How to Build a Strategy Around Keyword Search Volume: Set Goals First, Then Plan Keywords and Content

Keyword search volume is useful for identifying which topics are in demand, prioritizing content, and tracking trends. Investment decisions should not rest on the numbers alone. Before developing a strategy, check the data source, time period, and scope, then clarify whether your goal is to increase visibility, reach potential customers, or plan advertising. Next, assess topic relevance, ranking difficulty, and costs to choose a mix of high- and low-volume keywords. Search volume does not guarantee traffic to your website, let alone sales.

Check the Data Before Setting Goals

In a 2023 article, awoo compared search volumes provided by ChatGPT at the time with those from other tools. It found that search volumes for some moving-related keywords were overestimated, while those for emerging topics popular at the time were underestimated. This example is a reminder that seemingly precise numbers are not necessarily suitable for marketing planning. However, it does not represent the performance of all tools today.

• Check which month or reporting period the figures cover, and avoid directly comparing data from different periods.
• Check the tool used and the markets covered. Do not fill gaps in the data with assumptions presented as facts.
• If you find substantial discrepancies, check the sources and how the figures were calculated before using them to set traffic targets.

Look for Demand in High-Volume Terms and Relevance in Low-Volume Terms

An article published on Neil Patel’s website in 2024 noted that search volume can help identify popular and emerging topics that interest an audience. Although low-volume keywords may bring less traffic, searchers may still be ideal customers if those keywords are highly relevant to a niche market. You do not need to limit your choices to the highest-volume terms.

If your goal is to increase visibility, high-volume topics can help guide your content. If your goal is to reach people whose needs more closely match your products, retain highly relevant low-volume keywords. A mix of both can help address different search needs, but low volume alone does not mean a keyword is easy to rank for or guaranteed to generate sales. For paid search advertising, high-volume keywords may also have a higher cost per click, so their business value still needs to be assessed.

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Use Search Volume to Plan Content, Not Set Traffic Quotas

In Semrush’s 2021 case study of the bakery Edelweiss, the agency first assessed the monthly search volume and ranking difficulty of candidate keywords, then sought the client’s input. One proposal was to distribute high-volume keywords evenly across the months, keeping the total search volume of the keywords in each month’s planned content roughly equal.

This can help guide a publishing schedule, but it is not a rule every website must follow. Similar keyword search volumes across months do not mean actual visitors will be evenly distributed. The case study offers one approach to content planning, not a guarantee of results.

Track Changes Rather Than Rely on a Single Figure

As the article on Neil Patel’s website recommends, tracking search volume over time can help identify trends and shifts in consumer preferences, allowing you to adjust your content direction. The point is not to find a number that will remain correct forever, but to use search demand to inform your strategy while continuing to weigh topic relevance, costs, and goals.