Starting or running an e-commerce business can feel like you’re constantly learning new skills, especially when it comes to digital marketing. One of the terms you are likely to come across when optimising your online shop for search engines is keyword search volume. But what is keyword search volume, and why should you care? Let’s dive into it!
What is Keyword Search Volume?
Simply put, keyword search volume is the number of times a specific word or phrase is searched for in a search engine in a given period (usually a month). Most commonly, it refers to Google searches. Keyword search volume is a core metric for understanding how much interest there is in a topic or product. Knowing the search volume helps you gauge the popularity of a keyword, how that popularity changes over time, and whether it’s worth targeting in your content, ads, or product descriptions.
Why is Keyword Search Volume Important?
Keyword search volume is crucial in both SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and PPC (Pay-Per-Click) marketing. In SEO, it helps you decide which keywords to include in your website content to attract organic traffic. In PPC, it guides you on which keywords to bid on in your paid advertising campaigns.
For SEO, targeting high search volume keywords can mean more visitors to your site—if you manage to rank for them. However, those keywords are often more competitive. In PPC, keywords with a high search volume are likely to cost more per click, but they could also bring in more potential customers. On the flip side, targeting lower search volume keywords may mean less competition and lower costs, but also fewer visitors.
How to Get Keyword Search Volume Data
There are various tools you can use to get keyword search volume. Popular ones include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz’s Keyword Explorer. They are easy to use: just select a target country, input a keyword or phrase and see how many people are searching for it each month. Keyword search volume tools also offer other valuable metrics, such as keyword difficulty, competitive density and cost per click (CPC).
What is a Good Search Volume for a Keyword?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. What counts as a good search volume really depends on how competitive the keyword is, how much it costs to target, and how valuable it is to your business in the long run.
Generally speaking, keywords can be divided into three categories based on their search volume:
- Fat Head: These are broad, popular keywords with high search volume, often in the hundreds of thousands or millions of searches per month. While they can bring a lot of traffic, they’re also highly competitive, making it hard to rank organically for them.
- Chunky Middle: These are mid-range keywords, usually getting thousands to tens of thousands of searches per month. They often strike a good balance between volume and competition, making them attractive for e-commerce businesses that want steady traffic without excessive competition.
- Long Tail: These are longer, more specific keywords with lower search volume—typically fewer than 1,000 searches per month. While the volume is lower, these keywords are usually less competitive and more targeted, which means the traffic you get is often more likely to convert.
Conclusion
Mastering keyword search volume is a game changer for e-commerce success. By understanding how to find and use the right keywords, you can boost your site’s visibility, attract targeted traffic, and ultimately grow your business. Whether you’re aiming for medium and high volume searches or niche long-tail keywords, staying on top of your keyword strategy will help you reach the right audience at the right time.
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