How to Use Google Keyword Planner

Google Ads, formerly known as Google Adwords, has an immense reputation among entrepreneurs, high-ranking executives, and business owners. You simply open an account, create an ad, and run it live.

The only caveat is that you’ll pay for every click your campaign generates, whether the person behind the click visits your website or place of business and converts or not. This is certainly a risk proposition, but if you execute your campaign properly, you can generate more attention and revenue for your business, much more than your ad budget.

To make matters better, Google allows advertisers to easily locate popular keywords people use to find local businesses and shop for online products. This tool is called Google Keyword Planner, and when used correctly, it can quietly become the backbone of your entire marketing strategy.

It’s been used for decades by advertisers, and while there are certainly other keyword research tools available, Google Keyword Planner is still useful. Below, you’ll learn what Google Keyword Planner is, why it’s important, and how to use the tool to achieve success with your campaign.

What is Google Keyword Planner?

Google Keyword Planner is a built-in keyword tool that’s native to your Google Ads account. The tool allows advertisers to discover keyword ideas and perform research on search terms consumers use to find businesses.

Google Keyword Planner lists an exhaustive number of keywords that are relevant to your industry in the following categories:

• Keyword (by relevance) — This is simply the categories of keywords or search terms you’ll encounter based on the relevance of each term to your search.

• Monthly Searches — This is the number of searches each keyword receives. The higher the number, the more popular the keyword is.

• Competition — This is the level of competition you’ll encounter when bidding and ranking for a keyword. Competition and search volume are usually intertwined. This makes sense because popular keywords will be heavily bidded on by your competitors, so ranking for them will be difficult and vice versa.

• Top of Page Bid (Low-High Range) — This is the amount you can expect to pay to bid for a keyword.

As you can see, Google Keyword Planner provides a lot of insightful data that can help you choose suitable keywords to bolster your campaign. It’s an invaluable tool for advertisers to turn popular keywords into conversions, which makes it incredibly useful for shaping both your search campaigns and your broader digital marketing efforts.

Benefits of Using Google Keyword Planner

A lot of advertisers resort to using their own imagination when selecting keywords for their campaign. Some barely glance at Google Keyword Planner and others rely on external keyword research solutions.

If you’re here, then you’re likely to ask “why should I even give Google Keyword Planner a chance?” Here are all of the benefits of choosing to use Google Keyword Planner for your campaign:

• Precision — By using Google Keyword Planner, you can target relevant keywords that will deliver adequate search traffic to your ads. This will create precise ads designed to capture the attention of your target audience.

• ROI — By investing into keywords that are balanced in search volume and competition, you can earn much more than you spend on bids. You refine keywords before spending money. Thus, you’ll receive the possibility to earn $5 for every $1 you spend.

• Foresight — By using Google Keyword Planner, you can gain crucial foresight into how your campaign will perform. The tool shows you exactly how much traffic your campaign can generate. You build a keyword plan that actually aligns with your goals.

• Money-Saver — Other keyword research tools will cost you money, especially if you plan on performing bulk research. Using Google Keyword Planner is completely free.

Using Google Keyword Planner can make or break your Google Ads campaign. The good news is that Google Keyword Planner is a very simple tool to use. Below, we’ll show you the steps for finding keywords and creating lists using the tool.

How to Use Google Keyword Planner

To access Google Keyword Planner, you’ll need a Google Ads account. Once you’re inside, head over to the Tools section and click on Keyword Planner.

If you’ve never run ads before, don’t worry. You can still access keyword planner without launching a campaign, although Google may guide you through some setup steps first.

This is one of the reasons people call it the Google Keyword Planner free option. You’re not paying for the tool itself, only for ads if you choose to run them.

The first step of using Google Keyword Planner is knowing what type of data you want to receive. When opening the tool, you’ll be presented with four options:

1. Search for new keywords.

2. Multiple keyword lists.

3. Get search volume and trends.

4. Get click and cost performance forecasts.

If you’re new to creating a campaign, you’ll need to select the first option. Then, you’ll be able to insert a sample keyword to find other relevant ones. For example, if you’re selling men’s athletic gear, you can try using the keyword “men’s running shoes” to see which search terms people are using to find this product.

Google Keyword Planner will showcase thousands of different keyword combinations you can choose to add to your campaign. Once you add a keyword to your campaign, you’ll automatically place a bid on it.

Thus, it’s important to review the third and fourth option first to see how much search volume a keyword is bringing in and how much you expect to spend in the long run. If your campaign is already running, you can experiment with the second option to consolidate multiple keyword lists to achieve maximum exposure.

Next, you'll want to explore new keywords. You’ll now get a long list of new keywords along with their monthly searches, competition, and cost data. Don’t just grab the top results. Take a minute to scan for patterns. Sometimes the best opportunities are hidden in longer phrases with lower competition but strong intent.

Next, you must analyze the data.

Look closely at:

• Average monthly search volume

• Competition level

• bid estimates Keyword Planner provides

A keyword with high volume isn’t always the best choice. If competition is too high, you might end up paying more than it’s worth. Instead, aim for balance. Moderate traffic with manageable competition often leads to better ROI.

Next, you need to refine and exclude keywords. Not every keyword is a good fit. Use filters to refine keywords and exclude keywords that don’t match your audience. This step is often overlooked, but it can save you a lot of wasted clicks. For example, if you sell premium products, you might want to exclude keywords that include words like “cheap” or “free.”

Next, you need to build a keyword plan. Once you’ve selected your keywords, add them to your keyword plan. This is where you can group terms, organize them into themes, and prepare them for your search campaigns. A solid keyword plan makes campaign setup much smoother and keeps your targeting focused.

Finally, you must review forecasts before you spend anything. Before launching anything, check the keyword forecast. This feature estimates clicks, impressions, and costs based on your selected keywords. It’s not perfect, but it gives you a realistic idea of what to expect so you’re not going in blind.

How This Fits Into Your Marketing Strategy

Keyword Planner isn’t just for ads.

The insights you get can shape your entire digital marketing approach. From blog topics to landing pages, everything starts with understanding what people are searching for.

Here’s how you can use it beyond ads:

• Generate keyword ideas for content

• Improve your SEO keyword research

• Align your messaging with real search intent

• Strengthen your overall marketing strategy

When you connect keyword research with your broader goals, everything starts to click.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A quick reality check.

Even with a powerful keyword tool, it’s easy to make mistakes if you rush the process.

Some of the most common ones:

• Choosing keywords based only on high volume

• Ignoring competition levels

• Skipping the step where you refine keywords

• Forgetting to exclude keywords that don’t convert

• Not reviewing your keyword forecast before launching

These small missteps can quietly drain your budget.

Should You Use Google Keyword Planner on Your Own?

At first, Google Keyword Planner looks like an intimidating tool. After all, it shows a lot of important data for your campaign. If you’re willing to devote the time and resources to mastering the tool, using Google Keyword Planner is a great idea.

However, if you want to instead focus on running your business and simply don’t have the bandwidth to invest in Google Ads or Google Keyword Planner. The obvious reason is that you’ll be charged an amount for every time a person clicks on your ad.

If you just run your digital marketing campaign and forget about it, you’re bound to lose hundreds and even thousands of dollars in the process. To avoid making this costly mistake, partner with a reputable PPC agency today to explore your options.

Want to Grow your Google Ads Campaign?

Elevating your Google Ads campaign will ultimately depend on the PPC agency you hire for the job. Are your Google Ads not showing? Perhaps, you’ve had your Google Ads account suspended?

If you’re serious about running effective search campaigns, you can’t afford to guess your way through keyword selection.

At PPC.co, we specialize in helping companies fix their broken ad spend and turn wasted opportunities into lucrative conversions.

Contact us today to speak to a member of our expert keyword planning team about receiving a free proposal for your campaign.