Keyword tools sort by volume, so volume is what most people optimise for. It is the wrong sort. What matters is what the searcher wants to do next, and a big number often means a vague search.
Read the results page first
Before you commit to a keyword, search it and look at what ranks. If the first page is Wikipedia, dictionaries and listicles, the intent is to learn. If it is product pages and comparison tables, the intent is to buy. Your page has to match what is already there, because that is what Google has learned the searcher wants.
Three questions for every keyword
- Would the person searching this be a customer of ours, ever?
- Can we honestly say we are the best answer to it?
- Do we already have a page that should rank for it?
If the answer to the first is no, the volume does not matter. Cross it off and move on.
