Keyword Planner is Google's free tool for finding search phrases and rough monthly search volumes. It lives inside Google Ads, but you do not need to run ads to use it. The video shows the full process.
Getting access
- Go to ads.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
- If asked to create a campaign, look for the option to switch to Expert mode and create an account without a campaign.
- Open Tools, then Planning, then Keyword Planner.
Two ways to use it
- Discover new keywords: type a few words about your business or a competitor's website. You get a list of related searches.
- Get search volume and forecasts: paste a list of keywords to see their monthly searches and competition.
Reading the results
- Set the location to your country, state or city, and the language.
- Without active ad spend, volumes show as ranges such as 1K to 10K. That is still enough to compare keywords.
- "Competition" refers to advertisers, not SEO difficulty.
- Top of page bid shows what advertisers pay per click, a good sign of commercial value.
Choosing keywords
Look for phrases that match what you sell, show buying intent ("price", "near me", "best") and have enough searches to matter. Group similar keywords and give each group its own page. Our keyword combiner creates service-plus-city combinations, and the Hinglish keyword generator finds the mixed Hindi-English searches many Indian customers type.
Want the full picture? This article is part of SEO: the complete guide, our in-depth guide with everything in one place.
