Google Keyword Planner is a free tool inside Google Ads that shows what people search for and roughly how often. It was built for advertisers, but it's just as useful for planning SEO content. Here's how to set it up, use it well and avoid the common mistakes.
Step 1: Get access
- Go to Google Ads and sign in with your Google account.
- If you're asked to create a campaign, look for the option to switch to Expert Mode, then choose to create an account without a campaign.
- Confirm your billing country, time zone and currency (India, INR). You don't need to run ads.
- Open Tools, then Planning, then Keyword Planner.
Without active ad spend, Google shows search volumes as ranges, such as 1K–10K, rather than exact numbers. That's still enough to compare keywords.
Step 2: Discover new keywords
Choose Discover new keywords. You can start in two ways:
- Start with keywords: enter up to ten words or phrases related to your products or services, such as "content writing services" and "blog writing".
- Start with a website: enter a competitor's URL or a specific page to see keywords Google associates with it.
Set the location (India, or a specific city such as Mumbai) and language before you run the search. Location matters: search volumes for local services vary a lot by city.
Step 3: Read the results
- Average monthly searches: how often the keyword is searched, as a range.
- Three-month and year-on-year change: whether interest is rising or falling.
- Competition: how many advertisers bid on it. This is about ads, not how hard it is to rank organically.
- Top-of-page bid ranges: what advertisers pay per click. High bids usually signal commercial intent, so these keywords are often valuable for SEO too.
Step 4: Refine and group
- Use Refine keywords to filter by brand, product type or other attributes.
- Exclude irrelevant terms such as "free", "jobs" or "course" if they don't fit your business.
- Group keywords by topic or service. Each group usually becomes one page or article.
- Download the list to Google Sheets or Excel for planning.
Step 5: Check search volume and forecasts
If you already have a list, choose Get search volume and forecasts and paste it in. This is useful for comparing options, such as "SEO company" vs "SEO agency", before choosing which to target on a page.
Turning keywords into an SEO plan
- Match intent: decide whether each keyword signals learning, comparing or buying, and plan the right page type. Our SEO content best practices explain search intent.
- Check the results page: search the keyword yourself and see what ranks. If it's all big brands or marketplaces, consider a more specific variation.
- Look at competitors: enter competitor URLs to find keywords they rank for that you don't cover. That's a content gap.
- Assign one main keyword per page, with related terms as secondary keywords, to avoid pages competing with each other.
- Prioritise by business value first, then volume and difficulty.
Limitations to keep in mind
- Volumes are rounded ranges, and similar keywords are often grouped together.
- The competition score is for ads, not organic difficulty.
- Very new or niche terms may show little or no data, even when real people search for them.
Combine Keyword Planner with Google Search Console (what you already rank for), Google autocomplete and "People also ask" for a fuller picture. Our post on SEO tools covers other options.
FAQs
Is Google Keyword Planner really free?
Yes. You need a Google Ads account, but you don't have to spend money. Exact volumes are only shown to accounts with active campaigns.
Is it accurate enough for SEO?
It's good for comparing keywords and spotting demand. Treat the numbers as directional rather than exact.
How often should we do keyword research?
Do a full review when planning a new site or content calendar, and refresh it every six to twelve months.
Want a keyword strategy built for you? Our SEO services start with research into what your customers search for and what it's worth. Read our SEO guide, or ask for a free SEO assessment.