# How to Use Google Keyword Planner for SEO to Choose the Right Keywords > Learn how to use google keyword planner for seo: find ideas, assess search volume, and turn a shortlist into a useful content plan. Source: https://anthonyhayes.io/google-keyword-planner-for-seo/ Updated: 2026-10-14 --- [Keyword Research](https://anthonyhayes.io/hub/keyword-research/) › [Keyword Research Tools](https://anthonyhayes.io/hub/keyword-research/keyword-research-tools/) SEO keyword research Use Google Keyword Planner to find and compare keyword ideas for organic SEO, then decide which ones deserve a page or a place in your content plan. Its search volume is an estimate, so use it to compare related terms rather than predict future visits. **Keyword Planner’s search volume estimates search activity. Use it to compare related terms rather than predict traffic.** When you use google keyword planner for seo, treat its numbers as clues for choosing topics and shaping pages. The tool can show you keyword ideas and estimated search demand, but those estimates don’t promise visits to your site. **I’ll show you how to turn Planner data into practical organic SEO decisions.** - **Set your location** so the ideas fit the audience you want to reach. - **Find relevant keywords** that match your website and topic. - **Read search volume carefully** and compare related terms. - **Choose pages and priorities** based on what you learn. - **Use Planner alongside other SEO work** as one part of your process. I’m Tony Hayes. I’ve been building marketing software since 2011, and I build everything with AI without writing code myself. I’m the creator of NicheBlasta, JV Swaps and the Aha Studio AI workers. Here’s how to apply it to SEO, step by step. ## Access Google Keyword Planner and set the right location Sign in to a Google Ads account and open **Keyword Planner** from the tools menu. Choose **Discover new keywords** to find keyword ideas related to a topic or website, or choose **Get search volume and forecasts** to review a list of keywords you already have. **Set the location before you judge the results.** Choose the country and language that match the people your website serves. Set the search network to match the audience you want to research, too. These settings affect the search volumes and keyword ideas Planner shows, so a location mismatch can send your research in the wrong direction. Google Keyword Planner is a Google Ads tool with useful free keyword research features. Its forecasts and bid data are designed for campaigns, so use them as context when making SEO decisions. For organic research, focus on finding relevant keywords and comparing the search volume Planner reports. For account access and a tour of the main controls, see my practical **Google Keyword Planner guide**. Then come back here to use Planner data for SEO. ### Choose a Planner starting point Option | Use it for | What it provides | Discover new keywords | Finding related ideas | Keyword ideas | Get search volume and forecasts | Reviewing an existing list | Search volume and forecasts | ## Find keywords that fit your website and topic Start with a few seed terms that describe your website, service, product, or audience. Keep them close to the topics you want to cover, so the keyword ideas you get back have a clear connection to your work. In Google Keyword Planner, click **Discover new keywords** and enter those terms. Review the related results, then add relevant phrases from your existing content. You can also enter a competitor URL where the tool allows it, and use the results to spot topics worth investigating. **The goal is to build a list that’s useful for your needs.** Filter and sort the results by relevance, average monthly searches, and competition. Search volume gives you a sense of how often people search for a phrase, while the competition metric reflects advertising competition in Google Ads. **It’s not an SEO difficulty score**, so don’t use it to decide how hard it’ll be to rank organically. A free tool can show useful keyword research data, but the numbers need context. Treat monthly search volumes as a guide, then look at the phrase itself and the results it brings up. **Would the searcher expect your website to answer this?** That’s how I choose the right keywords to investigate further. A phrase should fit your site’s subject, and your content should answer the likely question behind the search. If both are true, keep it on your list. If the connection feels thin, move on. ## Analyze search volume without treating it as a traffic promise Google Keyword Planner’s average monthly searches are estimates. Depending on your account access and settings, the tool may group close keyword variants together or show volumes as ranges. Use the numbers to compare keyword ideas. A phrase with a higher volume can look tempting, but that figure doesn’t tell you how many clicks your website will get or whether your page will rank. **Compare close variants and related phrases before you choose a keyword.** I look at the whole cluster of search terms, then ask whether the phrases point to the same need. That gives you a better basis for deciding what content to plan than treating one volume figure as a forecast. Check the location settings before you compare results. Search volumes for a location you don’t serve won’t tell you much about demand from the people you want to reach. Seasonality matters too. A topic can have strong demand during part of the year and much less at other times. Look at the available monthly pattern before you decide that a keyword has steady search interest. **Bid ranges indicate advertiser interest and can inform paid search decisions. Assess organic SEO difficulty separately.** In keyword research, bid ranges give you a clue that advertisers value a term. They don’t prove that the term will be profitable for your business, or easy to rank for in Google’s organic results. Use them as one signal alongside relevance, search intent, and the content you can create. ## Turn keyword ideas into pages and content priorities Google Keyword Planner gives you keyword ideas and average monthly search volumes. Use those figures to shape your SEO plan, then group related terms around the same search need. A cluster of similar queries usually belongs on one page. Give a topic its own page when the search results show a distinct need. **The search results tell you what kind of page to build.** Search Google for the terms you want to target. Look at the pages already ranking and the wording people use. Queries asking how to do something often call for a guide; queries about hiring a provider point toward a service page. Product searches and location-specific searches have their own signals, too. When I use a keyword research tool, I treat Planner as a way to find and analyze ideas. I check the live search results before deciding where each keyword belongs, because volume alone doesn't tell you what a searcher expects. Keep a short list with the topic, intended page, location if relevant, and the reason it deserves attention. That reason could be a clear search need, useful related keywords, or monthly volume that fits the website’s goals. **Give every keyword group a job.** Then decide whether to improve an existing page or create a new one. If a page already answers the same search need, add relevant terms and useful information there. If the results show a different page type or purpose, plan a separate page. Google Keyword Planner is free to access with a Google account, and it’s a useful tool for keyword research. When you need a broader view of organic competition, use a separate SEO research tool alongside Planner. ## Use Keyword Planner as one part of an SEO workflow Google Keyword Planner can help you discover keyword ideas, compare estimated demand, and organize a working list for your website. You can search for a topic, review related terms, and use the estimated monthly search volumes to see how demand differs across keywords. **That gives you a useful starting point for SEO research.** The numbers are estimates, though. Planner can't settle organic difficulty, tell you whether your page will rank, or judge whether that page will satisfy search intent. A keyword with appealing volume still needs a close look at the search results and the pages people expect to find there. That experience shapes how I use a tool like Google Keyword Planner: I want it to help me find and sort ideas, then I make the SEO decision with the search results and the page in mind. **Use the Planner data to guide your next step, then make the decision yourself.** If you're deciding which research tool fits your needs, see our separate guide on choosing keyword research tools. For broader instructions on access and how the Planner works, read Google Keyword Planner: A Practical Guide. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I use Google Keyword Planner for free? Yes. Google Keyword Planner is free to access with a Google account. You can use it to find keyword ideas and review estimated monthly searches. Treat those figures as clues for your SEO research, then check the search results and decide what kind of page fits the query. ### How do I use Google Keyword Planner for SEO? Set the location and language to match the people your site serves, then enter a few relevant seed terms in Discover new keywords. Compare related phrases and their estimated search volumes. Group terms by the need they share, check the live search results, and decide whether they belong on an existing page or a new one. ### Does Google Keyword Planner show SEO difficulty? No. Its competition metric reflects advertising competition in Google Ads. To assess how hard it is to rank organically, use Planner to find ideas and compare estimated demand. Then review the search results to see which pages rank and what kind of content a searcher expects. ### Can Google Keyword Planner search volume predict website traffic? No. Average monthly searches are estimates, and the figures don't tell you how many clicks your page will receive or whether it will rank. Use the numbers to compare related keywords, check location and seasonality, and make your content plan with the search results in view. **My Take:** That work shapes how I use keyword data. I treat Google Keyword Planner as an input for decisions: it helps me find ideas, compare estimated demand, and organize a working list. Then I look at the search results and the page a searcher expects to find. A volume figure can help you choose what to investigate. It can’t tell you whether your page will rank or satisfy the search. I keep that distinction in view when I plan SEO content. Planner gives me a starting point, and the search need gives each keyword group a job. Aha Studio ## Get the next playbook first New playbooks and LaunchWatch reports land in Growth Signals, the free newsletter, along with the case studies and how-tos I find worth stealing. [Watch the AI workers build →](https://anthonyhayes.io/aha-studio) ## More in Keyword Research Tools - [Keyword Research and Tools: How to Choose the Right One](https://anthonyhayes.io/keyword-research-and/) - [Google Keyword Planner: A Practical Guide to Finding and Reading Keywords](https://anthonyhayes.io/google-keyword-planner/) - [How to Use Google Keyword Planner: A Step-by-Step Guide](https://anthonyhayes.io/how-to-use-google-keyword-planner/) [Explore the full Keyword Research hub](https://anthonyhayes.io/hub/keyword-research/)