Keyword Search Volume, Comprehensive Guide

Keyword search volume indicates how frequently a keyword is searched for in a specific period. This metric is essential to understand if you are building a website, creating a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign, conducting keyword research for organic traffic, or doing anything related to keywords and driving web traffic.

What Is Keyword Search Volume? 

Sure, here is a shorter version:

Keyword search volume is a metric that tells marketers how popular and competitive a keyword is. Keyword Overview is a tool that shows you a keyword’s monthly search volume. 

Keywords help search engines understand a webpage’s content, essential for on-page SEO. Relevant keywords alone will not rank a page; high-quality, relevant content is also necessary. 

The search volume of a good keyword varies depending on your business, digital marketing goals, and other factors. We will discuss these factors below.

Here are a few tips that can aid:

Keyword search volume can differ significantly based on the industry and topic. Ideally, targeting keywords with high search volume and reasonable difficulty would be best. Targeting keywords with no or shallow search volume may make people unable to find your content on search engines. On the other hand, targeting only keywords with extremely high search volume could lead to competition with more significant, more established sites. If your website generates a limited amount of traffic (tens of thousands or millions a month), targeting high search volume keywords of 100,000 to 1 million may not be in your best interest. Most websites and businesses should aim for a healthy balance of low- and medium-volume keywords to get good search volume. However, the best approach to keyword targeting depends on your business, niche, and specific needs.

Keyword search volume can be consistent or seasonal, with evergreen keywords being searched year-round. Seasonal keywords are time-sensitive, and their search volume varies based on the time of the year. Keep potential seasonal fluctuations in mind when assessing keyword search volume.

How to Find Keyword Search Volume 

Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool provides regional and global search volume for a keyword. Organic Research and Keyword Gap tools also offer search volume data, including monthly search volumes for your competitors’ keywords. Our search volumes are updated monthly and include historical data from January 2012.

How Do You Find Keywords? 

When it comes to finding and selecting keywords, search intent, also known as keyword intent, plays a critical role. Ensuring that you meet the search intent is crucial for ranking well. To rank well for a particular keyword, you need to consider what a person hopes to find when they enter the query into a search engine. Then, provide the person with the information they seek through your content. 

For instance, let us assume you have a website that reviews the top restaurants in Greensboro, North Carolina. In that case, you should include localized keywords focusing on this region. Nevertheless, how do you determine which target keywords to use? It is not a matter of guesswork. Keyword research tools are crucial in SEO, and there are many to choose from. Here is a list of the best tools and how to use them:

– Semrush Keyword Magic Tool 

– Google Trends 

– Google Keyword Planner 

– Google Search Console 

– Keyword Sheeter 

– Semrush Topic Research Tool

Semrush Keyword Magic Tool

Looking for the most accurate keyword research tool? Try our Keyword Magic Tool! Enter a “seed” keyword to find relevant results from a 24-billion-word database. Analyze keyword difficulty, search volume, search intent, trends, KD%, CPC fees, competitive density, SERPs, and the number of URLs displayed in organic search results. Choose from three pricing options: Pro ($119.95/mo), Guru ($229.95/mo), and Business ($449.95/mo). Sign up for free and get ten free searches/day!

Google Trends

Google Trends is a free tool that displays the popularity of a keyword over time. You can enter any keyword and get a line chart that shows its interest over time. You can also check where the keyword is searched more frequently by scrolling down to check the geographic data.

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool offered by Google. To use it, open the device and select “Go to Keyword Planner.” Click on “Discover new keywords” to enter your keywords or website URL to find new keywords. Google will suggest suitable keywords with information on average monthly searches and competition. For instance, the suggested keyword “Netherlands McDonald’s menu” has 100 to 1,000 monthly searches and “low” competition.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool that tracks your website’s performance in organic Google traffic and helps you find new keywords. To use it, visit their page, verify your domain, and check the “Performance” report to find new keywords. Look for high-impression keywords that need more clicks to target new or existing content.

Keyword Sheeter

Keyword Sheeter is a free tool that generates keyword ideas by collecting data from thousands of Google autocomplete suggestions. Enter keywords, sheet them, and get a list of related ideas. Save the data via the “Save to Keyword Planner” button or copy-paste the keywords into your preferred tool. You can purchase a report such as “Search Volume CPC Bids” or “Term Explorer Difficulty Report” for a more comprehensive analysis.

Semrush Topic Research Tool

You can use the Topic Research Tool to generate keyword ideas based on high-performing content. With it, you can search existing domains, view current trending headlines and questions, and see related searches. The tool organizes results in various formats, including mind maps. The “Overview” section shows top headlines, questions, subtopics, and related inquiries.

You can “favorite” ideas and view them later in the “Favorite Ideas” tab. Once you finish your research, you can export the information or order content writing from the Marketplace. You need either a Guru or a Business account to access the Marketplace.

How to Find Local Search Volume

Let us now discuss how you can find search volumes for specific locations. You have two options: Position Tracking or PPC Keyword tools on Semrush. It would help if you started a new campaign on Semrush using a domain to use either of these tools. Alternatively, you can use Google Ads Keyword Planner, a free tool. Below, I have mentioned more details on how to use each tool to find local search volumes.

Position Tracking

When setting up your ad campaign using Position Tracking, you can track it on a national, regional, or local by typing in the ZIP code or specific location. 

To track keywords locally, enter the city you want to target and select “local” from the drop-down menu.

After selecting your location, add a list of keywords you already rank or want to rank. You will then see their search volume on a local level.

PPC Keyword Tool

To add keywords using the PPC Keyword Tool, there are three ways you can do it – manually, directly from Semrush, or by importing from a CSV, XLSX, or TXT file. Once you have chosen a source, you can move on to the next step, where you will confirm the keywords you want to add. After that, you can narrow down to a location by the city. Once you have completed the setup, you can view the keywords you entered along with their local search volume metrics.

Google Ads Keyword Planner

You can use Google Ads Keyword Planner to discover local search volume for specific keywords. To do this, log in to your Google Ads account and navigate to “Tools and Settings” in the top right corner of your screen. Choose “Keyword Planner” from the drop-down menu.

Enter the keywords you want to search for and select your target location. You can even choose a specific city to see the search volume compared to other areas.

Once you have entered your preferences, save your settings and click “Get Results.” This will show you the average monthly local searches for your chosen location.

How to Monitor Page Performance 

It is important to note that keyword search volume sometimes equates to clicks. To effectively monitor your website’s performance, utilize our Position Tracking tool. This tool tracks various metrics, including rankings and distribution, estimated traffic per page, competitor comparison, ranking by device and location, and SERP feature appearance. With our tool, you can easily track any keyword you desire. While Google volume may not always lead to traffic, following it can provide valuable insights for your keyword research and PPC bidding.

Keyword Search Volumes & Your SEO Strategy 

Now that you understand what search volume is, how to find search volume for keywords, and how to use keyword tools, you are ready to begin your research! 

SEO can be a complex and challenging process, but with the help of data and tools like these, you can make informed decisions. It is important to remember that search engine algorithms constantly evolve, and the SEO landscape is always changing. Therefore, you must research keywords once and reflect on them. You should check back regularly to ensure that your keywords are still performing. This lets you stay ahead of the curve and ensure your SEO strategy is always current.