Choosing the right keywords for Google Ads can be a daunting task. Selecting the wrong keywords could lead to wasted ad spend. Therefore, keyword research is a crucial step in running a successful PPC campaign on search engines.
Google Ads, a leading PPC platform, offers a built-in feature for keyword research called Google Keyword Planner, which you can use for free. Want to learn how to use Google Keyword Planner? Let’s dive into this guide!
What is Google Keyword Planner?
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool integrated within Google Ads, designed for keyword research. It’s beneficial for both paid search campaigns (PPC) and organic strategies (SEO). To access this tool, you’ll need a Google Ads account.
One of the main advantages of Google Keyword Planner, besides being free, is that it utilizes Google’s own data, providing insights directly from the source.
Benefits of Using Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner offers several key advantages:
- Free to Use: Google Keyword Planner is completely free; there are no subscription fees.
- Keyword Ideas: It provides suggestions for new keywords relevant to your business or objectives.
- Monthly Search Volume: The tool reveals the average monthly search volume for chosen keywords.
- Cost Estimation: Keyword Planner estimates the average cost you might spend on ads if you target specific keywords in your search campaigns.
- Keyword Grouping: It allows you to organize your keyword selections into categories related to your business.
- Targeted Campaigns: With Keyword Planner, you can create more targeted campaigns by identifying strong keywords that are likely to attract your intended audience. Keep in mind that campaign success depends on various factors, including ad costs, product quality, and understanding your buyer persona.
How Does Google Keyword Planner Work?
To access Keyword Planner, ensure you are using Expert Mode in Google Ads. It’s not accessible in Smart Mode, which is designed for simplified Smart Campaigns.
Make sure your Google Ads account setup is complete, including billing information. To explore the tool, you only need to set up a campaign without actively running it.
How to Use Google Keyword Planner: A Step-by-Step Guide
Here are 7 steps to effectively use Google Keyword Planner:
#1 Access Google Ads
Click ‘Get Started’ and log in to your Google account. If you already have a Google Ads account, you’ll see a list of Google Ads accounts to choose from. If you’re new to Google Ads, you can create a new account.
#2 Navigate to “Tools” and Select “Keyword Planner”
In your Google Ads dashboard, find the “Tools” menu, usually located in the top right corner. Click on it, and then select “Keyword Planner” from the dropdown options.
You will be presented with two primary options:
- Discover new keywords: This option helps you find new keyword ideas to reach people interested in your products or services.
- Get search volume and forecasts: This option allows you to check search volumes and historical metrics for keywords you’re already considering, along with future performance forecasts.
#3 Utilizing “Discover new keywords”
This option is ideal when you’re looking for fresh keyword ideas. You can start in two ways:
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Start with keywords
Choosing this feature requires you to enter words or phrases that describe your business’s products or services (e.g., “shirts” or “men’s shirts”). This lets you access Google’s internal keyword database across various industries.
Tip: You can input multiple keywords here. Just separate each keyword with a comma and press enter. For example, if you sell car accessories, you could enter terms like ‘car phone holder’ and ‘car air freshener’ in the search box. Ensure the keywords are relevant to your business offerings.
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Start with a website
Use this feature to get keyword ideas from a website that offers similar products or services to yours.
Within this feature, you have two search options: (1) Use the Entire Site: Keyword Planner will scan the entire website for keywords, and (2) Use Only This Page: Keyword Planner will only extract keywords from the specific URL you provide.
After selecting your method, click ‘Get Results,’ and Google Keyword Planner will display a range of keyword suggestions for your consideration.
#4 Using “Get search volume and forecasts”
This option is most useful if you already have a keyword list and want to check their search volumes. It does not generate new keyword ideas. To use it, copy and paste your keyword list into the search field, or upload a list in .csv format, then click ‘Get Started’.
You’ll see similar keyword results as with the “Discover New Keywords” feature, but here, you only get data for the keywords you provided. Google will also predict the potential clicks and impressions these keywords might generate.
#5 Filtering and Sorting Keyword Lists
At the top of the keyword results page, you’ll find four targeting options: location, language, search networks, and date range.
- Locations: Select the geographic areas you’re targeting for your marketing efforts.
- Language: Choose the language relevant to your keywords.
- Search networks: Decide whether to target only Google Search or include Google search partners. Including search partners like YouTube can broaden your reach. It’s generally recommended to start with just ‘Google’.
- Date range: Select a specific time period or leave it at the default 12 months to see historical trends.
Further refine your results with filters. Here are some useful filters:
- Keyword: Filter results to include or exclude keywords containing specific words or phrases. For example, if you sell only electric car scanners, you might use ‘doesn’t contain’ and enter ‘manual’ to filter out keywords related to manual scanners.
- Competition: This indicates how competitive ad placement is for a keyword, based on your selected location and Search Network options. You can filter for keywords with low, medium, or high competition, which is particularly useful for PPC campaigns. Competition level—low, medium, or high—is determined by the bidding activity for each keyword relative to all keywords across Google. A dash (-) indicates insufficient data. Remember, this “Competition” score is for Google Ads competition, not organic search competition (SEO).
- Exclude Keywords in My Account: This filter removes keywords you’re already using in your Google Ads account.
- Exclude Adult Ideas: This filter removes keywords associated with adult content.
- Avg. Monthly Searches: Filter keywords by search volume. It’s wise to filter out keywords with very low search volume unless they are highly specific and valuable to your niche.
- Ad Impression Share: This is your ad impressions divided by the estimated eligible impressions. It helps identify keyword opportunities for more impressions and clicks, relevant to Google Ads, not SEO.
- Top of Page Bid: This shows the estimated cost to have your ad appear at the top of the page for a keyword. If you target buyer-intent keywords, you can set bid ranges accordingly.
#6 Analyzing Keyword Lists in “Keyword Ideas”
After filtering, analyze the keyword list under “Keyword Ideas.” Key terms include:
- Keyword (by relevance): Keywords Google deems most relevant to your initial keywords or website URL.
- Avg. monthly searches: The average frequency people search for the keyword and similar terms, based on your location, date range, and Search Network settings.
- Competition: Again, this refers to Google Ads competition—the number of advertisers bidding on that keyword. For small businesses, filtering for medium to low competition keywords is often advisable as they tend to have lower suggested bids, allowing for more effective budget use.
- Three month change: Shows the three-month change in search trends, comparing the latest month’s data to two months prior (e.g., November compared to September).
- Top of Page Bid: Higher bids generally indicate more valuable traffic.
#7 Selecting the Most Relevant Keywords for Your Business
Now that you understand each feature in Keyword Planner, the final step is to select keywords relevant to your business.
Using ‘Discover new keywords’ is often the best approach for finding new keywords in Google Keyword Planner.
Start by identifying keywords that are neither too broad nor too specific but accurately describe your products.
For example, if you sell car diagnostic tools, avoid overly broad keywords like ‘tools’ or too specific ones like ‘professional OBD2 scanner with live data for European cars’. Instead, a keyword like ‘OBD2 scanner’ strikes a good balance. After entering your initial keyword, click ‘Get Started’.
Tips for Using Google Keyword Planner
Optimize your keyword selection with these tips:
#1 Leverage Filters for Budget and Audience Optimization
As discussed, Google Keyword Planner offers various filters. Use them to target the right audience and optimize your budget.
While filters are useful for refining keyword lists, avoid over-filtering initially. As you become more familiar with industry keywords and filtering options, you’ll discover the most effective filters for your business needs.
#2 Bidding on Branded Keywords
Branded keywords are phrases directly related to your brand, products, and services. These can be found through social media and search engine analysis.
There are three types of branded keywords: (1) Brand Name: e.g., ‘YourBrand’, (2) Product Name: e.g., ‘YourProduct Model X’, (3) Misspellings: e.g., common misspellings of your brand name.
Why bid on your own branded keywords? Here are several reasons:
- Increase Brand Visibility: Enhance your brand’s chances of appearing multiple times on the search results page (SERP), dominating search results.
- Control Your Messaging: Manage the information displayed about your brand in search results, attracting more visitors to your website. For example, highlight promotions or special offers.
- Reduce Competitor Visibility: Minimize the chances of competitors appearing for searches of your brand name, which can happen if they bid on your branded keywords.
- Cost-Effective: Branded keywords are typically low cost. If your brand is recognized, using branded keywords can lead to high CTR and Quality Scores at a lower bid price.
- Boost Conversions: Branded keywords often attract users already familiar with your products, making them more likely to convert. They might be repeat customers or have heard positive reviews.
#3 Steal Keyword Ideas from Competitors
Identify keywords your competitors are using by entering their website URL into Keyword Planner and using the “Start with a website” option.
#4 Set Location Targeting
Google Keyword Planner’s location filter is highly granular, from country to city level. This is invaluable, especially if you run PPC ads targeting local audiences.
#5 Utilize Negative Keywords
Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for specific search terms. Your ads won’t appear to anyone searching for those phrases.
This is crucial for eliminating irrelevant keywords. For instance, if you only sell adult-sized car scanners and use ‘car scanner’ as a keyword, you might find keywords like ‘toy car scanner’. Add ‘toy’ as a negative keyword to prevent your ads from showing for these irrelevant searches.
That’s how to use Google Keyword Planner. Now you can confidently research keywords for your Google Ads campaigns.
Remember to use filters, leverage branded keywords, eliminate irrelevant keywords with negative keywords, and explore competitor keywords. The more you explore keywords in Google Keyword Planner, the more proficient you’ll become at finding the right keywords for your business!
