Use Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner helps you research keywords for your Search campaigns.

You can use the Google Keyword Planner tool to discover new keywords related to your business and view estimates of the searches they receive and the cost to target them.

Keyword Planner also provides another way to create Search campaigns that’s centered around in-depth Google keyword research.

This article shows you how to use Keyword Planner to lay the groundwork for a successful campaign.

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Benefits of Keyword Planner

  • Discover new keywords: Get suggestions for keywords related to your products, services, or website.
  • View monthly searches: View estimates on the number of searches a keyword gets each month with a comprehensive Google keyword research tool.
  • Determine cost: View the average cost for your ad to show on searches for a keyword.
  • Organize keywords: View how your keywords fit into different categories related to your brand.
  • Create new campaigns: Use your keyword plan to create new campaigns centered on in-depth keyword research.

Google Keyword Planner can provide insights into keyword targeting, and offer traffic estimates of keyword campaigns. However, campaign performance depends on a variety of factors. For example, your bid, budget, ad quality, location targeting, product, abuse trends, and customer behavior in your industry can all influence the success of your campaigns and monetization of keywords.

How to use Keyword Planner

To access Keyword Planner:

  • You must complete your account setup by entering your billing information to access basic features like "Get ideas for new keywords".

1. Create a keyword plan

When you open Keyword Planner, there are 2 ways to create your keyword plan:

  1. Search for new keywords by selecting Discover new keywords.
  2. Upload existing keywords by selecting Get search volume and forecasts.

Discover new keywords

A. Get ideas for new keywords

 Enter words and/or websites related to your business to view keyword ideas. Learn more About Google Ads manager accounts

  1. Go to Keyword planner within the Tools menu Tools Icon.
  2. Select Discover new keywords.
  3. There are 2 ways to discover new keyword ideas:
    • Start with keywords: Enter words related to your products or services. You can separate multiple phrases with a comma and space.
      • Enter your domain and Google will try to exclude keywords not related to what you offer.
    • Start with a website: Enter any website and Google will look for keywords related to the content on that site. Note: the contents of hyperlinks aren’t used to generate keyword ideas.
  4. Select Get results.
Tip: Specifying a keyword and a URL can result in a larger volume of keyword ideas, as compared to just URL.

After selecting “Get results”, you’ll find a list of keywords related to what you entered. You can then add these keywords to your plan. You can now edit your list with filters and categories to help you find those that make sense for your plan.

Note: Keywords with very low search volumes, or keywords that are considered sensitive aren't discoverable or forecastable. In those instances, you’ll get an error message and prompt asking you to try new keywords or URLs. Learn more about the Best practices for finding new keywords.
This image is an example of a keyword targeting error message.

B. Edit your list of keyword ideas

You can now edit your list of keyword ideas using filters and categories. Learn more in-depth tips on editing your keyword list and optimizing your keyword list.

Filter

Narrow down your list of keywords based on criteria like competition, impression share, and keyword text. For example, you may want to view keyword ideas where bids under $1 may be enough to reach the top of the page.

  1. Select Add filter.
  2. Select a filter and enter its values.
  3. Your list of ideas will now match the filter.

Refine by category

View groups of keywords based on their themes, brands or categories.

  1. Look for the “Refine keywords” side panel on the “Keyword ideas” page.
  2. Open the categories beneath it to view characteristics related to your keyword ideas.
  3. Uncheck the box next to each category to remove these keywords from your list.
    • For example, if your keywords are related to running shoes, you may find a category for shoe color. To only view keywords for “red running shoes,” you’d uncheck the box for all other colors.

C. Add keywords to your plan and view a performance forecast

After you've made a list of keywords, there are 2 ways to incorporate them into your campaigns:
  • Add them to your “Saved keywords” to organize them later and view forecasts of their performance.
  • Add them to ad groups within existing campaigns.

Follow these steps to add keywords to your plan and forecast their performance:

  1. Check the box next to each keyword that you’d like to add to your plan. Adding keywords to “Saved keywords” enables you to save them to your plan and organize them later.
  2. Specify the match type by selecting the Broad match drop-down and selecting a match type.
  3. Select Add keywords to create a new plan, or select Add keywords to add the keywords to an existing plan.

Get search volume and forecasts

  1. Go to Keyword planner within the Tools menu Tools Icon.
  2. Select Get search volume and forecasts.
  3. Enter or paste a list of keywords into the search box, or upload a list of keywords from a CSV file following the instructions below:
    1. Select Upload a file.
    2. Click Select a file from your computer. Review the templates provided for uploading keywords.
      1. Upload a list of keywords: Your file should have just one column with the header titled “Keyword”.
      2. Upload an entire keyword plan: Download the template to include optional data like campaign, location, and ad group. along with your keyword.
    3. Select Submit.
  4. Select Get started.

2. Understand your keyword forecast

Your plan forecast shows you how many conversions, clicks, or impressions you’re likely to get for your keywords based on your spend. Learn more About Keyword Planner forecasts

Tip: If you’re affected by market changes, we recommend planning weekly rather than monthly or quarterly until markets stabilize.

Keyword Planner’s forecasts are refreshed daily and based on the last 7–10 days, adjusted for seasonality. Your forecasts will take into account any impact of market changes during this time frame. We’ve updated our seasonal model to account for current market conditions.

Understand your forecast

Your forecast is available on the “Forecasts” page of your plan. It includes keywords that you uploaded through “Get search volumes and forecasts” or those you added from the “Keyword ideas” page.

What’s included in your forecast

  • Forecast of optimal performance for all keywords based on your spend.
    • Change the metric you’re forecasting by selecting “Conversions” or “Clicks”. This is available to you when you enable conversion tracking in your account. Otherwise, select "Add conversion metrics" to review the options.
    • Change the average daily budget by selecting the amount.
    • Change your bid strategy by selecting the “Maximize clicks” drop-down.
    • Select the drop-down arrow to view a chart of your estimated performance to get based on your spend.
  • Date range for your forecast.
    • Select on the date range at the top of the page to change the timeframe for your forecast.

Additional options

  • Add new keywords by selecting the plus button and entering new keywords. You can also return to the “Keyword ideas” page and add keywords from there.
  • Download forecast by selecting the download button.
  • Share plan with others by selecting the Share button and enabling share access.

3. Organize keywords into ad groups (English only)

Organize keywords

Enter words or websites related to your business to view keyword ideas.

  1. Go to Keyword planner within the Tools menu Tools Icon.
  2. Select Organize keywords into ad groups.
  3. There are 3 ways to organize keywords:
    • Start with keywords: Enter words related to your products or services. You can separate multiple phrases with a comma and space.
      • Enter your domain and Google will try to exclude keywords not related to what you offer.
    • Start with a website: Enter any website and Google will look for keywords related to the content on that site.
    • Upload or paste: Upload a file or enter keywords. Keyword Planner will try to organize keywords into your campaigns, or you can manually organize them yourself.
  4. Select Auto-organize Keywords.

After selecting “Auto-organize keywords”, you’ll find a list of ad groups with keyword suggestions. We’ll try to match them with the most relevant ad groups in your highest performing campaigns. After completion, you’ll be able to review them for accuracy and make edits of your own. You can also download your work for review. We won't make any changes to your account until you’re ready to upload them.

Note: Data discrepancies in your Keyword Planner within the same child accounts could happen because of how you logged into the account. For example, logging in directly into your child account or logging in to your manager account before redirecting to your child account could cause data discrepancies.

Keyword Planner FAQs

How do I move my planned keywords into a campaign?

To move your planned keywords into an actual campaign:

  1. Go to Keyword planner within the Tools menu Tools Icon.
  2. Select the Keyword ideas section, select the keywords you want to add to your campaign.
  3. Select the three-dot icon 3 dot icon on the blue bar above the reporting table, then select Add to account.
  4. Select an ad group and your preferred match type.
  5. Select Add.

Why can't I find results for keywords in sensitive categories like health or finance?

Google’s personalized advertising and data privacy policies often prevent results for keywords in sensitive categories like health or finance.

How can I fix inconsistent data or loading issues in Keyword Planner?

  • Troubleshooting: If you notice technical inconsistencies, clear your browser cache and cookies, use an incognito or private browsing window, or try a different device or browser.
  • Account access: Your login method, such as logging directly into a child account instead of redirecting from a manager account, can also cause data discrepancies.

Why can't I access the "Get ideas for new keywords" feature?

You must enter your billing information and complete your account setup to access basic features like keyword suggestions.

How often does Google update Keyword Planner forecasts?

We refresh forecasts daily. These estimates use data from the last 7–10 days and account for seasonality.

What are the character and word limits for new keywords?

Make sure each keyword contains 80 characters or fewer. Limit each keyword to a maximum of 10 words

What factors influence my campaign's actual performance?

Your bid, budget, ad quality, and location targeting all impact your results. Customer behavior and industry trends also influence the success and monetization of your keywords.

How should I adjust my planning during market instability?

Plan your keywords weekly rather than monthly or quarterly until market conditions stabilize.

Send us feedback

We want to hear about what's working for you in Google Ads and what could be improved. To share your thoughts, click the help icon in the upper right-hand side of your account, then click Leave feedback.

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