How trustworthy is Google's Keyword Tool for organic search research?
-
Can anyone (not Google affliated) explain to me where Google's data really comes from in their Keyword Tool?
Is it at all based on organic search? Or only on Google Ads related data?
I know there was some controversy back in June '10 and the Google remedied the return of suggested keywords but I can't seem to get a clear answer (other than from the Google blog itself) whether the search volumes returned are truly indicative of organic search.
Am I relying on the wrong tool? Do those more savvy than I only rely on the keyword tool for PPC research.
Please help! I'm obsessing over my numbers here.
-
Yeah I wouldn't trust Wordtracker as far as I could throw a lead donkey. Not on its own anyway. I've seen it turn up some pretty weird stuff before, long tail phrases that you wouldn't imagine anyone searching, but it seems to think has loads of searches. Embarrassing if you're showing a client something at the time.
-
I too agree with Steve. Googles numbers do seem a bit "off" especially when you try to use local terms with it. Although I like Wordtracker and Keyword Discovery too, i think their data is also "off" (my opinion). I think its just a matter of utilizing multiple tools and looking for a common theme. I've also found keyword spy to be helpful as well. Even their free tool is pretty nice in comparison.
-
Thanks for the quick answer. This totally makes sense. I'll look into the tools you mentioned.
-
I would have to agree with Steve. It's good for a rough estimate. I would look at more in a ratio scenario. So they might say 100 for the 1st result and 10 for the 2nd. If they are using similar math to hide their numbers then you are looking at a 10 to 1 ratio.
-
Don't use it on it's own. I use it a lot but never use it for any more than a rough guide. It's based on searches performed in Google... not specific to ads or organic. It throws up numbers that you know are wrong for a start. When you use it, don't use broad match, watch for keyword phrases that are in reverse, and just don't take it as gospel. With the search volumes, use it more as a measure of how popular one keyword is over another. I do use it loads more than other keyword software and despite how volatile and deceitful it is I still think it lies a lot less than any of the others. But once you've got somewhere with your keyword research try then in one or two other tools too i.e. Wordtracker and/or Keyword Discovery
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
How is it possible to rank first for a keyword, when the keyword isn't written on the page?
I noticed that one of our competitors is ranking in first position for a keyword but when looking on the page grader. The exact keyword is not used on the page at all (or in title, URL etc.). How is this possible, when other sites have content with those exact words?
Keyword Research | | Jesssherl3 -
Is there a tool that can give you demographic info on keywords?
I'm looking to find demographic information on certain keywords. Is there a tool that does this?
Keyword Research | | renalynd270 -
How do I use two keywords?
Hello! I am ranking very well with a keyword. But that same keyword without an S at the end (making it singural) gets quite a few more searches per month according to Google's Keyword Tool. However, dropping the S just doesn't sound quite right or make as much sense. So how can I target both keywords? Thanks in advance!
Keyword Research | | 2bloggers0 -
Where to start with keyword research for a telecom company?
Hey, I'm a brand's person with no SEO experience, yet I'm in a position where I have to carry out an SEO audit of our telecom company's website. Though our website is up and running for some years now, nobody bothered to undertake keyword research. From the little I've read over months on SEOmoz, I've just done the following: took out keywords bringing organic traffic on to our website and checked our rankings for those keywords on major search engines. My observation is that most of these words are long-tail keywords. Since we only have product/service information related to our offerings, most of the head terms we've used for packages/offers/services pages are branded keywords. My understanding is that we need to rank top for our branded keywords (a must) and try to rank as high as possible for long tail. In addition, we can use those keywords in our copy so that the right page ranks top for the respective keyword. Am I missing anything here? What else do I need to do?
Keyword Research | | HasanPK0 -
Keyword difficulty %age
I am using the Seomoz keyword tool to do some research. Some of the keywords I am researching are returning with a difficulty of 20 - 30% , are these good percentage keywords to target. I will obviously be following Seomoz tips / methods etc
Keyword Research | | wtfi0 -
Google keyword tool [exact match]
Hey there, I'm trying to work out what my next big course to run will be. I want to know if my technique is a good gauge of popularity. I'm using Google's keyword tool specifically for New Zealand. I'm typing in a course topic e.g Photoshop Courses and looking at the exact match results to see if there might be a market for that course. Broad match seems to offer up a lot more numbers but seem a bit vague. Am i right to think 'After Effects Training' wouldn't be a popular course as it returns a (<10) local monthly result while 'Photoshop Courses' might be ok as it has a (46)? **I'd appreciate any insight. ** Dan
Keyword Research | | danielfromnz
- the Adobe Trainer0 -
Ranking Changes: Google.co.uk vs Google.com vs Google.com.au?
Why would my website appear, for example, second for a keyword search on Google.co.uk but on a search through Google.com or Google.com.au (Australia) not appear in the Top 50? Excuse the simplicity of the question!
Keyword Research | | Benj250 -
Prioritizing Keywords
Hi Everyone, I've been using many of the articles to find out the best way to create a list of long tail keywords I wish to target. Anyway, I used Google AdWords Tool in order to find out how many Global/Local Searches per month, and the Keyword Difficulty Tool on this site in order to find the difficulty score. With these two metrics, I've compiled a good list, but I wanted to know how people prioritize keywords. I was thinking of creating a formula in excel in order to compare both the difficulty score and the amount of searches, but I wanted to know other people's advice and how they decided to prioritize the long tail keywords they compiled. I am still a bit of a newbie at this, so any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Keyword Research | | Seiyav0