Are Keyword Tools Reliable?

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Are Keyword Tools Reliable?
Sort of… sometimes… but not really. And some are just plain bad.

Keyword tools are only directionally reliable. They’re most useful for what number is this singapore , validating, and prioritizing content topics. Let’s walk through a real example from my own free tool, showing the biggest blindspot of keyword tools and why you shouldn’t rely solely on them to drive your content strategy.

I don’t think there are exactly 2,400 searches per month on Google for “homemade chocolate pie.” Based on the search engine results page showing 127,000,000 results for this query, I have a hunch there’s probably quite a few more people searching this term (and related ones that’ll surface very similar results).

Keyword Research Tool Reliability and Accuracy (Comparison Image)
In the case of this example above, I think my own keyword tool under-represents the amount of activity going on here.

Here’s why: Something most keyword tools don’t factor in very well (because it’s very difficult), is that the same recipe for a chocolate pie might appear in search results for tons of different related keyword phrases. A homemade chocolate pie recipe could rank for “chocolate pie recipe,” “best chocolate pie recipe,” “creamy chocolate pie recipe,” and any number of additional search terms.

So in reality, if you nail your on-page SEO efforts and put in the work to promote your content, you could realistically expect to get significantly more than 2,400 visits/mo from organic search if you rank high for the term “homemade chocolate pie,” because of all the other related terms you’ll likely swoop up.

The best content strategy is one that’s intimately in touch with the real wants, needs, hopes, and desires of your target audience. Keyword research can help along the way, but these are best used as just validation & prioritization tools, not as a source of truth for developing your entire strategy.

Is Search Volume Data Accurate?
Usually not. Even Google’s own Keyword Planner doesn’t claim to be completely accurate.

Check out my comparison of analyzing the term “homemade chocolate pie” on 4 of the top free keyword research tools. You’ll see there’s quite a lot of variance in how many monthly searches each tool reports back:

Google’s Keyword Planner: 1,000 to 10,000/mo
Free Keyword Research Tool by ryrob: 2,400/mo
Ahrefs Keyword Explorer: 1,900/mo
Ubersuggest: 2,400/mo