Great info.I never knew about google insights.

Thanks!

Also, once you’ve determined that a phrase looks good, make sure you check the strength of your competition. I’ve often had cases where I thought a phrase looked good but then all of the top 10 spots were High PR (6 and greater) with 10000s of links to domain and individual page.

Insights also gives you an idea of where traffic is headed for a phrase. You don’t want to start targeting a phrase that maybe on its way out.

As to the above, it would be nice for some explanation. It is weird to have the data be so far apart.

cd :O)

Thanks for the information, especially on how to use Google Insights. Despite of free availability of all Google tools (even directly from your gmail page) there is no time to go through all the info on these pages to find out how it works in 2-3 words and it is good if you can find short and easy to understand explanation of what it is and how to use it. Time is most critical factor I think (at least for me ).

Alexander

Good Info,

I use google keywords tool myself for all keyword trafic demographic research. although I cant help thinking that maybe the high advertiser competition may have something to do with the inflated search count shown in the adwords research tool.

Simple answer, you are comparing two totally different tools. Insights is showing us keyword usage whereas adwords is showing how advertisers can advertise.

There is no way both keywords can have the same global volume – searches on internet marketing services etc would see to that. But, what you have found is that Google is ‘admitting’ that if you buy ‘internet marketing tools’, then even when exact matching adverts, Google will display the advert on ‘internet marketing’. There is a degree of intelligence that Google is applying to decide they are near enough and know better than the customer…

As you said, it shows we cannot take the Adsense results as accurate. They are intended to help advertisers place adverts, not to help us find high performing keywords, which is interesting!

If your article still leave any doubts which keyword is best, then I’d suggest running a ppc campaign with those 2 keywords and see which keyword gets the most hits over a couple of days.

I can’t really rely only on one keyword tool. That’s why I use at least two keyword tools when I am having my keyword research.

Well, basically all keyword softwares are based on Google keyword’s tool data, but still at least it gives me a better understanding of the keywords I’m trying to find out when using two keyword tools.

Thanks

Both results may be true, as with the Google AdWords tool, the results are based on Global Monthly search volume, and the Insights for Search results are based on 2004 to present.

Could this be a different set of variables?
Could Insights for Search results be for the individual keywords rather than the exact?

This is very true, and logical. I never really did rely on anything other than Organics from Google anyhow.

I do a lot of keyword research on the adwords tool, mainly because, as you say, this is the tool that has access to the largest amount of keyword data. I also often notice discrepencies such as differences in the number of searches on a day to day basis and obvious rounding of numbers.

I wasn’t aware of the Google Insights tool, so thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Don’t you also think it is rather fishy that both “internet marketing” and “internet marketing tools” have 246,000 searches per month?

I continue to use these tools, but it would be great if Google could make them more accurate, especially since they have direct access to this data!

Cheers,
Suzanne

I have seen this many times in the past, where the search volumes appear to be miles off, however I must admit I never really thought to much of it at the time. I have noticed this problem in Google data driven keyword tools as well, however these are mostly programatical errors in the filters applied to the raw data, however I agree that using official Google tools is the only way to get any where close to “realistic” results in search traffic volumes.

Great article. The best approach is to start an adwords campaign to get a true reflection.

Finally someone who elaborates on this problem!

I have noticed this problem from the beginning of this adwords keyword tool. And I can definitely say that Adwords is lying!
Thats why I always use Google Trends (same as Insights) together with the Adwords tool. I am still unsure why Google, imo, deliberately shows us false numbers!
Well, however, I have to ad something important to your article:

As far as I know the results on insights or trends are based on the “broad match” criteria. That means, the results for “intermet marketing” also have the results for “internet marketing tools” in them! Thus, the huge difference in numnbers.

Thanks and regards

Yeah I’ve noticed this quite a few times as well. But its still the best tool we got so nothing we can really do.

Very interesting results. I’ve certainly noticed some unexpected numbers previously but never thought of cross checking with Google Insights.

I guess Google is such a large company that they have different teams working on different projects and hence the reason they may arrive at different results, even though (presumably) they are working with the same sets of data.

Sort of like the Microsoft world perhaps?

Even freakier that your example above, the external keyword tool can be as much as 90k different to the one in adwords itself. for the exact same search term. It seemed to happen about a fortnight ago, something changed in the external keyword tool, I had a keyword reported at 90,500 local searches for Febuary, when I searched it again this week it reports only 762. the internal adwords tool still reports the same as earlier in the month.

Good post. Thing is that I don’t think that big G is supplying all the information they should be. Keywords I know for a fact have lots of search volume often times show up as “not enough data” or with low numbers. This happens quite a bit, and it almost makes me wonder if I should ignore the numbers altogether and go with my gut.

I do exactly what you talked about but man i aint seen that sort of huge difference.

Great infomation never thought about cross checking google with google will be doing alot of cross checking now. thanks

Interesting post and discussion. This also proves the point that no keyword tool is as important as the one in your head.

You should be using “Phrase” instead of exact and you would see the difference.

Now I wonder what is the difference between Google Insights and Google Trends????

I too have noticed this before, and I think the response above from Keith to be very relevant.

I also wonder if the fact that as Google uses different bots for various reasons, such as differentiating between their Adwords and Organic search results, that the data collected by the different bots is obviously not only used differently but also giving different results?

Interesting article, but it doesn’t really tell us that much.

It would be much more interesting if you could explain how to integrate the insights data with the adwords data.

In other words, now that you know from insights that “internet marketing tools” has a much lower search volume than “internet marketing”, how can you estimate the volume of “internet marketing tools”?

Thanks.

There must be some type of filter applied, I know the data is meant to be raw, but if both types from the keyword tool, and insights were both raw data from the same source they would indeed be the same.

Maybe they do the same with the search data as they do with inbound links, only show “what they feel like” or as they say a %! All this aside any webmaster who builds up websites has their margins so I guess it is just another reason for us to laugh at Google (lets face it with the money they make and the size they are and how advanced they claim to be you would think they could atleast display some simple figures on a screen!)

While we are on the subject of Google data, has anyone messed about with the ad position and estimated CPC in the keyword tool? according to the data I can get an estimated position of 1 – 3 for £0.12 for the term “car insurance quotes” yet if i didn’t specify a bid I would expect to pay around £13 for the same term…

If I could get page one for that term for £0.12 I would be a millionaire! sorry for the offtopic comment, I just thought some people may like another laugh at the expense of the Mighty G (as you can tell I have a love/hate relationship with Google)

Could it be that Google is using two different sets of data just like in the serps right now? One is the regular serps and the other is rolling out what is being called caffeine results. This could be why those tools are being messed up. Once the new caffeine is fully rolled out then these tools may start working properly again.

Keith said on March 24th, 2010 5:52 pm ~ said it best.

But from my personal experience, and I have used a couple of tools including KW Elite, Market Samurai, the list goes on (and on) Some of the best Top Dollar KW tools and Free Ones. I have yet to find any tool that does the work for you. If any 1 tool was that accurate I assure you, it would not be on the market until that particular avenue was all used up and no longer profitable.

All tools require skills to use them, anyone one that thinks otherwise is just plain silly.

Thankyou for the info, I have been only using adwords tool and trends
didn’t know about google insights. Thanks again.

Yo! Great information. I didn’t know about this before…

I personally use the Google AdWords Keyword Tool a lot and I find it very helpful. As for Insights for Search, I don’t use it much – I think the Google AdWords Keyword Tool is sufficient.

I never knew about Google Insights, thanks for the info……it’s amazing really.

I’ve never heard of Google Insights. Does anyone know what the area covered in the “Local searched” in the Google Keyword search tool. Globally is “everywhere” right? But when it comes up with Local, how “local” is it compairing it to?

Thanks
James

There is some great interaction here but I have a tendancy to agree with Keith on them about being two different tools. Top CD Rates also had a good point but I take it one step further when comparing all my results.

When doing research I most generally look at:

1) Exact Match – Consider this more important than global.
2) Strength of competition
3) Commercial Intent – likelihood of a purchase.
4) Comparing all results

There are many factors and many ways of doing keyword research and analysis, but I find that these 4 are the most important. Each are determining factors with high significance value.

This proves that Google tools only give estimates not accurate data. So instead of fully relying on tools we should split test and find things out for ourselves, if our gut feeling says something contrary to the statistics provided by Google.

But nobody can deny that the sheer variety and information provided by Google tools is unmatched. And of course no one can beat the price – its all free.

Very informative. Google Adword tool always has these kinds of discrepancies. In past, I had a big problem while I picked the wrong keyword using Google Adword tool. Still, I think there is no better alternative for that. It can be used wisely as you mentioned in your article. Great TIP. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.

Really good post and the examples. I also came accross this situation for few times, but didn’t pay attention on it as i thought that google might use different parametres in different tools that cause the difference in the data.

Thanks for an interesting perspective as far as the Google tools are concerned. I have never considered using Insights to check the results of the Keyword tool. I am sure that can be of help. Will keep it in mind.

i was never aware about the google insights and it is really a great tool to cross check the keyword tool from google

thanks,

Cyrus

Great post here and very informative. it’s not new that the best stat you can get for any keyword is using not only Google keyword tool, but also Google trends and Google insights.

This is how i do my combination. when google keyword tool says that a keyword has traffic, it could be past traffic and the present traffic might just be small. So when the trend is checked together with the insights, you have a clear picture.

What you also don’t see is what Google is doing with IPs and local search.

It is very difficult to see your real competitors because the only ones you actually see are those from your area. That goes for adwords as well.

Google think that all marketing on the Internet is only relevant to the local search and they use the host IP of your site to help identify ‘your’ customers. Too bad if you think you have a product relevant to more than just your local area, you will have to host your site on hundreds of servers and you’ll have to write it with the local language for each site.

Good luck.

Great information guys. I never heard of insights before. Only used the Adwords keyword tool. I should try and check it out! After all Google does give us a lot of traffic. Thanks!

I have a YouTube account and use the insights tool there but did not know that Google had a insights tool for key words and trends. Very interesting post and will I start to cross reference. After all, spending the time I do to pick key words is valuable time.
Thank you for the post.

Daneil

Great insight! I believe this is an example of Paid tool compared to free tool. Ofcourse this is all Computer related so “someone” had to feed these numbers in and that always leaves room for error. Try again in 3 days and you will get completely different numbers, I never go by the first set.

I used Market Samurai for a while, but I must admit I was not impressed, in reality they are just putting together what they think the figures should be however we have no real way of knowing what the future figures will be, (I guess this actually makes trends both handy and a pain at the same time.

The Google data has (and probably always will be wrong) I personally think its a case of being brave enough to take on the keyword, In reality anyone given the right amount of time effort and budget can rank for any keyword on any domain.

When I am looking for keywords I try more to work current trends in, and use that as an extra push for more “hardened keywords” Things like football shirts, and seasonal things, there not really something you can find accurate data on in the first place mid season as the “peak” is gone however by using some “logic” based on Google keyword data, trends, and any other data you can find you can do great seasonal affiliate marketing.

The other way and this is for “more involved” online earners who have a budget, set up an adwords acccount using a site that shows up on page 1 for your [Keyword] search, set your budget up to a $5 or less, and make sure your max bid gets you on page one and you can monitor the impressions. (I think someone mentioned this earlier in the post!) but it does work out well although you are actually sending traffic to your soon to be competitors!

Very interesting case study; although, I don’t think you should expect the two search terms that show the same numbers (strange)at a moment in time presently should follow the same statistical trend over a number or 6 years.

Thanks for sharing,

James

I think in our industry we always take the google stats with a pinch of salt anyways!

Follow up Post above re: google accuracy. Here are two exact keywords showing different volume but about the same price.

ad writing $2.34 6600
ad writing $2.44 0.86 590 590

I was also unaware of the Google Insights Tool, however I don’t think I will quit using the Google Keyword Tool. I wonder if Google would like to shed some light on this matter – you should ask for an official response!

Great info on keyword research here! I’ve have many keywords which rank quite nicely and give me good steady traffic – but hardly show up on the Google keyword tool. I’m not sure I belive its data. Its best to try and think outside the box and come up with your own ideas of keyword research. Dont follow the masses!
Thanks for the tip on Insights.

What I learned in statistics classes in college is to not take stat results at face value, but to put them in a larger context, this context for the Google Paradox would be that as always Google deliberately keeps us marketeers guessing a bit. Just like She never shows us all available keywords (i.e. the difference between numbers of exact vs phrase keyword searches.

My brother and I have been in the same argument for 2 years now. Which one do you use? With the obvious flaws in data for Google (this is not the first time for us) and contradictory information with everyone else (market samuri, paid wordtracker) which keyword tool do you trust?

It is quite simple, just pick one and stay with it. Period.

When you only use one source and get it figured out (x amount of stats = x amount of traffic) then you can target with precision. If you keep using different ones and doubting ALL of them then you become gun shy of any result, resulting in confusion and low productivity due to over analyzing.

This is what we have done and it is starting to work well.

No I’m not telling which one!

Brian Ankner

I am extremely grateful for the tricks and the information above is a very useful very useful very necessary to put into practice a try.

It is possible that the normalization process that creates the insights graphs is not working properly.

Wow! There’s a lot of research in this article and broken down simply enough to understand. Appreciate very much the valuable info!

We can never really know the full ins and outs of Google tools. OP’s right that their keyword research tools are contradictory, but it’s still a win-win for all…

Anyway, we can always test and draw conclusions but nothing will happen if we just sit and “research”.

Great article – thanks for sharing this info