How Can You Use Keyword Metrics to Evaluate Target Keywords?

Evaluating target keywords means looking beyond those with the highest search volume. First, confirm that a keyword fits your business and audience needs, and that you can satisfy the intent behind the search. Then consider search volume, keyword difficulty, trends, cost per click, and search results page features together to decide whether it is worth pursuing. Prioritize keywords with sufficient demand, manageable competition, and content needs you can meet. Neither high search volume nor high advertising costs guarantee traffic or sales.

Start with search intent to determine what content you can offer

Search intent is not a typical numerical metric, but it shapes your content strategy. Even if a keyword is popular, creating content solely for its search volume is not worthwhile if it is irrelevant to your audience. Start by distinguishing four types of intent:

• Informational: Looking for answers, such as “what is SEO.”
• Navigational: Looking for a specific website or login page.
• Commercial: Comparing products and reading reviews before a purchase.
• Transactional: Ready to buy, place an order, or complete a transaction.

Next, review the topics and structure of top-ranking pages to determine whether users need tutorials, comparisons, or product pages. Use these pages to guide your content, not as material to copy.

For example, as part of our content services at Procrustes, we turn the questions clients genuinely care about into articles, with ongoing content planning, writing, and updates.

Consider search volume and difficulty together rather than chasing popular keywords

Search volume is the average number of searches per month, not the number of visitors your website can expect to receive. Even for a high-volume keyword, your website needs to rank well to have a chance of attracting more traffic. Businesses targeting international markets should also consider global search volume rather than looking at just one country.

In a 2024 article, Semrush suggested considering keywords with at least 100 searches per month, noting that terms with just 10 to 20 monthly searches might not bring in enough visitors. This is a general rule of thumb for attracting traffic, not a threshold every website must follow.

Keyword difficulty reflects how difficult it is to reach Google’s first page. Higher scores generally mean more effort is required. The same article suggested that new websites could consider keywords with a Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD) below 30%. PKD is assessed for your own domain; this threshold cannot be applied directly to difficulty scores from every tool. If rankings for core keywords are already dominated by major platforms or well-known brands, consider targeting long-tail keywords first.

Use trends to adjust priorities and publication timing

Beyond average monthly search volume, examine whether interest is rising, falling, or holding steady. Consider giving lower priority to keywords with steadily declining interest. Those gaining interest may be worth targeting early, but they still need to align with your business needs.

Assess seasonal keywords separately. For example, searches related to Christmas gifts increase ahead of the holiday, so it makes sense to create or update content in advance. Do not assume demand stays the same throughout the year based on interest in a single month.

Use advertising costs and search results page features to round out your assessment

A higher cost per click (CPC) may indicate that advertisers are willing to pay more for a keyword, offering a clue to its commercial value. It does not, however, establish how well traffic from SEO will convert. Costs vary widely by industry, and the averages provided by tools are not necessarily the prices you will actually pay to advertise.

Finally, check whether the search results page includes special sections such as featured snippets, related questions, or local business information. These formats may affect visibility and could offer additional exposure opportunities. Include them in your assessment rather than comparing only search volume and difficulty.