How many searches per month do you need?

Anything below 1000 [exact] match searches, and I would not go for it. 3000-4000 is what I like to start from.

HOWEVER, you can never rely on the numbers... If you think a keyword would get searches, and would convert well, even if keyword tools do not show good numbers, - go for it. You might be surprised at how much traffic these "low search" keywords can sometimes get!

The amount of traffic that keyword tools like the Google Adwords Tool list as the results and the amount of traffic that ends up on your site are not the same.

The results that are listed do not reflect other factors after the initial search query. The big one being how users follow through, or don’t follow through with their searches.

Roughly, about 8% to 12% of the people that enter a search phrase (keywords) into the search bar and hit enter, do not continue their search.

In other words, they don’t click on any of the results. So whatever the tool results show, you can subtract about 10% from those numbers.

Of the 90% or so, that continue the search, another 5% to 11% of searchers automatically turn to the second page of the results.

Which means that if you are on the front page, you just lost another rough 10%.

Around 70% click on one of the top three positions and the other seven positions compete for the remaining 30% of the 80%. (Remember the 20% subtraction for dropped searches and people turning to the second page)

Another thing to consider is that each and every leap results in lost visitors.

If you had an article that was on the first page of the results, those people leave Google and go to the article directory where you are not going to convert 100% of them either. You could lose more than half there at EzineArticles.

Of those left that do eventually make it to your site, a percentage of them will discontinue for various reasons. (Like the dropped searches, the phone rings, house on fire, didn’t like the colors on your page…)

The few still there on your blog might be confused by any other distractions other than what you are wanting them to do.

You might want them to follow your affiliate link to a sales page but they see the cool banners, or are checking out your ads in your sidebar. Maybe looking to see what other posts you have on your blog.

So you can see where your visitors start to diminish even more while at your blog.

By the time someone does finally make it through to the sales page from your affiliate link, you lose 98% of them because there is roughly an industry average 2% conversion rate on sales pages.

This is usually the reason that the numbers you were looking at when you did your initial keyword research and the numbers that eventually end up buying are so far apart.

Just keep in mind that each and every time you distract, or give your leads another hoop to go through before reaching your desired result, you lose more and more.

Using Google Adwords Keyword Tool

I recommend you don't go after a single keyword phrase, but instead go after keyword phrase groups, with the aggregate total of these groups being at leat 3,000 plus.

There's a real benefit of going after terms that only have a few hundred searches per month - they are usually wide open as far as competition.

I've started structuring my sites with three levels of keywords. I use WordPress to build them out.

main keyword phrase (1)
primary keyword phrases (4-9)
support keyword phrases (20+)

Example:
main: gastric surgery
primary: gastric surgery weight loss, band gastric surgery, bypass gastric surgery, laparoscopic gastric surgery, gastric surgery cost
support: do an Adwords Keyword Tool search for 'gastric surgery' with teh 'Only show ideas closely related to my search terms' checkbox unchecked and pick the top 20 - 30 keyword phrases

How I build my site
main keyword phrase: WordPress Page
primary keyword phrases: Wordpress Pages with in-content links back to the level one page
support keyword phrases: WordPress posts with in-content links split between the main and primary keyword phrases

Once I get the main and primary pages build, I start linkbuilding. I add 1-2 posts a week for my support phrases and link build for those too.

When I do keyword research, I go for those phrases that have an average CPC of $3 or higher. Anything less than that goes in as support phrases.

I rarely do more than a total of 10 pages: 1 main and 9 primary

For support phases, I aim for at least 20. If traffic is looking good, then I'll keep adding 1-2 posts a week.

For main and primary words above, Google estimates are:
Keyword | Local Monthly Searches | Estimated Avg. CPC
gastric surgery weight loss | 1900 | $9.09
band gastric surgery | 2400 | $6.38
gastric surgery | 60500 | $6.29
bypass gastric surgery | 40500 | $5.38
laparoscopic gastric surgery | 1300 | $4.02
gastric surgery cost | 2900 | $3.81


Gastric Surgery and Bypass Gastric Surgery are probably too competitve to rank easily (I haven't checked them) but the rest of the terms look good.

PLus, if you were to build this site and consitently addd 1-2 posts a week with teh right link structure nad linkbuilding, you could have a good authority site in 12 - 18 months maiking some decent dough... (this is an Adsense example)