https://www.indiehackers.com/post/smart-keyword-selection-beyond-volume-for-builders-a9faf262f4
Master 4-step keyword evaluation for traffic potential, competition, and business alignment.
Most indie builders chase high search volume keywords and wonder why their organic traffic sucks. Here's the uncomfortable truth: volume alone is terrible for picking keywords.
After analyzing hundreds of failed SEO attempts in our community, I've identified a better framework that actually works for solo builders and small teams.
Search volume lies. Constantly.
Take a cooking blog targeting "easy pasta recipes" with 8K monthly searches. The #1 result? Gets maybe 2K visits. Why? Google's recipe cards answer everything above the fold.
Meanwhile, "project management tool comparison" shows 1.2K searches, but the top page pulls 15K monthly visitors. Different story entirely.
The fix: Check actual traffic to ranking pages, not volume estimates. Free tools like Ubersuggest or paid ones like SEMrush show real visitor numbers for any URL.
Google ranks what searchers actually want, not what you think they need.
Search "invoice generator" and you'll find interactive tools, not blog posts explaining invoicing. Try ranking a guide here and you'll waste months.
But search "how to invoice clients" and boom — informational content dominates.
Quick test: Open an incognito window, search your target keyword, and scan the first page. Whatever content type appears most is what you need to create. No exceptions.
Not every keyword drives revenue, even with perfect rankings.
I use a simple scoring system: