Keywords and content planning

What is search volume, and why isn't it traffic?

Search volume is the average number of times a keyword is searched in a month, usually worked out over the last 12 months for one country.

Also calledKeyword search volumeMonthly search volume

Worked example: a seasonal phrase

1Searches for a phrase over 12 months: 400 in each of 10 months, 3,000 in November, 5,000 in December.
2Total for the year: 4,000 + 3,000 + 5,000 = 12,000.
3Average: 12,000 / 12 = 1,000 a month.

The tool says 1,000 a month, yet most months see 400 and December sees 5,000. The numbers are made up to show the maths.

How it is worked out

Most keyword tools start from Google Ads data: the searches for a phrase in each of the last 12 months, averaged. Close variants of a phrase are often counted together, and the figure is rounded, so treat it as a size, not an exact count.

Why volume is not traffic

A phrase with 5,000 searches a month will not send you 5,000 visits, even at position one:

Many searches end without a click; SparkToro put it at 58.5% of US Google searches in 2024.
Clicks are shared with ads, AI Overviews, maps and every other result.
An average hides seasons: a phrase can do most of its year in one month.

How to use it

Use volume to compare phrases with the same intent, not to forecast visits. A phrase with 90 searches a month from people ready to buy can be worth more than one with 9,000 from people who want a definition.

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Search volume: questions people ask

What is a good search volume?

There is no single number. For a local service or a narrow product, 50 searches a month from buyers can be worth chasing. Compare phrases with the same intent.

Why do tools show different volumes for the same keyword?

They use different data sources, group close variants differently and round differently. Use one tool's numbers to compare phrases, rather than mixing tools.

What does zero search volume mean?

That the tool's data found too few searches to report, not that nobody searches it. Specific long questions often show zero and still bring visits.

See which searches your own site should answer next.

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