Search volume
Search volume is how many times people search for a word or phrase, usually shown as a monthly average. In Google's Keyword Planner, average monthly searches counts the keyword and its close variants, averages them over 12 months by default, and rounds the result, so it's a guide rather than an exact count.
Source: Google Ads Help, About Keyword Planner forecasts, checked October 29, 2026
What Search volume means for your business
A yearly average hides the seasons. A phrase that's busy every summer and quiet all winter gets one number that fits neither. Google says you can use the figures to see how popular a keyword is at different times of year, and we'd look at the month-by-month numbers before deciding a phrase isn't worth a page.
Other keyword tools build their own estimates, so their numbers often won't match Google's or each other's. We'd compare phrases inside one tool and not mix numbers from different tools.
Search volume counts searches typed into a search engine. We haven't seen OpenAI publish how often any question gets asked in ChatGPT, so a phrase with little search volume can still be a question your buyers ask AI tools.
If you've gone after busy phrases and the phone still isn't ringing, what we measure instead of traffic alone begins with whether people called or booked.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. All terms
How AI answers it today
On October 29, 2026, Google's AI Overview called the numbers estimates and cited SEO tool makers and a website builder, linking to a Keyword Planner help page. ChatGPT illustrated it with sample volumes for running shoe searches and named four keyword tools, citing no sources.
Our run through ChatGPT and Google's AI Overview, October 29, 2026. A sample, not what every buyer sees.
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