Free keyword planner tool

The tool reads like a sentence: "Give me a list of keywords for the category ___ for the target audience ___."

1. 1

   Pick a category

   Choose the closest match, from Autos & vehicles to Pets & animals. Choose Others if nothing fits.

2. 2

   Name your audience

   Be specific: "new dog owners", "B2B marketers" or "college students" gives sharper ideas than "everyone".

3. 3

   Generate

   Click Generate keywords now to get your keyword list.

4. 4

   Shortlist

   Keep the ideas that match what you sell or teach. Group close variations together.

5. 5

   Check demand and use them

   Check search volume for your shortlist (see below), then use the winners in titles, headings, captions and meta descriptions.

Google's own Keyword Planner (inside Google Ads) is free, but you need a Google Ads account to use it. Without an active, spending campaign, Google Keyword Planner shows search volume as wide ranges (for example 1K–10K) rather than exact numbers.

ContentStudio's free keyword planner tool gives you keyword ideas without an Ads account, a Google login or any subscription. Open the tool, choose a category and audience, and see results immediately.

Is Google Keyword Planner free?

Yes, Google Keyword Planner costs nothing, but it lives inside Google Ads. You need to create an Ads account and add billing details, though you don't have to run a campaign. Volumes are shown as ranges until your account spends money on ads.

Use this free keyword planner for ideas, then Google Keyword Planner to check demand. The two work well together:

1. 1Generate a keyword list here and copy your shortlist.
2. 2In Google Ads, open Tools > Planning > Keyword Planner.
3. 3Choose Get search volume and forecasts and paste your shortlist, or choose Discover new keywords to expand it.
4. 4Set the location and language you care about.
5. 5Sort by average monthly searches and competition, then keep the keywords with real demand that match your page.

Google's "competition" column describes advertiser competition for ads, not how hard a keyword is to rank for in organic search. Treat it as a rough signal only.

1. 1

   Start with your topic and audience

   Write down what you offer and who it's for. That is exactly what the tool asks for.

2. 2

   Collect ideas

   Generate lists here, then add autocomplete suggestions from Google, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram search.

3. 3

   Check intent

   Search each keyword and look at the results. Are they guides, products, videos or tools? Make the same type of content.

4. 4

   Check demand

   Use Google Keyword Planner or another volume tool to drop keywords nobody searches for.

5. 5

   Map one main keyword per page

   Give each page one primary keyword and 2–4 close variations, so your own pages don't compete with each other.

Ready to write? Turn a keyword into topics with the Blog ideas generator.

Many people look for a keyword planner for social media rather than Google search. Each platform has its own search and discovery system, and keywords now matter on social as much as hashtags do.

Facebook: Facebook has no public keyword planner. Keywords affect post discoverability in Facebook search and the language of your ads. Ads Manager suggests interests, not search keywords, when you set up targeting.

Instagram: Instagram search reads usernames, names, bios, captions and hashtags. Keywords in captions help posts show up in search and Explore. Instagram doesn't publish search volume, so use its search suggestions to see which terms have active communities. For Instagram-specific ideas, use the Instagram keyword tool.

YouTube: YouTube is one of the most-used search engines in the world. Keywords in video titles, descriptions and tags help videos rank in YouTube search and in Google's video results. The categories in this tool match YouTube's video categories, so it works well for planning channel topics. YouTube search autocomplete and YouTube Studio's search insights give platform-specific signals.

TikTok, LinkedIn and X: each has its own search. ContentStudio has separate free keyword tools for them, listed under related tools below.

The terms "keyword planner" and "keyword generator" describe related but different tools.

ContentStudio's free tool covers the idea stage: it plans keywords around a category and an audience. Pair it with a volume source such as Google Keyword Planner to complete the planning step.

Examples of the kind of list you can expect. Your results depend on the audience you enter.

• Education · college studentsCopy

  how to study for finals, best note taking apps, study schedule template

• Howto & style · beginnersCopy

  how to style wide leg jeans, capsule wardrobe checklist, easy hairstyles for work

• Pets & animals · new dog ownersCopy

  puppy training schedule, best food for puppies, how to crate train a dog

• Gaming · parentsCopy

  best family video games, parental controls on Xbox, age ratings explained

• Autos & vehicles · first-time buyersCopy

  used car checklist, how to finance a car, best cars for new drivers

• Music · home producersCopy

  how to mix vocals at home, best free DAW, home studio setup on a budget

• People & blogs · small business ownersCopy

  how to start a blog for business, content calendar ideas, blog post ideas for small business

• Comedy · Gen ZCopy

  relatable memes, sketch comedy ideas, funny office skits

Prefer long-tail keywords

Longer phrases like "puppy training schedule for working owners" have less competition and clearer intent than "dog training".

Match the search intent

If the results for a keyword are all videos, a blog post will struggle. If they are all product pages, a guide will struggle.

Use the words your audience uses

Write keywords the way customers say them, not the way your team does. Comments, reviews and support tickets are great sources.

Put keywords where they count

Use the main keyword in the title, the first heading and the meta description. The Meta tags generator builds the title and description tags for you.