AdAce AdsGoogle Keyword Planner: how to use it for free, step by step
Google Keyword Planner is free, but it lives inside a Google Ads account. You open it from the Tools menu, choose either Discover new keywords or Get search volume and forecasts, and read average monthly searches, competition and bid ranges. You do not need to run ads to look at it, but the numbers may be rougher if your account spends little. This guide shows the steps, how to read the numbers and which free tools can fill the gaps.
How do you open Google Keyword Planner?
You need a Google Ads account. Google says Keyword Planner is a free resource, that anyone with a Google Ads account can use it, and that no separate account is needed. Google also says you first have to finish account setup and create a campaign. Setup includes adding billing information. Google's wording is that you must create a campaign; we found no rule that it has to keep running or spending. Looking at keyword ideas is free.
Once the account is ready, open the Tools menu and select Keyword planner. Google also gives a direct address: ads.google.com/aw/keywordplanner/home.
One more detail. Google's Keyword Planner page says that if your account uses Smart Mode, you need to switch it to Expert Mode. Smart Mode is the simplified setup that can only create Smart campaigns. If you do not see Keyword Planner in your account, check this first, and then check that setup and billing are complete.
Inside, there are two main tools. Discover new keywords is for ideas: you type a few words, or a website address, and get a list. Get search volume and forecasts is for a list you already have: you paste it, and Google shows its search volume and an estimate of results. The table below compares what you can use if you would rather not open Google Ads at all.
Free alternatives to Google Keyword Planner
| Source | What you need | What it shows | Main limit | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Trends | A browser; no ad account | Relative interest from 0 to 100 over time, for a place and period | Not search counts. Google says low-volume terms can show as 0 | Comparing two or three phrases and seeing seasonality |
| Search Console Performance report | A verified site in Search Console | Queries, clicks, impressions, CTR and average position for your own site | Only your site. You see queries you already appear for | Finding words real people already use to reach you |
| Google autocomplete and People also ask | A browser | Phrases people type or ask, as Google predicts them | No volume numbers. Predictions can reflect your own past searches | Finding wording, questions and long-tail variants |
| Microsoft Advertising Keyword Planner | A free Microsoft Advertising account | Historical search volume and trends on the Microsoft network, plus forecasts of clicks, impressions and cost | Bing-side data, not Google. Needs an account | A second opinion on volume; Bing campaigns |
| Bing Webmaster Tools keyword research | A free Bing Webmaster Tools account | Trending keywords, related queries and long-tail ideas from Bing | Bing audience only; shows ideas and trends rather than Google volumes | Extra long-tail ideas |
Why volumes show as ranges, and what to do about it
Many people open Keyword Planner and see a bucket such as 10K to 100K instead of a single number. Here is what we could verify. Google's help page says search volume statistics are rounded. It defines average monthly searches as the average number of searches for a keyword and its close variants, averaged over 12 months by default, and says the historical stats are shown for exact matches.
We did not find a Google help page that states a spend rule for ranges. Industry reports since 2016 say that accounts with little or no ad spend get wide ranges, while accounts that spend more get narrower ones. Treat that as a common observation, not a promise, because Google does not publish a threshold.
What to do with a wide range:
Compare keywords with each other inside the same list instead of trusting one number.
Use Google Trends to see which phrase has more interest than the other.
Check your own Search Console queries and, once ads run, the search terms report. Real impressions beat any estimate.
Start small. A modest test campaign tells you the real volume for your area faster than debating a range.
What Keyword Planner gives you
- Keyword ideas from a few seed words or from a website address, for a location and language you choose.
- Average monthly searches, a competition level (low, medium or high) and top-of-page bid ranges. Google describes the bid range as roughly the 20th to the 80th percentile of bids that put an ad at the top of the first page, based on the last 30 days.
- Competition in Keyword Planner means advertisers, not how hard it is to rank in organic search. Google defines it as the number of advertisers that showed on a keyword relative to all keywords across Google.
- Filters: use Add filter and pick a criterion such as competition, impression share or keyword text. The Refine keywords panel groups ideas by theme, brand or attribute so you can remove whole groups.
- Forecasts: estimates of clicks or conversions based on your budget and bid. Conversions need conversion tracking. You can change the daily budget, the bid strategy and the date range, and download the forecast.
- A path into campaigns: add ideas to a plan, or send selected keywords to an ad group with Add to account.
How to use it, step by step
- Finish account setup, including billing, create a campaign, and make sure the account is in Expert Mode.
- Open Tools, then Keyword planner.
- Choose Discover new keywords. Pick Start with keywords or Start with a website, enter your terms or a URL, set the location and language, and select Get results.
- Narrow the list with Add filter, for example a competition level or text that must appear in the keyword. Remove off-topic groups in Refine keywords.
- Read average monthly searches and the top-of-page bid range. Mark keywords that match what you sell and that fit your price and location.
- Select the keywords, choose a match type and Add keywords to a plan. Saved keywords can be organized and forecast.
- For a list you already have, open Get search volume and forecasts. Paste it or upload a CSV; if the file has only keywords, give it one column headed Keyword. Select Submit, then Get started.
- On the forecast page, switch between clicks and conversions, change the average daily budget and bid strategy, set the date range and download the forecast if you need it in a file.
- Take the short list to your campaign, then watch the real search terms after launch and add negative keywords.
Limits to keep in mind
- Keyword Planner shows past searches, not a promise of traffic. Real results depend on your bids, ad quality, budget and landing page.
- Forecasts refresh daily and use recent data adjusted for seasonality. A new advertiser's forecasts rest on average data for all advertisers, so they are rougher.
- Keywords with very low search volume are often not discoverable or forecastable. A missing keyword does not always mean nobody searches for it.
- Rounding can make volumes for several locations not add up as you would expect.
- AdAce Ads can fetch Keyword Planner ideas for you inside the AI analyst or an AI client such as Claude or ChatGPT; see Google Keyword Planner: keyword ideas and monthly searches for how that works. That article describes AdAce Ads' own feature. This one explains Google's tool.
- AdAce Ads never adds a fee on ad spend. Ad spend is paid to Google directly. The Free plan needs no card.
Sources and further reading
- Google Ads Help: Get keyword ideas and forecasts with Keyword Planner
- Google Ads Help: About Keyword Planner metrics and forecasts
- Google Keyword Planner (Google Ads page)
- Google Trends Help: Understand Trends data
- Search Console Help: Performance report
- Microsoft Advertising Keyword Planner
- Bing Webmaster Blog: Start using Bing Webmaster Tools
- Google Keyword Planner: keyword ideas and monthly searches
- Manage Google keywords: pause and enable in bulk
- Add negative keywords in Google Ads from search terms
- How to create a Google Search campaign (created paused)
- Google search demand by US state: estimate it before you launch
- Google Ads for small business: a simple first campaign plan
Common questions
How do I use Google Keyword Planner for free?
Open Tools, then Keyword planner, in a Google Ads account. Google says the tool is free, but you must finish account setup and create a campaign first. Then choose Discover new keywords or Get search volume and forecasts.
Can I use Keyword Planner without running ads?
Google's pages say you need a Google Ads account with setup finished and a campaign created. We found no rule that the campaign must keep running. Without spend, numbers may appear as wide ranges.
Why does Keyword Planner show ranges instead of exact numbers?
Google says search volume statistics are rounded. Industry reports say accounts with little spend see wide ranges, but Google does not publish a threshold, so treat that as an observation, not a rule.
What is the difference between Discover new keywords and Get search volume and forecasts?
Discover new keywords gives ideas from words or a website. Get search volume and forecasts takes a list you already have and shows its search volume and estimated clicks, conversions or cost.
What are free alternatives to Google Keyword Planner?
Google Trends for relative interest, Search Console for queries your own site already gets, Google autocomplete and People also ask for wording, Microsoft Advertising Keyword Planner and Bing Webmaster Tools for Bing-side data.
Does Keyword Planner show exact search volume?
No. It shows rounded averages over 12 months by default, for exact matches and close variants of the keyword. Real impressions from your own ads or Search Console are more reliable.
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