What is keyword volume?

Keyword volume is the average number of times people search for a specific word or phrase in a search engine within a given period, usually per month. It tells you how much demand there is for a topic and helps you decide which keywords are worth targeting in your SEO and paid campaigns.

Why keyword volume matters for SEO and ads

Keyword volume is a core input for keyword research, content strategy and performance marketing. If you only target terms with very low keyword volume, you might create great content that almost nobody searches for. If you only aim for very high volume terms, you risk competing with big players and failing to rank or convert.

For growth minded B2B and e commerce teams, keyword volume helps balance reach, difficulty and intent. It lets you estimate potential traffic, compare opportunities and prioritise efforts based on realistic upside, not gut feeling.

How tools calculate keyword volume

Most SEO tools estimate keyword volume based on anonymised click and impression data from search engines and third party panels. Different tools use different models, so keyword volume in one tool will rarely match another exactly. Instead of obsessing over single numbers, treat keyword volume as a directional signal.

If you want a deeper dive into tooling, see our guides on keyword research and opportunity sizing, our comparison of Semrush vs Sistrix and our benchmark of Ahrefs vs Semrush. Each explains how these platforms handle data, limits and accuracy.

Choosing the right keyword volume to target

In practice, you rarely decide based on keyword volume alone. You combine it with keyword difficulty, search intent and business value. For many SME and e commerce sites, a mix of mid and lower keyword volume long tail terms will bring more qualified traffic and revenue than a few broad, generic phrases.

  • High keyword volume: broad, often generic terms. Big potential reach, but high competition and mixed intent.
  • Mid keyword volume: more specific phrases. Good balance between demand, difficulty and relevance.
  • Low keyword volume: niche or long tail keywords. Lower traffic, but often high intent and strong conversion rates.
  • Brand and product terms: sometimes low keyword volume, but extremely high value for your business.
  • Emerging topics: initially low keyword volume that can grow fast, great for thought leadership.

By mapping these categories to your funnel, you can build a content and campaign plan that compounds over time, not just chase today's biggest number.

Working with keyword volume in your team

Smart teams use keyword volume to prioritise, not to predict exact traffic. They group related queries into themes, then decide which pages or landing experiences deserve focus. Long tail queries with modest keyword volume can often be covered together in one strong page.

To speed up this work, you can use tools like the 6th Man SEO extension to analyse pages, spot gaps and estimate potential. Combining keyword volume with long tail insights from our guide on long tail keywords helps you design a search strategy that is realistic, defensible and built for profitable growth.