I’ve just started out and don’t have the budget to subscribe to paid tools like Semrush or Ahrefs. Is Google Keyword Planner good enough on its own, or am I missing out by not using those paid options?
Nope, but you can make the most out of free tools if you’re patient. Here’s what I do:
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Use Google Keyword Planner to gather ideas and see rough search volume.
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Put all your keywords in a spreadsheet. I focus on low to medium competition ones.
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Use a free quota from paid tools like Semrush. You can get a few free searches per day.
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Use that free quota wisely. Save your paid tool searches for the best keywords from your planner.
Keep doing this daily, and you can get decent results without paying!
@Barry
Totally agree! And you can even log in with an extra account (like your spouse’s or friend’s) to double your free daily searches!
I also like filtering Google Keyword Planner by ‘Top of page bid’ to see which keywords advertisers are paying for.
Google Keyword Planner wasn’t useful for me. It focuses too much on paid search, and I don’t even run ads on my site. If you’re not into Google ads, it’s very limited. I’m still hunting for a good free tool that gives up-to-date info.
@ciggarfin
I checked out your blog! Just a tip: if you add a custom domain, it could help boost your traffic.
Miltan said:
@ciggarfin
I checked out your blog! Just a tip: if you add a custom domain, it could help boost your traffic.
Thanks! I’ll probably get to it next year. Just need to find a good deal.
@ciggarfin
Once I added a custom domain, my blog posts started getting indexed within 24-48 hours. It made a huge difference!
Miltan said:
@ciggarfin
Once I added a custom domain, my blog posts started getting indexed within 24-48 hours. It made a huge difference!
That sounds great, but where I live, custom domains are pricey. I’ll have to look for a budget-friendly option.
@ciggarfin
I got mine for just $1 for the first year. Maybe you can find something similar.
@ciggarfin
You don’t have GoDaddy where you are?
Hazel said:
@ciggarfin
You don’t have GoDaddy where you are?
We do, but it’s around $400 a year for a .com there!
I think it depends on how deep you want to go with SEO. I’ve been a full-time blogger for years, and I only use Google Keyword Planner and Search Console. Search Console especially has a lot of hidden gems that people overlook—like helping you figure out which pages are losing traffic so you can update them.
Yep, but you need another method too. Keyword Planner doesn’t show related or similar keywords, so you can miss out on great opportunities.
Google Keyword Planner is just for rough ideas. It’s a good starting point, but it won’t give you detailed keyword research. Paid tools are necessary if you want to take your SEO game seriously. They just have so much more to offer.
I use Google Keyword Planner for the basics, but I combine it with Semrush and Ahrefs for more advanced research.
If you’re on a tight budget, SERPtag is a good alternative. It’s cheaper but still offers many advanced features. Free tools are good for beginners, though, and you can always upgrade later.
Google Keyword Planner is solid for beginners on a budget. It’s accurate and directly tied to Google, so that’s a big advantage. But paid tools like Semrush have more features, like tracking keyword difficulty, analyzing competitors, and spotting trends. Still, you can get by with free tools until you’re ready to invest in something more.
Yes, but Google Keyword Planner lacks depth. If you combine it with other free tools, you’ll get better results. Eventually, though, you might want to invest in paid options for more insights.
Hey, free tools like Google Keyword Planner are great for getting started, but paid tools like Semrush offer way more features, like competitor analysis and keyword difficulty scores. It’s worth checking out even their free plan—it gives you a taste of what the paid version can do.
If you’ve got any questions, feel free to ask!
@Maggymodel
Yeah, but the free version of Semrush hides so much info behind a paywall. It’s almost useless.