What is the search volume?

In online marketing, search volume, which is a measure of the amount of traffic your website can expect when a particular rank in search results, can help you set the best priorities for search engine optimization and content optimization.

How to find out the size of the search

Search volume refers to the number of search queries for a particular search term in a search engine such as Google in a given time frame. The number of search queries is estimated and may be subject to seasonal, regional and thematic fluctuations.

One of the ways to find out the search volume is Google Keyword Planner for search volumes in Google Search and other tools like Keyword Planner. Users who have an advertising account with Google can request the number of monthly search queries for a particular set of ads or keywords.

The main factors affecting search volume include long-term trends, for example in leisure and consumer behaviour. Seasonality and current news also greatly influence search volume. For example, while people are mostly interested in umbrellas in summer, at the end of autumn, people are interested in Christmas gift ideas.

How do I use the search volume for keywords in SEO?

You can use search volume to make predictions for search engine optimization (SEO) and content optimization to determine which keywords and search queries you should prioritize for optimization. If you can calculate the average search volume per month, you will be able to use this data to estimate the amount of traffic that a good SERP ranking for a particular keyword would generate.

This numbers-based approach means that you will also be able to optimize your content and improve search engines. If you already have a high ranking for a keyword with a high search volume, for example on the second search results page, you can try optimizing on-page and off-page SEO and content to get better results until you get to the first page where the money is coming.

At the same time, search volume is just an indicator of search engine optimization and should ideally be compared to other data – such as a user’s intent for a particular keyword. Navigative search queries often have a very high search volume because users know exactly where they want to go, for example to Facebook or Amazon, but don’t enter the domain name in the browser address bar and simply google it instead. Optimizing for these keywords is not very effective because you cannot expect to generate a lot of traffic from these queries.

A keyword’s CPC can also provide important additional information about how beneficial optimization is for that keyword. If the keyword has a high search volume, high CPC, and the intent of the search is to obtain information or make a transaction, you can assume that there is a lot of competition for the keyword’s presence at the top of the search results page. Conversely, a keyword with a low CPC might indicate that optimizing for it can generate traffic, but that traffic won’t lead to much conversion on your website.

Additionally, you should not look at search volumes for one keyword in isolation. Look at the search volume on a range of topics instead. After all, users’ search queries for a particular topic are getting longer and more detailed. Long-tail keywords account for more than half of all search engine traffic and users of long-tail keywords are often those with conversion intent.