Let’s dive into the topic of Search Volume statistics today.
Search Volume is a critical metric that adds valuable context to our SEO strategies. As a marketer, I’ve relied on Search Volume data to:
- Gauge how frequently a particular search query is used by our target audience.
- Analyze trends in search activity over time—whether it’s increasing, decreasing, or remaining steady.
During my previous role as VP of Marketing at a B2B SaaS scaleup, I managed a team of 25 marketers, including a dedicated content marketing group that heavily focused on optimizing on-page content. One of our key priorities was tracking a set of approximately 150 high-priority keywords—our money-making keywords.
And here’s the thing: Search Volume played a pivotal role in helping us prioritize our content initiatives.
We consistently monitored the following metrics. Here’s an example of how we tracked keywords:
Can you guess which keywords take priority here? Let’s dive in.
What is Search Volume?
Search volume refers to the average number of times a specific term or phrase is searched on Google each month. It provides an estimate of how frequently people are looking for that particular keyword. Most SEO tools include this information as part of their features. Some popular tools to check search volume include:
- Google Keyword Planner
- Semrush
- ahrefs
- SE Ranking
If you’re using Google Keyword Planner, you can even access forecasts for various metrics, such as search volume, impressions, and clicks. These insights are based on Google’s data.
Google draws on historical search data to make estimates on what you might get from a set of keywords based on your spending. These forecasts can help you decide how to group your keywords and set your bids.
Why is Search Volume Important?
Understanding search volume is crucial for selecting effective keywords across organic (SEO), paid PPC, and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) strategies. Without this insight, you might end up focusing on keywords that receive minimal searches, leading to a lot of effort with little reward.
Keywords with high search volume can drive significant traffic to your site. However, they often come with intense competition and may not always align with your specific business objectives.
How does Google calculate Search Volume?
Google offers a few insights into this. If you’re using Google Ads, you can access a dedicated tool called Google Keyword Planner. This tool provides the search volume for specific queries or keywords.
Why Do We Love Google Keyword Planner?
This tool is incredibly powerful because it comes directly from Google, making the search volume data highly reliable. Additionally, it allows you to focus on specific locations or countries, providing localized search volume estimates. On top of that, it integrates data from Google Ads to evaluate competition levels and assess how challenging it might be to rank for a particular keyword.
But enough about Google.
Search Volume on ChatGPT & Perplexity.AI
TL;DR: Google offers direct access to Search Volume data through its own system, but platforms like OpenAI/ChatGPT and Perplexity currently do not share any information or metrics related to Search Volume.
Otterly.AI has recently introduced a method to estimate search volumes for AI-driven platforms such as Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT (including search functionality), and Perplexity.AI. Although still in its early stages, this innovation holds significant promise as a valuable metric for marketers.
Monthly Search Volume Estimates: Targeting the Right Search Queries for AI Search
Selecting the appropriate “keywords” is crucial when working with AI Search platforms. Tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are more responsive to conversational, natural language phrases that closely align with user queries.
As marketers, this means we need to revisit how we approach keyword research and monitoring.
Instead of sticking to traditional keyword strategies, we should focus on the types of questions or phrases users are likely to input into AI platforms. Here’s how you can analyze user behavior on AI search and identify the optimal search queries for platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity.AI.
Step 1: Transform SEO Keywords into Conversational Search Prompts
To effectively monitor the right search queries (which we refer to as Search Prompts), you first need to identify them. There are two methods you can follow:
- Transform your existing SEO keywords into conversational Search Prompts and start monitoring these prompts.
- Include your current SEO keywords in your list of monitored search queries.
For the first approach, consider using OtterlyAI’s AI Keyword Research tool. This tool simplifies the process by converting your traditional SEO keywords into conversational, natural language search queries.
Alternatively, we can also recommend “Next Question by SEOnotebook.com” – a GPT for ChatGPT to predict the next question based on some context.
Step 2: Monitor Search Prompts for AI Search & Understand Search Volume on ChatGPT to prioritize your efforts
Now it’s time to add your relevant set of Search Prompts to your Monitoring Tool. With OtterlyAI, you can monitor those search prompts for ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews.
When you click on a specific search prompt, you can see the Search Volume per Platform – ChatGPT, Perplexity and AI Overviews.
Summary – Targeting the right search queries on AI Search
Search Volume is a key SEO metric that helps marketers understand how often a particular keyword is searched. It plays a crucial role in prioritizing content initiatives, keyword selection, and strategy for organic SEO, PPC, and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
AI Search platforms however require a shift in keyword strategy—focusing on conversational, user-friendly search prompts. Otterly.AI now provides a solution to measure and analyze search trends in AI search – for ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google.
By adapting these keyword strategies to AI search behavior, marketers can stay ahead in the evolving landscape of search optimization. 🚀