Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool inside Google Ads. It suggests keywords from a word, phrase or website and shows how often people search for them, what advertisers bid and how a list of keywords might perform. You need a Google Ads account to use it, but you do not pay for the tool itself.

It is built for planning Search ad campaigns, yet many site owners, bloggers and affiliate marketers use it for free keyword research because the data comes from Google.

How do you get access to Keyword Planner?

Keyword Planner sits inside Google Ads, so you sign in with a Google Ads account. Google's help page says you need to complete your account setup, including billing information, before you can get keyword ideas. The help pages checked on 1 November 2026 do not say you must run a campaign.

What does Keyword Planner show?

Keyword ideas

You start with "Discover new keywords" and enter words, a phrase or a website. Keyword Planner returns related ideas, which you can filter by location, language, search network and date range, and narrow with negative keywords. You can also upload your own list or combine two lists into new combinations.

Search volume

Average monthly searches is the number of times people searched for a keyword and its close variants. By default, Google averages it over 12 months, and the figure depends on the location and network you choose. Google rounds these numbers, so volumes for several locations may not add up.

Keywords with very low volume, and keywords in sensitive categories such as health or finance, may show no data at all.

Bids and competition

For each keyword you see a low and a high top-of-page bid, which Google describes as roughly the 20th and 80th percentile of what advertisers paid in the last 30 days. Competition shows how many advertisers bid on the keyword compared with other keywords, as low, medium or high. Both are useful when you estimate the cost per click of a pay-per-click campaign.

Forecasts

Forecasts estimate clicks, impressions, cost and conversions for a keyword list at the daily budget and date range you set. Google refreshes them daily using roughly the last 7 to 10 days of data, adjusted for seasonality. Conversion forecasts need conversion tracking.

Why does Keyword Planner show ranges instead of exact numbers?

In August 2016 Google said that advertisers with lower monthly spend may see a limited data view, in which average monthly searches appear as ranges such as 1K to 10K. Google did not define the spend level then, and its current help pages do not explain it. Reviewers on OMR Reviews still name broad ranges as one of the main drawbacks, so expect ranges if your account does not spend on ads.

How much does Keyword Planner cost?

Nothing. Google calls Keyword Planner a free resource. You pay only for ads you choose to run in Google Ads.

What do users say about Keyword Planner?

On OMR Reviews, Google Keyword Planner holds 4.4 out of 5 from 114 reviews at the time of checking. Reviewers like that it is free and simple, that it gives keyword ideas and volume with export options, and that it connects directly to Google Ads with bid and competition estimates.

The common complaints are that full data needs an active Google Ads account, that volumes often appear as broad ranges, that cost-per-click estimates can be unreliable, and that it has no competitor or SEO analysis.

When should you choose another tool?

• You do SEO, not ads. Keyword Planner does not show how hard it is to rank organically or which pages rank. Use Semrush, Ahrefs or Ubersuggest.
• You want to see what you already rank for. Google Search Console shows the real queries and clicks for your own site, for free.
• You want volume while you browse. A browser extension such as Keywords Everywhere shows estimates next to Google results.

For a step-by-step method, read our guide to keyword research for SEO or compare more keyword research tools.