To switch high-ranking keyword for one with higher volume?

[Mike_E]

I have a client who already ranks very well for the keyword "odor removal service" (#3 average rank). I'd like to use this as my primary keyword phrase, but the search volume is not very high (avg. monthly search of 90). A similar keyword phrase like "odor eliminator" has a search vol. of 4400 and the same competitiveness. Even its long-tail derivatives like "natural odor eliminator" still have a much higher volume (360) and would be a more accurate description of the service.

In cases like this where you are already ranking well for a relevant keyword (but are still not generating much traffic), is it worth losing that keyword ranking in the hopes of ranking better for a keyword with higher volumes. Just to be clear, I'm not referring to a secondary keyword, but to the main keyword phrase around which we'll be building primary and secondary related keywords.

Thanks for any feedback.

[Toddfoster]

Hi Jon,

The answer might seem pretty straightforward, but sometimes looks can be deceiving. On the one hand, it seems to make sense to target keywords that are both higher search volume and describe the service more accurately. On the other hand, it can be painful to leave something behind that is currently doing well.

The simple truth is that even a lower ranking for a higher volume search term can be better than a high ranking for a low search volume one. If you were able to rank the smaller search term in 3rd place, there's no reason you can't do the same for a larger term with equal competitiveness. Just let your customer know they are likely to experience slightly lower traffic for a short duration while you sort it out. They should be understanding and down the road they will thank you for creating a better end result for them.

It will probably be better if your new approach is a better descriptor of the business, as this is more likely to create higher conversion levels moving forward (targeted traffic is worth its' weight in gold).

Just be prepared to do some hard work in the near future!

Best of luck!

[LauraSultan]

Search volume is only one factor that you should consider when analyzing keywords. At a minimum, we look at the following during keyword research.

• Search volume
• Keyword difficulty (Using Moz's Keyword Difficulty tool)
• Relevance (How relevant is the query to the client's business, website, products, or services? This is a subjective number that we score as a percentage.)
• Searcher intent - There are lots of different ways to classify user intent. See this, this, and this for more info.
• Google's perception of user intent - Analyze the SERPs to see what types of results appear for that query.

The last two are key for your issue. Take a look at the SERPs. Every result for "odor eliminator" is for a product rather than a service, and the top ranking sites are powerful brand sites like amazon.com, walmart.com, and homedepot.com. On the other hand, if someone searches "odor removal service," they are clearly not looking for a product. If my assumptions are correct, that query is 100% relevant to what your client is offering.

My advice is to focus on the more relevant, less competitive keyword in this particular case. .

[Mike_E]

Good point about intent. So far i've spent more time on the first 3 but not as much on the last two (intent).

[EGOL]

If you have great content and a competitive service, do not fear competition.  Because, where there is a lot of competition there is usually a lot of money changing hands - and ranking lower in higher competition will often yield more traffic and more sales than playing for peanuts.  And, many times when comparing high search volume to low search volume, the same strong competitors are in both places.

So, I just decide where I want to be and attack.   For "odor removal service" and "odor eliminator" , I would attack them both with one page and as much energy as I can put into it.