A successful Google Ads campaign begins with a solid foundation, and that foundation is built on thorough keyword research and a smart bidding strategy. The Google Keyword Planner tool is essential for this process, as it provides the data needed to make informed decisions and optimize your ad spend.
The Google Keyword Planner is a free tool available within Google Ads that helps you research keywords for your search campaigns. It’s designed to give you insights into the keywords your target audience is searching for. With this tool, you can:
- Discover new keywords: Get suggestions for keywords related to your products, services, or website.
- See monthly searches: View estimates on the number of searches a keyword gets each month.
- Determine cost: See the average cost to have your ad show for a specific keyword.
- Organize keywords: Plan how to group your keywords into different ad groups for a more structured campaign.
- Create new campaigns: Use your keyword plan directly to set up new campaigns.
By using the Keyword Planner, you’re not just guessing what people are searching for. You’re leveraging Google’s own data to target your audience with precision.
How to Start with Google Keyword Planner for Your First Google Ads Campaign
Getting started is simple, but requires a strategic approach. Here are the key steps:
- Access the tool: Sign in to your Google Ads account and navigate to the “Tools & Settings” menu. Under “Planning,” you’ll find “Keyword Planner.”
- Choose your option: You’ll be presented with two main options: “Discover new keywords” and “Get search volume and forecasts.” For a new campaign, start with “Discover new keywords.”
- Enter your seed keywords: Type in words or phrases related to your business. For example, if you sell handmade coffee mugs, you might enter “handmade coffee mugs,” “ceramic mugs,” or “unique coffee cups.”
- Refine and analyze results: The tool will generate a list of keyword ideas. Pay close attention to the following metrics:
- Average monthly searches: This tells you the demand for a keyword.
- Competition: This metric indicates how many advertisers are bidding on the same keyword.
- Top of page bid (low range and high range): This gives you an estimated cost per click (CPC) for a keyword.
- Create your plan: Add the most relevant keywords to your plan. Group similar keywords together to create tightly-themed ad groups. This is a crucial step for maintaining a high Quality Score, which directly impacts your CPC.
What Is CPC and Why Is It Important?
Cost-per-click (CPC) is the actual price you pay each time someone clicks on your ad. In a CPC bidding strategy, you set a maximum amount you’re willing to pay for a click, known as your “max. CPC.” However, the actual CPC you pay is often less than your maximum bid.
Here’s a simple way to think about how CPC is calculated: it’s influenced by your Ad Rank and the Ad Rank of the advertiser below you. Your Ad Rank is determined by a combination of your max. CPC bid, your Quality Score, and the expected impact of your ad extensions.
CPC is incredibly important to your paid traffic strategy because it directly impacts your budget and return on investment (ROI). A lower CPC means you’re paying less for each visitor to your site, allowing you to get more clicks and potentially more conversions for the same budget.
To lower your CPC and improve your campaign’s performance, you should focus on:
- Improving your Quality Score: Google rewards relevant, high-quality ads with a lower CPC and better ad positions.
- Using negative keywords: Filter out irrelevant searches that would waste your budget.
- Creating specific ad groups: Grouping your keywords into tight, relevant themes can improve your ad’s relevance.
By understanding and optimizing for CPC, you can make your ad spend more efficient and achieve a higher ROI for your Google Ads campaigns.
This video provides an excellent guide on how to get started with Google Ads keyword research.
How to Do Google Ads Keyword Research (2025): A Step-by-Step Guide