Good SEO starts with knowing what your customers actually type into Google — and Google Keyword Planner is one of the easiest free ways to find out. It's simple to use, genuinely useful for shaping your content, and it costs nothing, even though the setup nudges you towards running ads. Here's how to get in without a credit card and put it to work for your SEO.
- Keyword Planner is free — you can skip the ad campaign entirely.
- "Discover new keywords" is your go-to for fresh content ideas.
- Use search volumes as a guide, not a precise number.
- Focus on intent and questions, which also helps with AI search.
Access it for free
Head to Google's Keyword Planner page and click "Go to Keyword Planner". This is where people get stuck: when the "What's your main advertising goal?" screen appears, don't pick any of the options — click "Switch to Expert Mode" at the bottom instead. If you can't see that link, widen your browser window; Google sometimes hides it on narrow screens. On the next screen, choose "Create an account without a campaign". You'll be asked about currency and country, but there's no need to enter any payment details. Once you're through, open "Tools and Settings" in the top corner and select Keyword Planner. You're in.
Discover new keywords
The tool has two main functions: "Discover new keywords" and "Get search volume and forecasts". Start with the first — it's your idea generator. Type in words, phrases or even a competitor's URL related to your business, and Google returns a list of related keyword suggestions. You can add up to ten terms or URLs at once for a broader spread. From there, filter the results, pick the keywords that fit your business, and dig into the historical metrics to see how their popularity has moved month to month.
Read the search volumes
Average monthly searches tell you roughly how popular a keyword is. Sort from low to high and strip out anything irrelevant so you're left with a clean, useful shortlist. One important caveat: this data isn't precise or real-time, so treat it as a guide rather than the final word — don't build an entire strategy on a single number. It's also worth knowing that Google's language understanding means keyword order, singular versus plural, and small variations rarely change the intent it recognises. So focus on the theme and the question behind the keyword, not on matching every exact phrase.
Get search volume and forecasts
The second function shows forecasts for keywords you already have in mind. Open the forecast view, expand "your plan", and drag along the graph. Pushing the cost-per-click to its highest point makes the impressions figure sit close to the real monthly search volume, giving you a tighter number to plan around. It's a handy cross-check when a keyword's importance to your business justifies a closer look.
Turn keywords into SEO content
Keyword data is only worth having if you act on it. Use what you learn to shape genuinely helpful pages built around the phrases and questions your customers actually use — the specific, intent-rich long-tail keywords are often your best opportunities. This matters for AI search too: answer engines like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT favour content that directly answers real queries, so writing around what people search helps you get understood and cited. Pair Keyword Planner with tools like Semrush or Ahrefs when you want deeper competitive insight.
Keyword Planner is a great first stop for discovering what to write about, checking demand and spotting trends over time. Feed those insights into clear, useful content and you give both search engines and AI answer engines something worth ranking. If you'd like a hand turning keyword research into an SEO plan that works, get in touch — we're happy to help.
