How Many Searches Is A Good Number?

[sheriesmith]

OK, I know, Shame On Me! I'm JUST NOW getting around to registering domains for my blogs, per Lynn's suggestions 2 weeks ago. I need some feedback if you please... How many searches minimum would be considered a good number? Please say if your # is per day or per month. Thanks for your help!
Sherie

[russell]

I like to go with 1000 per month, but would consider choosing a lesser keyword if it helped toward the same goal of a few other ones.

It also depends which position you think you can get to. If you may have a hard time beating #1 and #2, then the traffic in #3 may not be worth it.

[sheriesmith]

Thanks Russell, is Wordtracker per day or per month?

[russell]

Wordtracker, the free version says its the number of times it was searched over the whole last year.

I'm not sure if the pay version gives different stats or not. But wordtracker only used some smaller search engines data I think, so the numbers will be way different in there than in google. The ratio should be very similar though.

I use google, since I can ask google both questions. How many searches do you get? And, how many results do you have?

But, I think you can get the same end result from wordtracker if you only use it. I think comparing the 2 would give you mixed results.

Im sure someone else has a different opinion though.

[angienewton]

Sherie,
It really depends!

I have chosen keyword phrases with a wide variety of searches (Wordtracker's free version is # of daily searches).

You could choose a keyword phrase with only 25 searches according to Wordtracker and hit the top 10 in Google pretty quickly. Then you want keyword phrases for every post, category, website page, etc. You categories could be the higher number of searches as could your main site keyword phrase.

Just play around and don't worry too much about it. You'll find yourself hitting the top 10 in Google before you know it. As for using keyword phrases for your domain, it's not necessary. Google looks at pages not at websites so the domain really doesn't carry that much weight.

[MikeF421]

Generally, I don't bother with anything that is getting less than 100 searches a day for a main keyword. Anything less is not worth the effort IMO.

Now if it is a secondary keyword or a long-tail keyword I am targeting for extra traffic, I may go down to 40-50 searches a day.

You have to remember, even if you get to #1 on Google's listing, you are probably going to get half of that traffic at best. So for the very top spot on a phrase that is searched 100 times a day, you may get 50 hits. What if you never get to #1? Well if you hit #2 or #3, at best you may get 25 hits a day. If you are beyond #3, it drops considerably.

Although I have made it to #1, I don't assume I am going to get there. If I can't make the phrase worth my while if I only end up in the top 5, but not #1, I'm not bothering with it.

Now having said all of that, if the traffic is a little lighter, but the competition is pathetic, I may target the word or phrase anyhow with the idea that a #1 ranking is very achievable.

[jkgourmet]

Wordtracker, the free version says its the number of times it was searched over the whole last year.

I'm not sure if the pay version gives different stats or not. But wordtracker only used some smaller search engines data I think, so the numbers will be way different in there than in google. The ratio should be very similar though.

I use google, since I can ask google both questions. How many searches do you get? And, how many results do you have?

But, I think you can get the same end result from wordtracker if you only use it. I think comparing the 2 would give you mixed results.

Im sure someone else has a different opinion though.

WAIT - I thought wordtracker showed the number of times a KW was searched PER DAY???!!!!????? What's with the per year?

[angienewton]

It is searches per day, Jeanette.

[jkgourmet]

That's what I thought - russell's wording said something about the entire year and I wanted to clarify.

Thanks, Angie.

[russell]

I derived my info from doing a search here http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com

There is a little tip that says the following next to the results.

"The number of times that the keyword has been searched for in our partner search engines in the US over the last 365 days"

Maybe im just not seeing the daily stats