’t always want to pick the highest volume keyword possible.
Finding the right match between search volume and user intent is vital when selecting your keywords.
The good news is that you don’t need to get hung up on picking the “perfect keyword.”
By writing long-form content, web pages tend to rank for multiple keywords, even keywords that you are not intentionally targeting. Ranking for multiple keywords can result in additional traffic to your web page.
Feeling a little overwhelmed? Don’t worry! One of our experts can help point you in the right direction, schedule a call with us now!
