Choosing the right keywords is the foundation of any effective online strategy – both in SEO and paid advertising . The phrases users enter determine whether they land on your website or see a competitor's ad.
Intuition alone isn't enough here—you need hard data about what your customers are really looking for. Google Keyword Planner provides that data.
In this article, you will learn what this tool is, how to access it, and how to use it in practice – from planning content for SEO to building advertising campaigns.
What is Google Keyword Planner?
Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research and planning tool available as part of your Google Ads account . It shows you data straight from the source, so you know how often a given keyword is searched, how its popularity changes over time, and how much competition there is for it among advertisers.
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Why start with Keyword Planner?
Although the tool was created with search campaigns in mind, SEO specialists also use it daily. It's one of the few sources that provides search data directly from Google, rather than from external estimates. Therefore, for anyone planning content or advertising, Google Keyword Planner is a natural starting point.
How do I access the Planner?
Using the tool is very simple. All you need is a Google Ads account—you don't need an active, paid campaign to get started. After logging in, you can find the planner in the Google Ads dashboard under "Tools" in the "Planning" section, then "Keyword Planner."
There's one catch, though, that's worth knowing before you get started. An account without an active ad campaign will only show search volume in broad ranges (e.g., 1 to 10), not as precise numbers.
Keyword Planner without an active campaign – does it make sense?
To see accurate data, you need to run an active campaign with actual spend. However, this limitation doesn't negate the tool's usefulness – the ranges are perfectly sufficient for preliminary planning and comparing keywords. Knowing how to use the Keyword Planner from the outset can prevent disappointment with "rounded" numbers later on.
The two main features of the Keyword Planner
The tool is based on two modes of operation that complement each other.
The first is "Discover New Keywords" – it's used to discover keyword ideas. You can enter a few terms related to your offerings (e.g., "running shoes," "athletic footwear"), and the tool will generate hundreds of related suggestions, often including ones you might not have thought of.
Alternatively, you can enter a URL – your own or a competitor’s – and the Planner will analyze the page content and suggest thematically relevant words.
The second mode is "Discover Search Volume and Forecasts" – useful when you already have a list of keywords and want to understand their statistics and projected campaign results. The first mode is for discovery, the second for verification and planning. Effective keyword analysis usually combines both: first, you gather ideas, then you test their potential.
What data does Google Keyword Planner show and how to read it?
The most important thing is to be able to interpret numbers correctly, because this is where mistakes are most likely to occur.
The planner shows four key metrics :
- Average monthly searches is the average value from the last twelve months – it tells about the popularity of the phrase.
- Competition (low, medium, high) is most often misunderstood - it refers to the number of advertisers bidding on a given phrase in Google Ads, not the difficulty of positioning the page in organic results. This distinction is absolutely crucial. High competition in Planner means that many companies want to advertise for a given phrase – but it doesn't necessarily mean that it's difficult to position for.
- Top of Page Rates is the third metric that shows the forecasted costs of an ad click and is mainly important for Ads campaigns.
- Traffic forecasts, the fourth metric, allows you to estimate the number of clicks and the cost of the campaign with a given budget. SEO specialist a high cost per click can be a signal that the phrase has high commercial value and the user is close to making a purchasing decision.
Keyword Planner in SEO Strategy
In SEO, the Planner is primarily used to discover what search queries your audience uses and plan content that will answer them. Based on the tool's data, you create a list of phrases that best match your offer and customer needs.
Why is it worth mixing popular slogans and specific phrases?
It is worth combining popular, high-volume keywords (they provide reach but are competitive) with long-tail phrases – more specific, easier to position and more precisely indicating the user's intention.
Once you have a ready-made list, you can use it to optimize your content: in titles, headings, and the text itself, always in a natural way. If you're new to optimization and want to understand the broader context, it's helpful to explain what SEO is and how it works . Choosing the right keywords is crucial to your website's future visibility.
Keyword Planner for Google Ads campaigns
In advertising, the tool's role is even more direct. Start with the "Discover New Keywords" feature to gather terms closely related to your product or service—think about what someone would type into Google when searching for what you offer.
Then, go to forecasts and check whether the selected phrases have sufficient volume and an acceptable cost-per-click. If any have negligible traffic or an extremely high bid, consider replacing them.
Don't forget about negative keywords—phrases you don't want your ad to show for. Well-chosen negative keywords protect your budget just as effectively as carefully selecting the right ones.
The planner also helps you plan your budget: based on click and cost forecasts, you can assess your campaign's potential before you spend a penny. If your costs prove too high, you can refine your geolocation, lower your bids, or add more lower-cost long-tail keywords.
Competitor analysis with the help of Planner
The tool also provides insight into what your competitors might be basing their visibility on. Instead of entering your own keywords, enter a competitor's website URL into the discovery function—the Planner will analyze its content and suggest related keywords. This is an easy way to see which topics and terms you're not yet using are relevant in your industry.
How to use Planner to analyze competitor activities?
It's also worth checking your competitors' branded phrases in the tool and assessing whether they're highly popular. Gaps your competitors haven't filled are often the easiest way to gain traffic. While a full analysis requires additional tools, the Planner provides a solid starting point for planning your own content and campaigns.
Seasonality and Trends in Google Keyword Planner
One of the most underrated features is viewing historical data. In addition to the average search volume, the tool displays a graph of changes in phrase popularity over time – this allows you to spot seasonal terms and those whose popularity is steadily rising or falling.
This knowledge translates directly into planning. If you see that a given phrase peaks in interest during a specific month (e.g., before the holidays or during the summer), you can prepare content and campaigns in advance to get ahead of your competitors. A good example of this approach is using seasonal Google search trends to plan your marketing activities.
Best practices and common mistakes
Finally, a few rules that will allow you to get the most out of the tool.
- First of all, always set the correct country and language – some phrases are popular locally, others – globally, and inappropriate settings give misleading data.
- Secondly, export lists of phrases (to CSV or a spreadsheet) and group them thematically – the Planner won't do it for you, but in the spreadsheet you'll gain full control over your research.
- Thirdly, do not limit yourself to one source: Google Trends will show the dynamics of interest over a longer period, and tools such as Senuto or Ahrefs will complete the picture with difficulty positioning in organic results.
The most common mistake is confusing advertising competition with SEO challenges – let's revisit this again, as it costs many beginners a significant amount of time. The Planner numbers are just the beginning – true value comes when you understand the intent behind each query. Consider whether the person typing a given phrase wants to make a purchase or is simply searching for information – and tailor your channel and content accordingly.
Google Keyword Planner FAQs
This free tool, available as part of your Google Ads account, is used for keyword research and planning. It shows direct data from Google on search frequency for a given phrase, its seasonality, and advertiser competition.
Simply create a Google Ads account (the tool is located under "Tools" -> "Planning" -> "Keyword Planner"). You don't need to have an active or paid campaign to start using Planner.
Precise numerical data is only visible to accounts running an active campaign with actual ad spend. Accounts without an active campaign see values in wide ranges, which are still fully useful for preliminary planning and comparing keywords.
- Discover new keywords: Generates hundreds of keyword ideas based on a keyword (e.g., "running shoes") or URL (e.g., a competitor's website) you enter.
- Explore search volume and forecasts: Validates your pre-made search terms list, providing specific statistics and predicted results.
Absolutely not. This is the most common misinterpretation. Competition (low, medium, high) in Planner refers only to the number of companies bidding on a given term in the Google Ads advertising system, not to the difficulty of achieving a high position in organic search results.
It allows you to select relevant keywords and negative keywords (which protect your budget from inappropriate clicks). It also displays top-of-page bids and traffic forecasts, allowing you to estimate campaign costs before you spend your first penny.
Instead of entering your own keywords, you can enter the URL of a competitor's website in the new keyword discovery feature. The tool will analyze their content and suggest related keywords, making it easier to identify gaps in your own strategy.
- Always check your country and language settings to ensure your results are relevant to your target market.
- Understand the intent of the query (e.g., informational vs. purchasing).
- Pay attention to seasonality charts to prepare content or campaigns well in advance.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- Google Keyword Planner is a free tool available in your Google Ads account that provides data on search volume, competition, and keyword costs directly from Google.
- An account without an active campaign only shows search volume in ranges, which is sufficient for preliminary planning but not for precise analysis.
- The tool offers two main functions – discovering new keywords and checking their volume and forecasts.
- In Planner, the competition concerns advertisers in Google Ads, not the difficulty of positioning a website in organic results – confusing these concepts is a common mistake.
- In SEO strategy, Planer helps in selecting keywords and planning content, and in Google Ads campaigns – in selecting words, setting a budget and excluding irrelevant queries.
- Historical data allows you to detect seasonality of phrases and plan actions in advance, and the best results are achieved by combining the Planner with other tools and analysis of user intent.
