Google Keyword Planner
SupportingKeyword Research
Google Keyword Planner is the keyword research tool inside Google Ads, giving search volume ranges, competition levels, top-of-page bid estimates and traffic forecasts sourced from Google's own advertising data.
ABOUT GOOGLE KEYWORD PLANNER
Keyword Planner is free in the sense that the tool costs nothing, not in the
sense that it is open to everyone: Google gates the useful features behind a
Google Ads account with billing details on file. Accounts that are not
actively spending see volume as wide buckets rather than precise numbers,
which is the single biggest reason SEOs pair it with a third-party tool.
OVERVIEW
- Who is it for?
- Advertisers running Google Search campaigns, and SEOs who want volume data straight from Google rather than a third-party estimate.
- Problem
- Third-party keyword tools model search volume from clickstream samples; the advertiser-facing numbers Google itself uses are only exposed inside Google Ads.
- Solution
- Keyword Planner returns keyword ideas from a seed term or URL alongside monthly volume ranges, competition, top-of-page bid estimates and spend-based forecasts. Access is free, but Google requires a Google Ads account with billing information entered before the full "get ideas" features unlock.
- What makes it unique
- The data originates from Google's advertising system rather than a clickstream model, but volumes are shown as broad ranges rather than exact figures unless an account is actively spending.
KEY FEATURES
- Keyword ideas generated from seed terms, a website or a product category
- Monthly search volume ranges with historical trend data
- Competition level and top-of-page bid range per keyword
- Traffic and conversion forecasts for a given budget and bid strategy
- Keyword grouping into ad groups for campaign build-out
- Location and language targeting filters
COMPANY
- Publicly traded
- Yes
Where ZPlatform covers Google Keyword Planner
Ranked in
Best-of lists that rank this tool alongside others.
Mentioned in
Passing mentions in guides and other posts.
Sources
- Google Ads Help - About Keyword Planner - Documentation · checked Sep 5, 2026
- Google Ads Help - Keyword Planner access requirements and cost - About page · checked Sep 5, 2026