Many online businesses miss huge opportunities because they ignore keywords with zero search volume. Here’s why you aim at these keywords and how to do it. Many
Internet companies ignore keywords with zero search volume because they think no one is searching for the word. While it may be true that
searches are rare, online companies in a saturated market can easily target these keywords and occupy search space without too much competition.
what are zero search keywords?
zero search keywords are super-important long-tailed queries, the tool can not provide search history data, or the search volume is low.
these queries are usually longer than keywords with high search volume and are very specific. The
keyword “link building” has been searched hundreds of thousands of times.
if you narrow down the search terms (that is, become more specific in the query), the competition will be lighter and lighter.
for example, the number of searches for “build a link for a beauty salon” is zero, but this is a question that SEO or marketing experts who need to establish a link for a beauty salon may ask when looking for link-building services, so it is worth optimizing.
Screenshot of Ahrefs keyword statistical table
What is the difference between
long-tailed keywords and zero search keywords?
zero search keywords are the same as long-tailed search queries and usually contain at least four words.
users can express these queries in many different ways. Therefore, although the number of searches raised separately for each question is almost zero-all of these questions add up to a considerable number of searches.
uses the above example as an example. Users who need to establish a link for beauty salon customers can search for the same question in different ways, such as “how to link for a beauty salon” or “make a link for a beauty salon”. The two
questions are essentially different versions of the same question, and the number of searches for each question itself may be almost zero. But when they are combined, there may be a lot of searches.
therefore, the search intention of the user should be taken into account when optimizing.
if you optimize for a variant of the user’s expected question (and answer), your page is likely to appear in other users’ SERP (search engine results page).
this is because Google’s machine learning algorithm can understand that with the help of BERT or MUM, these different queries may have the same intention. And that’s why it works!
‘s famous company doesn’t target these low-traffic keywords.
is a keyword space where small businesses can dominate, with almost no competition.
, can you believe the keyword tool planner?
, you can-to a certain extent.
you may have noticed that these tools may vary greatly in terms of search volume.
this is because keyword tools'”best guess” on the number of searches depends on the information they get.
therefore, for example, when one tool may show that the keyword has 2900 searches, while another tool may show that the keyword has 9900 searches.
in addition, keyword tools are not good at capturing low-volume keywords.
this may be because the tool requires a certain amount of data before it can be registered in its database. Low-volume keywords such as
are pushed aside because they are considered to have little search volume.
: so, what can we do? Instead of listening to keyword planners,
should use them as a guide.
uses these tools to find new keywords, but don’t forget to do further research to see if these keywords will help you achieve your SEO goals. The benefits of
targeting zero search keywords
compete less
as mentioned earlier, many SEO experts ignore zero-traffic keywords because they think no one is searching for them.
so you now have an advantage over your competitors because they are not targeting these keywords. There is less competition for
keywords, which means there is a better chance of getting the ranking of the word through unique, thoughtful, optimized content.
targeting the right audience
zero search keywords are usually hyper-focused, which means they are highly relevant to your audience. Unfortunately for
, these queries are not often answered with unique and thoughtful content.
therefore, your site can be the first responder and ranking person for these queries; ideally, you can become an authority on the subject.
doesn’t have data on how many people are searching for these keywords, but you can get a good idea of what they’re looking for based on the landing page of Google’s index and the query itself.
in addition, further competitor research can show which information may be missing in the already written content, but may be relevant to the searcher’s knowledge.
although you may not get thousands of new customers, you may get some high-quality customers who are ready to switch.
Generate traffic
if your business ranks well on high-traffic keywords, you may want to shift your SEO strategy to zero-traffic keywords.
, think of all the clients you haven’t touched yet. 15% of Google’s queries have never been asked.
this means you may lose up to 15% of your potential traffic!
in addition, assume that your target is a keyword with zero or minimum search volume. In this case, the user who clicks into your page is likely to come from a long-tailed query that other companies are not targeting.
this allows you to get more natural search clicks and clues from long-tailed queries, rather than the way you aim for high search traffic.
how to find the best zero search keywords
SEO keywords Research
the first step in finding the right keywords is to know what people are searching for.
therefore, you have to do keyword research to determine which keywords people use when searching for your site, product, or service.
looks for precise, long-tailed keywords. These keywords are not highly competitive and the search volume is small, but they can easily gain an advantage through the correct content.
here are some ways to find these long-tailed keywords.
uses the “people also ask” section of SERP, which displays related queries.
Google’s PAA list of “link building” searches
is a tool that helps you brainstorm and identify other topics that may be relevant to your main query.
is available in both mobile and desktop search results, so you can find some good long-tailed keywords there.
Google autocomplete is another great way to find more keywords. You can install the free keyword surfer browser plugin, which displays suggested keywords and the number of searches they have.
Keyword surfer related keyword search volume hint
when you type a few letters in the search bar, an autocomplete suggestion appears, based on what others are searching for.
knows relevance
when you search for something, you are looking for relevance. Therefore, you want to see what is most relevant to your query.
, however, when you target zero search keywords, you don’t have any data.
, how do you know if they’re related?
, that’s what your own experience is for. Knowing the target phrase for
will help you know its purpose and what people are searching for-which can help you determine whether it is relevant to your business.
looks for your keywords in forum discussions, social media and SERP.
if someone has already asked about your topic, they may be interested in it.
you can also use tools such as Semrush or Moz to see what people search on forums and social media (as long as you remember to rule out brand names). The more people look for
-related keywords
, the better.
means that the keyword and its variants are popular.
you can find relevant keywords by looking at the content of other sites or by searching for your main keywords on Google.
if you search on Google and see recommendations on similar topics, these are good places to start looking for new keywords.
in addition, Google often advises you to do relevant searches when you type in the search bar, so try typing your main keywords into Google to see what suggestions come up.
‘s strategy of driving traffic with zero search keywords
strives to use a variety of terms
aims at a variety of terms and captures the intentions of all visitors to your site.
, do you remember the previous example of the beauty salon query? Similarly, if someone searches for a “link-building service”, they are probably looking to buy a specific service, not just a general SEO service. By adding relevant keywords to your strategy,
can effectively target more traffic with the same intention.
, for example, if your goal is “link building service”, it is likely that some people will also search for things such as “why link building”, “benefits of link building” or “link building strategy”. Searches for the words
may be low, but they are still valuable when they are added to your strategy.
makes full use of purchasing keywords
purchasing keywords are those such as “best”, “top” or “vs”. The keywords
are aimed at readers who may be ready to buy them. In general, the number of these keywords is small because they are very specific.
if you are selling products or services, it is important to know which keywords people are searching for. You can use this information to help you improve your sales conversion rate.
these types of keywords can help you target people who are looking for your product or service.
if you can target these phrases, you can reach potential customers who have not yet started research, but will soon be looking for information about your product or service.
can easily see what people are looking for by looking at search results on Google or Bing (or any search engine you use).
these search results show the most popular searches related to your industry, products, or services you offer.
chooses valuable related keywords
your keywords are the basis of your SEO strategy.
you must choose relevant keywords to help you achieve your business goals.
you need to target phrases that potential customers usually search for and relate to your niche market. Then think about the problems your product / service solves and search for these types of terms.
This may seem like common sense, but it’s worth mentioning because it’s easy to get caught up in ranking as many keywords as you want.
uses low-search keywords to build a well-known
in a new niche market. When starting with a unique niche market, it is tempting to target high-volume keywords in order to get more traffic.
, however, if you don’t have any authority in this field and your content is not first-class, you can never turn these visitors into paying customers. Instead,
should target specific zero search keywords in the industry.
this way, you can build your brand awareness and start to win trust among customers looking for new things. Once
has built enough content around your target keywords, it will start to rank on the first page of Google results-as long as the content is relevant and up-to-date, it will stay there.
so you will have more credibility in the eyes of potential customers who are looking for something new in their industry but are not sure where to look.
zero-capacity keywords can have a significant impact on your site in terms of organic traffic and rankings.
benefits you by knowing how to use these keywords, and they can help target new audiences you didn’t realize before.
