The Hidden Flaws in Search Volumes and How to Solve Them

Sille Christensen

July 1, 2025

Learn how AI Search Volume delivers reliable search volumes by combining GKP, GSC, and Trends so that you can prioritize the right keywords.

Picture this. You are researching keywords for your next content piece. You find one with a high search volume, and it looks like the perfect opportunity. You invest your time and resources into creating the content, only to discover that the traffic is not coming.

It turns out that the search volume was inflated or simply did not reflect real demand. This is a frustrating reality for SEOs: traditional search volumes often mislead more than they guide. And if the search volume is off, everything else — like rankings, traffic, and revenue — starts to fall apart.

To succeed, you need reliable search volumes. That is why we built the AI Search Volume model. Follow along as we dive into the search volume problems and how our model solves them.

A Deep Dive into AccuRanker’s AI Search Volume

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Why Traditional Search Volumes Fail

If you rely solely on Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, or Google Trends for search volumes, prick up your ears. Because these tools are not as reliable as you might think. Let us look at how each of these sources provides misleading search volumes.

Search Volume Limitations of Google Keyword Planner

Most SEO tools use Google Keyword Planner to represent search volumes. But here is the problem: this source groups similar keywords and reports inflated and fluctuating numbers, which mask the actual demand of individual keywords. It does not separate mobile and desktop traffic, and Google bans some keywords from receiving search volumes and removes these bans at random.

These issues mean you could target the wrong keywords or miss out on valuable traffic. Also, you cannot optimize for mobile or desktop without knowing the actual search volumes for these devices. When search volumes are this unclear, you build your strategy on shaky ground.

Search Volume Limitations of Google Search Console

Google Search Console does not provide search volumes. It only shows impressions for keywords you already rank for, which offers little help in planning new content. If competitors dominate the SERP for a keyword, your site may never appear, and you will not get impressions. Additionally, bot traffic and your SERP position further influence the number of impressions.

Because of this, you are flying blind when researching new topics or planning future content. You cannot rely on Google Search Console to explore what your audience is actually searching — only what they already find you for.

Search Volume Limitations of Google Trends

Google Trends does not give absolute search volumes. It pulls data from a random sample of searches and defines a keyword on a scale from 1 to 100 based on interest. 0 means no interest, and 100 indicates peak popularity. However, Google Trends filters out searches with very low volume, repeated searches from the same user within a short time frame, and searches with special characters and apostrophes (Basics of Google Trends, Google).

Using Google Trends for search volumes means you may spot a trend without knowing if it is worth your time or will generate a lot of traffic. Without search volumes, you cannot assess opportunities or prioritize keywords that drive meaningful traffic.

One Source Will Not Cut It

None of these tools provides a complete picture on its own. And relying on just one means you could prioritize low-potential keywords — or worse, ignore real traffic opportunities. That is a risk no SEO professional can afford.

How AccuRanker’s AI Search Volume Solves It

Search volumes are more than just numbers. They affect your keyword selection and content investment. SEOs do not gamble with search volume, so we developed a search volume model you can actually trust.

Our AI Search Volume pulls data from Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, and Google Trends and blends them into the best, most realistic search volume estimates. This way, you get keyword-specific estimates split for mobile and desktop searches and adjusted for local intent.

How the Model Works

We use Google Search Console data to adjust search volumes based on real-world impressions. We employ Google Keyword Planner to provide baseline estimates and Google Trends to detect shifts in search behavior. This way, we solve the search volume inaccuracies by:

Maintaining a database with over 900 billion rows of anonymized Google Search Console data, including information on position, device, keyword, date, and impressions.
Eliminating bot traffic by comparing Google Search Console data with Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner data.
Combining on-demand information from Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends.

AI Search Volume lets you focus on keywords with actual traffic potential. Thus, you avoid wasting your efforts on misleading keyword volumes, and you can respond faster to shifts in demand and seasonal trends. We give you trustworthy search volumes, which means better decisions, content that hits the mark, and higher rankings.

Want to experience the difference between traditional search volumes and our AI Search Volume? Book a demo and prepare to be surprised.