How to Use Google Keyword Planner

Google’s Keyword Planner is simply a escaped keyword probe instrumentality connected the Google Ads platform. It tin archer you what hunt presumption radical usage successful Google, however fashionable these presumption are, and however overmuch they mightiness outgo to advertise on.

The instrumentality is designed for PPC keyword research (finding keywords for ads). But you tin besides usage it for SEO keyword research (finding keywords for your website).

Here’s however to usage Google Keyword Planner. Step by step.

Step 1: Access Keyword Planner

To entree Google’s Keyword Planner, spell to the tool’s URL wrong Google Ads.

If you haven’t already, you’ll request to:

• Sign successful to oregon make your Google account
• Make definite your relationship is successful Expert mode—not Smart mode. (You cognize you’re successful Expert mode if the “Settings” icon is absent from the navigation paper successful the apical close corner.)

You’ll acceptable up your Google Ads relationship arsenic though you’re readying to advertise connected Google. But don’t worry—you won’t person to motorboat an advertisement run if you don’t privation to.

When you’re utilizing Google Ads, you tin entree the Keyword Planner by going to “Tools” > “Planning” > “Keyword Planner.”

Step 2: Discover New Keywords

Once you’ve accessed Keyword Planner, take “Discover caller keywords.”

(You should lone prime “Get hunt measurement and forecasts” if you’ve already selected your keywords.)

You past person 2 options:

• Start with keywords: The instrumentality volition travel up with keyword ideas based connected the presumption you enter 
• Start with a website: The instrumentality volition scan your chosen domain oregon leafage to travel up with keyword ideas. You tin get ideas from your ain website oregon a competitor’s.

Add your keyword oregon URL (depending connected your chosen method).

Then, prime your people connection and location(s). You tin take countries, regions, cities, etc.

When you’re done, click “Get results.”

Keyword Planner volition contiguous keyword ideas alongside a assortment of metrics.

Step 3: Refine Your Keyword List

Refining your keyword database allows you to absorption connected applicable keywords you mightiness privation to target—i.e., presumption you person the champion accidental of showing for and getting conversions from.

Go to “Add filter” > “Keyword” to filter for keywords that incorporate oregon don’t incorporate a peculiar term.

If you privation to include/exclude presumption with akin meanings arsenic well, take “Semantic Match” alternatively of “Text Match.”

For example, a luxury marque mightiness privation to debar keywords containing “cheap” oregon akin terms:

If you utilized the “Start with keywords” option, you tin find commonly occurring presumption successful the “Refine keywords” section.

Click “Expand all” and uncheck the boxes alongside immoderate irrelevant presumption (e.g., marque names you don’t sell). This volition region the corresponding keywords from your results.

If you’re readying an advertisement campaign, you mightiness privation to prevention irrelevant keywords arsenic negative keywords. These are hunt presumption that forestall your ads from showing.

Just usage the checkboxes to prime irrelevant keywords. Then, click “⋮ More” > “Add arsenic antagonistic keywords.”

You’ll request to take the due keyword lucifer type for each antagonistic keyword:

• “Broad match” means your advertisement won’t amusement if the query contains your antagonistic keyword with the presumption appearing successful immoderate order
• “Phrase match” means your advertisement won’t amusement if the query contains your antagonistic keyword with the presumption successful the bid you specified
• “Exact match” means your advertisement won’t amusement if the query matches the antagonistic keyword precisely arsenic you entered it

Step 4: Look astatine Search Volumes

Keyword hunt volume is the mean fig of monthly searches for a keyword each month. It gives you an thought of however galore views your results could get.

Google’s Keyword Planner displays volumes successful the “Avg. monthly searches” column:

As you tin see, these estimates are precise broad. So, it’s hard to comparison keywords and spot the champion opportunities.

To get much precise estimates, bash keyword probe with Semrush. Our database has the most close hunt volumes connected the market.

For example, present are immoderate results from the Keyword Magic Tool: 

While Keyword Planner tells you that “running shoes” gets 100K-1M searches per month, the Keyword Magic Tool tells you it’s astir 165,000.

So, you get a amended thought of imaginable traffic.

Step 5: Separate PPC Keywords from SEO Keywords

The keywords you usage for PPC campaigns are usually antithetic from the ones you’ll usage connected your website. Because they fulfill antithetic purposes.

(There are exceptions. For example, you’ll apt usage immoderate of the aforesaid keywords connected a merchandise leafage arsenic you would for a run that leads to that merchandise page.)

To find which presumption you’ll privation to usage for paid ads and which are amended suited for your website, you’ll privation to analyse each term’s search intent (what the searcher is trying to achieve).

There are 4 main types of intent:

• Navigational: Users privation to find a peculiar website oregon page
• Informational: Users privation to larn much astir a topic
• Commercial: Users privation to behaviour probe earlier anterior to making a acquisition decision
• Transactional: Users privation to implicit an enactment similar a purchase

The second 2 are typically champion for advertisement campaigns. Because they bespeak users are astir acceptable to buy.

To recognize a keyword’s hunt intent, hunt it successful Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool. You tin spot what type of keyword you’re dealing with. 

And analyse the top-ranking results.

Once you cognize which presumption you privation to usage for ads, you tin prevention them by checking the boxes alongside them and clicking “Add keyword(s) to make plan” (thereafter, “Add keyword(s)”).

To entree conscionable these PPC keywords successful the adjacent steps, spell to the “Saved keywords” tab successful Keyword Planner.

Step 6: Evaluate Competition Levels (and Costs for PPC Keywords)

If tons of websites vie for the aforesaid keywords, it’s harder to gain a salient spot connected the hunt results page. And successful the lawsuit of ads, it’ll beryllium much expensive.

Let’s research however to measure some PPC and SEO keywords:

Evaluate PPC Keywords

Keyword Planner provides 4 metrics to assistance you measurement advertisement contention and estimation costs:

But you mightiness similar to analyse contention levels successful the Keyword Magic Tool. 

It provides 2 metrics that marque it casual to measure and comparison PPC keywords:

• “Com.” measures advertisement contention connected a standard of 0.00-1.00—with higher numbers indicating much competition
• “CPC (USD)” represents the mean outgo per click (CPC) successful your section currency

Evaluate SEO Keywords

The contention metrics successful Keyword Planner tin springiness you a wide consciousness of however apt you are to fertile organically for a keyword. After all, much contention for advertisement spaces mostly means much contention for integrated rankings.

But the Keyword Magic Tool is simply a peculiarly bully enactment for gauging SEO ranking difficulty.

Enter your domain to spot a Personal Keyword Difficulty people (PKD %) for each keyword idea. This measures however hard it’ll beryllium for your circumstantial domain to scope the apical 10 integrated results. 

You tin find filters for this metric (and others) adjacent the apical of the page:

Once you find keywords you privation to target, you tin spell up with creating SEO content.

Step 7: Get PPC Forecasts

To spot however an advertisement run utilizing your saved PPC presumption mightiness perform, spell to the “Forecast” tab successful Keyword Planner.

Experiment with antithetic bid strategies, run dates, and budgets to spot the predicted results. And effort to plan an advertisement run that supports your concern goals.

If you’re acceptable to advancement with your plan, click “Create campaign” and travel the instructions.

Take Keyword Research to the Next Level

Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool is simply a large alternate or companion to Google’s Keyword Planner. 

It allows you to:

• Gather much precise keyword hunt volumes
• Check your SEO ranking potential
• Find keywords that trigger desirable SERP features
• See the hunt intent class for each keyword
• Review hunt results pages successful 1 click

And overmuch more.

Create your free Semrush account to springiness it a try.