How to Use Google Keyword Planner in 2026: The Complete Guide

What Is Google Keyword Planner?

Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool available within the Google Ads platform. It shows the search terms people enter into Google, estimates how often those terms are searched, and reveals how much advertisers pay for clicks on ads using those terms.

Although Keyword Planner is designed primarily for PPC keyword research (finding keywords for Google Search ads), it's equally valuable for SEO keyword research—helping you discover terms to target on your website.

Step 1: Access Keyword Planner

You can access Keyword Planner inside your Google Ads account. You don't need to run an active ad campaign to use the tool, but you do need to enter billing details to unlock full access.

Setup Process

1. Log in or create a Google Ads account
2. Switch to Expert mode: If you're in Smart Mode, click "Settings" in the top right navigation menu and select "Switch to Expert Mode." You're already in Expert mode if the "Settings" icon is absent from the navigation menu.
3. Link Google Search Console: Connect your Google Search Console and Google Ads accounts for additional keyword data and insights.
4. Navigate to Keyword Planner: Go to "Tools" > "Planning" > "Keyword Planner."

Step 2: Find New Search Queries

To discover keyword ideas, select "Discover new keywords" in Keyword Planner. You can start your research in two ways:

Option A: Start with a Website

Enter a URL, and the tool will scan the page or domain for keyword ideas. This works with your own website or competitors' sites.

Competitor Analysis Workflow:

1. Click "Start with a website"
2. Enter your competitor's URL
3. Select "Use the entire site"
4. Click "Get results"

This reveals which keywords Google associates most strongly with your competition—meaning these terms are likely relevant to your business as well.

Option B: Start with Keywords

Enter a few seed terms, and Google will suggest related keywords. You can also enter your website's URL to automatically filter out unrelated keywords.

Keyword Planner displays a list of related keywords along with metrics including:

• Average monthly searches: Estimated search volume
• Three-month change: Helps spot declining or growing terms
• Competition: Shows how many advertisers are bidding on the term

Because Keyword Planner gives you terms closely related to your initial input, the suggestion list may be narrower compared to other keyword research platforms. This focused approach can be advantageous when you want highly relevant terms rather than broad exploration.

Step 3: Filter Your Terms

Use filters within Keyword Planner to focus on the most relevant terms you're likely to rank for or convert with.

Applying Filters

Click "Add filter" and select your criteria. Available filters include:

• Competition level (Low, Medium, High)
• Keyword text inclusion/exclusion
• Average monthly search volume ranges
• Top of page bid ranges

Practical Example: Excluding Irrelevant Terms

If you sell real leather handbags and want to exclude synthetic alternatives:

1. Select the "Keyword" filter
2. Enter the term "faux"
3. Select "Semantic Match" to exclude keywords with similar meanings

Click "Refine keywords" for further filtering options. Deselect any terms that aren't relevant to your inventory—such as specific colors or styles you don't carry.

Step 4: Analyze Search Volumes

Analyze search volumes to identify terms that might send you the most traffic via ads or organic content.

Understanding Volume Data

Look at the "Avg. monthly searches" column. Keyword Planner search volume data is typically shown in broad ranges (like 100-1K) instead of exact numbers. This makes it harder to compare keywords precisely or forecast traffic accurately.

Volume Comparison Reality

In comparative analysis of 100 keywords:

Relying solely on Google's search volume ranges may cause you to prioritize the wrong keywords and miss traffic opportunities. Use Keyword Planner as a starting point, then validate with additional data sources.

Step 5: Compare Competition

Compare keyword competition to determine which terms you can realistically compete for—whether through paid ads or organic rankings.

For PPC Campaigns

Check the "Competition" and "Top of page bid" columns:

Combine this competition data with search volume to understand cost vs. potential reach.

For Organic SEO

To understand how competitive a keyword is to rank for organically, you'll need to supplement Keyword Planner with additional tools that provide:

• Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD%) metrics for your specific site
• Domain authority comparisons
• Backlink profile analysis of current top-ranking pages

A lower difficulty score means you stand a better chance of securing a top organic result.

Step 6: Forecast PPC Keywords

Use Keyword Planner's forecast feature to estimate how your ads might perform, helping you focus on the most effective terms.

Running a Forecast

1. Click "Get search volumes and forecasts"
2. Enter or upload your keywords
3. Click "Get started"
4. Navigate to the "Forecast" tab

Google uses data including historical performance (if you've run ads previously), seasonality, and your budget to provide estimates for:

• Conversions
• Clicks
• Ad costs
• Click-through rates

Adjust criteria like your bid strategy or match type to see which adjustments lead to more conversions and ultimately, a better return on investment (ROI).

Additional Insights to Refine Your Strategy

Using additional insights helps you refine your keyword list and prioritize terms for content and ads.

Understanding Search Intent

Categorize keywords by searcher intent to align your content strategy:

Identifying SERP Features

Check whether keywords trigger SERP features like featured snippets or AI Overviews, which may shape how you write your content or whether you decide to run ads.

Cost-Per-Click Analysis

Use the CPC column to find keywords that fit your ad budget. High CPC keywords often indicate strong commercial intent but may require larger budgets to compete effectively.

Conclusion: Building a Complete Keyword Strategy

Google Keyword Planner remains a valuable free tool for discovering keyword ideas, understanding search volumes, and forecasting PPC performance. However, its limitations—particularly around data precision without active ad spend—mean it works best as part of a broader keyword research toolkit.

Best practices for 2026:

• Use Keyword Planner for initial keyword discovery and Google-specific insights
• Validate volume data with additional research tools for precise numbers
• Filter aggressively to focus on terms relevant to your business
• Combine competition data with difficulty metrics from other platforms
• Use forecasts to inform budget decisions, but treat them as estimates
• Extend your research to include AI prompt optimization for agentic search