How to Do Keyword Research Using Google Keyword Planner

Getting Access to Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner lives inside Google Ads, but you do not need to run any paid campaigns to use it. Navigate to ads.google.com and sign in with your Google account. Click on "Tools and Settings" in the top navigation bar, then select "Keyword Planner" under the "Planning" section. If this is your first time opening Google Ads, you will be prompted to create an account — just skip the campaign creation step. Your account will remain active for keyword research without spending a dime.

One important caveat: Google now groups search volumes into ranges (like 1K-10K, 10K-100K) for accounts that have low or no ad spend. To see exact search volume numbers, you need an active Google Ads campaign with some level of spending. Most SEO professionals maintain a small campaign — even $1-2 per day — to unlock precise data. If exact numbers are not critical for your workflow, the ranges are still useful for comparing relative keyword popularity.

Starting Your First Keyword Search

Keyword Planner offers two entry points: "Discover new keywords" and "Get search volume and forecasts." For content planning, start with "Discover new keywords." Enter a seed keyword or phrase — for example, if you run a fitness blog, type "home workout routine." You can also enter a URL and Google will extract keywords from the page content, which is useful for analyzing competitor pages.

After entering your seed keyword, click "Get Results." The tool returns a table of keyword ideas with columns for average monthly searches, competition level (Low, Medium, or High), and the top-of-page bid range. The competition metric here reflects advertiser competition, not organic ranking difficulty — a keyword can have "Low" competition for ads but be extremely difficult to rank for organically. Keep this distinction in mind as you evaluate results.

Filtering and Refining Your Keyword List

The raw results from Keyword Planner often contain hundreds or thousands of keyword suggestions. Use the filter options to narrow them down. Click the "Three dots" menu at the top of the results table to access filters. The most useful filters include:

Average Monthly Searches: Set a minimum threshold based on your site's authority. New websites should target keywords with 100-1,000 monthly searches. Established sites can aim for 1,000-10,000+. Avoid filtering out low-volume keywords entirely — long-tail phrases with 50-100 searches often convert at much higher rates than broad terms.

Competition: Filter for "Low" or "Medium" competition to find keywords where smaller advertisers are bidding. While this does not directly indicate organic difficulty, there is a loose correlation — keywords with low ad competition tend to have less established organic competition as well.

Keyword Text: Use the "Contains" filter to include or exclude specific words. For example, if you want informational keywords, include words like "how," "guide," "tips," or "best." If you want to exclude transactional keywords, exclude words like "buy," "price," or "cheap."

Understanding the Data Columns

The "Avg. Monthly Searches" column shows the average number of times people searched for that keyword over the past 12 months. Google also shows a bar chart of monthly trends — click on any keyword to see its search volume broken down by month. This seasonal data is invaluable for planning content calendars. If you see that "gardening tips" peaks in March through May, you should publish your gardening content in February to give it time to rank before the traffic surge.

The "Competition" column shows advertiser competition on a scale of 0 to 1, displayed as Low, Medium, or High. The "Top of Page Bid (Low Range)" and "Top of Page Bid (High Range)" columns show what advertisers typically pay per click. High bid ranges often indicate commercial intent — if advertisers are paying $5-10 per click, the keyword likely leads to sales, which means organic traffic for that keyword is also commercially valuable.

Using the "Get Search Volume and Forecasts" Feature

Once you have built a keyword list, switch to the "Get search volume and forecasts" tab. Paste in your keywords (up to 10,000 at a time) and Google will return detailed metrics for each one. This view adds a "Forecasts" section that estimates clicks, impressions, and cost if you were to run ads for those keywords. While the forecasts are designed for paid campaigns, the impression estimates give you a rough ceiling for how much organic traffic a first-page ranking could generate.

Exporting and Organizing Your Keywords

Click the "Download" button to export your keyword list as a CSV file. Open it in Google Sheets or Excel and add your own columns for priority, content type, and target URL. Create a simple scoring system — multiply search volume by a difficulty estimate (1-5, where 1 is easy and 5 is very hard) and divide by difficulty to find the highest-value keywords. Sort by this score and you have a prioritized content plan.

For ongoing keyword research, save your filtered views inside Keyword Planner by clicking the bookmark icon. You can return to these saved views each month to check whether search volumes have changed and whether new keyword suggestions have appeared. This makes Keyword Planner a living tool that supports your content strategy over time, not just a one-time research exercise.

Advanced Keyword Research Techniques With Google Keyword Planner

Beyond basic keyword discovery, Google Keyword Planner offers several advanced techniques that most marketers overlook. First, use the "Include" and "Exclude" filters strategically. Adding a term to the "Include" filter ensures every suggested keyword contains that word, while the "Exclude" filter removes irrelevant variations. For example, if you sell running shoes, include "running" and exclude "car" to filter out automotive results. Second, leverage the device targeting option to see how search volume differs between mobile and desktop users for the same keyword. Mobile search volume for local terms is often two to three times higher than desktop, which should influence your content and bidding strategy. Third, use the date range selector to compare keyword trends across different time periods. Seasonal keywords may show high annual averages but low volume during off-peak months. Finally, cross-reference Keyword Planner data with Google Trends to identify rising keywords that have not yet reached high search volume — these represent early opportunities before competition increases.