Law firms are fixated on it, your clients don’t know it exists—meet search volume, one of the most misunderstood aspects of SEO.
Search volume is just one tool in your SEO toolkit. It’s a tricky tool, too, with inaccurate numbers and complicated quirks that can mislead inexperienced marketers. Did you know that low volume keywords can be worth optimizing for in some cases?
Here’s a brief primer on search volume and SEO for lawyers, including low volume vs. high volume keywords, how to find search volume, and how to use search volume data to inform an SEO plan.
What is keyword search volume?
Search volume is a metric used in keyword research to describe the estimated number of times someone searches for a given keyword each month.
Search volume can tell you how many people are searching for specific keywords and how much competition there is for those keyphrases.
You can use this metric to help evaluate which keywords you do (and don’t) want to build your overall SEO strategy around.
Low volume keywords mean that fewer people are searching for these words.
- Example: “single dad custody after divorce miami”
- Are often long-tail keywords
- Can be useful secondary keywords in a topic cluster around a high volume keyword
High volume keywords mean that more people are searching for these words.
- Example: “best custody lawyer miami”
- Usually means competition in the SERP
Pay attention here: High volume keywords are not always the most important ones for growing your business.
Keyword search volume and SEO for lawyers
Search volume does not always correlate to traffic generated, conversion potential or competition from other firms.
High search volume ≠ high traffic to your site
Say you manage to rank in the 8th slot on the SERP, or say you snag the coveted Featured Snippet for a high volume phrase like “best custody lawyer in Miami.” In the 8th slot, you may not get any traffic at all because higher-ranking sites attract more attention. On the other hand, a Featured Snippet could result in a zero-click search (aka no traffic). It’s important to note that zero-click searches aren’t always a bad thing; while they may not bring visitors to your site, they still result in brand awareness.
High search volume ≠ high conversion potential
The strength of the searcher’s intent is most important here. With many long-tail, low volume keywords, the search intent is very specific and very high. If you can snag these searchers and answer their query, the potential for conversion is very high. The overall number of people may be small, but 10 out of 10 conversions with a low volume keyword is better than 1 out of 1,000 with a high volume keyword.
High search volume ≠ high competition
A high volume keyword may have low difficulty, or less competition. In fact, the volume data is far from perfect in SEO tools, so it’s quite possible that a high volume keyword has yet to be identified by Semrush, and the like, and hasn’t yet been served up as a valuable keyword to other attorneys. This is why it’s always more important to write for people than for search volume.
To sum up, search volume is an important metric—but it’s only one imperfect factor to consider during your overall keyword research process and as you build an SEO strategy.
Example: When to optimize for low volume search words
Here are three scenarios when a law firm should consider optimizing for low volume words:
- If there’s high conversion potential
- If you’re aiming for a Featured Snippet or zero-click search
- If they’re related to a high volume keyword
A relevant low volume word may appear in a People Also Ask answer when someone searches a higher volume keyword. You could try including a page on your site dedicated to related low volume keywords in order to help Google and your online visitors understand your topic better.
Example: When to optimize for high volume search words
Here are three scenarios where it makes sense to optimize for high volume words:
- If you want to build general awareness of your firm through PPC
- If you’re targeting local searches via the Local Pack
- If you’re committed to the long game of SEO (While it may take some time for you to see results for the high-volume words, by being intentional with the supporting content you create over time, you can effectively target long-tail searches too and start getting traffic faster.)
For the majority of firms, ranking in location-based searches is the goal most worth investing in with high volume search words on your site and in your Google Business Profile.
How to find search volume for a given keyword
Google Keyword Planner: This is a popular tool for keyword research—but it has limitations.
This tool is geared toward Google Ads (so not all keywords are reported), and you will need a Google Ads account to use it. Here’s a lengthier guide, but below are the basic steps:
- Log into your Google Ads account
- Tools > Planning > Keyword Planner
- Choose “Get Search Volume” if you already have keywords in mind
- Choose “Discover New Keywords” to start from scratch
- Enter a keyword
- Find the search volume column (aka monthly searches)
- Find the competition column
Be aware of several things here.
Search volume numbers are hardly ever accurate.
→ These are estimates of average search volume for the last 12 months. Search volume can be highly seasonal and change over time. For instance, searches for “car injury lawyer Chicago” may spike in summer and fall since that’s when most accidents happen. This estimate may only reflect an annual average.
→ These numbers aggregate between mobile and desktop searches. This means you’re not able to meaningfully differentiate between device-based search behaviors.
→ Keyword Planner has a time lag. You won’t find fresh, new trending keywords here. Google Trends is not a search volume tool but it can help you understand current trends and popular topics.
→ You may see the same search volume for two terms like “SEO” and “Search Engine Optimization,” since they’re technically the same thing. In reality, these two terms may have very different search volumes based on their different formats—not to mention voice searches.
You can try other keyword research tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, too, or hire an agency to do keyword research for you as part of an overall SEO plan.
Review and next steps
Keyword research is a fundamental part of SEO. However, you should not base your entire strategy on search volume without understanding the nuances and aligning your available resources with your business goals.
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