Accuracy of search volume for keyword planner v old keyword tool?

[SnapComms]

Hi there,

I'm (logged into Google Adwords)  and researching search volume for keywords but I'm seeing weird results.

I know that the term "outage notification" had between 1000 and 5000 monthly global searches when I last looked (I know this because I add a search volume tag to the keywords I track ranking of via Moz).  Yet, now when I check global search volume via keyword planner I'm seeing only 70 global searches per month (AND low competition which I know is not true).  Is this perhaps because only the exact match is reported or is something else going on?

Very frustrated as I have now lost faith in the keyword research process via Google keyword planner....not sure where to go from here!!

Thanks very much

[danatanseo]

You're welcome Dan! I just noticed there is also a post in YouMoz on the subject:

http://a-moz.groupbuyseo.org/ugc/the-new-adwords-keyword-planner-your-keyword-research-process

[evolvingSEO]

Wow Dana - super helpful thanks so much for chiming in!

[danatanseo]

Hi all,

Because I needed to educate myself on how to get the most out of the new Keyword Planner versus the old Keyword Tool, I wrote a blog post last week on the subject located here:

http://www.danatanseo.com/2013/07/google-keyword-planner-vs-keyword-tool.html

Dan, you are correct the new default is exact match, while the old was broad, and yes, now you can toggle between "exact" "phrase" and "broad" with one major caveat, these are based on your specific Adwords account targeting settings. So for example, in my case, we target only the USA, so now my results when researching are only the USA....which may not be appropriate at all if I am doing research for a client that targets more that just the US. I'm sure you can see how that could pose some significant problems for accurately targeting high-opportunity keywords for other countries.

As Jeff says below, yes, you can still get global monthly search volume by targeting all locations. For me, the only way to reasonably do this without fear of totally screwing up the settings on my existing Adwords campaigns is to open a completely separate Adwords account just so I can do research. Yuck!

Fortunately, there are some alternatives to the old Google Keywords Tool:  Wordstream's Keyword Tool, UberSuggest, SEMRush, SEOBook's Keyword Tool

Larry Kim has also written a good post on the differences between the old and new Keywords Tool/Planner....but it's a little daunting (IMHO), so read it first thing in the morning when you are wide awake with a fresh coffee at your side.

Hope this helps guys!

P.S. The other thing that really sucks is you can no longer check a box next to specific keywords and export just those. You now have to export the entire list and filter through them in Excel. This drives me nuts!

[evolvingSEO]

I am honestly not 100% sure at this point. I see the option to select broad, phrase or exact via a tiny little icon in the top right, however I am not convinced as to how well this is working. But the option is there, so you must be able to choose still. The default may be exact match, but you can still switch (whereas before default was broad match).

[SnapComms]

And more...

If you hover over the ? icon next to the results for average monthly search volume you see this text: "The average number of times people have searched for this exact keyword based on the targeting settings that you've selected. "

The keyword here is "exact" - Does this mean the default is exact match and we no longer have control over this?

[SnapComms]

Nope - just checked that - not it

[SnapComms]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the responses. I'm wondering whether adwords used to default to showing Google + Search partner results before where as now you have to select this option (otherwise the default is just Google).  It could account for the differences perhaps?

Sarah

[evolvingSEO]

Thanks so much for that link Jeff!! Had no idea it was there. Will definitely be sharing.

[SmartWebPros]

I'm seeing the same thing.

From what I see in the Google Blog, that sends you to here: https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/3141229

Local monthly searches and global monthly searches: These two columns have been replaced by the "Average monthly searches" column, simplifying the search volume data you can get. The average monthly search volume is specific to your targeting settings, and you can get data for an entire country or individual cities and regions within a country. Note that you can still get global monthly search data by targeting all locations.

But based on past numbers, this is not an average at all. "Flooring London Ontario" should have the same local and global searches... Yet, it went from 1300 (Keyword Tool) to 210 (Keyword Planner) local monthly searches.

Keep us updated on anything you find! This would make a great Blog Post for someone who has the time to do a proper investigation

[zeepartner]

Cool, will do. Thanks Dan!

[evolvingSEO]

I saw the AdWords help tab had a email address and phone number. I bet if you or someone payone for AdWords contacted (and asked like you're a paying AdWords customer) you could get an answer.

You could also submit a question in the Google Webmaster Help forum, or their Google Plus Group - or join a hangout they hold every Friday.

-Dan

[zeepartner]

Right? And when googling this it feels like I'm the only one...

In my experience contacting google has usually been a waste of time.. Is there any place you would recommend submitting this?

[evolvingSEO]

Wow that's crazy! The only thing I can think to suggest is submitting a help request or contacting them.

[zeepartner]

In my case, the new kw-tool always shows the same numbers for broad, phrase and exact match, no matter what option I chose. Also, these numbers are completely different from what the old kw-tools displays. look here: http://imgur.com/tpAXwVN

For languages that are less used than english, the new kw-tool often displays no traffic at all and becomes virtually useless.

[SnapComms]

Thanks Dan.  I was using broad match which is why it's so odd.  I'll go back to the old tool (thanks for the tip) and will compare.  Sarah

[evolvingSEO]

First thing I want to check;

• Are you using exact match consistently or broad match? Check out the differences.

Next, you may be wondering how i got back to the old tool;

• you can do so temporarily - I would do that to check your numbers in the meantime too.

-Dan

[zeepartner]

Hi Sarah

I'm stumbling into the same problems as you - search volumes of the old Keyword Tool and the Keyword Planner vary massively. And for terms that shouldn't have much fluctuation in search volume. Stuff that shows volume in the thousands in the old tool, just indicates search volumes around 50 in the new one.

This looks pretty crappy to me considering that soon this will be my only kw-tool available...

[SnapComms]

Here's an update on broad matches for various terms:

Desktop alert - on keyword tool, global volume showed as 20,000+ searches (sorry don't have exact number), it is now showing search volume as 390 on the keyword planner...

Corporate screensaver - was showing 1001 to 5000 searches, it is now showing 320.

Desktop messaging - was showing 10001 to 15000 searches, it is now showing 140.

Something fishy is going on...

Sarah

[SnapComms]

Thanks Dana,

This is a term used by IT folk a lot. When I last checked I was not aware of any global events.  I'm not sure that this would be the reason (although it is of course possible!).  Have there been any other observations of changes to keyword volume reported by users after Google's transition to keyword planner?

I'll also check other search phrases less likely to be volatile and get back to you (thanks for the tip).

Sarah

[danatanseo]

Search volume can be incredibly volatile from one region to another. I would imagine that "outage notification" as a term could be incredibly volatile, because it's really pretty vague. If there was a major earthquake, I would think that colume for that term would soar...or any natural disaster really. On the  other hand, if things had been relatively quiet and  there hand't been any major seismic or weather events, then that might mean something else.  but that all depends on where you are, and where you are trying to sell.

If search volume in a remote area of Pakistan increases by 5,000 percent, and it's only temporary because of a weird event.....is that something you can build a business on here in the States? Of course not

There are many factors to consider. Search volume is one tiny piece of the puzzle.