The Power of Zero Search Volume Keywords

Zero search volume keywords don’t sound like much, but they do generate traffic. And if you’re a new website owner, they can help you increase your rankings quickly.

Today, I’ll show you how to use zero search volume keywords. Let’s dive in! ?

4 Reasons to Care About Zero Search Volume Keywords

This is the performance of an article that’s targeting a keyword with an estimated search volume <10:

I wouldn’t have gotten those 7,000 impressions if I had listened to search volume data. ?

Low Competition

Keyword tools often don’t show zero search volume keywords, so ? your competitors aren’t targeting them. ?

Personalization

ZSV are often long-tail keywords, so they ? address a specific (purchasing) intent. ?

For example, “restoration hardware brown leather couch” is searched by someone who wants to buy.

(?Google announced MUM (Multitask Unified Model) – a new AI technology that aims to provide answers for complex queries. As an example, Google mentions a search scenario:

“I’ve hiked Mt. Adams. I want to hike Mt. Fuji. What should I do differently to prepare?”

This is a complex query – keyword tools say it’s a zero search volume query. And yet, Google’s looking for more specific answers like these, making this the right time to jump on the ZSV bandwagon.)

Higher Conversion Rate

Zero search volume keywords are often ? goldmines of transactional traffic. ?

Every visit is more targeted and easier to convert.

(? Most of the pages here are shops, signifying transactional intent. If your content is tailored to the specific query, the searcher will dwell on your website longer, showing Google that you satisfy the search intent.)

Building Your Authority Foundations

If you target zero search volume keywords, you’ll start to ? grow your topical authority. ?

Soon, you’ll be able to target more competitive keywords.

Start growing your topical authority with zero search volume keywords. It’s fast and effective.

Do Zero Search Volume Keywords Get Searches?

Yes, ? zero search volume keywords get searches.

Why Am I Seeing Zeroes?

? Search volume data isn’t 100% accurate. ?

(Keyword tools rely on Google’s API and a few other methods to display search volume data. It’s impossible to track every visit for every keyword, so it’s all estimated search volume. Many searches go unrecorded, and keywords are displayed as having zero search volume.)

How to Check if People Are Searching for a Zero Search Volume Keyword

? Google the keyword.

? Is it showing up in Google autocomplete? If yes, people have used it.

Where Can I Find Profitable Zero Search Volume Keywords?

Google Autocomplete

? Google Autocomplete picks up searches earlier than keyword tools, so it can show you new and rarely used long-tail keywords.

Learn how to extract more keyword ideas with Google Autocomplete in our guide.

Google Search Console

? Check your Google Search Console data. Are you getting traffic and appearing on page #1 for queries you didn’t target? They might be a profitable ZSV.

Try the regex filter (regular expressions) to find similar and long-tail keywords.  

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Related Searches

? Do searches related to your ZSV keyword have a similar intent? They’re worth targeting!

Keyword Tools

? Double-check ZSV keywords from your keyword tool and target those that get traffic.

Questions & People Also Ask

? Find niche questions on social media, forums, or tools like AnswerThePublic or LowFruits.

? Insert your narrow seed keyword in AnswerThePublic:

? Navigate to the ‘Questions’ tab in your LowFruits dashboard:

? Filter by questions that appear in the People Also Ask section

? Search for forum/social media questions with operators:

? Place a modifier like “best” in question marks to find highly-specific ZSV:

Wildcard Search

? Replace one of the words in your query with an asterisk (*) to get more keyword ideas:

How Much Traffic Could I Get with Zero Search Volume Keywords?

It depends on each keyword and your content.

✔️ Check the SERP and Google signals before creating content

✔️ Keyword looks active? Create the minimum content that satisfies the intent.

✔️ Evaluate your traffic

✔️ Are you getting traffic from the ZSV? Expand the content

Recap: Zero Search Volume, but Plenty of Traffic

• Zero search volume (ZSV) keywords do get traffic (but not enough for keyword tools to show it).
• Is the ZSV worth targeting? Start Googling it. If Google autocomplete it, people have searched for it.
• The easiest way to find profitable ZSV keywords? Use LowFruits (it aggregates keywords from most sources).
• Check your Google Search Console data for unexpected queries.
• Use Related, Questions, and People Also Ask searches.
• Search for forum/social media questions with operators like “site:” and question marks.
• Run a wildcard search.