Google Keyword Planner is a Google Ads feature for finding keyword ideas and estimating volume, clicks, and costs for ad planning. Use Discover new keywords to search for phrases related to your product or website URL, and Get search volume and forecasts to create lists and estimate campaigns. Volume and forecasts are estimates and do not guarantee organic search results or actual costs.
The old tutorial with nine screenshots has been retained, plus an explanation of the differences between PPC metrics and SEO research based on Google Ads documentation.
Here’s a guide on how to use Google Keyword Planner for keyword research in the latest Google Ads. 2026 From Bloggerpi Digital.
When planning a Google Ads campaign, the first step is to conduct proper keyword research.
Google Keyword Planner is a very useful tool to help you find relevant and effective keywords.
This article will discuss in detail how to use Google Keyword Planner and its benefits in developing a successful ad campaign strategy.
What Is Google Keyword Planner?
Google Keyword Planner is a planning tool in Google Ads, not a perfectly measurable organic search volume report. Keyword ideas should be interpreted according to search intent and buying intent. For website content, use these results as input for on-page optimization, not as a guarantee of ranking.
Google Keyword Planner is a keyword research tool provided by Google Ads. It is specifically designed to help advertisers find relevant, high-potential keywords to increase their ad visibility on Google platforms.
To access Google Keyword Planner, you need a free Google Ads account.
This tool offers a variety of useful features, including estimated monthly search volume for specific keywords, suggestions for new keywords related to your business or advertising objectives, and estimates of the average cost of ads using specific keywords.
How Do I Register for a Google Keyword Planner Account?
To access the feature, log in to Google Ads and go to Tools → Planning → Keyword Planner according to your account’s UI. Some accounts require setup and billing to access certain data. If the page isn’t found, check your selected account and user settings. Link keyword decisions to technical SEO and audit for keyword cannibalization before creating multiple similar URLs.
To use Google Keyword Planner, you need a Google Ads account.
Google Keyword Planner is one of the tools available within Google Ads, so you’ll need to register for an account first.
To register for a Google Ads account, you’ll need an active Google (Gmail) email address.
Once you have a Google email address, visit https://ads.google.com/intl/ide_id/home/tools/keywordplanner to register.
After accessing the page, you’ll be asked to fill in your business information, such as your billing country, time zone, and billing currency.
Ensure you fill in this information carefully, as it cannot be changed later.
After filling in your business information, click the “Submit” button to complete the account registration process.
After that, your Google Ads account is ready to use, including Google Keyword Planner.
[ Also Read: What is the Target of Using SEO? How to Determine It? ]
7 Easy Steps, Tutorials, and Guides on How to Use Google Keyword Planner
The Discover new keywords feature accepts seed terms or website URLs. Get search volume and forecasts provides forecasts of advertising scenarios, not exact volumes throughout the year. Check location and language compatibility. Note the assumptions in SEO reporting and differentiate the research needs of digital marketing channel from Search Console organic data.
Google Keyword Planner is a crucial tool for digital marketers, especially those using the Google Ads platform.
In this guide, we’ll explore detailed steps on how to use Google Keyword Planner effectively for relevant and effective keyword research in marketing campaigns.
1. Open Google Ads
The first step is to open Google Ads. If you don’t already have an account, you can create one for free. Once you’ve signed in, you’ll be greeted with a variety of available options and features.
2. Select the “Tools” menu and click the “Keyword Planner” option.
After logging into Google Ads, select the “Tools” menu at the top of the page.
Then, click the “Keyword Planner” option from the list of available options.
This will take you to the main Google Keyword Planner page.
3. Discover New Keywords
There are two main options available in Google Keyword Planner: “Discover new keywords” and “Get search volume and forecasts.”
In this step, we’ll focus on the “Discover new keywords” option.
a. Start with a Keyword (Start with a Keyword)
This feature allows you to start a keyword search by entering a word or phrase that describes the product or service you offer.
For example, if you sell children’s clothing, you can enter keywords like “kids clothes,” “7-year-old clothes,” or other related keywords.
Tip
You can enter multiple keywords at once by separating each keyword with a comma.
This allows you to access a wider range of search results that are relevant to your business.
Make sure the keywords you enter are relevant to your marketing goals and objectives.
b. Start with a Website (Start with a Website)
This feature allows you to search for keyword ideas based on content from websites that are similar or similar to your business (for example, a competitor’s website). You can choose two search options:
- Use the Entire Site: Keyword Planner will search for keywords using the entire content of the website you specify.
- Use Only This Page: Keyword Planner will only search for keywords from the specific URL page you enter.
For example, if you own a business selling Muslim clothing, you can enter the URL of a website selling similar products to find relevant keywords.
4. Get Search Volume and Forecast
The “Get Search Volume and Forecast” option in Google Keyword Planner is a very useful tool for advertisers who already have a list of keywords and simply want to check search volume and forecast their campaign results.
In this section, we’ll cover in detail how to use this option and how to apply various filters to get the most relevant and useful results for your online marketing strategy.
Using the Get Search Volume and Forecast Option
If you already have a list of keywords and simply want to check search volume and estimate campaign results, this option is the right choice.
Here are the steps to use this option:
- Copy and Paste Keyword List: You need to copy the keyword list you have prepared and paste it into the search field. Alternatively, you can also upload the keyword list in .csv format. After that, click the “Get Started” button to continue.
- View Results: After you click the “Get Started” button, Google Keyword Planner will display results containing data about the keywords you have entered. You’ll see information about the average monthly search volume as well as an estimate of the number of clicks and impressions you might get from each keyword.
- Difference with Discover New Keywords: While the results may be similar to those you see when using the Discover New Keywords feature, the difference lies in the focus of this option, which is more on checking search volume and estimating campaign results, rather than generating new keyword ideas.
5. Filter and Sort Keyword List “Get Search Volume and Forecast” Option (Optional)
Once the keyword results are displayed, you can use various filters and sorting options to refine and sort the keyword list according to your preferences and needs.
Here are some of the filters and sorting options you can apply:
- Locations: Select the country or region you are targeting. This allows you to get data that is more relevant to your target market.
- Language: Select a language that matches your target audience. Selecting the right language will help you ensure that your selected keywords are highly relevant to your target audience.
- Search Networks: You can select this option if you want to display data from Google Search, the Google Search Network, or both. However, it’s best to use the “Google” option to focus on search results on the Google search engine.
- Date Range: You can select a specific date period to get more specific search volume data and estimated campaign results. However, if you don’t have any specific preferences, you can leave the default setting of 12 months.
After applying the basic filters, you can also add additional filters to refine the results according to your needs.
Here are some additional filters you can apply:
- Keyword: This filter allows you to determine whether search results will display keywords that contain or exclude a specific word or phrase. This is useful for refining the keywords that are most relevant to your business.
- Competition: This filter allows you to select the desired level of competition for the displayed keywords. You can choose between low, medium, or high competition, depending on your marketing strategy and advertising budget.
- Exclude Keywords in My Account: This filter is useful for excluding keywords that you have previously used in your Google Ads campaigns.
- Exclude Adult Ideas: This filter removes keywords related to adult content from search results. This is useful if you want to ensure the keywords you choose align with your business’s reputation and values.
- Avg. Monthly Searches: This filter allows you to filter keywords based on average monthly search volume. You can use this filter to find keywords with high search volume or avoid keywords with low search volume.
- Ad Impression Share: This filter helps you identify potential opportunities for more ad impressions. You can use this filter to refine keywords based on the potential for higher ad impressions.
- Top of Page Bid: This filter displays the estimated cost of securing ad placement at the top of the Google search results page for each keyword. This helps you estimate the cost of securing your desired ad position.
After applying the appropriate filters, you can also use the sorting options to sort results based on various metrics, such as search volume, competition level, or estimated cost.
This allows you to quickly find the most relevant and useful keywords for your marketing campaign.
6. Analyze the Keyword List in “Keyword Ideas”
Once you’ve applied keyword filters that suit your needs and preferences, the next step is to analyze the keyword list displayed in the “Keyword Ideas” section of Google Keyword Planner.
In this section, we’ll explain the terms typically found in keyword lists and how you can use this information to select the keywords most relevant to your business.
1. Keywords (by Relevance)
This is a list of keywords that Google considers most relevant to the keyword or URL you entered.
Google Keyword Planner will present this list of keywords based on their relevance to your targeted topic or product.
In this section, you’ll find the keywords that best suit your business or service.
2. Avg. Monthly Searches
The average number of times people search for a keyword and similar terms based on the month range, location, and search network settings you’ve specified.
This data provides an estimate of how often users search for that keyword on a monthly basis.
This information is invaluable for understanding the level of market interest or demand for your topic or product.
3. Competition
It’s important to note that “Competition” in Google Keyword Planner does not relate to the level of competition in organic search results (SEO).
In this section, “Competition” refers to the number of advertisers bidding for a particular keyword.
The higher the level of competition, the more difficult and expensive it will be to achieve a good ad ranking for that keyword.
However, for small businesses, it’s recommended to choose keywords with low to medium competition, as they have more affordable bidding costs.
4. Three-Month Change
This term indicates changes in search trends over the past three months.
This data provides an overview of how user interest in that keyword has changed over time.
You can use this information to determine whether interest in a particular keyword is increasing, decreasing, or remaining stable over a specific period.
5. Top of Page Bid
Top of Page Bid is the estimated cost you must pay to have your ad appear at the top of Google search results for a specific keyword.
This information provides an idea of how much it will cost to achieve a top position in search results.
You need to consider your advertising budget when selecting keywords, taking into account the cost estimates listed.
7. Choose Keywords Most Relevant to Your Business
After you understand the terms in the keyword list and analyze the information provided by Google Keyword Planner, the final step is to choose the keywords most relevant to your business.
Here are the steps you can take:
- Use the “Discover New Keywords” Feature: This feature is the best way to find new keywords in Google Keyword Planner. Start by entering keywords that are not too specific but not too general that best describe your product or service. For example, if you sell sandals, the keyword “sports shoes” could be a good choice.
- Determine the Most Relevant Keywords: After entering your keywords, review the results and choose the ones that are most relevant to your business. Make sure the keywords align with the products or services you offer and have a high enough search volume.
- Click “Get Started”: Once you’ve selected relevant keywords, click the “Get Started” button to continue.
By selecting the keywords most relevant to your business, you can increase your chances of reaching the right audience and improving the performance of your online marketing campaigns.
Be sure to regularly monitor and evaluate your keyword performance to ensure you stay on track in achieving your marketing goals.
[ Read Also: How to Research YouTube Keywords to Increase Views and Subscribers ]
6 Benefits of Using Google Keyword Planner
Filter by location, language, timeframe, and product theme. Highly competitive keywords on Google Ads don’t necessarily make it difficult to rank organically because the Competition metric reflects advertiser competition. If you’re setting up a campaign, check the relationship with PPC and set a reasonable objective.
Using Google Keyword Planner has several significant advantages for advertisers:
1. Free
Google Keyword Planner is free to access and use for anyone with a Google Ads account.
There are no subscription fees associated with using this tool, making it ideal for advertisers on a budget.
2. Keyword Ideas
This tool can provide new keyword ideas related to your business or advertising objectives.
This can help you discover additional keywords you might not have previously considered, which can increase the potential reach of your ads.
3. Monthly Search Volume
Google Keyword Planner provides an estimate of the average monthly search volume for each keyword you’re considering.
This helps you understand how many people search for that keyword each month, so you can make better decisions about which ones are most relevant for your campaign.
4. Cost Estimate
This tool also provides an estimate of the average cost of an ad if you choose to target a specific keyword.
This allows you to estimate costs and manage your advertising budget more effectively.
5. Keyword Grouping
You can group your selected keywords into various categories related to your business.
This helps you better organize your campaign and create more focused and relevant ads for your target audience.
6. Creating a Targeted Campaign
With the help of Google Keyword Planner, you can find powerful and relevant keywords that will attract your audience.
This way, you can create more targeted and effective ad campaigns to achieve your marketing goals.
Tips for Using Google Keyword Planner
After selecting keyword groups, create a relevant Google Ads strategy and ad group. Estimated clicks and costs may vary depending on bidding, budget, ad quality, and auction conditions. Understanding Google Ads daily budget is important to avoid misinterpreting forecasts as exact expenses.
Google Keyword Planner is a very useful tool for planning and optimizing your online marketing campaigns.
However, to utilize it effectively, you need to pay attention to several important tips that will help you choose the right keywords, manage your budget efficiently, and improve your audience targeting.
Here are some tips you can apply when using Google Keyword Planner:
1. Utilize Filters to Optimize Budget and Target Audience
Filters are a very important feature in Google Keyword Planner.
By using filters, you can refine your keyword list according to criteria you specify, such as location, language, date range, and so on.
This helps you optimize the budget you allocate to your marketing campaigns and ensures you’re reaching the right audience, aligned with your business goals.
It’s important to remember that while filters can help you sort your keyword list, you also need to be careful not to impose too many restrictions.
Too many restrictions can cause you to miss out on opportunities to reach a wider audience.
Furthermore, the more you become familiar with the various keywords in your industry and the available filtering options, the more you’ll begin to discover which filters work best for your business.
2. Branded Keyword Bidding
Branded keywords refer to phrases directly related to your business’s brand, products, and services.
There are three types of branded keywords you need to be aware of: (1) Brand names: for example, ‘Kelanakids’ and ‘catperku’; (2) Product names: for example, ‘Worksheet Kelanakids’ and ‘Jasa SEO Bloggerpi’; and (3) Misspelled brand names: for example, ‘bloggerfi’ from bloggerpi and ‘catperku’ from capterku.
Including branded keywords in your bidding strategy has several significant benefits:
- Increase Your Brand’s Chances of Appearing on Search Pages: By bidding on branded keywords, you can ensure that your brand appears multiple times on the search results page (SERP), so you can dominate the page.
- Setting the Information Displayed on the Search Page: You can control the information displayed on the search page by using branded keyword-based ads, so you can attract audiences to visit your website by displaying relevant information, such as promotional prices for your products.
- Reducing the Chances of Competitor Brands Appearing in Search Results: By bidding on branded keywords, you can reduce the likelihood of competing brands appearing in your own brand search results.
- Low Cost and High Potential for Conversion: Branded keywords tend to have lower bidding costs and can provide a high chance of conversion, because people who search for branded keywords are usually already familiar with your product and have the intention to convert.
3. Steal Keyword Ideas from Your Competitors
One of the best ways to find effective keyword ideas is to study your competitors’ keyword strategies.
You can do this by entering your competitor’s website URL into Google Keyword Planner.
This way, you can see what keywords your competitors are using and identify new opportunities to improve your own keyword strategy.
4. Take advantage of the Search Location Filter
The location filter in Google Keyword Planner allows you to set your target location, from the country level down to the city level.
This is especially useful if you want to target a local audience with your PPC ad campaigns.
By setting your target location precisely, you can ensure that your ads are only shown to people in locations relevant to your business.
5. Don’t forget to pay attention to negative keywords.
It’s important to understand and effectively utilize the concept of negative keywords when using Google Keyword Planner to plan and optimize your online marketing campaigns.
In this section, we’ll take an in-depth look at what negative keywords are, why they’re important to pay attention to, and how to effectively use them in your marketing strategy.
What Are Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords are a type of keyword used to prevent your ad from appearing for search results for specific words or phrases.
In other words, if someone searches using a keyword included in your negative keyword list, your ad will not be shown to them.
For example, a negative keyword like “kids” in the “clothes” keyword example mentioned earlier will prevent your ad from appearing when someone searches for “kids clothes.”
This is useful if your business only sells clothes for adults and doesn’t want to spend your advertising budget targeting the children’s market.
The Importance of Negative Keywords
Why is it important to pay attention to negative keywords in your marketing campaigns? There are several key reasons why this is important:
- Eliminating Irrelevant TrafficBy using negative keywords, you can ensure that your ads are only shown to audiences who are genuinely interested in the products or services you offer. This helps reduce wasted advertising budget on reaching people who aren’t potential customers.
- Improving Traffic QualityBy eliminating irrelevant traffic, you can improve the quality of traffic your website receives. People who click on your ads are more likely to become qualified leads and take the desired action, such as a purchase or signup.
- Budget Optimization: By avoiding wasting your advertising budget on irrelevant traffic, you can optimize your spending and allocate your budget more efficiently, increasing your overall campaign ROI.
- Prevent Competition with CompetitorsBy excluding irrelevant keywords, you can also reduce the likelihood of your ads competing with ads from competitors that aren’t relevant to your business. This helps increase the effectiveness of your campaign and reduce the cost per click, which can increase due to intense competition.
Effective Ways to Use Negative Keywords
Here are some steps you can follow to use negative keywords effectively in your marketing strategy:
- Do Keyword Research: Conduct thorough keyword research to identify keywords that are irrelevant to your business. Identify keywords that may be generating unwanted or low-quality traffic.
- Data analysis: Analyze your campaign data regularly to identify keywords that aren’t producing the desired results or that are generating low conversions. Use this information to add new keywords to your negative keyword list.
- Use Different Types of Negative Keywords: Use different types of negative keywords, including specific keywords, phrases, and broad keywords, to ensure that you exclude as many irrelevant keywords as possible.
- Update Regularly: Update your negative keyword list regularly based on changes in your business, industry trends, and the results of your marketing campaigns. Be sure to constantly monitor and adjust your strategy as needed.
- Test and Evaluation: Experiment with various negative keywords and monitor their performance regularly. Evaluate the results and adjust your strategy as needed to achieve the best results.
Additional Tips for Using Google Keyword Planner Effectively
For content marketing, Keyword Planner can provide topic ideas, but the final decision must look at user value opportunities and conversion optimization. For local businesses, use context local SEO instead of taking national volume without regional inspection. Save priority in content planner to ensure the editorial process is consistent.
- Use keyword variations: In addition to your main keywords, don’t hesitate to look for keyword variations related to your product or service.
- Pay attention to search trends: Always pay attention to changes in search trends to ensure that the keywords you choose remain relevant and effective over time.
- Test and adjust: Once you’ve selected your keywords, test and adjust your campaign regularly to maximize results.
By following this guide and using Google Keyword Planner effectively, you’ll be able to identify the right keywords to increase the visibility and success of your marketing campaigns on the Google Ads platform.
Useful Tools for SEO and SEM
Google Keyword Planner is a very useful tool for advertisers looking to develop a successful Google Ads campaign strategy.
With features like keyword suggestions, search volume estimates, and cost estimates, this tool can help you find relevant and effective keywords to achieve your marketing goals.
By following the steps mentioned above, you can use Google Keyword Planner effectively and significantly improve the performance of your ad campaigns.
Example of grouping Keyword Planner ideas into actions
| Keyword Type | Example | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| Information | how to care for running shoes | How-to articles that help users |
| Commercial | best running shoes for beginners | Honest comparison page |
| Transaction | buy running shoes size 42 | Product page with stock and price clear |
| Local | Semarang running shoe store | Correct business/location information |
This example is for illustration purposes only, not actual research figures. For cross-channel campaigns, label UTM tracking with consistent standards and evaluate ad CTR in the appropriate source reports.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Google Keyword Planner free?
This feature is available through Google Ads; Access and data requirements may vary depending on setup and account status.
Where is Keyword Planner now?
Sign in to Google Ads, go to Tools, and find Keyword Planner under Planning in the account interface.
What is the function of Discover new keywords?
Generates keyword ideas from seed terms or website URLs.
What is the difference between Discover and Forecast?
Discover generates ideas; Forecast helps estimate advertising scenarios for a list of keywords.
Is the search volume displayed fixed?
No. The metric is an estimate or a grouping based on data and tool settings.
Does Competition mean SEO difficulty?
No. Competition in Keyword Planner reflects advertiser competition, not directly the difficulty level of organic SEO.
Do I have to pay a bill to access data?
Some functions and results depend on completing Google Ads account settings.
What is the benefit of location filters?
Helps tailor ideas and estimates to target regions, not all of Indonesia automatically.
How to use keywords for articles?
Group based on intent and needs, then determine suitable pages without duplicating topics.
Is the estimated CPC the actual cost?
No. Actual CPC depends on the auction, bidding, quality, and context of the campaign.
