• Smackdown, Wednesday, July 16, 2008 1:45 PM

In response to a chorus of articles touting the benefits of Google's newly enhanced Keyword Tool, Michael VanDeMar argues that even with search volume data, the tool is "useless" for SEO purposes. According to VanDeMar's experience, the data is geared toward marketers that are trying to research PPC traffic, and it doesn't actively reflect a keyword's organic search potential.

VanDeMar tested his theory using a poetry Web site, tracking 5 keywords in terms of actual search volume versus the AdWords Keyword Tool's estimated volume. In some cases, the two totals matched up, but as VanDeMar points out, he'd had to run AdWords ads to garner the estimated volume.

"This is fine and dandy if I am only concerned about getting traffic from AdWords, of course," he says. "The thing is, if I rely on this data for my SEO efforts I will at best be most likely wasting my time." VanDeMar also highlights the fact that Google counts multiple sources of traffic in its calculation of search volume (including parked domains) that have no SEO benefits.

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