When planning out an SEO strategy regardless of how long it will run, selecting the right keywords is always important. It goes much further than selecting keywords that you like the most. You’ll need to consider things such as difficulty, competition, and search volume. When keyword research is put all together you can create strategies that are just as unique as your own business.
First, We Need To Define Search Volume
A keyword’s search volume is simply defined as the number of searches it receives for a set period of time. When studied the search volume gives insight into how popular a keyword is searched for. Using search volume as a guide can help further the ongoing success of your website’s SEO goals and help improve visibility when running ads.
Let’s break Down High Search Volume Keywords
High search volume keywords are those that are extremely common and often broad terms that are popularly searched. These keywords can have hundreds, thousands, if not millions of searches in a time period. Examples of keywords with high search volumes are:
Best Hotel
Easy Recipes
Furniture Stores Near Me
These examples are direct and simple. They reflect a very diverse and broad audience who may not know the nitty-gritty specifics of what they are looking for.
Pros
Larger audience
Great for online ads
Short term gains
Cons
More competition
Fewer conversion rates
Higher bounce rates
The sweet spot for high-volume keywords is usually short-term ads that are targeting the growth and visibility of your company. Making these keywords a long-term goal would not only be challenging but costly.
Okay, but what about Low Search Volume?
On the opposite side of things, we have low search volume keywords. These key terms are niche and specific to an audience. With search volumes from 50 and upwards into the middle hundred range. Examples of these searches often look like this:
Best hotel in san antonio tx
15 minute healthy dinner recipes
retro furniture stores near me
These searches are much different from those with higher volumes. While the audience for these is much less they know exactly what they are looking for.
Pros
Less competition
Growth over time
Stronger commercial intent
Cons
Less visibility for ads
Slow growth
Fewer clicks on ads
Low-volume keywords are best for long-term growth and making your company the main authority in that niche space. While they can be targeted for ads they often don’t do as much as higher volume keywords will for visibility and clicks.
How to Use Search Volume to Determine Your Focus Keywords
It is now time that I have to break the bad news to you. There is no easy wrong or right answer for selecting keywords based on volume. There are too many variables to make it so black and white. But, when you work on a plan that selects a mixture of both specific to your goals and company, the growth will amaze you.
SEO is always a balancing act and like tech, it changes over time. When creating an SEO plan you need to both be proactive and adaptive to really see success.
Having Trouble Identifying The Best Keywords For Your Goals?
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