Checking Keyword Volume
If you’re building a site focused on a specific keyword, do some quick checking t make sure there’s enough volume.
I use Google Adwords Keyword Tool (GAKT) External to check keyword volume. I prefer the GAKT legacy version. I occasionally use free WordTracker to double-check GAKT numbers. When I check keyword volume in GAKT, I check both Broad match and Exact match numbers.
Broad match means any search containing your keyword(s) in any order. So if your keyword is ‘blue widgets’ it will count any search that has ‘blue’ and ‘widgets’ in it. The numbers here are usually a lot higher than Exact match numbers.
Exact match is only searches that match your keyword(s) exactly. Using the same example as above, only searches performed for the exact phrase ‘blue widgets’ will be counted.
People very rarely search using Exact match, but it’s best for getting a good idea of how many searches match the exact phrase you’re going after.
If I’m building a micro-niche site focused on a single keyword, I look for keywords with a minimum of 3,000 Exact match local searches per month. That’s not a hard and fast number, but experience has proven it to be a good place to start. Obviously, the higher this number, the better.
Popularity: 7% [?]