Google’s Keyword Planner has long been a staple for marketers looking to improve their SEO strategies. Most people use it for the basics: researching relevant keywords to target in their paid ads or content marketing efforts. But there’s more to this tool than simply generating a list of keyword suggestions. When used strategically, it can provide deeper insights into your market, content opportunities, and how to stay ahead of the competition.
If you’re ready to take your SEO efforts up a notch, here are seven innovative ways to use Google’s Keyword Planner that you may not have considered.
1. Expand into New Markets with Translation Tools
If you’re considering expanding your business into new countries or regions, Keyword Planner can help you find keywords relevant to those markets. You can identify high-performing keywords in other languages or regions using the location and language filters.
Once you identify these international keywords, you can use them to inform your localized content strategy, ensuring that your ads and web pages are optimized for the new audience. This strategy is particularly beneficial for businesses looking to enter non-English speaking markets or expand into regions with different cultural contexts.
For example, you can compare search volumes for different keyword variations in Spanish-speaking countries versus English-speaking ones, allowing you to tailor your marketing efforts to match search behavior in each market.
2. Identify Keyword Seasonality
Seasonality is crucial in specific industries, affecting search volumes and advertising opportunities. However, it’s not always easy to predict when trends will rise and fall. Google’s Keyword Planner lets you identify search trends over time, clearly showing when specific keywords peak and decline.
By looking at historical data, you can pinpoint which terms perform best during certain seasons and adjust your content and ad strategies accordingly. For instance, if you know that “Christmas marketing ideas” peak in November, you can start planning and optimizing your campaigns in September to get ahead of the curve.
This insight can also help with long-term planning. You can preemptively create content around trends you know will spike in the future, allowing your site to rank higher when search interest increases.
3. Get Insights Into Competitor Keywords
Another underutilized feature of Google’s Keyword Planner is its ability to uncover what your competitors are doing. By inputting your competitors’ URLs into the tool, you can generate a list of keywords they are currently ranking for or potentially bidding on in their paid search campaigns. This technique helps you uncover keyword gaps—terms your competitors use that you may have overlooked.
These competitor insights can inspire new content ideas or inform adjustments to your current keyword strategy to stay competitive. Additionally, they allow you to find opportunities to outrank your competitors by producing better or more optimized content.
4. Plan Content Around High-Intent Keywords
High-intent keywords signal that a user is ready to take action, whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a service, or requesting more information. Examples of high-intent keywords include phrases like “buy,” “sign up,” “get a quote,” or “best for [specific use].”
Using Google’s Keyword Planner, you can focus on identifying these high-intent terms and incorporating them into your content strategy. This ensures you’re not only attracting traffic but also driving conversions. For example, if you run an eCommerce store, targeting keywords like “buy hiking gear online” or “best laptops for remote work” can result in more qualified leads closer to purchasing.
This is especially important for landing pages and product descriptions, where conversion is the primary goal.
5. Leverage Keyword Forecasting for Budget Planning
If you’re running Google Ads, the forecasting tool in Keyword Planner is a game-changer for budget planning. You can input your target keywords and receive projections on how much traffic, impressions, and clicks those keywords will likely generate, along with estimated costs.
This feature lets you decide which keywords to target based on your advertising budget. Additionally, by knowing which keywords are likely to perform better, you can allocate resources more effectively—focusing your spending on high-performing terms and avoiding those that don’t provide a good return on investment (ROI).
You can also test different keyword combinations before starting the campaign to see which might give you the best return on your investment.
6. Refine Your Local SEO Strategy
If your business operates in a specific geographical area, you must focus on local SEO to attract nearby customers. Google’s Keyword Planner enables you to target keywords based on specific locations and tailor your strategy to your local audience.
You can filter your keyword search results by location, narrowing your scope to city, state, or country-specific data. This insight benefits small businesses and service providers relying on local traffic. You can identify how users in your region are searching for products or services like yours and adjust your content or ad campaigns accordingly.
For example, if you’re a real estate agent in Los Angeles, searching for “real estate agent in LA” can give you a precise idea of what potential clients are searching for in your area.
7. Discover Long-Tail Keywords for Niche Markets
Most users of the Keyword Planner focus on finding high-volume, competitive keywords to drive traffic. However, long-tail keywords (phrases typically longer and more specific) are where the real value lies if you’re targeting niche markets.
These keywords often have less competition and cater to users further in the buying journey. For example, instead of focusing on “real estate investing,” a long-tail variation could be “best real estate investments for beginners in 2024.” Google’s Keyword Planner helps uncover these specific phrases by displaying keyword ideas based on your seed terms, along with their search volume and competition level.
By prioritizing long-tail keywords, you can drive more targeted traffic with higher conversion potential, all while minimizing competition.
Google’s Keyword Planner remains a powerful tool for anyone looking to enhance their digital marketing efforts, but its real value lies beyond basic keyword research. By using it creatively, you can discover hidden opportunities, gain a competitive edge, and ensure that your content or ads are aligned with your audience’s intent. Whether you’re refining a local SEO strategy or preparing for a seasonal campaign, the insights from Keyword Planner can help you take your strategy to the next level.
So, what’s your next move? Dive into Google’s Keyword Planner today and uncover the opportunities waiting for you.
Author Bio:
Digital Marketing Manager
