During summer this year, search internet marketers began to notice an odd thing: Adwords started Google’s shown specific numbers ever since anyone can remember, so of course this got everyone’s attention.
And what’s more, the ranges themselves are broad. In fact, they’re too broad to really be useful. SEO communities, of course, didn’t like this change at all.
You can debate on why Google did this. But, the simple fact remains they did it, and there’s nothing anyone can do to change it.
So that leaves the question: what now?
Time to Solve for Customer Intent
Looking at search volume is really just one indicator of the usefulness of a keyword. It’s certainly not a bad thing to do. But, it misses the point if that’s all you look at.
What matters even more is solving for the intent of the keyword. For example, every person has a goal when they type in a key word or key phrase. They may just want to learn, share, or even buy.
An Example of Intent in Action
Take a look at an example to see what I mean:
A searcher types in “HVAC contractor.” Well, it’s pretty clear what they’re looking for. But, we’re not sure how ready they are to buy at this point. They’re definitely evaluating HVAC companies, but we’re not sure they’re committed to purchasing just yet.
Eventually, that searcher types in “HVAC company in Plano.” Here, you know they’re getting warmer because the searcher has searched at a location near their own. They have a much higher chance of buying.
Finally, they search for “HVAC company Plano comfort.” Now, very few HVAC companies have “comfort” anywhere in their company name or web pages. But, the consumer really knows they want to be comfortable, and they want a company who gets that. They also know that most HVAC companies don’t talk too much about comfort.
Long story short, this will be a highly targeted search. Just a handful of HVAC companies know to focus on comfort. So, ones that discuss comfort have a high chance of winning the customer’s business.
Relax, Not Knowing Search Volume Won’t Hurt You
Not knowing search volume isn’t the end of the world. It’s annoying. It makes search internet marketing more difficult.
But it’s far from a deal breaker. Plus, there’s tools that can help you get fairly accurate readings on search volume available too.
Learn more about building content that matches searcher intent and how you can benefit from it.