Google Keyword Planner: How to Use It for SEO (Free Guide and Alternatives)

Quick quiz

How should you find the right keywords?

Question 1 of 425%

Where are you today?

I am starting and don't know what people searchI have ideas but need numbersI have keywords but no time to write

Google Keyword Planner is one of the most used keyword tools in the world because it is free and its data comes from Google. It was built for advertisers, which explains both its strengths and its traps for SEO. This guide shows how to access it, how to use each tool step by step, how to read its numbers, and when to use an alternative. Official reference: Use Keyword Planner in Google Ads Help.

Is Google Keyword Planner free?

Yes. Keyword Planner costs nothing, but Google requires a Google Ads account with completed setup, including billing information, to use basic features such as getting keyword ideas. You do not have to run or pay for a campaign. To skip campaign creation when you open a new account, look for the option to switch to Expert mode and create the account without a campaign, then open Keyword Planner from the Tools menu.

How to use Google Keyword Planner step by step

Tool 1: Discover new keywords

1. Open Keyword Planner and choose Discover new keywords.
2. Enter up to a few products or services ("project management software", "task tracker") or start from a website, yours or a competitor's.
3. Set the location and language of your market, they change the results.
4. Read the ideas: keyword, average monthly searches, three-month and year-on-year change, competition, top-of-page bid range.
5. Use filters and the "refine keywords" panel to remove brands and irrelevant themes, then export to a spreadsheet.

Tool 2: Get search volume and forecasts

1. Choose Get search volume and forecasts.
2. Paste your keyword list or upload a CSV file with one Keyword column.
3. Read historical metrics (average monthly searches, trend) for each keyword; the forecast tab is built for ad campaigns and is less useful for SEO.

How to read Keyword Planner data for SEO

Two traps: the competition column says nothing about how hard it is to rank organically, and Keyword Planner groups close variants (singular and plural, word order), so the same volume can appear for several phrasings. Check organic difficulty with a dedicated tool (see keyword difficulty) and group variants into one page.

What are the limits of Keyword Planner for SEO?

• Approximate volumes without ad spend.
• No organic difficulty and no view of who ranks today.
• Grouped variants that hide how people phrase queries.
• Commercial bias: ideas lean toward keywords advertisers buy; informational and question queries are under-represented.
• No data on AI answers: it does not show the questions people ask ChatGPT or Gemini.

The best Google Keyword Planner alternatives

Our ranking of the best keyword research tools compares them, and the guides to Google Autocomplete for SEO and Google Trends for SEO cover the free options. Search Console's Performance report remains the most reliable source for your own site.

A simple workflow combining Keyword Planner and other sources

1. List seed topics from your offers (see how to do keyword research).
2. Expand them in Keyword Planner and Autocomplete; export.
3. Add the queries from Search Console where you sit between positions 8 and 20.
4. Check intent on Google and difficulty in an SEO tool.
5. Group variants with the free keyword clustering tool and assign one page per group (see keyword mapping).

The bottom line

Keyword Planner is a free, reliable source of ideas and volume ranges from Google, to be completed with organic data. Use it to explore and size topics, Search Console to find quick wins and an SEO tool for difficulty. If you prefer to skip the spreadsheets, Sorank's keyword research finds and prioritizes keywords automatically, then publishes the articles; see the Sorank plans, with a 3-day free trial. Our Google Ads guide covers the advertising side.