Keyword Overview: Understanding Mobile and Desktop Search Volume Chart

When viewing a graph that shows the number of searches performed via desktop and mobile devices, it's crucial to understand how the data is represented, especially when both are displayed together.  

The Keyword Overview area contains information about a large number of keywords, including their search volume, SEO difficulty, paid difficulty, and CPC (cost per click).

The report shows a historical graph comparing desktop and mobile searches for the last 12 months.

A common issue arises when the two variables— desktop and mobile searches—are layered on top of each other, leading to a visual misinterpretation of the data points. 

Let's break down the graph in the report:

The Y-axis represents the number of monthly searches, ranging from 60.000 to 120.000 in this example, while the X-axis represents the months from October 2023 to September 2024. 
 
The yellow line represents desktop searches, which, for example, might be 91.984 searches. 
The orange line, representing mobile searches, shows 18.019 searches.  
 
At first glance, users may notice that although the number of mobile searches (18.019) is lower than the desktop searches (91.984), the orange line appears higher on the chart, over the 100.000 mark.  

Layered Data Representation

This can be confusing, but here's why this happens:  

The chart users are viewing is designed to stack or layer the two variables (desktop and mobile searches) on top of each other. Rather than plotting the mobile searches starting from zero, they are stacked on top of the desktop data.  

 This means: 

• The desktop searches start at 0 and go up to 91.984. 
• The mobile searches don’t start at 0 on the graph. Instead, they are added to the desktop data. So, starting from 91.984, 18.019 mobile searches are added, making the final point for mobile searches around 110.000 on the Y-axis. 

In other words, the orange value on the graph represents the combined total of desktop and mobile searches. The orange line (mobile) is plotted above the yellow line (desktop) because it reflects the cumulative total, not just the mobile searches. 

Is It Possible to Export Search Volume Charts?

The Keyword Overview feature allows users to export the charts in PNG format, they just need to click on the download icon at the top right of the chart.

Additionally, the full report in this feature can be exported in PDF format in case users need it for external management.

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