Jan 12
21
Google Keyword Tool reports recent downward trends in search volume
If you are actively doing Google search engine optimization or are planning to do Google SEO, then the Google Keyword Tool should be a very familiar utility by now. If not, then let me introduce you to it.
The Google Keyword Tool works very simple. Type in a keyword or phrase into the search field. Specify Broad, Phrase, or Exact Match by selecting boxes on the left. Voila, there you have it. Real Google search statistics…
So I’ve been tracking keyword phrase search volumes for certain keywords in Google as far back as 2008 and I will say that the trend since then has been overall very positive. However, recently I’ve been at odds…
I began noticing on many accounts that overall search volume in Google has DRASTICALLY decreased recently. At first, I would assume that these keywords just became less popular, which makes sense.
The real confusion for me was WHY these keywords became so much less popular so fast? For example, say a location keyword such as ‘Glendale Arizona’ dropped off from close to 1 million broad searches and 50,000 exact match to 200,000 broad searches and 5,000 exact match searches.
If you do some number crunching you’ll realize that exact match is down to 10% of what it was a few years ago for a ‘Glendale Arizona’ Google keyword search. Also, phrase match is down to about 20% of what it used to be. So there must be some really bad stuff going on in Glendale Arizona, right?
Wrong. In fact, with an approaching Superbowl, the BCS National Championship, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Arizona Diamondbacks all located in Glendale there was arguably nothing but good news to INCREASE popularity of Glendale, Arizona.
Finally, it occurred to me that there is one other explanation for this insane drop-off in searches, other than inaccuracy of the Google Keyword Tool. What if Facebook, Twitter, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines have taken a LARGE percentage of internet search from Google? Bingo.
