WTF?! Different Keyword Tools - HUGE Differenence In Results

[dv8]

Google said my keyword term I was searching gave 40,500 exact searches in June. The competition for that niche is very weak so I went and grabbed the domain today and built a site and submitted some articles.

Then I was using TrafficTravis and decided to check out the results on there for total searches. They came back with ZERO!

Checked Wordtracker. ZERO!

Can one of them be that far off? I understand they aren't exact numbers but come on, a 40,000 difference?!

Any insight into this?


EDIT: Excuse the grammar screw up in the title. It's 5:30 am here....that's my excuse.

[UBotBuddy]

I only use Google. But you still need to determine what appears to be natural phrases. I got tired of WordTracker because NONE of what I got from them ever worked. If they got their research from Google it might be different but they don't.

Just my opinion.

[dv8]

Originally Posted by SiteBlaster

I only use Google. But you still need to determine what appears to be natural phrases. I got tired of WordTracker because NONE of what I got from them ever worked. If they got their research from Google it might be different but they don't.

Just my opinion.

I never use wordtracker either. But after seeing TrafficTravis results I thought I'd see what WT said.

I believe Google is more accurate. I find it hard to believe that it gets searched 40,000 times a month, but I do believe it is a good term and does get searched a lot.

Guess I'll find out for sure when my site gets indexed and I take the #1 spot. I have Google analytics installed so I'll obviously be able to see the traffic.

[terryd]

What does the googles keyword tool say?

[dv8]

Originally Posted by blueice

Remember google adword results are a network of site searches. Some words or phrases might have a low search on the serps but high on youtube etc.

This term isn't being searched on YouTube.

[dv8]

Originally Posted by terryd

What does the googles keyword tool say?

My first post.

Originally Posted by dv8

Google said my keyword term I was searching gave 40,500 exact searches in June.

[traceye]

It's also possible that it's a brand new search term (something that has only recently become popular) so other keyword tools don't have up to date data yet.

[dv8]

Originally Posted by traceye

It's also possible that it's a brand new search term (something that has only recently become popular) so other keyword tools don't have up to date data yet.

No, that's not it either.

I wish I could say what the term was so it would answer more questions for you guys. But obviously I am not going to post it.

I may have to do a little more digging. I'm starting to wonder what is going on here.

[dv8]

Originally Posted by dv8

I may have to do a little more digging. I'm starting to wonder what is going on here.

Hmm.

If you type in [keyword] into Google, there are 8.8 million competitors. But only 5 total adwords.


Google
Says it gets about 40,000 EXACT searches a month.
Only 5 adwords when you do an exact search. (this scares me)
Trends bar is high, and has been the past 12 months.


Market Samurai (gets it data from Google)
About 1336 daily searches (comes to around that 40,000 number)
Says you can expect about 560 clicks a day if you have the #1 position.
Competition is weak. 37 on a scale of 1-100. The lower the # the less comp.
Says there are only 2 ads for adwords being displayed (?? not sure why it's different than Google)
96% OCI (1-100%) - Higher # means people searching are most likely looking to buy instead of just looking for info.


Traffic Travis
Says it gets no searches.



So according to Google/MS, this is a GREAT phrase to go after. And again, I checked the competition manually. It is terrible. Really, really terrible. And I'm ready to take it over...I ran my website through Traffic Travis' page analysis tool and it gives me an A+ (hopefully this is right, haha). Now I just need Google to find the site.

Really bad competition along with barely any adwords makes me question things. But, according to Google it seems like a winner.

If Googles 40,000 number is pretty accurate, then why are there only 5 advertisers using adwords for the term? Could it be THAT overlooked?



Am I missing something here?

[terryd]

If the google keyword tool said 40 000 then I wouldn't worry about what any other piece of software tells you.

When I find results that are hard to believe using MNF or MS I'll double check with Google keywords just to see myself ( I know they are supposed to pull the data from that tool but hey!) and put my mind at ease.

To put your mind at rest PM me the word and I'll check to make sure your not going crazy!!!...................just kidding......

[dv8]

Originally Posted by terryd

To put your mind at rest PM me the word and I'll check to make sure your not going crazy!!!...................just kidding......

Too much trouble. I'll just tell you right here. It's........

[askloz]

because it's a Global Scope, not just based on .com, but all the search engines combined, and how many do they have? 30+? And how many search partners do they have? Add all those up together, plus any others we haven't thought about, is your total searches. If you take a look you will see that Google has "renamed" one of the columns to "Global Search Results". I think it used to say "total" and the other to the left of it said "Month of" or something.

Personally I wouldn't rely on any of those numbers, although they are accurate, you need to do more research based on location.

Your best bet is to start off doing SEO first. Get as much traffic as you can, ie, 500-1000 a day. once you start pulling in that data from google analytics you'll begin to see where the tragetted traffic is coming from then straight away you'll have a heads up on where to or not to start your PPC Campaigns from.

Better way?

Go to google trends
Google Trends: baby gifts

I typed in Baby Gifts.

Straight away you can tell which country and it's city / state is the most popular for that term with the most searches each month

Now here's one where you can compare differences
Google Trends: baby gifts,baby prams

baby gifts and baby prams.

while baby gifts is hot in US, baby prams are hotter in Australia.


To work out what the 1.0, 2.0 represent, i think it's pretty close to 1,000,000 per 1.0... Use google suggestion tool to get an idea.

Then go from there.

[dv8]

Originally Posted by askloz

Go to google trends

To work out what the 1.0, 2.0 represent, i think it's pretty close to 1,000,000 per 1.0... Use google suggestion tool to get an idea.

Then go from there.

Thanks for your post.

I used Google trends and it said my term did not have enough search volume to show graphs.

What the heck? Is the trends bar in the keyword tool different? That one was like 75% to the top.

[dburk]

Hi dv8,

Which Match Type setting are you using in the AdWords Keyword Tool? The most common error in using this tool is leaving the Match Type at the default setting.

[dv8]

Originally Posted by dburk

Hi dv8,

Which Match Type setting are you using in the AdWords Keyword Tool? The most common error in using this tool is leaving the Match Type at the default setting.

Hey Don, I've posted it several times.

I am using exact.

[dv8]

Update: So my site was indexed by Google. It was a brand new site, a WP blog, up for about a day at most and it was already indexed. I have another site, a static HTML site that has been up for almost a week now and it still hasn't been indexed, and I have done articles, pinging, and bookmarking.

Anyway, my bookmarks are in the #2 and #9 position on the first page already for [exact] and broad. Over 8 million competing sites. And #2 and #4 for "phrase" match. The site itself isn't anywhere on the first 10 pages though. Which is weird. And so far the site is showing zero backlinks...even though it should have about 5. I guess some didn't get indexed yet??

[askloz]

use the drop down menu on the right and choose a different date variable.

Originally Posted by dv8

Thanks for your post.

I used Google trends and it said my term did not have enough search volume to show graphs.

What the heck? Is the trends bar in the keyword tool different? That one was like 75% to the top.

[askloz]

why people use exact match I dont know, that's the wrong setting. Those are numbers derived from PPC who used exact match as that phrase and was clicked on.


I've said this about 10 times so far on this forum.

Originally Posted by dburk

Hi dv8,

Which Match Type setting are you using in the AdWords Keyword Tool? The most common error in using this tool is leaving the Match Type at the default setting.

[askloz]

there are not 8 million competing sites.

Firstly, it's PAGES, not sites.

Secondly, that is not your true competition.

Your true competition is probably around 400-700 or so.

Do you know how to find your true competition? Search my posts and you'll find the answer. And some useful links in there to see what's required to get to the top.

Originally Posted by dv8

Update: So my site was indexed by Google. It was a brand new site, a WP blog, up for about a day at most and it was already indexed. I have another site, a static HTML site that has been up for almost a week now and it still hasn't been indexed, and I have done articles, pinging, and bookmarking.

Anyway, my bookmarks are in the #2 and #9 position on the first page already for [exact] and broad. Over 8 million competing sites. And #2 and #4 for "phrase" match. The site itself isn't anywhere on the first 10 pages though. Which is weird. And so far the site is showing zero backlinks...even though it should have about 5. I guess some didn't get indexed yet??

[dv8]

Originally Posted by askloz

use the drop down menu on the right and choose a different date variable.

I did that. Not enough data.

[dv8]

Originally Posted by askloz

there are not 8 million competing sites.

Firstly, it's PAGES, not sites.

Secondly, that is not your true competition.

Your true competition is probably around 400-700 or so.

Do you know how to find your true competition? Search my posts and you'll find the answer. And some useful links in there to see what's required to get to the top.

Thanks. I'll go digging.

[metafever]

You will never get good results from Wordtracker because its searching using lycos or dogpile or some other crap engine.

While Google result are returning . . erm Google?

I always use the free Google keyword tool - then slam keyword elite.

[dburk]

Originally Posted by askloz

why people use exact match I dont know, that's the wrong setting. Those are numbers derived from PPC who used exact match as that phrase and was clicked on.


I've said this about 10 times so far on this forum.

Hi Loz,

The documentation provided by Google contradicts your assertion.

From documentation on Google's AdWords Keyword Tool:

"If you select Broad or Phrase, the tool will factor in certain variations of your keywords that could potentially trigger your ads."

So if you want true search volume statistics for a specific keyword you must not use the Broad or Phrase setting.

Of course Google could of made a mistake, or perhaps they are lying to us. Which do you think it is?

https://adwords.google.com/support/b...96571&ctx=tltp
https://adwords.google.com/support/b...y?answer=25148

[askloz]

Don, you're reading it wrong... look at the main thing here it is saying to you.

TRIGGER YOUR ADS

Using Phrase, and exact match has absolutely no bearing on how many visitors are hitting google for that search phrase. Broad match does that.

Broad match is a collective set of results from all of their networks and search engines.

Exact match is the same thing, but it's broken down, the number is smaller because less people use Exact match in their campaigns, or don't get visited when a person uses exact match for their ad campaigns.

To use it for SEO purposes to determine how many visitors you could possibly get, is a waste of time because it's the wrong approach.


You take the Broad match number, the divide that by their total network of SE's and network partners, and take that number and divide it again split across the first 3 ads percentage that get clicked on, then the ads 4-6, then 7-11, then the organic results.

So, for instance.

you could have a phrase that has 10,000,000 searches per month.

divided amongst 50 networks, lets just say each receive 2%, that's 200,000 searches per month per search engine and other networks.

Divide 200,000 amongst the ads 1-3 positions that get around 40-50% (example) share of the click throughs, ads 4-6 around 10-20%, ads 7-11 5-10%, while organic results get the rest, approx 20%, which leaves around 40,000 to be shared via the top 10 organic results. (all an example)

So don't use Exact match to work out how many hits you're gonna get via google, cos you've all been given the wrong information. And google tells ya that on that page Don (Trigger Ads), not search hits you will get on your website by being in top spot.

[dburk]

Hi Loz,

Broad match is a collective set of results from all of their networks and search engines.

It's their search network only, not all their networks.

TRIGGER YOUR ADS

Using Phrase, and exact match has absolutely no bearing on how many visitors are hitting google for that search phrase. Broad match does that.

I do believe you are taking that out of context. The number reported under the search volume column is search volume not how many ads are triggered.

Exact match is the only setting that doesn't include other search terms besides the exact term you are checking. They clearly warn you that if you use Broad or Phrase match settings you will have other search terms included. For the sake of clarity let me quote the document again:

"The Keyword Tool's statistics vary depending on your selection from the Match Type drop-down menu. If you select Broad or Phrase, the tool will factor in certain variations of your keywords that could potentially trigger your ads."

Clearly they indicate variations of your term will be included if you use anything but the Exact match setting. The part about triggering ads is because this tool was built for AdWords advertisers and doesn't modify what the actual data represents.

If you want to use the Broad setting, go ahead, but it's easy to test these numbers and validate them. I personally have ran many tests and found the data to be very accurate when using the Exact match setting and have never found an instance of this data to be grossly off.

I have also publicly challenged the members of this forum along with several other popular forums to present a single case of invalid search volume data from this tool and have yet find a single credible case. I will again publicly repeat this challenge, if anyone has a case we can document of grossly invalid data from the AdWords Keyword Tool I would love to see it.

So don't use Exact match to work out how many hits you're gonna get via google, cos you've all been given the wrong information. And google tells ya that on that page Don (Trigger Ads), not search hits you will get on your website by being in top spot.

Search volume is search volume, I never suggested that it was anything but just that. The AdWords Keyword Tool reports actual historical search volume data. It doesn't attempt to predict the future or the click through rate of your listing, I don't know why you would suggest that it might.

If you want accurate search volume the the Exact match setting is the only one that gives you search volume for a specific term. As I have posted twice in this thread the keyword tools documentation clearly state that the other settings give you data for variations of the term in addition to the specific term.

[askloz]

Originally Posted by dburk

Hi Loz,



It's their search network only, not all their networks.

Not it's not, it's their total network.

Originally Posted by dburk

I do believe you are taking that out of context. The number reported under the search volume column is search volume not how many ads are triggered.

I never said that. again, you're not reading me properly.

Originally Posted by dburk

Exact match is the only setting that doesn't include other search terms besides the exact term you are checking. ....

Forget it mate, I know what I am talking about, I stand by what i say. You don't use Exact match to work out how many hits you're going to get organically. I will repeat, those exact match are the clickthroughs generated out of the exact match ppc campaigns out of the total broad match search queries performed by users of the search engine.

[BrentHodgson]

@dv8

I reckon Don's right.

Usually the reason people get different traffic or competition details to Google is because they use different settings...

e.g.

Google's Keyword Tool defaults to [yourlocalcountry] + [yourlocallanguage]
Market Samurai defaults to [All Countries and Territories] + [English]

(Also keep in mind Market Samurai's traffic figures are daily - and Google's monthly)

Many people assess competition by just typing their keyword into Google (e.g. internet marketing)
Market Samurai will assess the competition of a keyword in quotes (e.g. "internet marketing")

If you're looking at a competition figure inside Market Samurai, you can just click the arrow beside it to see it in Google (using all the right settings etc)

If you still have trouble, send the keyword through to Market Samurai support and we can look into it for you, and confirm the results. (We're careful to keep keywords confidential - and we've seen a lot of them.)

I hope this helps

Brent

[dv8]

Originally Posted by BrentHodgson

@dv8

I reckon Don's right.

Usually the reason people get different traffic or competition details to Google is because they use different settings...

e.g.

Google's Keyword Tool defaults to [yourlocalcountry] + [yourlocallanguage]
Market Samurai defaults to [All Countries and Territories] + [English]

I'm aware of this. Hence me making sure the settings are the same.

Originally Posted by BrentHodgson

(Also keep in mind Market Samurai's traffic figures are daily - and Google's monthly)

Yup, I know.

If you look above I noted that MS's results are daily and it came to around that 40,000 monthly Google number.

Originally Posted by BrentHodgson

If you still have trouble, send the keyword through to Market Samurai support and we can look into it for you, and confirm the results. (We're careful to keep keywords confidential - and we've seen a lot of them.)

I hope this helps

Brent

MS is not my problem. MS and Google are giving pretty much the same results.

My concern is when I checked Traffic Travis and it said ZERO searches. Just don't understand how there could be a 40,000 difference.

Thank you for your post, Brent.

[dburk]

Originally Posted by askloz

Not it's not, it's their total network.



I never said that. again, you're not reading me properly.



Forget it mate, I know what I am talking about, I stand by what i say. You don't use Exact match to work out how many hits you're going to get organically. I will repeat, those exact match are the clickthroughs generated out of the exact match ppc campaigns out of the total broad match search queries performed by users of the search engine.

Hi Loz,

We'll have to agree to disagree. I would sure like to know where you learned this and what it is based on, is it an assumption or do you have some data to back it up?

So to clarify your position, you disagree with Google's documentation where they state the data comes "from Google and the Search Network"

And you dispute this statement:

"Global Monthly Search Volume: This column shows the approximate average monthly number of search queries matching each keyword. This statistic applies to searches performed on Google and the search network over a recent 12-month period. It includes traffic in all countries and languages but is specific to your selection from the Match Type drop-down menu."

And you are asserting that what Google labels "Search Volume" is not "the approximate average monthly number of search queries matching each keyword" but in fact the number of clicks in their PPC program.

Wow, that is a pretty big claim. So should I believe that Google is telling us lies about this data or are they simply mistaken? How did you uncover this huge error in Google's documentation? There must be an interesting story behind it, I'm eager to know.

[Steven Carl Kelly]

Originally Posted by dburk

We'll have to agree to disagree. I would sure like to know where you learned this and what it is based on, is it an assumption or do you have some data to back it up?

So to clarify your position, you disagree with Google's documentation where they state the data comes "from Google and the Search Network"

And you dispute this statement:

"Global Monthly Search Volume: This column shows the approximate average monthly number of search queries matching each keyword. This statistic applies to searches performed on Google and the search network over a recent 12-month period. It includes traffic in all countries and languages but is specific to your selection from the Match Type drop-down menu."

dburk:

You are completely correct, and unfortunately the person who disagreed with your assessment is wrong. The search volume numbers in the Google KW Tool are the number of search QUERIES not the number of queries that generated an Adwords click.

Therefore, EXACT match is the correct methodology.

Quoting Google:

"Based on advertiser feedback, and our commitment to provide useful tools and information for our advertisers, we've now added search volume data to the Keyword Tool. Now, when you use the Keyword Tool to search for relevant keywords to include in your keyword list, you'll be able to see the approximate number of search queries matching your keywords that were performed on Google and the search network. These approximate numbers are intended to provide better insight into keywords' monthly and average search volumes than previously provided by the tool."

In addition, this page makes it abundantly clear:

https://adwords.google.com/support/b...n&answer=96696

[InternetMarketingIQ]

Exact Match is what it is. The number of searches based on that one specific targeted phrase. It's a good way to estimate if a specific phrase is generating traffic exclusive of other keywords.

Exact Match will NOT tell you how much traffic you can get because that is dependent upon your search ranking for a specific INDIVIDUAL.

If an Exact Match says there were (in the past) 10,000 searches last month then you can roughly estimate (After comparing to Google Trends to see if Traffic is Stable) there will continue to be 10,000 searches.

Your ability to Generate Traffic will vary widely. For example: If 44% of Internet Users click on the #1 listing after performing a search... then if you were 100% all the time across the board for every searcher on the planet... you could expect about 4,400 clickthroughs for your #1 spot. And from stats published form various sources the top 6 spots are in the range of 70% of the traffic. People search look at first page results, then click or research.

Your ability to offer a compelling Title and Description plays a huge part in those click throughs.

Now back to reality for Noobies.

You will not be #1 or any other position for every exact phrase search across the world for competitive search phrases. Google is constantly updating results across their network. And they use GEO TARGETING, and they use COOKIES, and a whole host of other criteria. Yes if you are a huge company with reputation and history and tons of backlinks you will rank high for specific phrases over and over. If you target really specific phrases and work to get links with those phrases and have a history and reputation you can consistently rank high. But that's not how you gauge traffic.

Back to the Exact vs. Broad. Do you want to rank for Exact or Broad? I want to Rank for BROAD... it's more volume! It's that simple.

So use Exact to see if there is specifically targeted niches you can exploit, but don't expect a high ranking to translate into numbers that match your targeted phrase... too many variables.

And even if you have a high ranking you still need to convert!

Search>Rank>Decide to Click Through>Your Site>Stay or Leave>Click Through to Offer>Stay or Leave>Click Through To purchase>Stay or Leave.... Buy...>Did offer get tracked>wait>commission.

CONVERSION!

I've been at this a very long time. It's not just about a single phrase. It's about TRAFFIC And CONVERSION. Search Engines matter... but so do any incoming link sources that are targeted.

Good luck!

[dburk]

Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly

dburk:

You are completely correct, and unfortunately the person who disagreed with your assessment is wrong. The search volume numbers in the Google KW Tool are the number of search QUERIES not the number of queries that generated an Adwords click.

Therefore, EXACT match is the correct methodology.

Quoting Google:

"Based on advertiser feedback, and our commitment to provide useful tools and information for our advertisers, we've now added search volume data to the Keyword Tool. Now, when you use the Keyword Tool to search for relevant keywords to include in your keyword list, you'll be able to see the approximate number of search queries matching your keywords that were performed on Google and the search network. These approximate numbers are intended to provide better insight into keywords' monthly and average search volumes than previously provided by the tool."

In addition, this page makes it abundantly clear:

https://adwords.google.com/support/b...n&answer=96696

Hi Steven,

I'm glad you agree with me. I have not only read the documentation I have ran many test that support the accuracy of this data.

Honestly, I would love to see askloz to provide some credible evidence to support his assertions. Can you imagine the story that would make if we caught Google making such a huge mistake.

[Steven Carl Kelly]

IMIQ:

You are right. Use EXACT to find a volume for that exact phrase but ultimately your goal would be to rank as high as possible for the BROAD variations of your keyword phrase.

[dv8]

I get what you guys are saying (the last couple of posts) but it still doesn't explain why there is a 40,000 difference. I understand the difference between broad and exact match. And because of this I make sure I use the same criteria when using keyword tools.

So that is not why there is a difference. It's not like I used broad in Google but exact somewhere else.

[dburk]

Hi InternetMarketingIQ,

Great post, but you lost me when you wrote:

Originally Posted by InternetMarketingIQ

Back to the Exact vs. Broad. Do you want to rank for Exact or Broad? I want to Rank for BROAD... it's more volume! It's that simple.

I believe nearly all searches are by default "Exact". The Exact match terminology refers to how AdWords triggers your ads. The term a searcher enters into the form is always exactly what they entered.

When the Keyword Tool match option is set to Broad (or phrase) it returns data from other related terms besides the exact term the searcher entered. While the SERP returns results for the exact term that was entered, sorted by relevancy.

When it comes to SERP ranking there is no match type consideration. There are operators that allow you to filter the results but this is not related in any way to match settings in the Keyword tool. I think much confusion is rooted in the tendency to transpose these characteristics.

[Steven Carl Kelly]

Don:

Maybe I'm reading his post incorrectly, but what I thought he was getting at is that he wishes to rank as highly in Google as possible for an array of broad search terms on his keyword phrase (which, in reality, would mean more traffic).

So for instance, if your keyword phrase you've checked exact volume for is "buy blue widgets" and you target that, you'd love to rank for:

buy blue widgets online
where can I buy blue widgets
best places to buy blue widgets on the web

and so on. Perhaps I mis-read his post, but that's what I got out of it.

[dburk]

Hi Steven,

I agree that his overall post does suggest that. I wanted to clarify that there is not a correlation between the Broad match setting and the search volume for a specific keyword.

There could be a large number of related keyword phrases that can generate search volume, but each keyword will have it's own unique set of results in the SERP. Some of those will be applicable but many will not, some will have high relevance and some low.

I do think that the Broad match setting is a good way to gauge the overall size of a niche and that Phrase match is great for finding groups of keyword phrases for which you can simultaniously opimtize your page.

[askloz]

Originally Posted by dburk

So to clarify your position, you disagree with Google's documentation where they state the data comes "from Google and the Search Network"

I'm not even gonna bother continuing this conversation, you're not reading my posts properly.

[Steven Carl Kelly]

Originally Posted by dburk

I do think that the Broad match setting is a good way to gauge the overall size of a niche and that Phrase match is great for finding groups of keyword phrases for which you can simultaniously opimtize your page.

Yes, however broad matching can be misleading. That's why targeting keyword phrases is vitally important, as you already know.

[dv8]

I just read this on Micro Niche Finder site. Maybe it will help this exact vs phrase vs broad argument.



Question: Why should I put so much emphasis on Exact Match numbers? Wouldn't real world results dictate broad phrase match? The average person searching online wouldn't use quotes around his search.

Solution: The Exact Match Paradox! (By the way, we get asked this question at least once a day!)

Consider the following paragraph…

“I was walking to the bus stop yesterday and a big black dog was following me. So I took off my shoes and threw them at him to scare him away. ”

With broad match, that paragraph would show up in a search for: black walking shoes... even though it has nothing to do with black walking shoes.

Now consider a website that has this paragraph:

“We have many different styles of black walking shoes.”

That matches the broad match of keywords black and walking and shoes, but it also matches the exact phrase of black walking shoes.

Everything else being equal, Google will rank the page with the exact match to be more relevant for that particular search and therefore it will be higher in the results list WITHOUT the searcher enclosing the phrase in quotes.

You probably already know how obsessed Google is with showing relevant results. (And it should be! That’s what keeps searchers coming back to Google for their search needs.) Knowing that, which of the following is more relevant to a search for: black walking shoes (no quotes)

1) I was walking to the bus stop yesterday and a big black dog was following me. So I took off my shoes and threw them at him to scare him away.

2) We have many different styles of black walking shoes.

Obviously #2 is more relevant and will get higher priority in the search engine ranking (all else being equal).

Showing Exact Match Counts in Micro Niche Finder is simply an easy way to show how much REAL competition there is for a specific term. It has nothing to do with the searcher using quotes around the phrase.

[dburk]

Hi dv8,

Nice try, but different topics!

That explanation seems to be about using quotes to find the number of competing pages on the SERP. That is totally irrelevant to our discussion about the Match type setting in AdWords Keyword tool which is used to find the Search Volume for a particular search term.

The words "broad", "match" and "exact" can be used to discuss many different topics. Your example is using those words in reference to a different topic, the number of competing pages, while our discussion was about the number of search queries in a given month.

The same terms, but used to discuss different topics.