Where do search volumes come from, and why is mine blank?

Search volumes are Google's own monthly search figures from Keyword Planner, read through the Google Ads account you connect to the project. They are free, do not run any ads and spend nothing. If the Volume column is blank, Google Ads is not connected for this project yet, or the market is set to Worldwide.

#Turn search volumes on

1. Open Analytics, then the Google Ads tab.
2. Press Connect Google Ads and sign in with Google.
3. Pick the Ads account for this project.
4. Go back to Keywords. The Volume column fills in for the country shown in its heading.

Full steps: connect Google Ads for search volume. The connection is read only: we never change your campaigns or budgets.

#Pick a country

Keyword Planner counts searches per country, so there is no worldwide figure. On the Keywords page the country picker sets the market; in Keyword research it is Searches in. On Worldwide the volume stays empty and the app asks you to pick a country.

#What the figures mean

• Volume is the average number of Google searches a month, rounded by Google. Small searches are shown in Google's lowest band, 0-10, meaning somewhere from none to ten a month.
• Trend in Keyword research draws the last 12 months and says Rising, Steady, Falling or Seasonal.
• Bid is the range advertisers paid for the top of the page. It is in the currency of the Keyword Planner account we use, shown in the column heading, not your own Ads account's currency.
• Difficulty is our estimate from Google's competition, bid and volume figures. Lower is easier.

Volumes are kept for up to a week, so a figure can be a few days old.

#Questions people ask

#Do I need to spend money on Google Ads?

No. Connecting does not create campaigns or spend anything. We only read Keyword Planner's figures.

#Why do your volumes differ from another tool's?

Most tools estimate volume from their own panels or scraped data. Ours are Google's Keyword Planner figures for the country you picked, rounded by Google. See why results differ from other tools.

#It says Google Ads needs reconnecting. What do I do?

Google has stopped accepting the saved access, usually because a password changed or access was removed. Connect it again from the Google Ads tab. See reconnect Google.

#Why is volume blank for one keyword when others have it?

Keyword Planner has no figure for some searches, often very new or very rare ones. The rest of the table is unaffected.