Search Volume

Search volume is an estimate of how many times a keyword or phrase is searched over a given period, typically reported as a monthly average.

Every search volume number you see from any tool — Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush — is an estimate, not an exact measurement, and different tools regularly disagree with each other by a meaningful margin for the same keyword. Treat search volume as directional evidence of relative demand between keywords, not as a precise forecast of traffic you'll receive if you rank.

Volume also says nothing about competition or commercial value on its own — a 500-search-per-month keyword with obvious purchase intent and weak competition can be worth more than a 50,000-search-per-month keyword dominated by huge, unbeatable competitors.