The Keyword Planner – How to Find the Best Keywords for Your Campaigns

When creating an AdWords campaign, keyword research is one of the most fundamental tasks. If you invest significant time in it from the start, you'll save a lot of time during optimization later. With the help of Google's AdWords Keyword Planner, you can research ideas for your campaigns and find suitable keywords and ad groups for free.

To use the Keyword Planner, you need a regular Google account. Next, with this account, you'll need to either create an AdWords account or log into your existing AdWords account. After successfully logging in, you will find the Keyword Planner under the "Tools" tab.

The Functions of the Tool

The Keyword Planner offers various possibilities for research. Finding new keywords is the most basic function. Under the sub-item “Search for new keywords using a word group, a website, or a category” you can execute this. Additionally, it is possible to determine reasonable bids and budgets for campaigns, create new keyword lists, or combine existing lists. You can also perform estimates for search volume and traffic for a keyword list.

Fig. 1: Screenshot of Keyword Planner options

In the following, we would like to focus on the first option and explain it to you in a bit more detail.

Finding Ideas for New Keywords and Ad Groups

Once you've chosen the first option, a search interface will open (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2: Screenshot Keyword Planner - Search Interface

First, enter your keyword idea, a target page, or an appropriate product category. Then you can refine the settings through various filters.

Targeting: Using the “Targeting” option, you can limit the search to specific locations, languages, and networks. It is also possible to directly exclude unsuitable keywords so they are not considered in further searches.Time frame: Under the “Time frame” setting, you can set the time span over which the search volume should be displayed. Customize my search: With the “Customize my search” filter, you can apply restrictions concerning bid, impressions, search query, or competition. For example, you can set it so that all keywords with an average search volume of less than 500 are excluded and not considered further.

Once you have set everything according to your preferences, click the “Get ideas” button and the suggested keywords will appear.

Fig. 3: Screenshot – Ad Group Ideas Search Results

The Keyword Planner provides you with ideas for various ad groups. Each of these ad groups contains keywords relevant to the topic. Here, you can get excellent suggestions for structuring your campaigns/ad groups. Under the “Keyword Ideas” tab, you will find individual keyword suggestions, with which you can also create an ad group yourself.

Fig. 4: Screenshot – Keywords Ideas Search Results

For all ad groups and keywords, the average monthly searches, competition, and a suggested bid are displayed. If you find a keyword interesting, you can add it to your plan with the button in the right column and then insert it directly into the campaign.

Fig. 5: Screenshot – Plan Overview

You will find the created plan overview on the right side of the tool. In our example, three ad groups with a total of 53 keywords were added to the plan. By clicking on “Review Plan,” you can analyze the keywords precisely. You get an overview of the expected clicks, impressions, costs per day, the click-through rate, the avg. CPC, and the avg. ad position dependent on the bid. In the upper field, you can enter a specific bid to retrieve a detailed forecast.

Fig. 6: Screenshot – Daily Forecast

In our example, we set a CPC of €1. In the forecast, you can see how the selected keywords would develop. For instance, the keyword "Hollywoodschaukel" would generate the most clicks and impressions.

Based on this, you can now edit the keyword list and directly incorporate suitable keywords into your AdWords account by clicking on "save in account."

With the help of the Keyword Planner, you can get inspiration for new keywords and receive an assessment of individual keywords and the appropriate budget.

If you need support in the area of AdWords, be it with keyword research, campaign settings, or account analysis, contact internetwarriors GmbH. Our certified AdWords specialists are happy to assist you.