How to use Google Keyword Planner for SEO (free, step by step)

How to get access to Keyword Planner for free

1. 1Go to Google Ads and sign in with your Google account.
2. 2When asked to create a campaign, look for the option to switch to Expert Mode.
3. 3Choose to create an account without a campaign.
4. 4Confirm your billing country, time zone and currency.
5. 5Open Tools, then Planning, then Keyword Planner.

Google sometimes changes the setup screens. If you are pushed into creating a campaign, you can create one and pause it before it runs, so you never pay anything.

The two main Keyword Planner tools

How to find new keyword ideas

1. 1Click Discover new keywords.
2. 2Enter up to ten seed keywords, such as "roof repair" and "roof leak".
3. 3Or choose Start with a website and enter your site or a competitor's URL.
4. 4Set the location and language to match your market.
5. 5Review the list of ideas with average monthly searches and trends.
6. 6Download the results to a spreadsheet.

How to read the Keyword Planner columns

How to filter and refine results

Using Keyword Planner data for SEO

1. 1Group ideas by topic and intent, not just by volume.
2. 2Use high top of page bids as a hint that a term has strong buying intent.
3. 3Check each important keyword in Google to see what actually ranks.
4. 4Combine Planner ranges with Search Console impressions for keywords you already appear for.
5. 5Map one primary keyword to each page in your keyword to URL map.

Keyword Planner limits to know

Our glossary entry on keyword difficulty explains how to judge competition properly.

Using Keyword Planner for local SEO

1. 1Set the location to the city or region you serve.
2. 2Enter service keywords, such as 'boiler repair' or 'family lawyer'.
3. 3Look for local modifiers in the suggestions, like neighbourhood names.
4. 4Compare volume ranges across nearby cities to choose location pages.
5. 5Combine with Google autocomplete to find long tail local phrases.

Worked example: Keyword Planner for a bakery

1. 1Open Discover new keywords and enter seeds such as 'birthday cakes', 'custom cakes' and 'bakery'.
2. 2Set the location to your city, for example Manchester, and the language to English.
3. 3Sort by average monthly searches and add ideas like 'birthday cakes near me' and 'cupcakes delivery'.
4. 4Filter out irrelevant ideas such as recipes if you only sell cakes.
5. 5Group the remaining keywords: celebration cakes, wedding cakes, cupcakes and bakery near me.
6. 6Map each group to a page and use the questions as FAQs.

This turns a broad idea into a clear page plan with realistic local demand.

Keyword Planner vs paid SEO tools

Many people use Keyword Planner for ideas and local volume ranges, then check difficulty in a paid tool. See best SEO tools.

Using Keyword Planner to find seasonal demand

Keyword Planner shows monthly search trends for each keyword. Look at the past 12 months to see when demand peaks, such as heating repairs in winter or wedding services in spring. Publish or update related pages six to eight weeks before the peak so they have time to rank.

Common Keyword Planner mistakes

Using Keyword Planner for content planning

1. 1Export keyword ideas for each main topic you cover.
2. 2Group ideas into themes, such as costs, how to, comparisons and local searches.
3. 3Pick one primary keyword per page and list secondary variations.
4. 4Turn question style keywords into FAQ entries or supporting articles.
5. 5Plan the calendar around seasonal peaks from the trends data.
6. 6Recheck volumes every few months and adjust priorities.

Combine this with the methods in how to find long tail keywords to cover phrases Keyword Planner groups together.

Using the Get search volume and forecasts tool

The second main tool lets you paste a list of keywords you already have and see their volume ranges and trends. It is useful for checking a list from a brainstorm, a competitor review or Search Console before deciding which keywords deserve their own pages. Forecasts are built for advertisers, so focus on the historical metrics for SEO planning.

Keyword Planner tips for different countries

Step by step: your first Keyword Planner search

If you have never used the tool, this walk through gets you from a blank screen to a usable keyword list in about 15 minutes. We will use a dog grooming business in Austin as the example, but the steps are the same for any topic.

1. 1Sign in to Google Ads and choose Tools, then Planning, then Keyword Planner. If Google pushes you to create a campaign, look for the option to switch to expert mode and create an account without a campaign.
2. 2Click Discover new keywords and enter two to four seed terms, such as "dog grooming", "pet grooming" and "dog groomer".
3. 3Set the location to Austin, Texas, and the language to English. Leave search networks on Google only.
4. 4Press Get results and sort by Avg. monthly searches, high to low.
5. 5Use Refine keywords to remove brands and unrelated ideas, such as cat grooming if you only work with dogs.
6. 6Tick the ideas that match your services and add them to a plan, or download the list as a CSV for your spreadsheet.

Use a competitor page as your seed

The Start with a website option is one of the most underused parts of Keyword Planner. Paste in a competitor URL and Google suggests keywords it thinks that page or site is relevant for. It does not show their rankings, but it does show the topics Google links to them.

Choose Use only this page when you want ideas for one service page, and Use the entire site when you are planning a full site structure. Run it on two or three rivals and you will usually find a handful of services or questions your site does not cover yet.

Group Keyword Planner ideas into topic clusters

A raw export can hold 500 rows. You do not need 500 pages. Group keywords that share the same intent, so one strong page can rank for the whole group. This is the same process our keyword research team uses before any content is written.

Keyword Planner groups some close variants for you, so "dog groomer" and "dog groomers" may share one volume. Treat those as one target rather than two.

Read top of page bids as a value signal

The bid columns are built for advertisers, but they are useful for SEO too. A high top of page bid means advertisers earn money from that click, which usually means the searcher is close to buying. Use bids to rank keywords by business value, not just by volume.

Turn Keyword Planner data into a content brief

A keyword list only helps when it becomes a page. Once you have a cluster, write a short brief before anyone starts writing.

1. 1Pick the primary keyword: usually the clearest term with the highest relevant volume.
2. 2List three to six secondary keywords from the same cluster to use in headings and body copy.
3. 3Search the primary keyword in Google and note what the top five results cover, their format and their length.
4. 4Add the questions people ask from People Also Ask and Keyword Planner question ideas.
5. 5Choose the page type: service page, product category or guide.
6. 6Set the internal links the page should send and receive.
7. 7Hand the brief to your writer or SEO content writing team.

Keyword Planner for online stores

eCommerce sites can use Keyword Planner to size product categories and find the words shoppers actually use. Shoppers often search with product attributes, such as size, color, material or use, and those modifiers make great category filters and collection pages.

Expert tips for better Keyword Planner results

Keyword Planner checklist

1. 1Set the right country, city and language before every search.
2. 2Use two to four focused seeds, plus one competitor URL.
3. 3Remove brands, jobs, free and other irrelevant ideas with Refine keywords.
4. 4Sort by volume, then scan bids for commercial value.
5. 5Group ideas into clusters by intent.
6. 6Map each cluster to one page so pages do not compete.
7. 7Check the monthly trend for seasonality.
8. 8Export the list and keep it with your SEO plan.

Keyword Planner vs Google Trends

Both tools are free and both come from Google, but they answer different questions. Keyword Planner estimates how many searches a keyword gets. Google Trends shows how interest in a topic changes over time and across regions, on a scale of 0 to 100, without giving real volumes.

Use them together. Find and size keywords in Keyword Planner, then check the strongest candidates in Trends to see whether interest is rising, flat or fading. A keyword with solid volume but a steady five year decline is a weaker bet than a smaller keyword that keeps growing.

For local businesses, the city view in Trends is handy for spotting which nearby areas show the most interest, which helps you decide where to build location pages first.

Free alternatives that pair well with Keyword Planner