How to Check Google Search Volume | Exploring Four Use Cases for Search Volume

“I want to know how often our company name is searched on Google.”
“How can I find out the search volume of keywords?”

Are you struggling with these questions?

Google processes a vast number of searches every day.

According to a report from the US media “Search Engine Land” based on information from Google, the global search volume is “2 trillion” times per year and exceeds “55 billion” times per day (2016 data).
Reference: Search Engine Land – Google now handles at least 2 trillion searches per year

However, since there are countless keywords, some may be searched only a few times a month, while others may be searched hundreds of thousands of times.

In this article, we will introduce methods (tools) for researching the search volume of individual keywords and situations where you can utilize search volume for SEO.

Whether you want to know how to investigate search volume or deepen your knowledge of search volume to improve your website and SEO, please refer to this article.

What is Search Volume

Search volume refers to the number of times a keyword is searched on a search engine (Google).

In technical terms, it is also called “search volume” and usually refers to the “average number of searches in a month.”

For example, for the keyword “Google,” the search volume (= search volume) for one month is “6,120,000 times.”

To find out the search volume, you need to use specialized tools.

Some people may recognize the number displayed just below the search box as the “search volume,” but this is the “search hit count,” which is completely different.

What the “search hit count” represents is the “number of web pages related to that search keyword (estimated value),” so be careful not to confuse it.

Search volume reflects “how many users are interested in or interested in that keyword.”

The higher the search volume, the higher the information needs for that keyword.

In the next chapter, we will introduce how to actually check the search volume of keywords.

How to Check Google’s Search Volume (Tools)

To check Google’s search volume, you need to use tools.

This time, we will introduce three tools.

All tools are free to use, but each tool has its own features, so please use them according to your purpose and situation.

Tool 1: “Google Keyword Planner” that can check the search volume of many keywords at once

If you are involved in SEO or search engine advertising (listing advertising), it is recommended to use the “Keyword Planner.”

Although “Keyword Planner” is part of “Google Ads” functionality, it can be used even if you are not running ads after registering.

Here is how to use Keyword Planner:

1. Select “Keyword Planner” from “Tools & Settings” in “Google Ads” and click “Check search volume and forecast data on the right side.”

2. Enter the keywords you want to check the search volume for. (You can investigate multiple keywords at once. However, please enter one search keyword per line.)

3. At the bottom of the result screen, each keyword and search volume are displayed (you can change the period and language settings at the top).

Keyword Planner

Tool 2: “Ubersuggest” that can check not only the search volume but also other information

“Ubersuggest” is an excellent tool that can check not only the search volume but also the free SEO difficulty.

It can be used without registration, but there is a limit to the number of uses per day.

Here’s how to use Ubersuggest:

1. Enter the keywords you want to check the search volume for and click “SUBMIT.”

2. On the result screen, you can check “search volume” and “SEO difficulty.”

In the “Keyword Suggestions” section at the bottom, related keywords and their search volume are also displayed.

Ubersuggest

Tool 3: “Google Trends” – Check Real-Time Surges and Trends in Search Volume

In “Google Trends,” you can confirm the trends of keywords and search volumes that are currently surging.

Since search volumes may vary depending on seasons and times for some keywords, it is recommended when you want to check the trend of search volumes.

However, specific search volumes are not displayed.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Enter the keyword for which you want to check the search volume.

2. A graph will be displayed as shown below.

You can specify the period from “Past 1 hour” at the shortest, and by clicking “Compare” at the top, you can compare the trends in search volume with other keywords.

Google Trends

With the three tools introduced so far, you can check search volumes (or the trends in search volumes).

Now, let’s explore how the investigated search volumes can be utilized in various situations.

For those web administrators who wish to “display their site in the top search results,” please take a look.

Scenarios Where Search Volumes are Utilized in SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) refers to strategies to increase access from search engines to your site.

To appear in the top results of search, efforts are made to create high-quality content and optimize the internal structure of the site.

In SEO, the “search volume” of keywords plays a crucial role in various situations.

In this article, we’ll introduce four representative scenarios, so please check them and make practical use of them in your daily tasks.

Scenario 1: When You Want to Estimate Incoming Traffic from Top Positions

Search volume is useful when predicting “how much incoming traffic can be expected when displayed in the top positions for a certain keyword.”

By using the following formula, you can estimate the approximate number of accesses:

For example, for the keyword “SEO writing” with a monthly search volume of 1,900:

If it is assumed to be displayed in the 1st position,

• 1,900 times × 28.5% (0.285) = 549.1
  Monthly search volume 1st position’s average click-through rate Monthly accesses

Approximately 549 accesses can be anticipated.

For the 2nd position, you can predict the accesses for each rank by multiplying the search volume by the average click-through rate for that rank, and so on.

However, the number of accesses calculated from the average click-through rate is only an “approximation.”

This is because the click-through rate varies depending on the search keyword.

Also, when you publish one page, it is common for multiple keywords other than the target keyword to be ranked in search results.

For example, for a page targeting the keyword “CPM” on this site:

In addition to the keyword “CPM,” it will be ranked for several other keywords such as “CPM calculation,” “Average CPM,” and “What is CPM,” as shown in the image below.

Therefore, considering incoming traffic from other keywords, you may actually be able to gain more accesses.

Please use the access prediction using search volumes and average click-through rates as a “reference” only.

Scenario 2: When Selecting Keywords

Checking the “search volume (search volume)” is essential when selecting keywords for SEO.

In SEO, the key to success lies in “which keywords to target.”

For example, even if you rank high for keywords with almost zero search volume, if there are no people searching for them, the page will not be visited, and it will not lead to results.

On the contrary, keywords with high search volumes have a higher influx when ranked high, but as a result, competing sites will also target the same keywords.

In that case, the difficulty of ranking high increases, and there may be a situation where “a lot of time and cost was spent, but ultimately, it could not be displayed in the top positions.”

In keyword selection in SEO like this, the search volume becomes one criterion.

Generally in SEO, it is good to remember the following classification of keywords based on search volume.

For SEO beginners, small-scale sites, and the initial stages of SEO, it is a rule to prioritize measures for “long-tail keywords.”

For long-tail keywords, in addition to being easy to rank high,

• It is easy to create content
• It is likely to lead to conversions

There are many advantages.

However, to confirm the difficulty of ranking keywords, it is necessary to check factors other than search volume.

Scenario 3: When Creating Content

In SEO, “search volume” is also used when creating content.

This is because it helps understand the “size of the demand” from the search volume.

Specifically, by examining the search volume of suggested keywords and related keywords, it becomes easier to determine the information that should be included in the content.

Suggested keywords are the keywords that appear when you enter a keyword in the search box, like the ones shown below.

On the other hand, related keywords are the ones displayed at the bottom of the search results page, as shown below.

Both types of keywords are highly likely to be searched together by users, reflecting the “problems that search users want to solve (= information needs).”

By examining the “search volume” of suggested and related keywords together, you can understand how significant the demand for that information is.

For example, for the keyword “Google search volume,” the search volume of suggested and related keywords is as follows (keywords without entered search volume are those with a search volume that has not reached 10).

By looking at this, you might notice:

• “There are overwhelmingly many people who want to know how to check search volume.”
• “There is a reasonable number of people interested in the trend of search volume.”
• “There are few people who want to know about the relationship between search volume and smartphones.”

Such realizations can be helpful references when creating content.

Scenario 4: When Evaluating Brand or Site Awareness

When you want to evaluate the “awareness” or “branding” of a brand or website, search volume can also provide hints.

As mentioned repeatedly, search volume reflects “how much users searched” and “how many users showed interest or concern.”

Therefore, for example, on this site, tracking how often the site name “Webma” is searched in a month allows you to check whether awareness is expanding.

Note that being searched by site name, company name, product, or service name is called “branded search.”

“Branded search” is considered an important factor in SEO for the future.

This is because Google places importance on “E-A-T” (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), and if you are recognized as an expert in the field, it’s easy to imagine that the number of users searching for you by name will increase.

Be sure to regularly check the “branded search volume” and evaluate “awareness” as well.

【Summary】Check Google Search Volume and Make Use of it in SEO!

How was it?

This time, we summarized the tools that can check search volume and the situations where search volume can be used in SEO.

For those who want to know how much each keyword is searched on Google, use the following tools:

• Tool 1: “Google Keyword Planner,” which can check many keywords at once.
• Tool 2: “Ubersuggest,” which can check not only search volume but also other metrics.
• Tool 3: “Google Trends,” which can check real-time surges and trends in search volume.

The search volumes grasped with these tools can be utilized in the following situations:

• Use Case 1: When you want to estimate incoming traffic from top positions
• Use Case 2: When selecting keywords
• Use Case 3: When creating content
• Use Case 4: When evaluating brand or site awareness

Please consider this content and try working on SEO.