Why does google's autocomplete not align with google's keyword tool?
-
Is google autocomplete based solely off keyword search volume? Or is there some other factors i am missing here?
Here's an example:
Auto complete suggestions for 'storage toronto':
[storage toronto cost] [storage toronto downtown] [storage toronto rates] [storage toronto leaside] [storage toronto prices] [storage toronto dupont] [storage toronto laird] [storage toronto eastern ave] [storage toronto ontario]
Google adwords keyword tool results for these:
<colgroup><col width="151"> <col width="129"> <col width="169"></colgroup>
| Keyword | Global Monthly Searches | Local Monthly Searches |
| [storage toronto cost] | 0 | 0 |
| [storage toronto downtown] | 36 | 28 |
| [storage toronto rates] | 0 | 0 |
| [storage toronto leaside] | 0 | 0 |
| [storage toronto prices] | 73 | 73 |
| [storage toronto dupont] | 0 | 0 |
| [storage toronto laird] | 0 | 0 |
| [storage toronto eastern ave] | 0 | 0 |
| [storage toronto ontario] | 0 | 0 |So here is what i find confusing:
If [storage toronto cost] is the top suggestion for [storage toronto...] then why does google say it has 0 monthly searches? Why isn't [storage toronto downtown] the first suggestion? or better yet, why isn't [storage toronto prices] the top suggestion?
So either: 1) google adwords keyword tool is wrong.
or 2) google suggest isn't based on just volume??
I've run these same keywords through Bing's Excel keyword information spreadsheet query and it came back saying all keywords had 0 searches ever, except for...drumroll:
[storage toronto prices] with 7 monthly searches, once, in august, and 0 all other months.
Now i assume that bing/yahoo numbers are significantly smaller, but this does show that that the same keyword is the most popular, so in some way suggests that google's keyword is accurate. So i guess this brings be back to my confusion, what other factors is google's suggest based on, because it obviously isn't primarily search volume.
And yes, i have made sure to clear caches, and disable personalized search and search history, and tried the query in several browsers, just to double check i wasn't getting a personalized list, so we can rule that out.
Thanks,
Storwell.
-
Using a legal analogy, there are those who make the laws (i.e. politicians along with lobbyists and interests groups) and then those who work to understand the laws in place and use that information to serve people (i.e. lawyers).
That analogy may not be perfect but it is easily applied to this situation. As an SEO, I work to understand the policies and practices of search engines. I then utilize that information to help service the interests of my clients. If I was to spend any time on how I felt search engines should do things, I would lose a piece of my sanity. I try not to judge.
Search engines have a lot of educated people who spend considerable amounts of time researching details and data which we do not have access to. I try to think positively in that if the results don't seem to make sense I presume there is a logical reason for it. That's my approach anyway.
-
Oh thats funny! So it seems that google is judging that a lot on CTR, problem is though with that is that CTR is heavily biased by what the actual rankings are. Nobody is going to page in 5 pages looking for something, they will likely click one of the first 5 results. So in terms of local optimization, where there is an extremely heavy geographical bias towards the city center, you end up with the google suggest of:
Keyword DOWNTOWN.
this is so silly. Google is gaming it's own algo!
Lets take a quick check of my theory: Flowers Seattle ...
flowers seattle wa
flowers seattle restaraunt
flowers seattle downtown
flowers seattle capitol hillLets try another...
car rental chicago...
car rental chicago airport
car rental chicago downtown
car rental chicago midway
car rental chicago train station -
Why does google's autocomplete not align with google's keyword tool?
It's not meant to. It's kind of like asking why aren't search results ordered by PR.
Like overall rankings, Google's autocomplete has an algorithm which offers results based on numerous factors. Popularity is only one factor. Another factor is currently trending topics. Another example is your personal search history. You can read more about autocomplete here: http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=106230
A detailed study analysis of factors which influence autocomplete can be found here: http://www.beattheautocomplete.com/study-results
-
Here's a guide that gives you some more sites that can help: http://www.seomoz.org/article/keyword-research-guide
It's a little dated, but most of the stuff on there should still exist.
Personally, some of the strategies I used are:
-
Look at my analytics. Where are my visitors coming from? Are there any similar terms using synonyms or different word order that I need to target?
-
Look at competitors. What keywords are they targeting? You can find hints by looking at their content, title tags, meta tags (if they're well-optimized, that is).
I think another important question to ask is Am I ranked as highly as I can be for the higher-volume terms? To me, I'd rather effectively target the terms that the most people are searching for rather than attempt to target a lot of low-volume long tail terms.
-
-
Hmmm...
Well my initial attempt here was to try to expand on possible keywords that I am missing out on. I feel i have been putting too much stock in google adwords' keyword tool. I have started to use the Bing keyword suggest excel tool but generally the numbers are so small in Bing/Yahoo that it is hard to get good results out of it.
Do you have any suggestions to help find more long tail keywords?
-
Interesting analysis, but I doubt the auto-complete is as calculated as you are trying to make it here.
Have you seen the sites and jokes like this?: http://www.autocompletefail.com/
That pretty much says to me that you shouldn't put a lot of stock into Google auto-complete ranking the order of terms in relation to search volume.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
YouTube Keyword Research
MOZ has some really powerful tools available to us, but I was wondering if there are any tools for conducting keyword research for YouTube? Thanks!
Keyword Research | | Alaeddin1 -
How to Find a Competitor's Target Keyword for a Particular Webpage
I understand how to do basic keyword research and how to review a competitor's code (meta tags, etc.). But what is the best method for finding out what a competitor's target keyword is for a particular web page? For example, the URL www.example.com/about-us, what is the best method for finding out what their target keyword is? I have been using a keyword density tool to run the URLs and find the keyword or phase that appears most often but would think there is a better way?
Keyword Research | | rx3000 -
Bye Bye Keyword Difficulty Tool :(
So the Keyword Difficulty Tool will be retired from the end of this month. Is anyone else worried about this? - because I just don't trust the numbers coming back from Keyword Explorer. Never have. I've even raised this with Moz staff previously, when there was a huge difference between the score given by the keyword difficulty tool vs keyword explorer. From what I see in Domain and Page authority and in the SERPs then the score from keyword difficulty tool, was always more accurate, and thankfully have been able to use both tools, but from next month I feel somewhat uneasy about solely relying on the score from Keyword Explorer. Thoughts? and feel free to run your own tests on keywords and I'm sure you'll see what I mean.
Keyword Research | | GregDixson0 -
What is 'SEO copywriting' in 2015?
Howdy forum-fans! I've been toying with the idea for a while now, that 'SEO copywriting' and 'writing for Google' is no longer something that SEO's should be focusing on, but rather writing great, relevant, unique content for customers. The theory is that Google is smart enough to pick up on this and, via it's algorithms, know that it's content worth ranking as it'll be useful to people searching for queries related to the content. Additionally a well written peice of content should naturally contain keywords, phrases and links, taking away some of the overthinking that I've sometimes experienced (first hand) when writing content. What does everyone think? Is 'Writing for Google' dead in 2015 and, if so, has 'Writing for customers' replaced it? Or is there still a place for SEO copywriting; Eg. Well formed titles, URLs, meta-data (does this count as copywriting?)
Keyword Research | | JAR8972 -
Domestic keyword searches
Hello I've spent some much information about how to get the best keywords for my SEO niche page. However, since the recent google changes, different opinions I fond it hard to use something accurate. Also the fact hat may keywords has so many variables, it makes it even tougher and more complex for a new beginner like me. Could anyone please guide me in the right way please? Lets say I would like rankings for Electronic Cigarettes in Norway. It can be written in so many different way, ecig. e-cig. elcig, e cigarette etc etc. (norwegian version ofc) I have for the most part used google keyword planner, but I am really unsure of what boxes to tick and not. I have deleted my wordpress installation and starting from scratch. But I want to make sure I get it 100% right this time before I start.
Keyword Research | | Kroeriks0 -
How to find easy keywords to rank for?
We've got fantastic results from a keyword here. After we signed up for SeoMoz, we found that, for luck, this was a very easy keyword (1%) to rank for. How can I find more easy keywords?
Keyword Research | | BrunoReis0 -
Not Set Keywords
Hi, we have recently been working on our site's keywords and we have seen an increase in traffic. As I monitor my keywords, I see that the Not Set keyword has increased a great deal and now become my top keyword. I researched some but all I got is that users are bookmarking my page or using other avenues to reach my website. Can anyone give me a more concrete answer? Is this bad? Or is this a direct result of an increase in traffic. Any words of wisdom will be much appreciated, As you were...
Keyword Research | | SBRMarketing0 -
How to do geo research for keyword phrases?
I'm working on a landing page for a client (music instrument rentals) and want to optimize for terms related to: music instrument rentals in San Francisco music instrument rentals in Seattle music instrument rentals in St. Louis music instrument rentals in Minneapolis/St. Paul How can I find the most popular terms based on a variation of the main term (music instrument rentals) and geo area? In other words, maybe 'Where to get Instrument rentals in San Francisco' is best? Thanks for your input! Mike Corso
Keyword Research | | mikecorso0