Dumb SEO Questions

(Entry was posted by Nick Dawes on this post in the Dumb SEO Questions community on Facebook, 07/30/2020).

Best tools to use to find search volume for a keyword/phrase

Hey guys, New to Keyword Research, I was wondering which google tool is best to use to find search volume for a keyword/phrase? I’ve been following a Udemy course that uses Keyword Planner, however it seems google have updated the tool since the course was created. It no longer displays search volume, however it does show the number of clicks and impressions for a given keyword. I understand there are a number of 3rd party tools available for this, however I was curious if it was still possible to get the search volume data from google directly?
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YOUR ANSWERS

Selected answers from the Dumb SEO Questions Facebook & G+ community.

  • Bilal Asif: Keyword every where pulls data from Google AdWords,
    But it is paid now
  • Adam Astor: I`m a newbie to KW research as well, but I hear that Ubersuggest is one of the better tools with free options that more experienced people recommend
  • Travis Bailey: I don`t know of anything that pulls data directly from Google. Though I like SEMrush. Traffic is approximate, and they may lack data for sleepier KWs. I also like Moz Keyword Explorer, simply because it makes stemming easier and sometimes yields new ta…See More
  • Nick Dawes: Ok, thanks for the replies- it seems search volume is no longer a metric that google makes accessible? Clicks and impressions are available from the Keyword Planner, but not organic search volume. Best alternative are the various free/paid tools that can’t scrape google directly, but can give a decent indication of search volume.
  • Travis Bailey: Search volume data was fairly useless when I started 10 years ago. Lots of Kentucky windage involved in decisions made on the data provided. You will know if the KW is searched a lot, or a little. Also very roughly how many people pay for that KW.

    There are a lot of alternatives. But I`m partial to SEMrush.
  • Nick Dawes: If you don’t mind dumbing it down a bit for a beginner, can you elaborate on how search volume data is fairly useless? I’ve been following a course on Udemy which suggests search volume is one of the major factors in keyword research. I don’t believe for a second you’re wrong- I believe I’m the one who is missing something fundamental, which is why I posted here. Google appears to have removed this metric from their Keyword Planner tool and your comment suggests that’s no big deal, there’s other (more important?) metrics to focus on?
  • Travis Bailey: The Search Volume metric is very broad. Say someone searches Trendy Koala Speedos, you`ll likely get zilch.... rightly so. Though searches for Plumber Dallas Texas might be 1, 000 - 12, 000.

    That doesn`t really help me budget ad spend. Even under the pretense of paying them, they don`t give you truly useful data. Though the search volume data is still there. I just checked it before finishing this response. I was only off on the high end by 2, 000 on Plumber Dallas Texas. I haven`t needed to look that up for at least five years. :)

    Rule of Thumb: If the ad space is competitive, you better believe organic is likely the same, until proven otherwise.

    Edit(s): Minor spelling error, and addendum to Rule of Thumb. :D
  • Nick Dawes: Ok, that’s helpful! Thanks!
  • Travis Bailey: No problem. Just had to edit `they` to `the`.

View original question in the Dumb SEO Questions community on Facebook, 07/30/2020).