Google Keyword Planner Tutorial

How To Use Google Keyword Planner Tool Tutorial

Table of Contents

What is the Google Ads Keyword Planner Tool

A In-Depth Google Keyword Planner App Tutorial

One of Several Adwords Tutorials we Provide to Help With PPC Campaigns

 

The Free Google Keyword Planner tool (previously called the Google adwords keyword planner which served as an:

  • Adwords Keyword Suggestion Tool
  • Keyword Selection Tool
  • Google Keyword Lookup Tool
  • Google Adwords Keyword Price Checker
  • Google Adwords Keyword Grouper Tool
  • Keyword Cluster Tool
  • Google Keyword Analyzer Tool
  • Google Keyword Analysis Report Tool

(among many functions) is a new Search Engine keyword research tool you can use as a keyword discovery tool.  You can also use it to create a keyword list and to find keyword search volume and other related performance data for search terms to use on the Google Search Network.   It can help you develop a better SEO strategy.  Because of the way you conduct a search with it, it helps you find your target audience with very precise keywords.  To a lesser degree, it also provides insight on keywords for the Google Display Network and the App Store. 

 

Keyword Value Calculator

 

One of the key benefits of keyword planner is that it also provides a good idea about Google Keyword Pricing, or at least provides a pricing range you can expect to pay. 

 

Google Keyword Recommendation Tool

 

These keywords can then be used to help you build out your Google display ads.  When you combine information about keyword rankings using feedback from the search engines, you can work to improve the keyword rank of those keywords you most want to get clicks on. 

 

Google Ads Preview and Diagnosis Tool

 

Screenshot 2023-02-23 at 7.56.29 AM

 

After you build your target keyword lists, you can also use Google ads preview and diagnosis tool to evaluate your ads, the associated ads and their expected performance to further enhance their performance.

Google Adwords Keyword Tool

You can also use this as search engine keyword tool.  The keywords you can discover using the Keyword Planner Tool can and should be used to create search ads, Ad Copy and to help you create ad extensions.  The Google Adwords Keyword Preview Tool also allows you create your ads and see how they will look right within the Google Ads tool.  You can also see Google Ads Previews in the Google Editor, the power tool for Google Ads experts.

 

 

Provides Customer Insights

 

As part of the Google Marketing Platform, you can then use this handy keyword search term tool to synthesize all of this information into a keyword plan using Google's own data.

 

What is the Google Adword Keyword Tool Used For?

 

It's great for finding seed keywords. It also provides the Google Keyword Suggest function to make your life easier.  It is one of the Google adword keyword planner tools you're going to want to learn about if you hope to set and stay within a set advertising budget.

 

SEO Tools 

 

It also can serve as Google adsense keyword planner.  Using it, you can find Google Keyword Volumes on Google and ensure your landing page(s) are properly SEO optimized for the keywords you are most likely to trigger an adwords ad with.

 

How to Find Best Google Keywords

The Google adsense keyword tool  can also let you see what the likely CPCs are going to be on targeted keywords.  This information is critical to structuring your page around the highest yielding keywords.  The Google Keyword Builder is also a Google Keyword Demand Tool.  You can see how many searches there are for each keyword over time, and see season demand variations as well.

 

Use it as Adwords Audit Tool

Because you can use it to read your site or an individual page, it also provides a handy capability to perform an ads account audit.  This allows you to see which words that Google thinks are relevant to your site are already in your Google Keyword Plan.

 

 

Accessing the Google Keyword Analysis Tool

 

One way you can access the Google search term tool is from within your Google Adwords Account (you can set up a Google Accounts for Free, though they do want credit card information if you plan on running a campaign, such as a Discovery Campaign) under the tools menu as shown below.  You cannot use the keyword planner without an adwords account, but you don't have to pay anything to set one up.  It is possible to use the google keyword planner without having a campaign setup, for example, to perform keyword research for search ads or even for Apple Search Ads.  In the later case, the keyword costs will be different. In the case of Apple Ads, you should use the Apple search ads keyword tool.

 

Keyword Planner Login

 

This is your easy google keyword planner login. Once you click on the little wrench icon, a mega-menu displays and the Google Key Word Planner access menu appears on the far left side as shown.

Google Keyword Planner Menu Access

 

Once you click the Keyword Planner menu item, you will then be taken to this screen:

 

KP 2

 

Most of the time, if you are using the Google Keyword Planner tool for the first time to develop your keyword list for search campaigns, you will click where the keyword tool says Discover new keywords. When you do that, you will be taken to this screen:

 

KP 3B

 

How to Use Google Keyword Planner for SEO

 

If you have absolutely no idea which keywords you want to study, then you may want to take a look at another similar website.  In which case, you should click where it says "Start with a Website":

 

KP 3C

 

Google Keyword Scan

When you select the 'Start with a Website', you click the button and it will conduct a keyword scan of the target site and come back with words it 'thinks' the site is about.  In other words, it's a Google adwords keyword finder tool. You can use use the Google keyword planner to identify top performing keywords before you spend a dime on ads. 

 

Google Analytics

 

It is also a powerful Google keyword analytics tool, which is integrated right within the google keyword analyzer tool, as you can see in the next image.  For existing accounts, you can often use this tool in conjunction with Google Analytics to find out which terms people are already using when they find your site.

 

Regardless of which of these two screens you use, you will end up on a Google Keyword Planner page that looks something like this one:

 

KP 3

 

This is a great place to see whether your page has any keywords of interest to Google, and thus whether your page will receive a low or high quality score.

 

Google Keyword Estimator and Search Volume

 

There's a lot going on here.  You see a search volume broken down both by month and by mobile device.  You are also offered up other keyword ideas above the chart.  Below the chart, you can get detailed search volume break-downs as shown:

 

Keyword CPC Prices

 

Please notice the Google ads keyword suggestions offered up just below the search box.  These are keywords Google is urging you to add to your keyword list.

Adwords Keyword Grouping Tool

 

The first thing you will notice is that the google ads keyword generator system has grouped your keywords by relevance, and this is a key element to successful and profitable keyword planning.  I've expanded out the keyword groups first so that you can see data for each individual keyword within the group.  Though you can modify the displayed columns to include other data, we're going to stick to the ones shown for now:
  

  • Average Monthly Searches
  • Competition
  • Ad Impression Share
  • Top of Page Bid (Low Range)
  • Top of Page Bid (High Range)
  • Account Status

Google Adwords Keyword Tracker Account Status

Keyword Checker Tool Built In

One of the first things you might notice (if you're working on an established Google Ads account) is the Account Status Column.  If you notice a little flag that says 'In Account', it means the keyword is already in your Google Ads Account, however, it may or may not be assigned to a campaign.  If you want to add a keyword to your account, you can do it in this column by clicking.  It is also how you can delete keywords in adwords - it is actually one of several entry points into this process.

 

Screen Shot 2022-09-19 at 6.55.56 PM

 

Thinking About Your Adwords Campaign Using This Data

Using the data shown, you can begin to make some decisions about both which long tail keywords you want to target using the adword keyword planner and how much you can expect to spend to get the click on any one of them.  One of the toughest choices you will need to make is about competition. Here the keyword planner tool also provides a lot of help.

What Does the Keyword Planner Competition Number Mean?

"Competition" shows how competitive ad placement is for a keyword, specific to the location and Search Network targeting options that you've selected. The level of competition—low, medium, or high— is determined by the number of advertisers bidding on each keyword relative to all keywords across Google. If they don't have enough data, you'll see a dash (-).

 

Deciding on Competition Based Bid Strategy

 

Higher competition is more expensive to bid on, while lower competition is cheaper.  But it may well be that the higher competition keywords are the ones you need to target.

 

This is How You Use Adwords To Find Keywords for SEO  

 

These keyword results are also a good place to work on your website's information architecture.  That's a fancy way of saying figuring out what each page should be about on your website.  It takes considerable time (think weeks) to do this using the keyword research tool, develop website pages that take advantage of this information and to set up ad-groups and write effective ads that target each keyword.  But if you want to achieve profitable Google PPC Advertising results, it's work that has to be done by highly skilled people who can tie the information together from all the various information sources.

How To Leverage Your Competition

But what if I had wanted to use the search by website functionality?  In the next screen, I decided to take a look at healthcare.gov, which is the government's website for the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare.  You can learn a lot from this one just by glancing at it. 

 

First off, there is clear seasonality in the search volume data.   You can see large spikes during the government's Open Enrollment period, yet there is significant search volume during the rest of the year.  However, the overall search volume isn't really that high.  But notice I focused the results down to Texas.  You do this by using the locations button on the left.

 

KP 3D

What about if I want to target a particular geographic location?

KP 6 Location

 

Here I've taken the keyword location search a step further to focus on Dallas, Texas.  Notice it now shows you something called 'Reach'.  Reach is interesting.  It means how many people are in or interested in, Dallas, Texas.  The 'interested in' part is somewhat vague.  But when you are running ads, you sometimes see visitors who are not in your target area showing up.  It's possibly someone who briefly passed through Dallas or any number of other events would add them to this count.  If you truly want to target your ads to people who are actually in your target location, Google Adwords offer much more granular targeting and exclusion possibilities.  

Who Can Use Google Keyword Planner

Google's Keyword Planner tool can be used by anyone, but these days, in order to access the free Google Keyword Planner, it pretty much forces you to at least set up a Google Adwords Account, but you don't have to create an ad.  They want you most of the way down their sales funnel in exchange for using this information.

 

Google Search Console Can Also Help

While the Google Keyword Planner tool can allow you to quickly find target keywords, if you already have a site with some traffic on it, you should also consider using the Google Search Console, another free Google tool, in conjunction with Google's keyword planner tool.

Google Search Console or GSC, will tell you which keywords Google thinks the page is about, and you may find that there is a vast difference between what you thought the page was about, what GSC is showing that Google thinks it is about and what the Google Keyword Planner thinks it is or should be about.  

This provides an excellent SEO improvement roadmap.

 

How Do I Estimate My Google Adwords Adspend Performance

If you're like most businesses, you need to know in advance what you're going to spend on Google Adwords and what you should expect from this adspend.  That's why we've developed this calculator to help you estimate your Google Adwords Performance which will allow you to quickly estimate what your CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) will be.  This is how much it will cost you to make a sale and is different from what is commonly called a keyword calculator.  

How Do I Estimate my Google Adspend ROI

Glad you asked.  We've also built this Google Adspend ROI calculator which is based on Google's ROI formula and sample data. Of course, you can use your own numbers here and get your expected results in real time.

Can I Get Help With Google PPC Management 

Yes, of course.  And we would be glad to help.  We've handled everything from initial account setup to major, multi-million dollar ad campaigns on behalf of our clients.  We combine our knowledge of Inbound Marketing and Google PPC to drive profitable results.

 

Get Google PPC Adspend  Management Services

 

Topics from this blog:
Google Keyword Planner

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Lonnie Ayers

About the Author: Lonnie Ayers is a Hubspot Certified Inbound Marketing consultant, with additional certifications in Hubspot Content Optimization, Hubspot Contextual Marketing, and is a Hubspot Certified Partner. Specialized in demand generation and sales execution, especially in the SAP, Oracle and Microsoft Partner space, he has unique insight into the tough challenges Service Providers face with generating leads and closing sales using the latest digital tools. With 15 years of SAP Program Management experience, and dozens of complex sales engagements under his belt, he helps partners develop and communicate their unique sales proposition. Frequently sought as a public speaker in various events, he is available for both inhouse engagements and remote coaching.
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He also recently released a book "How to Dominate Any Market - Turbocharging Your Digital Marketing and Sales Results", which is available on Amazon.

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