Keyword Search Volume
Keyword search volume (frequency) is a metric indicating how often users enter a specific word or phrase into a search engine (e.g., Google or Yandex) over a given period. It helps understand the popularity and competitiveness of search queries, which in turn aids in selecting the right keywords for SEO and advertising.
What is Search Volume?
Users enter millions of search phrases daily. For example:
- “buy a phone” — is searched tens of thousands of times per month.
- “buy Xiaomi Redmi 12C phone” — is searched a few hundred times.
Search volume shows how often a specific query is entered per month, week, or day.
Search volume is the popularity of a search phrase among users.
Why You Need to Know Search Volume
Understanding search volume helps:
- Select keywords for SEO promotion.
- Determine which queries bring in the target audience.
- Assess the level of competition and advertising cost in paid search.
- Properly distribute key phrases across site pages.
- Plan content and advertising campaigns.
Types of Keyword Search Volume
- High-Volume Keywords (HV): Used very frequently. General and competitive. Bring a lot of traffic, but not always targeted.
Examples: “car rental,” “buy a phone,” “hotels in Phuket.” - Mid-Volume Keywords (MV): More specific and targeted. Optimal for promoting categories and services.
Examples: “car rental Phuket,” “buy Samsung phone.” - Low-Volume Keywords (LV): Narrow and precise formulations. Bring less traffic but attract more interested users.
Examples: “car rental without deposit at Phuket airport,” “buy Samsung phone with fast charging.”
Absolute vs. Relative Search Volume
| Type of Volume | What It Shows | Where It’s Used |
| Absolute | Total number of query impressions per month | Yandex.Wordstat, Google Keyword Planner |
| Relative | Number of impressions relative to all queries | Search engine analytics and SEO tools |
| Regional | Volume in a specific region (city, country) | For local SEO and geo-targeting |
For example: The query “car rental Phuket” might have the following monthly search volume:
- Russia — 1,000 impressions.
- Thailand — 400 impressions.
- Moscow — 150 impressions.
Where to Find Search Volume Data
- Yandex.Wordstat — shows monthly search volume and related queries: https://wordstat.yandex.ru
- Google Keyword Planner — tool for analyzing keyword popularity in Google Ads.
- Serpstat / Ahrefs / SEMrush / Key Collector — professional SEO services that analyze search volume, competition, and traffic potential.
- Yandex.Webmaster / Google Search Console — data on actual impressions and clicks for your site.
How to Use Search Volume in SEO and Advertising
- Create the site structure based on volume groups:
- HV — for main pages.
- MV — for categories.
- LV — for product pages, articles, and FAQ.
- Optimize content based on real audience queries.
- Use low- and mid-volume phrases to attract quality traffic with less competition.
- Analyze seasonality. For example, the query “car rental Phuket” is searched more often in winter than in summer.
Example
| Query | Monthly Volume | Type | Competition |
| car rental | 50,000 | HV | High |
| car rental Phuket | 2,000 | MV | Medium |
| car rental without deposit Phuket | 300 | LV | Low |
For promotion, it’s more beneficial to start with low- and mid-volume keywords — they yield faster results and face less competition.
Common Mistakes When Working with Search Volume
- Choosing too general (HV) queries — high traffic, low conversion.
- Ignoring low-volume keywords — losing quality traffic.
- Not filtering by region — search volumes vary by city/country.
- Misunderstanding user intent — the query might be informational, not commercial.
Conclusion
Keyword search volume is the foundation for SEO, content marketing, and search advertising. It helps understand which topics and formulations the audience is searching for and allows you to structure promotion so that the site answers real user queries.
