interesting experiment I have done with google keyword tool and some sites :)

[smingle]

Tweet

Ok as I know alot of you keep asking about how accurate the google keyword tool is, I decided to do a little experiment for you all and show you my findings.

I have a site which is ranked number 1 on every search engine (google, yahoo, msn etc) and even google.com for it's main keyword.

It has no PPC competitors at all so this truly is a real number 1 position.

Now according to the google tool, this keyword had 6,600 exact matches in November

Looking at my stats, I have received 2,966 unique visitors in November with 90.84% coming from google - so the real uv I have got from google is 2,694 (rounded off)

So that means that the real figure is 40.81% of what the google tool reports.

Now you can make your own assumptions from this, but I hope this helps others to give a more "real" calculations based on this experiment and findings.

I am only sharing this. merely to give others some help when choosing which words to base their seo / ppc on, as opposed to using the google tool as a benchmark.

It could be different for other niche's or could vary due to not everyone clicking the number 1 spot, but I do think this is very significant to everyone and should help you out alot more.

Merry xmas

[bazza99]

That's interesting - thanks for that.

It's similar to the sort of stats that I see on my own sites (although I've never quite got around to carrying out any detailed analysis).

I reckon that around 50% of visitors don't click on the top listing on many searches, so suggests that the figures given by Google may be fairly accurate.

[fizzbird]

I reckon that around 50% of visitors don't click on the top listing on many searches, so suggests that the figures given by Google may be fairly accurate.

A sensible assumption I would guess and, obviously, it's going to vary to quite a considerable degree depending upon many other factors such as the descriptive text, URL and so on?

[mrjibbles]

Cheers Smingle

Very interesting and thankyou for taking the time to try it out

Its somethign which has bugged me for a while now, especially after hearing a guy called Ed Dale say its spot on, when it didnt seem to be at my end of the woods

Will use your calculation when looking at keywords, and if the domains do end up getting more traffic than antisipated then always a bonus

great stuff! CD on its way to the mailroom here at work *cough*

Rob

[SpongeBob]

Now according to the google tool, this keyword had 6,600 exact matches in November

Looking at my stats, I have received 2,966 unique visitors in November with 90.84% coming from google - so the real uv I have got from google is 2,694 (rounded off)

So that means that the real figure is 40.81% of what the google tool reports.

Are you saying the Google tool has said that there are 6,600 searches on that keyphrase, and that your no 1 placed site got approx 2,700 click throughs? Seeing as not everyone will click your listing, then that doesn't say Google's wrong - just that you're getting about a 41% click through rate. Or am I missing something?

[descokid]

If you type in 'enjoy my words' in the google search my site, jimdesmond.co.uk, comes up no. 1. Don't know why, don't use any paid stuff. Although if anyone could tll me how I can benefit from this financially I would be extremely grayeful Thank you

[smingle]

Are you saying the Google tool has said that there are 6,600 searches on that keyphrase, and that your no 1 placed site got approx 2,700 click throughs? Seeing as not everyone will click your listing, then that doesn't say Google's wrong - just that you're getting about a 41% click through rate. Or am I missing something?

Yes thats right 41% ctr with no google PPC ads showing so therefore the number 1 spot is not occupied by a PPC advert, and only my serps listing.

So therefore the number 1 position on google for this site is getting 41% ctr BASED on what the google tool is showing.

I haven't said that the google tool is wrong ?????? all I am saying is that based on the traffic figures it produces, then it equates to approx 41% of what the figure is shown.

Use this knowledge and findings however you see fit. All I was doing was providing a real world example of how to possibly interpret the figures, rather than guessing

[smingle]

If you type in 'enjoy my words' in the google search my site, jimdesmond.co.uk, comes up no. 1. Don't know why, don't use any paid stuff. Although if anyone could tll me how I can benefit from this financially I would be extremely grayeful Thank you

It is because your title tag is "enjoy my words" and there is no real competition for that keyphrase at all.

Ha ha benefiting from it financially is another kettle of fish, I doubt it gets any searches so therefore it probably gets no traffic.

It is quite funny as I always explain to clients, that it is quite easy to rank for keywords that no one will search for, and yours is a prime example if you could replicate this for "debt consolidation" you would be a very rich man :tup

Good luck with your site

[djbarker]

I think if anything this reinforces the accuracy of the 'keyword tool' rather than saying its numbers are out.

eg, it tallies almost exactly with this post based on the old AOL data leak:

Improve your ranking by one place and triple your traffic Self Made Minds

from the post: "Number 1 receives 42.1 percent of click throughs’."

I've just had a look at a few terms that I bid on & they look quite accurate. here's one in particular:

• AdWords Impressions: 807
• Keyword Tool Volume: 2900
• % Of time Ad Ran: 30

Very unscientific, but according to that the suggestion tool is within 10%.

[Stellar]

Wow, that is pretty cool..

I wrote in a blog post ages ago that 42% of clicks go to the number one slot. You are getting 40.81% to your number one, so that is very close.

Great stuff.

My original blog post (not my figures though):
Click throughs by search engine ranking | be fused

[Stellar]

from the post: "Number 1 receives 42.1 percent of click throughs’."

Looks like you beat me too it djbarker :tup

[mikeb222]

Ok as I know alot of you keep asking about how accurate the google keyword tool is, I decided to do a little experiment for you all and show you my findings.

I have a site which is ranked number 1 on every search engine (google, yahoo, msn etc) and even google.com for it's main keyword.

It has no PPC competitors at all so this truly is a real number 1 position.

Now according to the google tool, this keyword had 6,600 exact matches in November

Looking at my stats, I have received 2,966 unique visitors in November with 90.84% coming from google - so the real uv I have got from google is 2,694 (rounded off)

So that means that the real figure is 40.81% of what the google tool reports.

Now you can make your own assumptions from this, but I hope this helps others to give a more "real" calculations based on this experiment and findings.

I am only sharing this. merely to give others some help when choosing which words to base their seo / ppc on, as opposed to using the google tool as a benchmark.

It could be different for other niche's or could vary due to not everyone clicking the number 1 spot, but I do think this is very significant to everyone and should help you out alot more.

Merry xmas

Smingle, what would these figures be if there were ppc competition?

Also, in your other thread, you always state what adverts are showing for a keyword-why?

[Seamaster]

My sites get around 5-10%. This is with PPC competition across a range of niches.

[hairycornflakes]

i find the keyword tool very handy as a guide... however the totals tend to be pretty inaccurate.

for example im targeting a keyword (doing ppc) that today has so far received 1256 impressions, yet google keyword tool says it gets "not enough data" per month :P

explain that one :P

(oh and iv ran this ad for months so know it gets about 100,000 impressions a month!

hc

[geordiboyo]

I have a site which is ranked number 1 on every search engine (google, yahoo, msn etc) and even google.com for it's main keyword.

Frank, you stated the .com aswell - What do you think the difference is for traffic generated from google.co.uk and google.com?

Does .com generate most of the traffic? If you know

Cheers,

Mark