How To Use Google Keyword Planner To Nail Keyword Research In 2020

There are millions of searches on Google every day, and it's becoming challenging to find the right keywords that will yield the best results. So, what do you need to do? Learn how to use Google Keyword Planner.

To give you an idea of how crowded Google is in 2020, here's a chart from Statista:

Google processed 11.91 billion search queries as of January this year. This makes Google a go-to place for all digital advertisers today. But like I said, finding the perfect keyword is tough.

If you want to rank high for a specific search term, you need to spend a lot of effort in keyword research.

What Is Keyword Research?

Keyword Research is an SEO practice of discovering all of the possible search queries that are relevant to a business and its customers. It includes sorting and prioritizing keywords into sensible, related groups. SEO experts can use them to determine what needs to change in their existing site pages or when they need to create new content.

Proper keyword research tricks will let you uncover the following:

• terms
• phrases
• questions
• answers 

All of which are super relevant to users and vital in achieving your goals, like views, leads, or sales. Keyword research sets you up for building effective SEO strategies for improving your content to acquire higher search rankings. It can also help to rank you in a broader variety of key terms to ultimately generate more relevant organic traffic to your site.

Google makes keyword research easy for advertisers with its keyword planner.

Google Keyword Planner: What It Is And How To Set It Up

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool within the Google Ads system. It allows you to do comprehensive keyword research for your Google Ads campaigns or other SEO purposes.

You can use the Google Keyword Planner to do the following:

• Discover the search terms that web users type into Google.
• Find search volume for your target keywords.
• Create Google Ads campaigns with forecast data too.

While this tool can provide excellent keyword ideas and traffic forecasts, campaign performance still depends on factors like your bid, budget, product, and customer behavior in your industry.

All these factors can influence the success of your Google Ads campaigns.

Follow these steps to set up Google Keyword Planner:

• Step 1: If you don't have one yet, create a Google Ads account.
• Step 2: Log in to your Google Ads account.
• Step 3: Click the "Tools & Settings" link at the top of the dashboard.

• Step 4: Select the "Keyword Planner" link under the "Planning" portion.

• Step 5: To start using Google Keyword Planner, click the "Discover new keywords" option.

• Step 6: You can select either "Start With Keywords" or "Start With a Website" to discover new keywords.

• Step 7: Create an ad campaign to see all of the available data, including all the keywords you want to target and search volume.

How To Use Google Keyword Planner

I listed nine different effective strategies that can help you maximize the Google Keyword Planner. Even if the tool's interface changes, the best practices I listed below will help you discover profitable keywords.

1. Enter Competitor URLs

Enter five to ten different competitor URLs separately and pull unique keywords that you never considered using.

You will discover many keywords your competitors are ranking for.

2. Concentrate On Long-tail Keywords

There's a lot of long-tail keywords that you can rank for.

A long-tail keyword is a specific type of keyword that usually consists of more words. Fewer advertisers use these keywords, which makes them a perfect target.

To differentiate a regular keyword from a long tail keyword, here's a sample:

• Regular Keyword - "Chinese restaurant"
• Long-tail Keyword - "affordable and kid friendly chinese restaurant in New York"

Never exclude long-tail keywords that get a small number of monthly searches. That's because you can quickly rank for them and drive more traffic to your site or specific landing page.

3. Recommended Bid Range Has Significant Value

Keywords with “Top of page bid (low range)” or “Top of page bid (high range)” shows the value that Google advertisers see in them.

These columns show the higher range or lower range of what advertisers have historically paid for a keyword's top of page bid, based on their location and Search Network settings. The average cost-per-click or CPC of your keywords may vary.

Here's an example scenario:

If you target a keyword like “content marketing agency”, you will likely have a CPC above $10 for your Google Ads campaign. If you ranked for that keyword, it would be precious because you will bring in more qualified leads to your business.

4. Link Your Google Search Console Account

Link your Google Search Console account with Google Ads to see how your ads and organic search listings perform (both alone and together) by importing organic search results from the tool. It can help analyze your high-ranking and underperforming keywords.

5. Google Analytics Keywords

Google Analytics can give you meaningful keywords data, particularly organic keywords, because the vast majority of your keywords are reported as “not provided.”

However, there are some tools such as Keyword Hero, which can turn your “not provided” back into useful data.

Linking your Google Analytics with Google Ads will also activate useful features like landing page testing, personalization, and reporting.

6. Take Advantage Of Forecasts And Metrics

Google Keyword Planner will give you access to historical metrics and forecasts for the keywords you like to target. It can provide you some bid ideas, right target keywords, wrong keywords, and more, even if it will not be an exact fit for your ad campaign.

7. Filter And Sort The Results

Before filtering and sorting the results, carefully choose the following criteria:

• Locations
• Language
• Search Networks (just Google)
• Date Range (12 months is excellent)
• Average Monthly Searches
• Competition
• Ad Impression Share
• Organic Impression Share
• Organic Average Position

8. Analyze The Keyword Ideas Section

After filtering and sorting the keywords that are ideal for your business, analyze the following: 

• Keyword By Relevance
• Average Monthly Searches (mainly Seasonal keywords)
• Competition
• Top Of Page Bid to size keyword's monetization potential

9. Choose A Keyword

If you have survived steps 1 to 7 of this list, then you are almost done. All you need to do is to choose the right keywords. It's the most challenging part of the whole keyword research process, making it more art than science.

Keep in mind the three main criteria for choosing keywords:

• Search volume
• Commercial intent
• Organic SEO competition

Don't hesitate to check out any of the following keyword research tools if you'd like to dig even deeper with your keyword research:

• SEMRush
• UberSuggest
• Ahrefs Keyword Explorer
• LongTailPro

And that's how to use Google Keyword Planner to nail keyword research in 2020!

I put together a list of helpful online resources to help you with Google Keyword Planner. Also, TALK TO US TODAY if you want to know tips and tricks on how to use this tool.

Recommended Google Keyword Planner Resources

• How to Use Google Keyword Planner (Actionable Guide)
• How to Use Google Keyword Planner Tool For SEO
• Google Keyword Tool: Try Our Free, Open Keyword Tools

So what do you think about this article? Are you ready to become an expert in keyword research?

Leave a comment below and let's chat.

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Header image courtesy of JumpStory.

About the Author Tim Fitzpatrick

Tim Fitzpatrick is the President of Rialto Marketing. At Rialto Marketing, we help small businesses & entrepreneurs eliminate the confusion of marketing by focusing on the fundamentals. As a marketing partner, we help clients put in place and manage a simple marketing plan so they can grow. Marketing your business shouldn't be a challenge. All you need is a plan.