I have noticed that when I do a keyword analysis through the google keyword tool that the average search volumes are significantly lower in February than in previous months and the monthly average. Has world searches dropped that dramatically
For one February is the shortest month of the year. So that is 2 - 3 days less traffic. In many industries February is one of the slowest months for sales. So that could account for some of the drop too. Beyond that it could just be a reporting delay or some other issue.
Feb is a short month but the drop is hard to explain. I did think it could be partly to the financial crisis. All my keywords are product-based and i expected that searches with "free" on the front would show higher search volumes. These searches are even worse though.