The Tea on Keyword Search Volume

You’ve taken all my advice about finding the best keyword for your blog. You signed up for an SEO tool like Ubersuggest, saw a huuuuge volume keyword, and you think you’ve just won the lottery.

You write the blog targeting that keyword, publish it, and then nothing changes in your website traffic.

Spoiler: the highest number isn’t always the winner.

It wasn’t lying about the keyword search volume, but it also wasn’t telling the whole story.

Let’s talk about what search volume means, what it doesn’t, and how to stop chasing numbers that are never going to convert.

What Search Volume Actually Is

Keyword search volume is the average number of times a specific term is searched in a given month.

This isn’t a live counter but an average, estimated volume based on previous months. Different tools will actually show different numbers for the same keyword. No SEO tool has access to Google’s data except Google. SEO tools like Ubersuggest and SEMrush use data sources, sampling, and algorithms to estimate keyword search volume.

Don’t obsess over which tool has the “right” number. Just know that you’re getting an estimate.

Why We All Fall For the Big Number

High volume = visibility = new clients, right? We get a dopamine hit from seeing “40,500 searches/mo” next to a keyword, thinking we’re about to get 40,500 new clicks on our website as soon as we publish a new blog.

This instinct doesn’t give you the full picture. Because high-volume keywords are often more general terms.

“Travel to Italy” might sound like a great keyword, but are they looking for…

• A travel agent?
• A honeymoon itinerary?
• Wondering about the best time to visit?
• Looking for things to do?
• Figuring out how much it costs?
• How long the flight is?
• The best cities to visit?

“Travel to Italy” might have 40,500 clicks a month, but it’s spread across alllll these different search results. And all those search results are competing with you for the traffic.

What is a good search volume for a keyword?

I’ve always said that a good keyword has high volume and low competition. I’m sticking by that, but I’m adding another layer onto it: Search Intent.

Is it better to target high- or low-search-volume keywords?

It depends on your goal and the intent behind the search. Low-search-volume keywords can be incredibly powerful if they match a person’s intent perfectly.

If the keyword is “women’s size 10 running shoes for mountain trails” with a search volume of 10, and that’s exactly what you sell, you have a great chance of converting all 10 of those monthly searchers because you’re giving them exactly what they’re looking for.

On the other hand, you might want a higher-volume keyword to bring a Problem-Aware client to your website and introduce them to your offer.

You might target a keyword like “how to apply wallpaper” with a search volume of 1,000 if you sell wallpaper. You might convert some people, while others have already picked out wallpaper and just need to know how to apply it. Either way, you’re getting in front of new audiences.

There’s no right answer to this question. It just comes back to your blogging goals.

Volume Without Intent Is Just Vibes

And we aren’t looking for vibes. We’re looking to convert.

There are 4 types of search intent:

1. Informational Intent: Looking for knowledge, answers, or explanations.
2. Navigational Intent: Searching for a specific website or brand.
3. Transactional Intent: Ready to buy.
4. Commercial Intent: Comparing options before making a purchase.

So again, I come back to: what is your goal of blogging?

And this can vary from post to post. You don’t have to commit to one goal!

Here are some examples:

• Convert readers to clients (duh).
• Convert readers to email subscribers.
• Make affiliate sales.
• Answer a question you get asked all the freakin’ time.
• Share your opinion on a hot topic.
• Help your readers/clients do something on their own.

It’s not always about getting tons of new traffic and converting them into clients.

So instead of focusing just on search volume, use this framework.

Volume + intent + competition

Volume is the size of the crowd, intent is what the crowd actually wants, and competition is how many other vendors are already in the room.

So… How Do You Actually Use Search Volume?

As you’re researching keywords, use this step-by-step guide to pick the best keyword.

1. Use volume as a first filter, not a final decision.
2. Cross-reference with keyword difficulty/competition.
3. Check the search engine results page itself—what’s actually ranking, and can you realistically compete with it?
4. Group keywords into clusters instead of chasing single terms.
5. Prioritize based on business goals—traffic vs. conversions vs. authority-building.

Here’s a decision cheat sheet to help as you research keywords:

• High volume + high competition + low relevance → skip
• Low volume + low competition + high intent match → prioritize
• High volume + low competition + high intent match → ideal
• Low volume + high competition + high intent → proceed with caution
• Low volume + high competition + misaligned intent → skip

Long-Tail Keywords Deserve More Attention

Long-tail keywords get a bad rep because they usually have lower search volume. Makes sense, because longer keywords usually indicate a more specific query that fewer people make.

But long-tail keywords usually have higher conversion rates because they’re more specific. Ten people searching for exactly what you sell beat 10,000 people vaguely browsing.

Longer, question-based queries are how people are searching nowadays, especially with AI. They ask specific questions and expect specific answers. They don’t have time to sort through a few pages on Google to find what they need. They want you to answer their question.

What Actually Drives Keyword Strategy

Keyword search volume is important, but it’s not the end-all-be-all for deciding if a keyword is worth targeting in a new blog post. Search intent and competition are equally important (if not more).

The real goal is to find the right keyword, with the right intent, for the right audience. It’s not about finding the biggest number.

If you need help finding the right keywords for your blogs, explore my Blog Strategy service, where I do all the research for you, and all you have to do is sit down and write.