Google Keyword Tool. Understanding "Local Search Volumes"?

[David]

Quick question if anyone knows. I'm from Ireland and i was searching google keyword tool, i was checking monthly search volumes - Local Search Volumes (Ireland) and subsequently typing those keywords in my google.ie search bar.

What i thought of after is that when i use the same search keywords on google.com (for example - "mens watches") it ranks completely different ecommerce websites which is understandable as those Irish sellers targeting buyers within Ireland would only be trying to rank on google.ie.

But if those Local Search Volumes are for searches carried out on google.com (within Ireland) and not google.ie then i am screwed because i have been typing those keywords into google.ie to check the website competition against the volumes.

Any info appreciated. Thanks.

[Jake]

The odds are those search volume figures are for all users with Ireland IP addresses from combined .com and .eu

for more local results try searching "mens watches" Ireland

Te keyword tool results are a useful guide, but difficult to translate to actual traffic to your site, use exact match for most realistic resuls.

[Paco]

The tool shows you the most popular keywords and their percentage of competitiveness. The most competitive they are, the harder for you (specially if your site is new) to rank well for them as there are competitors who are strong on them or have high bids for these keywords on adwords.

You have to aim for keywords that have a considerable amount of popularity but that at the same time are low competitive. Also keep in mind long-tail keywords (comprising 2 or 3 words).