How to Use Google Keyword Planner: Complete 2026 Tutorial

Written by Ishant Sharma, Founder, Hustle Marketers | Updated August 2026

Google Keyword Planner is the one keyword tool every advertiser can use for free, powered by Google’s own auction data. It is also the tool most people use at 20 percent of its capacity: type a keyword, glance at a volume range, move on.

I have used Keyword Planner across 2,500+ client accounts since 2013 at Hustle Marketers. This tutorial covers the full workflow: free access without ad spend, competitor URL research, budget forecasts from real auction data, the volume-range workaround, and negative keyword mining. Keyword Planner is where research starts, not where it ends, so when you finish here, our full guide to Google Ads keyword research covers everything that comes after: intent sorting, grouping, match types, and negatives.

TL;DR

• You can use Keyword Planner free with zero ad spend: create an account in Expert Mode, skip or pause the setup campaign, and the tool unlocks.
• The “Start with a website” option is the most underrated feature. Run it on your competitors’ URLs to see what Google thinks they target.
• The Forecasts tab projects clicks, impressions, and spend from live auction data. Use it to set budgets before spending anything.
• Volume ranges like “1K to 10K” are too wide for planning. Cross-check against Search Console or Semrush, and treat account eligibility and history as factors in the level of detail shown.
• Mine wrong-audience modifiers (“free”, “jobs”, “DIY”, “course”) from the ideas list to build your negative keyword list before launch.

Table of Contents

1. What Is Google Keyword Planner?
2. How to Access Keyword Planner Without Running Ads
3. The Two Modes: Discover New Keywords vs Get Search Volume and Forecasts
4. Step-by-Step: Discover New Keywords
5. Step-by-Step: Get Search Volume and Forecasts
6. The Forecasts Tab Is How We Set Client Budgets
7. Hidden Features Most Marketers Miss
8. How Hustle Marketers Uses Keyword Planner in Real Client Campaigns
9. The Biggest Limitation of Keyword Planner (and the Workaround)
10. Using Keyword Planner to Build a Negative Keyword List
11. Read Forecasts as Scenarios, Not Promises
12. Frequently Asked Questions
13. Sources and Verification

What Is Google Keyword Planner?

Google Keyword Planner is a free research tool inside Google Ads. It does two jobs: it generates keyword ideas from a seed keyword or a website URL, and it forecasts the clicks, impressions, and cost you could expect if you bid on those keywords. It sits under Tools > Planning > Keyword Planner, and it works whether or not you ever run an ad.

How to Access Keyword Planner Without Running Ads

The most common question first: can you use Keyword Planner without spending money on Google Ads? Yes, but there is a catch. Google restricts full volume data to accounts that are actively running campaigns. With no active spend you will see broad ranges (1K to 10K) instead of specific monthly figures (4,200 searches per month).

Here is the no-spend access walkthrough:

1. Go to ads.google.com and sign in with a Google account.
2. When the guided setup starts pushing you toward creating your first campaign, look for Switch to Expert Mode (sometimes shown as “Create an account without a campaign”) before entering any payment details.
3. If Google forces the campaign creation flow, click Create a campaign without goals guidance, complete the minimum steps, then pause the campaign immediately after it is created.
4. Confirm your billing country, time zone, and currency. Your account is now active with zero spend.
5. Open Tools > Planning > Keyword Planner.

You now have free access for keyword discovery and research. You will still see broad volume ranges. The level of volume detail can vary with account eligibility and history. Do not create artificial spend simply to chase a more precise number; use the ranges for relative demand and validate important decisions with Search Console, another research source, and real campaign data when a genuine campaign is justified.

The Two Modes: Discover New Keywords vs Get Search Volume and Forecasts

Keyword Planner opens with two options, and they answer different questions.

Step-by-Step: Discover New Keywords

Step 1: Choose your starting point. You get two tabs: Start with keywords and Start with a website.

Step 2: If starting with keywords, enter up to 10 seed terms in the language your customers use, not internal jargon. A plumber should seed “emergency plumber” and “boiler repair”, not “domestic water systems”. Set location and language filters before running, because national averages are useless for a local business.

Step 3: If starting with a website, enter a URL and choose the whole site or a single page. Keyword Planner reads the content and generates the keywords Google associates with it. It works on any URL, which is why it is the best competitor research feature in the tool. More on that below.

Step 4: Read the results table. For every keyword idea you get four core metrics:

The bid columns are underrated. They tell you what other advertisers think a click is worth, which is a fast proxy for commercial intent. A keyword with high bids and modest volume is usually a buying keyword.

Step 5: Filter and refine. Use the filters along the top to narrow by location, language, network, and date range, and use the “Refine keywords” panel to exclude whole categories (brands you do not sell, irrelevant subtopics) in one click.

Step 6: Export. Download the list to Sheets. Grouping, intent tagging, and match type decisions happen outside the tool, and the full process for that lives in our Google Ads keyword research guide.

Step-by-Step: Get Search Volume and Forecasts

This mode is for validating a list you already have and turning it into a budget.

1. From the Keyword Planner home screen, choose Get search volume and forecasts.
2. Paste your keyword list, one per line or comma separated, and click Get started.
3. The Saved keywords view shows historical volume and trend data for each term.
4. Click through to the Forecasts view. This is the budget-setting screen: Google projects clicks, impressions, cost, CTR, and average CPC for the next 30 days, based on actual auction data for your targeting settings.
5. Adjust the bid or budget inputs and watch the projections shift in real time. This is how you model a campaign before spending a single dollar.

No keyword suggestions appear in this report. It only analyzes the terms you entered, which is exactly what you want at the validation stage.

The Forecasts Tab Is How We Set Client Budgets

At Hustle Marketers, before recommending a budget for any campaign, we run the Forecasts tab for the target keyword list. This produces a projected range of clicks and impressions at different bid levels, based on actual auction data for the account and location. It turns budget conversations from guesswork into data-backed modeled scenarios clients can evaluate, and for PPC planning it is more useful than raw volume data anyway.

Hidden Features Most Marketers Miss

• Competitor URL discovery. Instead of entering keywords, enter a competitor URL in the “Start with a website” field. Keyword Planner generates ideas based on that page’s content, showing you what Google thinks your competitor is targeting, which tells you exactly what keywords you need to build content and campaigns around.
• Forecasting with custom bids. Change the bid amount in the Forecasts tab and watch projections shift in real time. This is how you model campaign budgets before spending.
• Seasonal trend data. The monthly breakdown chart on any keyword shows volume fluctuations across 12 months. This matters enormously for seasonal categories, holiday campaigns, and any business with predictable demand cycles.
• Location filtering for local campaigns. Filter keyword volumes down to a specific city, metro, or state. Almost everyone running local campaigns skips this. “Personal injury lawyer” in Chicago has very different volume and competition than the national average.
• Keyword grouping output. Keyword Planner organizes results into suggested ad groups automatically. Treat these groupings as a starting framework, not a final structure. They are usually too broad and need splitting into tighter intent clusters.

How Hustle Marketers Uses Keyword Planner in Real Client Campaigns

Keyword Planner is one tool in a larger research stack. Here is how we actually use it across the 2,500+ brands we have worked with over 12 years.

Step 1: Start with the client URL, not keywords. The first Keyword Planner search for any new client is their own website URL. This shows what Google currently associates with their content, which often reveals keyword gaps and misalignments between what the site says and what the client wants to rank for.

Step 2: Run the same for the top three competitors. Enter competitor URLs and export the combined keyword lists. Sort by volume descending. The keywords appearing for competitors but not for the client are the gaps that content and paid campaigns need to fill.

Step 3: Use forecasting to set realistic client expectations. Every proposed budget is backed by a Forecasts run for the target keyword list, so the client sees projected clicks and impressions at different bid levels before committing.

Step 4: Cross-reference against Semrush and GSC data. We cross-reference Keyword Planner ideas against Semrush keyword difficulty scores and Google Search Console impression data to narrow the real volume estimate before making campaign decisions.

The combination of Keyword Planner for idea generation and demand modeling, Semrush for difficulty and competitive depth, and GSC for actual site performance gives a more complete picture than any single tool alone. This three-source approach is standard practice across every engagement at our PPC agency.

One sorting rule we apply to every export: split branded queries from non-branded queries immediately, because they need separate campaigns, budgets, and reporting. Our branded vs non-branded search guide explains the split.

The Biggest Limitation of Keyword Planner (and the Workaround)

The most frustrating thing about Google Keyword Planner is volume ranges. A keyword showing “1,000 to 10,000 monthly searches” could mean 1,100 searches or 9,800 searches. That is a completely different scale for budget planning and content prioritization. Google intentionally keeps these ranges broad for advertisers not actively spending, and provides more specific data to accounts with higher monthly spend.

The practical workaround: use Keyword Planner to discover and group keywords, then cross-reference the volume estimates against Semrush or Ahrefs for a specific monthly figure rather than a broad band. For SEO planning, Google Search Console gives you the real impression count for keywords your site already has visibility for, which is more reliable than any third-party estimate.

Using Keyword Planner to Build a Negative Keyword List

Most guides talk about finding keywords you want to bid on. The underused application is finding keywords you want to exclude.

Enter a broad term related to your product or service into the discovery tool. Review the generated ideas and look for terms with modifiers indicating the wrong audience: “free”, “DIY”, “how to”, “jobs”, “salary”, “course”, “certification”, “tutorial”, and competitor brand names. These are queries from people who are not ready to buy or who are not your target customer. Add them to your negative keyword list before the campaign launches, not after the budget has been spent on them.

This is one of the highest-ROI uses of Keyword Planner for PPC. We build negative keyword libraries from Keyword Planner research for every new account before campaigns go live. A well-built negative list reduces wasted spend immediately and typically improves conversion rate by 15 to 30 percent in the first month by filtering out traffic that was never going to convert. The full negative architecture (account, campaign, and ad group levels) is covered in the pillar guide.

Read Forecasts as Scenarios, Not Promises

Keyword Planner forecasts are modeled estimates. They change with date range, location, network, bid strategy, competition, conversion setup and auction conditions. Record those assumptions next to every budget scenario, and present a range rather than a guaranteed click or lead total.

Account history and eligibility can also affect how much detail Google shows. Do not run artificial spend merely to chase a more precise search-volume number. Use the available range for relative demand, compare it with Search Console and a second keyword source, and validate the economics with live campaign data once a real campaign is justified.

This is how planning stays commercially useful without pretending the forecast is a contract. Learn how our PPC agency approaches the work, then compare the method with the evidence in our Brisbane commercial equipment Google Ads case study.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Keyword Planner free?

Yes. You need a Google Ads account, but you do not need to run ads or spend money. Set the account up in Expert Mode without a campaign, or pause the setup campaign immediately, and the discovery and forecast workflow remains usable. The level of volume detail can vary with account eligibility and history.

How do I use Keyword Planner without creating a campaign?

During account setup, choose Expert Mode and look for the option to create an account without a campaign. If Google forces the campaign flow, create a campaign without goals guidance and pause it immediately after setup. No ads will run and no money will be spent.

Why does Keyword Planner show ranges like 1K to 10K instead of exact numbers?

Google reserves precise volume data for accounts with active ad spend. Without spend you get broad ranges. Workarounds: compare the ranges with Semrush, Ahrefs, or your own Search Console impression data, and validate important terms with genuine campaign data when available.

Is Keyword Planner accurate?

Its demand data comes straight from Google, which makes it the most trustworthy source for relative demand and seasonality. The weak points are the wide volume ranges and grouped close variants. Use it for discovery and forecasting, then verify volumes with a second source.

Can I use Keyword Planner for SEO?

Yes. It was built for advertisers but works well for SEO research: keyword discovery, seasonal trends, and commercial intent signals from the bid columns. Pair it with Search Console for the real impressions your site already earns.

How do I see my competitors’ keywords in Keyword Planner?

Use “Discover new keywords”, switch to the “Start with a website” tab, and enter a competitor’s URL. Keyword Planner generates the keywords Google associates with that page or site. Export the lists for your top three competitors and look for keywords they cover that you do not.

What is the Forecasts feature in Keyword Planner?

Forecasts takes your keyword list and projects clicks, impressions, cost, CTR, and average CPC for the next 30 days, based on live auction data for your targeting. Adjust bids and watch the projections change. It is the fastest way to turn a keyword list into a realistic budget.

What do the competition and bid columns mean?

Competition shows how many advertisers bid on the keyword (low, medium, high). The two bid columns show the low and high range of what advertisers pay for top-of-page positions. High bids signal strong commercial intent: other advertisers have proven the click is worth money.

Does Keyword Planner group keywords into ad groups?

Yes, it suggests ad group groupings automatically when you generate ideas. Use them as a starting framework only. They are usually too broad, and tight intent-based grouping is what actually drives Quality Score. Our Google Ads keyword research guide covers the grouping method we use.

What are the match types I can apply to keywords I export?

Google Ads has three bidding match types (broad, phrase, exact) plus negative keywords for exclusion. Keyword Planner itself outputs plain keyword lists; you assign match types when you build the campaign. Match type behavior changed a lot in recent years, and the pillar guide explains what each one actually does in 2026.

Sources and Verification

Facts that can change were checked on August 10, 2026 against these primary sources:

• Google: using Keyword Planner
• Google Ads Help: keyword match types