Google has updated the way it counts search volumes on its Keyword Planner tool, according to research by SEO expert Jennifer Slegg. It appears that the search engine is now combining search volumes for related keywords, such as singular and plural forms of words, anagrams and spelling variations. Whereas previously all the different variations displayed their own particular search volumes, the related keywords' search volumes are now all pooled together and this same, amalgamated number displays next to each keyword. This means that if you are tracking search volumes for a particular keyword, you may see this number increase. However, this does not reflect an actual increase in the number of people searching for this keyword, but simply the new way that Google is counting search volumes. SEOs are advised to start looking at content in a more holistic way and focus on subjects rather than keywords.Â
