When you need to understand the demand of a search intent in Google for a specific location, you'd check Google Ads' Keyword Planner for Search Volumes.
How does this work?
In SEOmonitor, you get these search volumes as a keyword attribute, representing an estimate of the 12-month average, and also the individual monthly search volumes for the past 12 months.
These are extracted using Google Ads API data for the specific location.
To make sure the data is correct, we have calibration systems in place – the most important one being the aggregation algorithm, grouping keywords sharing the same search volume under the same main one and its variations.
Search volumes split by device
At a group level, not only do we aggregate search volumes, but we also split them into searches performed from desktop versus mobile devices.
We maintain market-wise keyword databases to store the keywords with their data from Google Search Console. We use this (specifically the impressions metric), to detect how many of the searches are coming from mobile devices and how many from desktop ones:
device search % = device impressions / total impressions
This (scarce) information is provided to complete the search volume understanding.
Search volume data across the platform
The rule of thumb would be that you have search volumes wherever you have ranking data.
Next to this ranking data, search volumes are the main input in the Visibility metric. To segment the search volume by device, we primarily depend on the GSC connection. If that's not available, we rely on our market-wise keywords database. Search volume data also feeds into the Year-over-Year metrics and the automatic detection of highly seasonal keywords.
FAQs
Does the average search volume shown in the platform change if I change the timeframe?
No, we only store the latest available value for the 12-month average. The previous ones are overwritten with each monthly update.
However, you can always explore the past 13 months of individual monthly volumes.
When is the search volume data updated in SEOmonitor?
Every month, starting on the 5th, Google Ads starts providing the data for two months prior – e.g. starting August 5th for June.
Not all keywords get data on the same day, so we run this process continuously until all of the keywords in the campaign have data – usually takes about 4 days.
This is valid for the Rank Tracker and the keyword research tools (Topics, Trends, Website Explorer).
Why do I see N/A on the search volume split by device?
When there is enough data available via GSC or our keywords database on the search volume split, relative to the total search volume in the campaign, we calculate the desktop & mobile split; otherwise, you would see it as not being available (N/A).
Why does it seem that the Search Volumes are the same "across the board" (for multiple keywords)?
The values provided via Google Ads are estimates and rounded (multiples of 10), presented as a non-linear scale: 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, ..., 1000, 1300, 1600, 1900,... etc.
Do you also use Clickstream data?
No. The Search Volume data is from Google Ads, as this is the most reliable source for this kind of data. It can also easily be validated through a branded search, by comparing the Ads Search Volume (last monthly value) to the Impressions from Search Console, on the same location, on the specified brand query (always ranking #1 on it) and its close variants.
Why are some keywords provided with 0 searches?
The two instances with 0 or no searches are on:
keywords that have no Search Volume, so they come with a 0 from Ads – these are what's considered dangerous products, so you cannot market on them; bitcoin-related terms are also included here;
keywords that become dangerous, and we identify that the annual average cannot drop to 0 so suddenly – on these, we wait to see if they pick back up, providing the last available Search Volume for up to 6 months.