Master Google Keyword Planner for Effective SEO Keyword Research

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Setting Up Google Keyword Planner
3. Discover New Keywords
4. Refining and Selecting Keywords
5. Finding Long Tail Keywords
6. Bypassing Search Volume Range
7. Utilizing "Start with a Website" Feature
8. Using "Get Search Volume and Forecasts" Tool
9. Location Filter for Local SEO
10. Managing and Exporting Data

Introduction

In this article, we will explore how to use Google Keyword Planner for SEO keyword research. Google Keyword Planner is a powerful tool provided by Google to its Google Ads customers. It allows you to find keywords that are relevant to your SEO and PPC campaigns. In this tutorial, we will walk through the process of setting up the tool, discovering new keywords, and refining your keyword list. We will also cover how to find long tail keywords, bypass search volume range limitations, utilize the "Start with a Website" feature, and make use of the "Get Search Volume and Forecasts" tool. Additionally, we will discuss how to leverage the location filter for local SEO purposes. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a comprehensive understanding of how to effectively use Google Keyword Planner for your keyword research needs.

Setting Up Google Keyword Planner

Before you can start using Google Keyword Planner, you need to create a Google Ads account. Google Keyword Planner is free to use, but you need to have a Google Ads account to gain access to the tool. To create an account, go to Google and search for Google Keyword Planner. Visit their home page and click "Go to Keyword Planner". Click "Create Account" and select "For myself" from the dropdown list. Fill in your first name, last name, email address, choose your password, and click "Next". You will be sent a confirmation code to verify your email address. Provide the additional information, accept the Google terms of service, and click "Create Account". The final step is to confirm your business information. It's important to select the correct information because you won't be able to change this for the lifetime of your account. When you're ready to proceed, click the "Submit" button. Congratulations, you have just created a new Google Keyword Planner and Google Ads account!

Discover New Keywords

Once your account is set up, you can start using the keyword research tool of Google Keyword Planner. There are two tools available: "Discover New Keywords" and "Get Search Volume and Forecasts". With "Discover New Keywords", you can find keyword ideas based on broad terms, keywords related to a website, or even a specific web page. To use this tool, think of a broad topic you want to get keyword ideas for and type it into the search box. It's important not to be too specific or too broad at this stage. Set your region and language to target your desired audience. Use filters to find both seed keywords and long tail keywords to use in your blog posts and digital marketing campaigns. Click on the "Discover New Keywords" option. Add some keywords and click "Get Results". For example, if you are in the SEO niche, you can add keywords related to SEO.

While viewing the results, you can click on any column name to sort the data in ascending or descending order. The "Average Monthly Searches" column shows the monthly search volume for a particular keyword. However, the displayed information is based on historical data and currently shows a range instead of the exact search volume. The "Competition" column refers to the competitiveness of ad placement for a keyword and not its organic search ranking difficulty. For SEO purposes, you can ignore this column. The "Top of Page Bid Low Range" and "Top of Page Bid High Range" columns show how much you will pay per click if you target the particular keyword in your paid ads. While primarily for PPC campaigns, this information can also be useful for SEO purposes.

To refine your keywords and exclude brand related or invalid keywords, click the "Refine Keywords" button and uncheck the box for the keywords you want to exclude. After excluding those keywords, you can start selecting keywords for your SEO campaigns. A tip to find valuable SEO keywords is to sort the keywords by the "Top of Page Bid High Range" column. This column shows how much advertisers are willing to pay for a top position of their ads in Google search results. If advertisers are paying a lot for a keyword, it means it has more value and is more likely to generate conversions. These are great keywords to target with SEO because you know in advance that a top organic ranking for such a keyword will generate sales and conversions for your business free of charge. Spot the keywords that are highly related to your website and proceed to the next step.

Finding Long Tail Keywords

Unlike other keyword research tools, Google Keyword Planner does not directly allow you to filter the results by the number of words. However, you can use a trick to find long tail keywords. Long tail keywords usually start with words like "best," "top," "what," "how," "who," and "why". By creating a filter and adding those words as mandatory, you can get a list of long tail keywords. Click the "Add Filter" button and select "Keyword" from the list. Type one of the long tail keyword starters (e.g., "best") and click "Apply". The results will now show you long tail keywords that were not shown before. Sort the table using the "Top of Page Bid High Range" column, and you'll find some extremely valuable long tail keywords to use in your blog posts. You can add more keyword filters to get better results.

Bypassing Search Volume Range

One limitation of Google Keyword Planner is that it shows the search volume of keywords as a range instead of the exact number. To bypass this problem, you can select the keywords that make sense for your campaigns, add them to your plan, and click "Keywords" from the left menu. You'll notice that the "Average Search Volume" column has been replaced with the "Number of Impressions". Impressions refer to the number of times your ads are expected to be seen in Google search results for that keyword, for the particular region and language. To make your results more accurate, click the little arrow on top of your plan to expand the plan details. Move the blue dot that indicates the maximum cost-per-click (CPC) bid to the top right. Next, click the keyword checkbox to select all keywords. Click on "Edit Match Type" and set it to "Exact Match". What you see now is the number of impressions each keyword is estimated to receive for the maximum CPC bid. This presents a more accurate picture, and the results now closely match the monthly search volume estimate given by other keyword research tools.

Utilizing "Start with a Website" Feature

Another feature of Google Keyword Planner is the ability to discover keyword ideas based on your own website or a competitor's website by using the "Start with a Website" option. To find keywords related to a specific website, enter the website's domain in the search box, select "Use the Entire Site", and click "Get Results". You can also add filters to exclude brand-related keywords and search terms that are not of interest. This feature can help you find unique keywords that you may not have known before and can provide valuable insights into competitor keywords and strategies.

Using "Get Search Volume and Forecasts" Tool

The "Get Search Volume and Forecasts" tool in Google Keyword Planner allows you to see the search volume of a number of keywords at once and provides a prediction of how these keywords might perform in the future. You can type your keywords one per line or upload a list of keywords using a file. This tool also allows you to apply filters and extract valuable data for your keyword research needs. To use this tool, type a few keywords in the search box and click "Get Started". The results will appear in the same view as before, and you can use the tips mentioned earlier to filter the data and find the keywords to add to your plan. Additionally, you can use the date picker to select a future period and get a prediction on how your keywords will perform in the future.

Location Filter for Local SEO

A unique feature of Google Keyword Planner is the location filter, which can be useful for local SEO purposes. It allows you to see keyword data specific to a particular country, city, or even specific postcodes. For example, if you want to find out what people search for related to Italian restaurants in a particular city, you can start with the "Discover New Keywords" tool by entering the keywords "Italian restaurants" and selecting a city from the locations. This will provide you with a list of keywords that include the words "near me," which is expected since you are researching local-related terms. However, if you want to find blog post ideas, you can exclude these keywords by adding a filter. By selecting the desired location, you can gather more location-related data and improve the precision of your keyword research for local SEO.

Managing and Exporting Data

Every time you perform keyword research and add keywords to a plan, it is saved in draft mode in your Google Keyword Planner account. When you log in again, you can select one of your draft plans and continue your work. If you want to download your data offline, you can export your keywords to a CSV file to use with Excel or directly to a Google Sheets file. This allows you to analyze and manipulate the data further according to your needs.

By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can effectively use Google Keyword Planner for your SEO keyword research. Remember to refine and select your keywords carefully, leverage the features available, and analyze the data to make informed decisions for your SEO and PPC campaigns.

Highlights

• Google Keyword Planner is a powerful keyword research tool provided by Google to Google Ads customers.
• Setting up an account is required to access Google Keyword Planner.
• Google Keyword Planner offers two main tools: "Discover New Keywords" and "Get Search Volume and Forecasts".
• Refining and selecting keywords is crucial for effective keyword research.
• Finding long tail keywords can be done by applying proper filters and following specific techniques.
• Bypassing search volume range limitations can be achieved by careful analysis and adjusting max CPC bids.
• The "Start with a Website" feature allows users to find keyword ideas based on a specific website.
• The "Get Search Volume and Forecasts" tool provides search volume data and predictions for keyword performance.
• Utilizing the location filter is essential for local SEO purposes.
• Managing and exporting data is crucial for further analysis and efficient workflow.

FAQs

1. Q: Is Google Keyword Planner a free tool? A: Yes, Google Keyword Planner is free to use, but you need to have a Google Ads account.

2. Q: How can I find long tail keywords using Google Keyword Planner? A: By creating filters and adding specific words as mandatory, you can discover long tail keywords.

3. Q: Can I exclude brand-related keywords from my keyword research? A: Yes, you can use the "Refine Keywords" feature to exclude brand-related keywords from your keyword list.

4. Q: Can I see the search volume of keywords in Google Keyword Planner? A: While Google Keyword Planner shows a range instead of exact search volume, you can bypass this limitation by following the steps outlined in this tutorial.

5. Q: Can I use Google Keyword Planner for local SEO purposes? A: Yes, Google Keyword Planner offers a location filter that allows you to analyze keyword data specific to a particular country, city, or even postcodes.

6. Q: Can I export my keyword data from Google Keyword Planner? A: Yes, you can export your keyword data to a CSV file or directly to a Google Sheets file for further analysis and use outside of Google Keyword Planner.

Resources

• Google Keyword Planner
• Google Ads