Guide to Low Search Volume and Zero Search Keywords

Going after the low-hanging fruit is common advice in the SEO world, and I agree with it. If you’re not familiar with this method, it means focusing on keywords that are easier to see success with rather than going to the highest-competition option. This can mean going for easy-to-rank keywords that can deliver fast and effective ways to get more traffic with minimum effort. 

It can also mean boosting visibility for keywords that you might already rank for, but not particularly well.

When we talk about low-hanging fruit, whether you are ranking already or not, a good method is, spotting low-competition keywords with reasonable search volumes, using local SEO, niche optimization, or targeting long-tail keywords. With this in mind, you can see great results, like more relevant traffic and better conversions.

In this guide, I’ll cover why low search volume keywords and zero volume keywords are crucial to SEO and show you how to find them.

Key Takeaways

• Low volume keywords have minimal search volume on search engines, while zero volume keywords have no recent searches.
• Use low search volume keywords when a trending topic has search potential, your customers are asking for it, and it’s a long tail keyword that also includes a high volume keyword.
• Other reasons to use low search volume keywords are when you cover a niche topic, when it has a low cost per click, or for link building purposes.
• Focusing on low and zero volume keywords is less competitive, making ranking easier and attracting targeted traffic.
• Over time, these types of keywords may become high search volume keywords and help establish you as an authority on a niche topic.

Reasons to Target Low Volume and Zero Volume Keywords

There are many scenarios where you would want to target low search volume keywords and zero volume keywords. Let’s take a look at six of the most prominent reasons. 

1. You Think a Trending Topic Has Search Potential

New and trending topics have loads of potential. You know one of the best things about low competition keywords? If you have a relevant key term with low search volume, then targeting it now before others do puts you ahead of the curve if you think the volume is likely to increase later.

For example, turmeric skin care is currently a trending topic, especially on platforms like TikTok. We can also see that turmeric as a general market is growing as well from industry data.

If we look at the keywords related to “turmeric face scrub homemade,” we see the current search volume.

Most of these are low or no search volume keywords, but that could be an opportunity. If you are in the beauty space, the growing demand for turmeric skin care and natural beauty hacks mean this could be a chance for you to start ranking now, before it takes off. You could also get really specific and use these ideas as part of long-tail keywords.

2. It Answers A Customer Query About Your Business Your Site Currently Doesn’t Target

Still not sure what to do with low search volume keywords? I’ve got a technique that helps.

In some cases, there might be a query that your customers are entering about your product or service that you don’t have content about. 

For example, let’s look at the keyword “how to clean my tory burch purse.”

There’s not much here in terms of search volume, but at the end of the day, there is a lot of content about this from Tory Burch’s search competitors because it answers a specific, branded question. In my opinion, Tory Burch is missing an opportunity by not having content about this on their own site. Not only is there a small amount of traffic they are losing out on, but they also could be seen as a greater authority on their own product by having content about this.

So let’s say you find questions like these about your niche. What are some of the ways you can build content around them? Here are some options: 

• In your support/customer help pages. Here’s an example from PayPal.
• Creating content around niche pain points.
• Writing content about specific product or service use cases.
• Publishing FAQs and other problem-solving content.

For instance, “How to Clean Your Tory Burch Purse: A Step-by-Step Tutorial” with screenshots and different images would work, as would “How To Avoid Wear-and-Tear With Your Tory Burch Purse.”

These types of content are more likely to better match an individual’s search intent, too.

3. If It’s a Long-Tail Keyword That Contains a High Volume Keyword

If you look at the highlighted rectangle in the image below, you’ll see it contains nine words, which makes it a “long-tail keyword.” 

Long-tail keywords are phrases that contain more than four words, and oftentimes, they have a high search volume keyword in the middle. 

These types of keywords have a couple of benefits: they’re usually lower competition and when you write content around a long-tail keyword, it might show up for a shorter phrase. 

For example, let’s do a new search, where your long-tail keyword was something like “how to find a digital marketing specialist in Manhattan”, In that case, your content might also appear under “digital marketing specialist or “digital marketing, as you can see below.”

See? All these search results give the searcher what they’re looking for: 

Long-tail keywords and zero search keywords can also up your chances of getting your site listed in featured snippets, People Also Ask, and Google’s newest feature, AI Overviews. That’s because these phrases are so specific, search engines can match them with search intent, helping you gain extra visibility online.

4. If You’re Covering a Niche Topic

Now let’s use tennis as an example. Tennis is a niche topic. It doesn’t interest everyone, but some of those who enjoy it will want to know as much as possible about the sport. They’re highly interested in it and will spend a lot of money to purchase products to improve their skills. 

As a result, it is beneficial to go after keywords with low search volume, even if they don’t generate a lot of traffic.  Say you search for “smart tennis racket,” you’d get this.

Niche topics like this may work well for an affiliate marketing website, for example. Focusing on something like the “smart racket tennis” keyword and putting together a review roundup article like “The Best Smart Racket For Tennis,” has a more accessible search difficulty and plenty of relevant opportunities for affiliate links in that niche.  Just remember not to overlook Google’s quality content guidelines.

How can a keyword with low search volume still be important to target? It all boils down to search intent. Let’s revisit our “smart racket tennis” keyword. It may not have a lot of volume, but chances are that the people that are looking for it are:

• Interested in tennis, probably at a more advanced level.
• Interested in technology
• Potentially looking to learn about or purchase a smart racket

If that aligns with your customer persona, then you have a perfect keyword to build around, that will be much easier to rank for than something like “tennis racket” or “ai in sports.”

Niche topics like these can also be easier for you to create content for, once you figure out what the search intent for that smaller search group is. Looking at the bullets above, we know we have a likely-advanced tennis player with an interest in tech and potential interest in purchase. We should build our content with that in mind when it comes to what we talk about and how we discuss it.

5. If It Has a Low Cost-Per-Click (CPC)

The cost-per-click is the average cost an advertiser pays to get someone to click on their Google ad. If specific low search volume keywords also have a low cost per click (CPC), you might want to target them because it would be easy to beat the competition and get to the top of the SERP, even if it’s only for 50 people a month. 

Keywords with high CPC are more competitive and will cost more to get you one click. For example, if you’re targeting a keyword with a $4.00 CPC, chances are you’ll have to have a large budget and be willing to pay more than that per click if you expect to get on the first page. 

That cost can add up quickly and doesn’t guarantee a conversion. You’re paying more than $4.00 just to get someone to click through to your website. The rest is up to you. 

Going after low search volume keywords means less competition, and the cost of getting someone to your website is lower.

6. For Link-Building Purposes

We all know link building is an important piece of the SEO puzzle and acquiring as many high-quality backlinks as possible is crucial if you expect to ever rank for anything. One way a lot of people acquire backlinks is through manual outreach. 

This entails reaching out to website owners in your niche to see if they’re interested in either including a link to your content on their site or fixing a broken link by replacing it with your great piece of content. 

For this to work, you need a great piece of content with traffic that shows the website owner that you’re worth their time. 

A great way to do this is by targeting a bunch of low search and no search volume keywords relevant to your niche, even if they might not be the most competitive. Remember, though, if you’re creating content for link-building purposes, you’ll want to ensure that it offers value to readers and that it contributes effectively to your link-building strategy.

FAQs

What does low search volume mean for a keyword?

Low search volume applies to any keyword that doesn’t have high search demand online. The keyword may be niche, or it’s just not what customers are looking for.

Why should I care about low search volume keywords?

Low search keywords are less competitive, so getting your site to rank for them is easier. They are also more likely to give your site more authority on niche topics and put you in a prime position if the keyword becomes highly searched in the future.

Can low search volume keywords still generate clicks?

Yes, especially if they’re relevant to what people are searching for (search intent). These keywords might not drive tons of traffic, but they do attract the right kind of visitors who are more likely to convert into customers.

Conclusion

I use many digital marketing strategies to drive traffic to my blog. I discussed low-hanging fruit in the intro, but that’s just one part of an SEO strategy. Any effective plan should use a variety of approaches so you can assess what works best for you.

Finding low search volume keywords is a great way to get traffic to your website, whether you’re just starting out or making sure your site is topically relevant. 

Building links, answering customers’ specific queries, and a low cost per click are among the many reasons, to focus on these types of keywords. Remember these tips as you conduct your research, then create a list of keywords you plan to target before implementing your strategy.