Google Keyword Planner

What is Google Keyword Planner?

The Google Keyword Planner is primarily aimed at advertisers, enabling them to estimate potential traffic and costs associated with specific keywords and campaigns. It allows users to forecast how much visibility and traffic they might achieve within a given budget, helping to plan and refine pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns effectively. Although it requires a valid Google Ads account, the tool’s keyword research functionalities are also widely used in SEO to identify high-value keywords and optimise content for better organic search performance.

Key Functions of Google Keyword Planner

The Google Keyword Planner is divided into two main sections:

Keyword Research: This section is dedicated to discovering new keyword ideas and assessing search volumes, competition levels, and trends. It is especially valuable for SEO professionals looking to refine their content strategy.

Advertising Campaign Planning: This section allows advertisers to input a selection of keywords, set bids, and receive traffic forecasts, making it easier to estimate the potential return on investment (ROI) for specific keywords and campaigns.

For SEO purposes, the focus is primarily on the first section, where the tool’s keyword research capabilities can be fully leveraged.

Using Google Keyword Planner for SEO

Even though the Google Keyword Planner is designed with advertisers in mind, it is an indispensable tool for anyone involved in SEO or content creation. Here’s how you can use it to optimise your content:

Finding New Keywords

Google Keyword Planner allows you to discover new keyword ideas based on word groups, URLs, or categories. For instance, if you manage a webshop specialising in “eco-friendly cleaning products” but are uncertain which additional terms could enhance your SEO, you can enter this main keyword into the planner. The tool will generate a list of related keywords and categorise them into potential ad groups, offering ideas for expanding your keyword strategy.

Example: A content creator working on an article about “digital marketing strategies” might input this phrase into the Keyword Planner. The tool might suggest related terms like “social media marketing,” “content marketing tips,” and “SEO techniques,” which can be strategically incorporated into the content to enhance its relevance and search engine visibility.

Analysing Search Volume and Trends

For websites focused on commercial success, understanding the search volume and trends of keywords is crucial. The Google Keyword Planner helps you identify high-traffic keywords and uncover niche markets with lower competition, which can be essential for developing a successful SEO strategy.

Example: An e-commerce site selling “handcrafted jewellery” might find that while the competition for “custom jewellery” is high, there is a growing trend in searches for “ethical jewellery brands,” presenting an opportunity to target this niche.

Combining Keyword Lists

The Keyword Planner allows you to upload two lists of keywords, which the tool then combines to generate new long-tail keyword ideas. These suggestions can be particularly useful for optimising product pages or blog posts.

Example: A website selling “organic skincare products” might combine keywords like “organic face cream” and “natural ingredients” to discover new long-tail keywords such as “organic face cream with natural ingredients,” which could be targeted in product descriptions or blog content.

Advanced Filtering Options

Google Keyword Planner includes advanced filtering options, allowing you to exclude irrelevant keywords and focus only on those most likely to benefit your SEO strategy. This feature is particularly valuable in search engine marketing (SEM) to increase the efficiency of ad campaigns, but it is equally useful in SEO for refining keyword research.

Example: If you are optimising content for a local business in “London,” you can use filters to focus on keywords that include geographical terms, helping you tailor your SEO efforts more effectively to your target audience.

Limitations of Google Keyword Planner for SEO

While the Google Keyword Planner offers valuable insights, it is important to be aware of its limitations:

Imprecise Traffic Data: The tool provides estimates rather than precise traffic data, and the accuracy of this data may be influenced by the volume of your ad spend. After a recent update, the precision of the data has decreased, making it less reliable for SEO purposes if used in isolation.

Limited to Advertised Keywords: The keyword suggestions are primarily based on terms used in paid Google Ads campaigns. As a result, certain long-tail keywords or less competitive search terms may not be covered. For more comprehensive keyword research, it’s advisable to supplement Google Keyword Planner with tools like Google Trends, Searchmetrics, or the Google Suggest function.

Lack of Question-Based Keywords: The Keyword Planner often lacks insight into the questions users ask related to your keywords. This omission can limit your ability to optimise content for search queries that are framed as questions, which are increasingly common in voice search and conversational queries.

Example: If you’re optimising content for “SEO strategies,” the tool might suggest related keywords but fail to provide insights into specific user questions like “How to improve SEO rankings?” or “What are the best SEO tools?” To capture this data, you might need to use additional tools like AnswerThePublic or Google’s People Also Ask feature.

Conclusion

The Google Keyword Planner is a highly useful tool for both SEO professionals and advertisers, but it’s essential to understand its primary focus on paid campaigns. While it offers significant benefits for keyword research, its data should be used in conjunction with other SEO tools and strategies to ensure a comprehensive and effective approach to search engine optimisation.