Accuracy of search volume for keyword planner v old keyword tool?
-
Hi there,
I'm (logged into Google Adwords) and researching search volume for keywords but I'm seeing weird results.
I know that the term "outage notification" had between 1000 and 5000 monthly global searches when I last looked (I know this because I add a search volume tag to the keywords I track ranking of via Moz). Yet, now when I check global search volume via keyword planner I'm seeing only 70 global searches per month (AND low competition which I know is not true). Is this perhaps because only the exact match is reported or is something else going on?
Very frustrated as I have now lost faith in the keyword research process via Google keyword planner....not sure where to go from here!!
Thanks very much
-
You're welcome Dan! I just noticed there is also a post in YouMoz on the subject:
http://moz.com/ugc/the-new-adwords-keyword-planner-your-keyword-research-process
-
Wow Dana - super helpful thanks so much for chiming in!
-
Hi all,
Because I needed to educate myself on how to get the most out of the new Keyword Planner versus the old Keyword Tool, I wrote a blog post last week on the subject located here:
http://www.danatanseo.com/2013/07/google-keyword-planner-vs-keyword-tool.html
Dan, you are correct the new default is exact match, while the old was broad, and yes, now you can toggle between "exact" "phrase" and "broad" with one major caveat, these are based on your specific Adwords account targeting settings. So for example, in my case, we target only the USA, so now my results when researching are only the USA....which may not be appropriate at all if I am doing research for a client that targets more that just the US. I'm sure you can see how that could pose some significant problems for accurately targeting high-opportunity keywords for other countries.
As Jeff says below, yes, you can still get global monthly search volume by targeting all locations. For me, the only way to reasonably do this without fear of totally screwing up the settings on my existing Adwords campaigns is to open a completely separate Adwords account just so I can do research. Yuck!
Fortunately, there are some alternatives to the old Google Keywords Tool: Wordstream's Keyword Tool, UberSuggest, SEMRush, SEOBook's Keyword Tool
Larry Kim has also written a good post on the differences between the old and new Keywords Tool/Planner....but it's a little daunting (IMHO), so read it first thing in the morning when you are wide awake with a fresh coffee at your side.
Hope this helps guys!
P.S. The other thing that really sucks is you can no longer check a box next to specific keywords and export just those. You now have to export the entire list and filter through them in Excel. This drives me nuts!
-
I am honestly not 100% sure at this point. I see the option to select broad, phrase or exact via a tiny little icon in the top right, however I am not convinced as to how well this is working. But the option is there, so you must be able to choose still. The default may be exact match, but you can still switch (whereas before default was broad match).
-
And more...
If you hover over the ? icon next to the results for average monthly search volume you see this text: "The average number of times people have searched for this exact keyword based on the targeting settings that you've selected. "
The keyword here is "exact" - Does this mean the default is exact match and we no longer have control over this?
-
Nope - just checked that - not it
-
Hi all,
Thanks for all the responses. I'm wondering whether adwords used to default to showing Google + Search partner results before where as now you have to select this option (otherwise the default is just Google). It could account for the differences perhaps?
Sarah
-
Thanks so much for that link Jeff!! Had no idea it was there. Will definitely be sharing.
-
I'm seeing the same thing.
From what I see in the Google Blog, that sends you to here: https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/3141229
Local monthly searches and global monthly searches: These two columns have been replaced by the "Average monthly searches" column, simplifying the search volume data you can get. The average monthly search volume is specific to your targeting settings, and you can get data for an entire country or individual cities and regions within a country. Note that you can still get global monthly search data by targeting all locations.
But based on past numbers, this is not an average at all. "Flooring London Ontario" should have the same local and global searches... Yet, it went from 1300 (Keyword Tool) to 210 (Keyword Planner) local monthly searches.
Keep us updated on anything you find! This would make a great Blog Post for someone who has the time to do a proper investigation
-
Cool, will do. Thanks Dan!
-
I saw the AdWords help tab had a email address and phone number. I bet if you or someone payone for AdWords contacted (and asked like you're a paying AdWords customer) you could get an answer.
You could also submit a question in the Google Webmaster Help forum, or their Google Plus Group - or join a hangout they hold every Friday.
-Dan
-
Right? And when googling this it feels like I'm the only one...
In my experience contacting google has usually been a waste of time.. Is there any place you would recommend submitting this?
-
Wow that's crazy! The only thing I can think to suggest is submitting a help request or contacting them.
-
In my case, the new kw-tool always shows the same numbers for broad, phrase and exact match, no matter what option I chose. Also, these numbers are completely different from what the old kw-tools displays. look here: http://imgur.com/tpAXwVN
For languages that are less used than english, the new kw-tool often displays no traffic at all and becomes virtually useless.
-
Thanks Dan. I was using broad match which is why it's so odd. I'll go back to the old tool (thanks for the tip) and will compare. Sarah
-
First thing I want to check;
- Are you using exact match consistently or broad match? Check out the differences.
Next, you may be wondering how i got back to the old tool;
- you can do so temporarily - I would do that to check your numbers in the meantime too.
-Dan
-
Hi Sarah
I'm stumbling into the same problems as you - search volumes of the old Keyword Tool and the Keyword Planner vary massively. And for terms that shouldn't have much fluctuation in search volume. Stuff that shows volume in the thousands in the old tool, just indicates search volumes around 50 in the new one.
This looks pretty crappy to me considering that soon this will be my only kw-tool available...
-
Here's an update on broad matches for various terms:
Desktop alert - on keyword tool, global volume showed as 20,000+ searches (sorry don't have exact number), it is now showing search volume as 390 on the keyword planner...
Corporate screensaver - was showing 1001 to 5000 searches, it is now showing 320.
Desktop messaging - was showing 10001 to 15000 searches, it is now showing 140.
Something fishy is going on...
Sarah
-
Thanks Dana,
This is a term used by IT folk a lot. When I last checked I was not aware of any global events. I'm not sure that this would be the reason (although it is of course possible!). Have there been any other observations of changes to keyword volume reported by users after Google's transition to keyword planner?
I'll also check other search phrases less likely to be volatile and get back to you (thanks for the tip).
Sarah
-
Search volume can be incredibly volatile from one region to another. I would imagine that "outage notification" as a term could be incredibly volatile, because it's really pretty vague. If there was a major earthquake, I would think that colume for that term would soar...or any natural disaster really. On the other hand, if things had been relatively quiet and there hand't been any major seismic or weather events, then that might mean something else. but that all depends on where you are, and where you are trying to sell.
If search volume in a remote area of Pakistan increases by 5,000 percent, and it's only temporary because of a weird event.....is that something you can build a business on here in the States? Of course not
There are many factors to consider. Search volume is one tiny piece of the puzzle.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Amazon Keyword Research Tools - Suggestions Please
Hi guys, I'm in need of a reliable keyword research tool for Amazon and Walmart. Is anyone able to recommend a good tool? Free or Paid is welcomed. I've found KeywordTool.io/Amazon and MerchantWords but am struggling to find anything else to compare. I'd love to know your experience with these or any other tools you've used in the past. Thanks in advance 🙂
Keyword Research | | daniel-brooks2 -
How do I find what keywords competitors are ranking for?
I am just starting out doing come SEO research. I seem to remember a tool that would tell me which words my competitors are ranking for and what kind of traffic they are getting. Thanks, Lisa
Keyword Research | | lisarein0 -
How are similar keyword phrases related?
I'm new to SEO and have been reading a lot to try to get up to speed. There is one concept that I'm not clear about and am not sure what to search on to find an answer. Let's say I'm trying to target 2 keyword phrases "Wordpress SEO" and "Wordpress SEO plugin". In the content of my web page should I always write "Wordpress SEO plugin" because it'll count towards both phrases I'm trying to target? Or would Google be smart enough to only give me credit for "Wordpress SEO plugin" in that case and I should also put just "Wordpress SEO" in other places in my content? Hopefully that makes sense. Thanks in advance!
Keyword Research | | Yuba302 -
Am I Doomed with Low Volume Keywords?
I've been pursuing an internet startup for over a year now. We've figured a lot of things out along the way and even managed to start making some modest revenue ~$3,000/month. We're just now starting to dig into SEO and I'm realizing that most of our keywords aren't very high volume. The best have 1,000 local searches per month (exact match) with most being a couple hundred local searches. I'm worried that I've picked a market that's too small, but I don't have the SEO experience to know if this is normal or not. Most of my keywords are rated 'highly competitive' and also are stacked with CPC ads upon Google search. I'd love to know what others' experience with keyword volume is and if I'm just overreacting on limited knowledge. Thanks!
Keyword Research | | TBiz0 -
Keywords besides what is in Google Analytics
Hello, For our site thewealthymind(dot)com what keywords do you think I should be targeting, I assume it is not enough just to get keywords from Google Analytics history. Thanks!
Keyword Research | | BobGW0 -
What do broad match keywords represent?
Exact match is perfectly easy for me to get my head around - broad match, not so much! Take the phrase, "removing blueberry stains." Is the broad match data for this that I'm seeing in the Google keyword tool for searches that involve any of these particular words, in any phrase, in any order - just so long as they're all there? Any help with this concept would be much appreciated.
Keyword Research | | ZakGottlieb710 -
Does Bing/Yahoo have a keyword tool?
Just wondering if there is a Bing / Yahoo equivalent to this: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal ?? Would be nice to compare the different search patterns between the two search engines, without just assuming that the relative search volume on google for certain keywords is the same bing/yahoo.
Keyword Research | | adriandg0 -
The importance of meta keywords
Hello, I am looking into Meta keywords in the attempt to understand their importance. I have been reading about this in several blogs and get the feeling that the general view is that they are no longer very valuable. Some say it is because Google and Bing no longer use them, that in terms of SEO they carry little importance and that they are a great indicator to your competitors about which keywords you believe are important... My question is this: Without Meta keywords, how do you deal with misspelt search keywords on your website? For example, if you were looking for a product called 'El Mundo en Espa_ñ_ol' but spelt it using the normal 'n' instead of the Spanish 'ñ', and the keyword 'Espanol' was not included in the Meta keywords, would you still find the product? English speaking people commonly search without the ñ because this is more convenient to them. So how can I make sure that the page is optimised for these type of common misspellings? Thanks!!!
Keyword Research | | languedoc0