Google Keyword Planner Review
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that allows you to research the monthly search volume of keywords and their historical data.
Keyword Planner's Primary Features
- Research monthly search volume
- Get cpc forecasts
- Segment by countries and languages
- Access historical data
- Understand competitiveness of keywords
What Google's Keyword Planner Does Well
- Monthly search volume gives you an insight into the popularity of an interesting keyword
- Historical data shows how interest in a topic is developing
- The CPC forecasts allow you to understand the likely cost of bidding on a keyword
- You can segment search volume by country and language
- You receive a ton of new keyword ideas
What the Keyword Planner Doesn't Do Well
- You need to run a campaign in order to get somewhat precise data
- The tool is quite buggy
- CPC forecasts are more like an educated guess than an actual forecast
Is Google Keyword Planner accurate?
This is the biggest benefit of using a keyword tool straight from Google — the data is extremely accurate.
They are pulling it from their servers, after all.
How to Use Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner gives you two options to get started, which are:
- Find keywords: Get keyword ideas that can help you reach people interested in your product or service;
- Get search volume and forecasts: See search volume and other historical metrics for your keywords, as well as forecasts for how they might perform in the future.
Both options take you to the Keyword Plan, but what you see will vary slightly depending on your choice. These are not two separate standalone tools.
Let’s explore each starting point in more detail.
“Find keywords”
Do you want to discover new keyword ideas? Start here.
As per Google’s instructions, just “Enter words, phrases, or a URL related to your business.” Google will then kick back some keyword suggestions.
“Get search volume and forecasts”
Do you already have a list of keywords that you wish to see metrics for? Start here.
Just paste them in, hit “Get started,” and it’ll take you to the Forecasts section.
There are no keyword suggestions here. It shows how many clicks and impressions you can expect should you decide to run ads for your chosen keywords on Google AdWords over the next 30 days. You’ll also see estimated costs, CTR, and CPC.
Most of this data is clearly aimed at AdWords advertisers. But here’s a quick trick:
Go to the “Historical Metrics” tab and you will see 12-month average search volumes for your keywords. These are the same ranges you see when starting with the “Find new keywords” option.
Evaluate your competitor's keywords
Scanning your competitor's sites with the Keyword Planner can help expand your list of search term ideas. You can also cross-reference the ideas from your site scan with your competitor's site scan, which can help you understand the competitive search landscape in your market.
Get your Keyword volume back using the Keywords Everywhere hack
We discussed how the Google Keyword Planner limits your access to data if you don't have any advertising history.
Well, If the GKP is showing you useless search volume ranges instead of specific keyword search estimates, there is a quick fix everyone can use. This workaround involves using a browser extension called Keywords Everywhere.
