How To Use Google Keyword Planner
If you're ready to elevate your Search campaigns, understanding and effectively utilizing Google Keyword Planner is key. So, what exactly is Google Keyword Planner? It's more than just a tool; it's your gateway to strategic keyword research, allowing you to uncover new keywords tailored to your business. This free, powerful tool not only provides insights into the search volumes for these keywords but also offers estimates of the associated costs.
But that's not all. Google Keyword Planner goes beyond basic functionalities – it empowers you to craft Search campaigns based on meticulous keyword research, ensuring that your advertising efforts are both targeted and impactful. In this guide, we'll explain all you need to know about the Google Keyword Planner, equipping you with the knowledge and tools to enhance your Search campaigns and maximize your online presence.
Simple Steps For Using Google Keyword Planner
Step 1: Access Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that requires a Google Ads account for access. If you don't have one, you can easily create an account by following the instructions and providing information about yourself and your business.
Once you have a Google Ads account, log in and click the wrench icon in the toolbar at the top of the page. Then, select "Keyword Planner." The Keyword Planner includes two tools: "Discover New Keywords" and "Get Search Volume and Forecasts." While it was created with PPC advertisers in mind, it can still be used for SEO-focused keyword research.
Step 2: Find New Keywords
1. Discover New Keywords
To find new keywords, enter products or services closely related to your business in the provided field. The value you get from the Keyword Planner depends on the information you enter, so be strategic about your input. You can start with keywords that describe your company or use your website's homepage or an article from your website to generate valuable keywords. After entering the information, click "Get Results" to proceed to the Keywords Results Page.
2. Get Search Volume and Forecasts for Your Keywords
If you already have a list of keywords and want to check their search volume, use this feature. Copy and paste your list of keywords into the search field and click "Get Started" to access the Keywords Results Page, where you can view data and predictions for clicks and impressions.
Regardless of which tool you use, you will end up on the Keywords Results Page.
Step 3: Discover the Best Keyword Ideas
When searching for keyword ideas, it's important to filter out irrelevant ones. For instance, if you're looking for keywords related to eco-friendly products for an online store, you might want to filter out keywords related to non-eco-friendly products.
For example, if you enter "sustainable fashion" as your seed idea, you might initially see a mix of general and specific keywords related to sustainable fashion, such as "organic cotton t-shirts" and "recycled denim jeans."
To refine these ideas, you can use the "Refine keywords" feature in Keyword Planner to include or exclude keywords based on attributes such as material, style, or sustainability. This allows you to filter out keywords that don't align with your brand or product offerings. If you still encounter irrelevant keywords, you can use the "does not contain" filter to further narrow down your results.
Once you have a refined list of keywords, it's important to assess their competitiveness and potential traffic.
Strategies to Assess Competitiveness and Potential Traffic of Keywords
Long-tail keywords, which typically have lower search volumes, are often easier to rank for than more popular keywords. While Keyword Planner provides an average monthly search range rather than exact search volumes, you can still identify long-tail keywords by sorting the ideas by average monthly searches from low to high.
For example, if you use the seed keyword "sustainable sneakers," you might find long-tail keywords with 10-100 monthly searches, such as "vegan running shoes" and "recycled material trainers."
To assess the competitiveness of these keywords, it's advisable to use a third-party tool, such as a Keyword Difficulty (KD) checker, to determine their difficulty in ranking on the first page of Google.
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Additionally, consider the traffic potential of these keywords by using a free traffic checker to estimate the monthly search visits for the top-ranking pages.
2. Identify Trending Keywords
Keyword Planner includes a Year-over-Year (YoY) change metric, which indicates the difference in search trends between the most recent month and the same month last year. Sorting keyword ideas by this metric can help you identify trending topics.
For instance, if you use "sustainable footwear" as your seed keyword, you might discover that "biodegradable sneakers" has a +500% YoY increase, indicating a growing interest in this topic.
3. Discover Seasonal Keywords
Keyword Planner also provides a "three-month change" metric, which illustrates the shift in search trends over the past three months. By sorting keyword ideas based on this metric, you can identify seasonal topics that are currently trending.
For instance, if we use "Christmas gifts" as our seed keyword, we might find that "Christmas gift ideas" has a +500% three-month increase, indicating a surge in interest related to this topic.
4. Discover Profitable Keywords
In addition to seasonal trends, Keyword Planner includes a column labeled "top of page bid (high range)," which represents the higher range of what advertisers have historically paid for a keyword's top-of-page bid. While this metric is related to advertising, it can still provide insights into a keyword's commercial value.
For example, if you're running a fashion e-commerce store in Nigeria and you're exploring keywords related to traditional Nigerian attire, you might find that "aso ebi styles" has a high top-of-page bid, suggesting that it has commercial value and may be worth targeting for organic search.
Step 4: Analyze the Keyword Ideas
Now that you've narrowed down the results to relevant keywords, it's important to analyze the remaining terms in the Keyword Planner's "Keyword Ideas" section.
Here's what each term in this section means:
- Keyword (by relevance): This is a list of keywords that Google considers most relevant to the keyword or URL you entered.
- Average monthly searches: This provides a range of the average monthly search volume for each keyword.
- Competition: In Keyword Planner, "competition" refers to the number of advertisers bidding on a specific keyword, indicating its commercial intent.
- Top of Page Bid: This metric can help assess a keyword's monetization potential. A higher bid suggests more lucrative traffic.
Step 5: Choose a Keyword
After familiarizing yourself with the tools and features of Google Keyword Planner, it's time to select the best keywords for your content.
For instance, if you're writing a blog post about the health benefits of Nigerian traditional soups, a keyword like "health benefits of Nigerian soups" might be too specific, while "Nigerian traditional soups" could be a highly effective choice.
Consider factors such as search volume, commercial intent, and organic SEO competition when choosing your keywords. This will help you target keywords that can bring in significant traffic and potential customers while considering the competition in organic search results.
By incorporating these advanced strategies into your keyword research process, you can gain deeper insights into search trends, identify profitable keywords, and uncover a broader spectrum of relevant terms, tailored specifically to your target audience.