Google Keyword Planner vs SEMrush: Which One Should You Use?

If you are looking for a tool to help you with keyword research, you might be wondering which one is better: Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush? 

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Both tools have their pros and cons, and depending on your needs and budget, you might prefer one over the other. In this article, we will compare and contrast these two popular keyword tools and help you decide which one is right for you.


What is Google Keyword Planner?

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that helps you discover and research keywords for your online marketing campaigns. Whether you want to create a new website, optimize your existing content, or run a paid advertising campaign, Google Keyword Planner can help you find the best keywords for your goals.

Google Keyword Planner is part of Google Ads, the online advertising platform of Google. You need to have a Google Ads account to access Google Keyword Planner, but you don't need to run any ads or spend any money to use it.

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that allows you to find and analyze keywords for your website or online ads. You can use it to:
  • Discover new keywords related to your topic or niche
  • See how often people search for those keywords on Google
  • See how competitive those keywords are in terms of bids and ad impressions
  • Create and save keyword plans for your campaigns
  • Get forecasts and historical data for your keywords
To use Google Keyword Planner, you need to have a Google Ads account, but you don't need to run any ads to access the tool. You can find it under the Tools & Settings menu in your Google Ads dashboard.


How does Google Keyword Planner work?

Google Keyword Planner works by analyzing the search queries that people use on Google and providing data and insights on those keywords. You can use Google Keyword Planner to:

1. Find new keyword ideas
You can enter a word, phrase, or URL related to your business or industry and get hundreds of relevant keyword suggestions. You can also filter and refine your results by location, language, date range, and other criteria.

2. Get search volume and forecasts
You can see how often a keyword is searched for on Google and how its search volume changes over time. You can also get estimates of how many clicks and impressions you can expect from a keyword if you use it in your ads.

3. Plan your budget and bids.
You can see how much it costs to advertise for a keyword on Google Ads and how competitive it is. You can also set your own budget and bid strategy and see how they affect your performance.


Why use Google Keyword Planner?


Google Keyword Planner is a powerful tool that can help you improve your online marketing strategy in many ways. Here are some of the benefits of using Google Keyword Planner:
  • It helps you find relevant and profitable keywords for your niche or industry.
  • It helps you optimize your website content and landing pages for SEO and conversions.
  • It helps you create effective and targeted ads that reach your ideal audience.
  • It helps you save time and money by avoiding keywords that are too broad, too specific, or too competitive.
  • It helps you monitor and adjust your campaigns based on data and trends.

How to use Google Keyword Planner?

To use Google Keyword Planner, you need to follow these steps:
  • Sign in to your Google Ads account or create one if you don't have one yet.
  • Click on the Tools icon in the top right corner and select Keyword Planner from the drop-down menu.
  • Choose one of the two options: Discover new keywords or Get search volume and forecasts.
  • Enter a word, phrase, or URL related to your business or industry and click on Get results.
  • Explore the keyword ideas or forecasts that Google Keyword Planner provides and download or save them as needed.
Google Keyword Planner is a valuable tool that can help you grow your online presence and reach more customers. By using it regularly, you can discover new opportunities, optimize your campaigns, and achieve your marketing goals.


What is SEMrush?

SEMrush is a paid tool that offers a comprehensive suite of features for SEO, PPC, content marketing, social media, and more. You can use it to:
  • Conduct keyword research and find long-tail, low-competition, and high-volume keywords
  • Analyze your competitors' keywords, traffic, backlinks, and strategies
  • Track and monitor your keyword rankings and performance across different devices and locations
  • Audit and optimize your website for technical SEO issues, user experience, and content quality
  • Create and manage your online ads campaigns with keyword suggestions, ad templates, and landing page analysis
  • Generate content ideas, headlines, outlines, and SEO-friendly copy with AI-powered tools
  • Manage your social media accounts, schedule posts, monitor mentions, and analyze your audience
  • And much more
To use SEMrush, you need to sign up for a subscription plan that starts from $99.95 per month. You can also get a free trial for 7 days to test out the features.


Google Keyword Planner vs SEMrush: The Comparison

Now that we have a basic overview of each tool, let's compare them based on some key criteria:


Keyword Database

One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a keyword tool is the size and quality of its keyword database. The more keywords it has, the more likely you are to find relevant and profitable ones for your niche.

Google Keyword Planner has a huge keyword database that covers over 200 countries and regions. It uses actual Google search data to provide accurate and up-to-date information on keyword volume, competition, and trends. However, it also has some limitations:
  • It only shows keywords related to Google Ads campaigns, which means it might not include some niche or long-tail keywords that are not popular among advertisers.
  • It only shows exact match keywords, which means it does not account for variations or synonyms of your keywords.
  • It only shows broad ranges of keyword volume (e.g., 10K-100K), which makes it hard to estimate the true potential of your keywords.
SEMrush is a powerful tool for keyword research that can help you optimize your SEO and PPC campaigns. 

Unlike Google Keyword Planner, which mainly focuses on keywords for paid search, SEMrush offers a broader and deeper insight into keywords for organic search. It covers more than 140 countries and regions and collects data from various sources to give you accurate and reliable information on keyword volume, difficulty, trends, SERP features, CPC, and more. 

Here are some of the benefits of using SEMrush for keyword research:
  • It shows you keywords related to organic search as well as paid search. This means you can find more niche and long-tail keywords that are not necessarily popular among advertisers, but can still drive traffic to your website.
  • shows you phrase match and related keywords. This means you can discover variations or synonyms of your keywords that can help you target different search intents and expand your keyword list.
  • It shows you exact numbers of keyword volume (e.g., 12K). This makes it easier to estimate the true potential of your keywords and compare them with other metrics such as difficulty or CPC.
SEMrush also has some advanced features that can help you analyze your competitors' keywords, find keyword gaps, track your keyword rankings, and more. 


With SEMrush, you can get a comprehensive and diverse view of your keyword landscape and optimize your SEO and PPC strategies accordingly.

In the debate between Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush, it ultimately comes down to your specific needs and budget. If you're primarily focused on paid search and want a free tool with a massive keyword database, Google Keyword Planner can be a suitable choice.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a more comprehensive and powerful tool that covers both organic and paid search, offers advanced features, and provides precise keyword metrics, SEMrush is the way to go. It's worth considering the unique advantages each tool brings to the table and assessing how they align with your marketing objectives.

Can be concluded that in the realm of keyword research, having the right tools at your disposal can significantly impact the success of your online marketing efforts. 

While Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush are both valuable options, they cater to different needs and offer distinct features.

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that primarily focuses on keywords for paid search campaigns. It boasts a vast keyword database based on actual Google search data. 

However, it has certain limitations, such as being geared towards advertisers and providing broad ranges of keyword volume. Nonetheless, it remains a solid choice for those on a tight budget and primarily interested in paid search keywords.

On the other hand, SEMrush is a comprehensive paid tool that covers a wide array of online marketing aspects, including organic and paid search, SEO, content marketing, social media, and more. 

Its keyword research capabilities go beyond Google Ads, allowing you to discover niche and long-tail keywords that may not be popular among advertisers but can still drive valuable organic traffic. 

SEMrush offers precise keyword metrics, such as volume, difficulty, trends, and CPC, providing deeper insights into your keyword landscape. 

Additionally, its advanced features empower you to analyze competitors, track keyword rankings, audit your website's SEO performance, and generate SEO-friendly content.

Ultimately, the choice between Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush depends on your specific requirements and available resources. If you prioritize affordability and focus mainly on paid search, Google Keyword Planner can suffice.
 
However, if you seek a comprehensive toolset for in-depth keyword analysis, competitor research, and multi-faceted online marketing strategies, SEMrush emerges as a robust solution.

By carefully evaluating your needs, considering the strengths and limitations of each tool, and aligning them with your marketing objectives, you can make an informed decision and leverage the chosen tool to enhance your keyword strategy, optimize your content, and drive better results for your online marketing endeavors.


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