We Analyzed 306M Keywords. Here's What We Learned About Google Searches

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We analyzed 306M keywords to understand the types of queries that people use in Google search.

Specifically, we looked at keyword distribution, query length, keyword difficulty, CPC, SERP features, and more.

Using data from DataForSEO and Ahrefs, we uncovered some very interesting findings.

Summary of Key Findings:

  1. 91.8% of all search queries are long tail keywords. However, long tails are responsible for a relatively small percentage of total search volume (3.3%).

  2. Search demand is concentrated in a small percentage of high volume terms. In fact, the top 500 most popular search terms make up 8.4% of all search volume. The top 2000 keywords account for 12.2% of all searches.

  3. The average keyword gets 989 searches per month. However, the median search volume is only 10 searches per month, indicating that low-volume long tail keywords are common.

  4. 14.1% of searches are in the form of a question.

  5. “How” keywords are the most common question type, followed by “what”, “where”, and “who”.

  6. The mean CPC of a keyword is $0.61. Search terms related to finance and real estate have the highest average CPC.

  7. The average keyword is 1.9 total words.

  8. Longer keywords are searched less often than shorter keywords; for instance, keywords with 5+ words get 10x fewer searches than 1-3 word terms.

  9. Industries with the highest search volumes include “News and Media”, “Internet & Telecom”, “Arts & Entertainment” and “Consumer Electronics”.

  10. Popular keywords have higher difficulty scores; each time search volume doubles, keyword difficulty increases by 1.63.

  11. SERP features are extremely common; only 2.4% of all Google results don’t contain at least one SERP feature.

  12. The most common SERP features in Google include People Also Ask (19.5%), image packs (19.4%), video results (17.9%), and Top Stories (15.5%).

91.8% of Search Terms Are Long Tail Keywords

According to our analysis, 91.8% of search terms are long tail keywords.

Long tails combined account for 3.3% of total search volume.

Search Demand is Concentrated Among a Few Keywords

The 500 most popular search terms make up 8.4% of total search volume.

Here's a breakdown of some of the most popular keywords:

Keyword Volume
YouTube 0.546%
Facebook 0.530%
Amazon 0.407%
Gmail 0.296%
Google 0.271%
Weather 0.164%
Yahoo 0.161%
Ebay 0.161%
Walmart 0.145%
Netflix 0.139%
Calculator 0.073%

Average Keyword Gets 989 Searches Per Month

The average keyword receives 989 searches per month.

Median search volume was found to be only 10 searches per month.

14.1% of Search Queries Are Question Keywords

14.1% of queries are question keywords, often including words like who, what, where, why, or how.

The Average Keyword Has a CPC of $0.61

The average keyword's CPC is $0.61. Keywords from finance, real estate, and health sectors tend to have higher CPCs while those from news and arts sectors are lower.

Higher Average Search Volumes in the US

The US has higher average search volumes and CPCs than other English-speaking countries.

Mean Keyword Length is 1.9 Words

The average keyword length is 1.9 words.

Industries with Highest Mean Search Volume

High search volume keywords generally belong to categories like Internet & Telecom, News and Media, and Consumer Electronics.

Higher Keyword Difficulty Scores for Popular Keywords

Popular keywords have higher difficulty scores.

The Most Common SERP Features

SERP features such as People Also Ask boxes, image packs, and videos occur frequently in Google search results.

Conclusion
Thank you to DataForSEO for the data that made this research possible.