Google Keyword Planner in 2027: How to Use It for SEO
beginner guide, checked 11 Nov 2026Alright, let’s sort this out, my friend. Google Keyword Planner shows how often people search a phrase and what advertisers pay for it. It was built for ads, so you read it with care for SEO. Here is how, step by step.
- made for ads
- read with care
- pair it with intent
// example data, to show the layout. The bars are not to scale. Real numbers differ by account and location.
What Is Google Keyword Planner?
Google Keyword Planner is a keyword research tool inside Google Ads. It shows estimates of how many searches a phrase gets and what it costs to advertise on it. It is useful for SEO as a rough guide, not as a scoreboard.
Google’s help page describes it as a tool that helps you find keywords related to your business and see estimates of the searches they receive and the cost to target them. A keyword, in plain words, is the phrase a person types into the search box.
Here is the catch beginners miss. The tool was designed for people who buy ads. Its columns measure ad competition and bid prices, not how hard it is to rank in the normal results. Plenty of SEO tutorials treat the “competition” column like an SEO difficulty score. It is not one, and I will show you why below.
Used well, it still earns its place. It gives you a quick sense of which phrases are searched often, which are rare, and which related phrases you forgot. For the full process, read keyword research for beginners.
What You Need Before You Start
You need a Google Ads account with account setup finished. Google’s help page says basic features like keyword ideas require you to complete setup by entering billing information.
That surprises people. You are not forced to run an ad, but the account has to exist and be set up. The page I read does not state whether using the tool costs anything, so I will not claim it is free. Read Google’s current terms for your country before you enter payment details.
Also know that Google has changed this tool over the years. Search Engine Land once reported that Google confirmed it shows broad ranges, not precise search volume, to accounts with lower monthly spend. That report is old, and I could not verify the current policy on Google’s help pages. So if your numbers show as ranges, that is likely why. Treat any single figure as an estimate.
it_gives_you
- Related keyword ideas
- Average monthly searches
- Ad competition label
- Top of page bid range
it_does_not_give_you
- SEO difficulty
- Search intent
- Guaranteed exact volume
- A ranking forecast
average over 12 months by default, incl. close variants
how many advertisers showed, labeled low, medium or high
about the 20th percentile of past bids
about the 80th percentile of past bids
uses the last 30 days, may be missing
// column meanings paraphrased from Google Ads Help.
How to Use Keyword Planner for SEO
Start with ideas from your own business, expand them with the tool, then filter and judge each phrase by intent. Six steps cover it.
Step 1: Open the Tool and Choose “Discover New Keywords”
Sign in to Google Ads, open the tools menu, and pick Keyword Planner. Google says you can get keyword ideas by entering words or a website related to your business. Choose that option, not the forecast one, which is for ad spend.
Step 2: Enter Seeds from Real Life
Type two to five phrases a customer would use, such as “roof repair tampa” or “fix a roof leak.” Add your own website if you have one. Avoid jargon only you use. If you run a local business, always include the city, because it changes the numbers a lot.
Step 3: Set the Location and Language
Google says the numbers depend on the month range, location, and network settings you select. Set the location to where your customers live. A Tampa roofer who leaves the setting on “all locations” reads numbers that mean nothing.
Step 4: Read the Results with the Right Eyes
Look at average monthly searches first. Google says this is the average searches for a keyword and its close variants, over 12 months by default. Then see the competition label, which Google defines as the number of advertisers that showed on a keyword compared with all keywords across Google. That tells you about ads. A phrase with low ad competition can still be hard to rank for, and the reverse is true, too.
Step 5: Judge Every Phrase by Intent
Ask what the person wants. “Roof repair tampa” signals a buyer. “How long does a roof last” signals a learner. Both are useful, but they need different pages. My guide to search intent explains how to tell them apart, and it matters more than volume.
Step 6: Shortlist and Map Each Keyword to One Page
Copy the best ten to twenty phrases into a sheet. Give each one a page, as covered in how to choose a focus keyword. Small sites usually win with narrow phrases. If you need more of those, read about long-tail keywords.
A Worked Example: Roofer in Tampa
The example roofer starts with four seeds, gets forty ideas, and keeps five. She drops the huge phrase, keeps the local ones, and adds one question for a blog post.
The broad phrase “roof repair” shows the biggest number, so it looks tempting. But it has no place in it, and national brands and directories fill that space. The tool lists it anyway, because it measures searches, not your chances. She picks “roof repair tampa” for the service page and “emergency roof repair tampa” for a page that gets the phone number above the fold.
She keeps “roof leak repair cost tampa” because it has a clear buying mood and almost no competition from big sites, in her judgment. All numbers here are example data, not a client result, and ranking is never guaranteed.
| keyword | searches | ad comp. | decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| roof repair | 12,000 | high | too broad |
| roof repair tampa | 880 | high | service page |
| emergency roof repair tampa | 140 | mid | call page |
| roof leak repair cost tampa | 90 | low | price guide |
| how long does a roof last in florida | 260 | low | blog post |
// example data. Green rows get a page; the crossed-out row is skipped.
Keyword Planner vs Other Free Sources
No single source tells the whole story. Keyword Planner estimates searches, Google Trends shows direction over time, and Search Console shows what already brings you visitors.
| Keyword Planner | Google Trends | Search Console | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Finding ideas and rough volume | Seasons and rising topics | What already works for you |
| Numbers | Average monthly searches | Relative, 0 to 100 | Your own clicks and impressions |
| Weak spot | Built for ads, may show ranges | No absolute volume | Needs existing traffic |
// my summary of what each tool is for. See Google Trends keyword research for the second column.
The Mistakes I See Most
The big ones are treating competition as SEO difficulty, chasing the biggest number, and ignoring location. Each has an easy fix.
Competition is not SEO difficulty. Google defines it as advertisers relative to all keywords. It says nothing about the pages ranking in the normal results. Fix: check the actual results for the phrase, and ask whether a small site like yours could realistically fit in.
Chasing the biggest number. High volume often means broad intent and giants on page one. Fix: favor narrower phrases with a clear need, and let the volume be a tie-breaker. It is the keyword equivalent of buying the biggest shoes in the shop because they are the biggest.
Wrong location. Numbers for a whole country do not describe a city. Fix: set the location to your service area before you read anything.
Ignoring seasonality. Google notes historical metrics do not account for seasonality, while forecasts do. A snow removal phrase averaged over 12 months hides the winter spike. Fix: check the shape of demand in Trends.
Trusting rounded numbers. Google says search volumes are rounded, so totals across locations may not add up. Fix: use the numbers to compare phrases, not to calculate revenue.
Do This, Never That
Use the tool for ideas and comparisons. Never let one column decide your page.
Smart Habits
- Set the right location first
- Start from real customer words
- Check the actual results page
- Map one keyword to one page
- Compare phrases, not totals
Costly Habits
- Read competition as SEO difficulty
- Pick keywords by volume alone
- Ignore what the searcher wants
- Treat ranges as exact numbers
- Stuff the phrase into every line
// my opinion, based on how Google defines the columns and on years of keyword work.
How to Check a Keyword Was a Good Pick
Publish the page, wait a few weeks, then see in Search Console whether the phrase brings impressions and clicks. Real data beats any estimate.
Open Search Console, go to Performance, and filter by the page. If the phrase shows impressions, you are on the map. If it shows impressions but no clicks, improve the title and description. If nothing appears after several weeks, check that the page is indexed. Google’s starter guide says you should wait a few weeks before judging whether a change helped, so do that.
Do not stop at one round. Each month, move your attention to phrases you almost won, and retire ones that never showed up. My piece on tracking SEO results gives a simple routine. And if you would rather have an expert build the list, I do keyword research inside every plan, as an affordable SEO specialist at €25 an hour. The home page explains my cheap SEO services in one screen.
Questions About Keyword Planner
Short answers first.
Is Google Keyword Planner free?
I could not verify this on the Google page I read. It says you need a Google Ads account with setup completed, including billing information, to use basic features. Check Google’s current terms before entering payment details.
Why does Keyword Planner show ranges instead of exact numbers?
Search Engine Land reported that Google confirmed it shows broad ranges to accounts with lower monthly spend. That report is old, so I cannot confirm today’s policy. Use the figure as an estimate either way.
Does the competition column show SEO difficulty?
No. Google defines it as the number of advertisers that showed on a keyword relative to all keywords, so it describes paid ads. To judge SEO difficulty, look at the pages that actually rank.
What does average monthly searches mean?
It is the average number of searches for a keyword and its close variants over the chosen period, which is 12 months by default. Location and network settings change it, and Google says volumes are rounded.
Is Keyword Planner enough for SEO?
No, use it with other sources. Add Search Console for what already works, Google Trends for timing, and a look at the live results for intent. One tool never tells the full story.
Want a Keyword List Built for You?
Tell me your business and city on WhatsApp and I will say which phrases I would start with. No form, no sales call.
// go on, my friend.
Sources and Last Check
- Google Ads Help: About Keyword Planner (what it does, account setup and billing information)
- Google Ads Help: About historical metrics (average monthly searches, competition, bid ranges, rounding, seasonality)
- Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide (wait a few weeks to assess changes)
- Search Engine Land: Google confirms Keyword Planner data ranges for lower-spending accounts (older trade report, not Google’s own page)
// last checked 11 Nov 2026. Example data is labelled. Opinions are marked as opinions.