Generally speaking, SEO experts and online marketing tools tend to favour high-volume, low-competition keywords because they have a better chance of increasing organic traffic. However, targeting low volume keywords (those below 250 searches per month), may just be the answer to boosting your businesses’ overall SEO strategy. In this article, Wildcat Digital explores whether it is worth targeting keywords with low volume and highlights the benefits of this technique.
Is it worth targeting keywords with low volume? Yes. It is certainly worth targeting keywords with low volume because it will allow your business to dominate in a low-competition search space. Instead of targeting keywords with high volume and high difficulty, low volume keywords with low difficulty allow you to target terms that are actually relevant to your business. This in turn will accelerate organic traffic.
Keep reading to learn about the high value that could be hiding behind your low search volume terms and how to incorporate them into your SEO approach.
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Yes, you should definitely consider focusing on low volume keywords when it makes sense for your company. Many online businesses choose to ignore keywords with low search volume because they believe that no one is searching for that term, however, this is not necessarily the case. Whilst it may be true that there is minimal search volume for such terms, choosing to target keywords with low search volume and low difficulty will actually enable your business to dominate in a hyper-relevant search space.
Rather than choosing broader keywords with higher competition, low volume keywords present an ideal opportunity to target terms that are more relevant to your business. It’s important to remember that while you won’t necessarily receive thousands of users per month, the users you do attract may be closer to converting. On top of this, more specific low volume keywords will still accelerate your organic traffic. Remember, it is all about finding a balance between keyword volume, difficulty and intent.
If you are still unconvinced, here are some other factors to consider whilst deliberating whether to use low volume keywords:
You can use your low volume keywords to structure your site by incorporating them into the titles, headings and content. Using specific keywords with a low search volume and a low keyword difficulty is one of the best ways to increase rankings. This is because it makes your content more unique and relevant to your customers.
Top tip – Just because a keyword research tool shows that there is no search volume, it does not necessarily mean that there are zero people searching. So, whilst these tools are extremely useful, remember that they are unable to provide an accurate account of all data.
We would encourage you to find out what your customers are actually looking for, and their search intent. A high-intent keyword with 100 monthly searches could drive more revenue than a low-intent phrase with 10,000 searches, simply because the customer is further along in the sales funnel and looking to convert.
If the long-tail phrase or question you are researching has no search volume, try typing the shorter volume phrase into a search engine in incognito mode. You may find that the question actually appears in the following:
If the titles or responses of these are the same as your topic, you could replace them by creating a more relevant and better user experience. This means that even though your phrase has no search volume, it will still show up for a phrase with potentially 20,000 monthly searches.
While targeting low volume keywords is considered a niche strategy, it is a strategy that works well for some. With the chance to increase your click through rate (CTR) by 32.3% for every position you climb, working your way up the ranks of Google SERPs should always be a top priority for SEO.
Let’s take a look at the reasons why you should target low search volume keywords:
Search difficulty is a metric used to determine how difficult it is to rank for a keyword. The higher the search difficulty, the more challenging the keyword is to rank for. This means that the key to finding successful keywords is to search for words with lower search difficulty and some search volume. It’s all about finding a balance between volume, difficulty and intent.
Bear in mind however that whilst it is somewhat easier to rank for low difficulty keywords, they may be less relevant, have the wrong intent or a super low search volume. Try to find keywords that hit the sweet spot – low search difficulty, some search volume and relevant intent. These are the types of keywords that should rank well for SEO.
For example, the broad search term ‘SEO agency’ brings in 6.6K searches per month with a keyword difficulty level of 67. This means it’s incredibly hard to rank for. In contrast, the more specific keyword, ‘SEO agency Sheffield’ has a keyword difficulty of 16 with only 390 searches per month. So even though there’s a much lower search volume, spreading these keywords throughout your content will bring more traffic and boost your ranking.
In this image, the diagrams show that you would need more backlinks as the keyword search difficulty increases. For example, keywords with a low search difficulty may only need up to 10 backlinks whereas keywords with a high search difficulty may require over 200 backlinks to generate traffic.
Interestingly, 15% of all Google searches have never been searched before. Low volume keywords can open the doors to this untapped traffic, especially if you have a small or niche company.
Generally, some keywords will have low search volume because users have yet to use these specific terms. Many people do not think to search for what you are selling. To avoid this issue, try to target low difficulty, low volume keywords that relate to your product. Targeting keywords with low search volume specific to your industry can also build brand awareness. Then, once you’ve gathered enough content, your keywords will start ranking and you’ll become an authority in your niche.
Sometimes, a single low volume keyword will not attract enough traffic to make a significant impact. However, if you include a few low volume keywords in a piece of content, your chance of ranking for one or two increases. Instead of focusing on a singular specific keyword, focus on a few low volume keywords relevant to your content. One of the best things about selecting low volume keywords is that it gives you a better chance of ranking for a few of them.
Long-tail keywords (longer and more specific keyword phrases) tend to have lower search volumes but generally boast a higher conversion rate. Typically created from three to five words, these phrases are more detailed than generic terms which allows you to target niche demographics.
Despite these long-tail keywords having low search volume, utilising them in the middle of your keyword will boost your audience. This is referred to as piggybacking. Using the seo example again, ‘seo agency’ has a search volume of 6.6K per month, whereas ‘seo agency in Sheffield’ has only 90 searches. This highlights that ‘seo agency’ is a high-volume keyword, so including the in-demand phrase as part of the long-tail keyword, allows you to capitalise on its popularity. This means you’ll have a higher chance of converting and return on investment.
Whilst fewer people are searching for low volume keywords, their ROI is much stronger. This is because even the lowest volume keywords drive conversion that offset your content costs. Because users have more actionable search intent, there’s more chance of them converting. Commercial buying keywords like ‘best’ and ‘top’, target users that are ready to make a purchase. On top of this, these keywords are often lower in volume because they are specific. Consequently, you can use them to your advantage and increase your ROI.
Performing a competitor analysis as part of your keyword research is a fantastic way to position yourself as a worthy alternative to your competitors. Analysis will find cracks in their strategy and recommend keywords and variations that will help you. It will also show you what works well and what doesn’t. This gives you the opportunity to use a wide array of low-volume keywords while creating more impactful content.
Chances are, your content will be more likely to relate to your audience with specific low volume keywords. The more relevant your content, the more likely users will convert. Because Google prioritises relevance in its ranking system, content including relevant keywords has a better chance of doing well.
Here is our step-by-step guide of some best practises for finding low volume keywords:
Finding the right keywords is all about knowing what people are searching for. Your first point of call should always be conducting keyword research to determine what keywords people use when searching for your website, products or services. You’ll want to look for precise, long-tail keywords that are less competitive. Despite having less search volume, they can be easily dominated with the right content.
Here are some ways to find these types of keywords:
One of the most important factors to consider whilst searching for something is relevance. You want to understand what is most relevant to your query. However, when you are targeting low volume keywords, there won’t always be much data on keyword tools to base your research on. This can leave you wondering whether your keywords are relevant or not. This is where understanding the target phrase comes into play because it will help you understand what people are searching for. In turn, this will help you decide whether it is relevant to your business.
Top tip – Remember to look for your keywords in forum discussions, social media and SERPs. If someone has already asked about your topic, chances are they’re interested in it.
The more people look for related terms, the better. This is because it shows that your keyword and its variations are favoured. You can find related keywords by looking at other websites’ content or searching Google for your primary keyword. If you do a Google search and see recommendations on similar topics, these are always a great place to start looking for new keywords. In addition, Google often suggests related searches when you type a query into its search bar, so try typing your main keyword into Google and seeing what suggestions come up.
Now that you’re fully up to speed with low volume keywords, why not take a look at our experienced SEO agency in the heart of Sheffield. Here at Wildcat Digital, we are committed to helping businesses punch above their weight online in order to reach their full potential. By implementing a range of SEO services across your website, we’ll help you increase conversions and leads by growing your online presence, gaining more traffic and ranking more highly on search engines.
Get in touch with our friendly team to receive a free consultation about how we can help your business with SEO, PPC and Paid Social. Alternatively, if you have more questions about SEO and Digital Marketing Agencies, take a look at our new Knowledge Base content hub. Our expert SEO team is answering all the common questions we get from clients and prospects to help you better understand the industry and what you get from an SEO agency like Wildcat Digital.
Low search volume keywords (those below 250 searches per month) are queries or phrases that are generally associated with very little traffic on Google and tend to be more specific than high search volume keywords.
Keyword planners and tools are reliable to an extent when it comes to carrying out your keyword research. If you have ever used one of these platforms, you may have noticed different data on various tools. This is because keyword tools make their ‘best guess’ for search volume depending on the information they have access to. They also do not tend to capture low volume keywords very well because they have limited data.
As a result, you may be wondering how to work around this gap. We’ve come across this difficulty with several clients in niche areas so there’s no need to worry if you are struggling to find relevant keywords with search volume. Instead of taking keyword planners at their word, simply use them as a guide. Use the tools to discover new keywords but always remember to do further research to determine whether those keywords will help you reach your SEO goals.
