Use SEO tools to plan content and Google Keyword Planner to plan ads. SEO tools are built to help pages rank, so their keyword lists reflect organic opportunity. Keyword Planner is Google's own view of how often people search a term and what advertisers pay for it, which is what a Search budget runs on. Read its three key columns correctly, though: volume, competition and ranges each mean something narrower than they look.
An SEO list is not an ads list
On a mentoring call, we reviewed the account of a UK private tutoring business. The keywords came from lists built in an SEO tool for the website and had been reused in Google Ads, with some switched to broad match because Google kept recommending it.
The problem: an SEO tool can tell you a keyword is good for content. It doesn't tell you the search is good for an ad. We opened Keyword Planner, used Discover new keywords, and read the "Avg. monthly searches" column instead. Our rule of thumb from running accounts:
- Above about 20 searches a month: worth targeting.
- 10 to 20: only if the term is very specific to what you sell.
- Under 10: skip it.
Then add the survivors as phrase match, not a wall of exact match terms.
The volume number is exact match only
Google says average monthly searches counts searches for a keyword and its close variants, and that historical stats like this are shown for exact matches only. You see the same number whether you choose broad, phrase or exact.
That catches people out. On another call, a team planned to skip Search because their keywords showed low volume. But phrase match, in Google's words, can show ads on "searches that include the meaning of your keyword," so a term showing 50 searches can reach more than 50 once it's live. Keyword Planner's forecasts, unlike the volume column, do take match type into account, so build a plan and check the forecast before writing a category off.
Low volume is not the same as no demand
On a third call, a US SMS marketing software company had been through three media buyers, spent $30 to $50 a day, mostly on Meta, with no leads from earlier Google ads either, and got zero form submissions. The worry was that nobody wanted the product.
We opened Keyword Planner on the call. "SMS marketing agency" and "SMS marketing provider" each showed 100 to 1K average monthly searches, with 175 keyword ideas in total, and related terms like 'best text message marketing software' rated medium competition.
That last column matters. Google defines competition as the number of advertisers that showed on a keyword relative to all keywords across Google. Medium competition means other advertisers are bidding on those searches. Demand existed. The campaigns were the problem. When the searches genuinely don't exist, that's a different story, which we cover in Search ads don't create demand.
Reading ranges and bids
- Ranges, not numbers. Planner often shows volume as a band like 100 to 1K. In our experience that happens on accounts with little or no active spend. You also need billing details entered to use Discover new keywords at all.
- Top of page bids. Google describes the low and high range as roughly the 20th and 80th percentile of what advertisers paid for a top of page bid.
- Missing keywords. Google says very low volume or sensitive keywords aren't discoverable or forecastable.
The takeaways
- Size ad demand in Keyword Planner, not with an SEO tool's keyword list.
- Average monthly searches is an exact match figure, close variants included. Phrase match can reach more.
- Competition in Planner means advertiser competition. Medium or high means other advertisers are bidding on it.
- Zero leads on a category with real volume and real bidders is an execution problem, not a market one.
Common questions
Should I use an SEO tool or Keyword Planner for Google Ads keywords?
Use Keyword Planner for ads. SEO tools are built to help content rank organically, while Keyword Planner shows Google's estimates of how often a keyword is searched and what advertisers pay for top of page placement. Use the SEO tool for content planning.
Is Keyword Planner search volume for exact match or phrase match?
Exact match. Google says average monthly searches counts searches for a keyword and its close variants, and historical stats are shown for exact matches only, so the number is the same whichever match type you pick. Forecasts for clicks and cost do take match type into account.
What does competition mean in Keyword Planner?
It is advertiser competition, not SEO difficulty. Google defines it as the number of advertisers that showed on a keyword relative to all keywords across Google, rated low, medium or high.
Why does Keyword Planner show a range like 100 to 1K instead of a number?
In our experience, Planner shows search volume as a range on accounts with little or no active ad spend, and exact figures once an account is spending. Either way, treat the volume as an estimate for planning, not a guarantee of traffic.
How many monthly searches does a keyword need to be worth targeting?
Our rule of thumb is above about 20 average monthly searches. Between 10 and 20, target it only if it is very specific to what you sell, and skip anything under 10. Phrase match will usually reach more searches than the exact match figure shows.