Utilising Google Keyword Planner: A Guide to Discovering Relevant Keywords

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on leveraging the power of Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends for effective keyword research. In today’s competitive digital landscape, understanding and utilising these tools can make a significant difference in the success of your online presence.

Whether you’re a marketer, content creator, or business owner, discovering the right keywords and trends is crucial for optimizing your content, boost content, boosting organic traffic, and staying ahead of the competition.

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Google Keyword Planner offers invaluable insights into keyword data, search volume, and competition levels, helping you identify the most relevant and high-performing keywords for your website or campaign. On the other hand, Google Trends provides real-time data on search trends, allowing you to spot rising topics, popular queries and regional interests.

By combining the power of these two tools, you can unlock a treasure trove of information to drive your SEO and content strategy forward. In this blog, we will walk you through the process of using Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends effectively, empowering you to conduct in-depth keyword research and optimise your online presence like never before.

Understanding Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner serves as a no-cost keyword research instrument that enables users to explore fresh keywords, assess their estimated search volumes, and gain insights into their targeting costs. Although primarily designed for pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, this tool can also be utilised for identifying keywords relevant to your search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy.

In the following sections, we will provide you with a detailed walkthrough on setting up and utilising Keyword Planner for both SEO and PPC purposes. Follow these step-by-step instructions to effectively leverage the potential of this powerful tool.

Setting Up Google Keyword Planner

To utilise Google Keyword Planner, the first step is to establish a Google Ads account, which is a quick and completely free process.

Follow these instructions to get started:

• Visit the Google Ads homepage and click on the “Start now” button. Sign in using your Google account credentials.
• On the Google Ads homepage, click on the “Switch to Expert Mode” link to create an account without initiating an ad campaign.
• On the subsequent screen, locate and click the small “Create an account without a campaign” link.
• Select your billing country, time zone, and currency, then click “Submit.”
• Once you reach the confirmation page, click on the “Explore your account” button.
• Congratulations! Your Google Ads account setup is now complete.

Now, to access the Google Keyword Planner tool, follow these steps:

• On the menu bar, click on “Tools and settings.”
• From the dropdown options, select “Keyword Planner” located under the “Planning” column.
• You have now arrived at the Keyword Planner interface, where you can begin exploring and discovering keywords.

With these simple instructions, you are now ready to delve into the world of keyword research using Google Keyword Planner.

Utilising Google Keyword Planner Effectively

The Google keyword tool now offers two options for users: “Discover new keywords” and “Get search volume and forecasts.” Let’s explore both options to understand how to effectively use Google Keyword Planner for free.

So, how to use Google Keyword Planner effectively?

Option 1: Discover New Keywords If you’re looking to conduct keyword research and find fresh keyword ideas, select this option. You’ll encounter two tabs to choose from:

• Start with keywords: Enter up to 10 keywords relevant to your business.
• Start with a website: Input a URL to generate keyword suggestions based on the content of that specific page or entire site.

What To Do?

Utilise the “Start with Keywords” approach if you have specific keywords in mind and seek a comprehensive list of related ideas. By entering your desired keyword, such as “local SEO,” and clicking “Get results,” you’ll obtain a list of 577 keyword ideas associated with that term. This list provides valuable insights, including average monthly searches, bid amounts and more.

Alternatively, by selecting the “Start with a Website” option and entering a URL, you can discover keyword ideas aligned with the content found on that webpage or site. For example, upon entering the URL, the tool may present 622 keyword ideas that are relevant to the page’s content.

Option 2: Get Search Volume and Forecasts If you already possess a list of keywords, this option allows you to access search volumes and metrics for multiple keywords simultaneously.

What To Do?

Simply input your desired keywords into the search field, either by copying and pasting, listing them one per line, or separating them by commas. Then, click “Get started” to generate the results.

This will lead you to a keyword results page, where you will receive comprehensive information solely about the entered keywords, excluding related ideas. Additionally, if you navigate to the “Forecast” section, you’ll find Google’s projections regarding clicks, impressions, cost, click-through rate, and the average cost per click (CPC) for each keyword. This forecast report proves particularly useful for advertising campaigns.

By understanding these functionalities and leveraging the Google Keyword Planner tool effectively, you can conduct in-depth keyword research and optimise your digital strategies for improved results.

Learn More: Importance of Keyword Research

Leveraging Google Keyword Planner for SEO

Google Keyword Planner is a valuable tool that serves primarily as an aid for advertisers, but it can also be useful for SEO purposes. Here’s how you can effectively leverage this tool to discover the best keyword ideas for your SEO strategy.

• Find Relevant Keywords: To address your target audience’s search intent and improve your rankings, focus on highly relevant keywords. Refine your keyword list by filtering out irrelevant terms. For instance, if you want keyword ideas related to “running shoes” for your online store, use the “Refine keywords” column to exclude brand-related keywords that are not relevant to your offerings.
• Find Keywords with High Search Volumes: Keyword search volume indicates the average frequency of searches within a given timeframe. Higher search volumes can drive more traffic to your page. Use Keyword Planner’s “Discover new keywords” option to enter your seed keyword, such as “running shoes,” and explore the “Avg. monthly searches” column to identify keywords with higher search volumes. However, note that Keyword Planner’s metrics may lack specificity, so consider using additional tools for more accurate data.
• Find Location-Specific Search Volumes: For local SEO, Google Keyword Planner allows you to find keyword search volumes for specific states, cities and even postal codes. Adjust the location settings to see the search volumes in your desired areas. This information can guide your local SEO efforts and help you identify locations with high search volumes for keywords.
• Find Long-Tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords are specific queries with relatively low search volumes but can attract highly targeted traffic. Sorting the average monthly searches in Keyword Planner from low to high can help you discover long-tail keyword options. Remember to assess their competitiveness using a third-party keyword research tool to ensure effective targeting.

While Google Keyword Planner provides valuable insights and keyword ideas, it’s essential to complement it with additional tools for a more comprehensive understanding of metrics like keyword difficulty. By utilising these strategies, you can enhance your SEO efforts and optimise your keyword selection for better results.

Learn More: Tips for Long Tail Keyword Optimization

Harnessing Google Keyword Planner for PPC

If you plan to use Google Ads for your PPC campaigns, you can apply the following tactics in addition to the SEO strategies mentioned earlier:

• Find Low-Competition Keywords: Utilise the “Competition” metric in Google Keyword Planner to identify keywords with low competition for running ads. Sort the list by competition or apply filters to display keywords with low or medium competition.
• Find Breakout Topics: Analyse the “YoY” and “Three-month change” metrics in Keyword Planner to identify trending topics with significant increases in search trends. This information can guide your PPC campaigns and help you invest in relevant products or create targeted landing pages.
• Analyse Competitors’ Keywords: Use Keyword Planner to gain insights into your competitors’ keyword strategies. Enter a competitor’s website URL to discover the keywords they are targeting. This can help you structure your own PPC strategy.
• Forecast Ad Campaign Performance: Utilise the “Get search volume and forecasts” option in Keyword Planner to assess the potential performance of your ad campaign. Enter your chosen keywords and explore the forecasted metrics, such as traffic, impressions and cost. Adjust bid strategies and maximum CPC bids to see how they impact the campaign’s projected performance.

By implementing these tactics, you can identify low-competition keywords, leverage breakout topics, gain insights from competitors and forecast the performance of your PPC campaigns using Google Ads.

Performing Comprehensive Keyword Research

Google Keyword Planner is a valuable tool that can help you uncover keyword opportunities for SEO and PPC. However, it’s important to note its limitations. While it provides valuable information, such as keyword suggestions and average search volumes, it lacks precise search volume data, keyword difficulty insights and detailed search intent analysis.

To overcome these limitations and gain a more comprehensive understanding of your keywords and target audience, consider partnering with a digital marketing agency like Traffic Radius.

Our expertise can provide you with advanced keyword research, competitor analysis, and data-driven strategies to optimise your SEO and PPC campaigns.

Contact Traffic Radius today to enhance your keyword planning efforts and drive meaningful results for your business.