Using Google Keyword Planner for Blog Topic Ideas (A Practical Weekly System)

Staring at a blank page usually isn’t a writing problem, it’s a demand problem. You’ve got ideas, but you don’t know which ones match what people actually type into Google.

That’s where Google Keyword Planner helps. It’s a free tool inside Google Ads that was built for advertisers, but it’s also one of the simplest ways to check search demand and find the exact phrasing people use. For bloggers, it’s best for topic discovery, rough traffic sizing, and spotting the words that show up again and again across related searches.

One quick note before you start: “Competition” in Keyword Planner is an ads metric, not an SEO score. Still, it’s a useful signal when you treat it like a hint, not a verdict.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a short list of blog topics worth publishing, plus a repeatable weekly process you can run in about 20 minutes.

Set up Google Keyword Planner the right way (so you can research for free)

Keyword Planner lives inside Google Ads. You can use it without paying for ads, but the entry path matters because Google likes to steer new accounts toward campaign setup.

Start here: Google Ads Keyword Planner overview. That page explains what the tool is meant to do and where it sits in the platform.

To get in without running ads:

1. Create or sign in to a Google Ads account.
2. If you see a guided setup, switch to Expert Mode (Google often shows it as a link during onboarding).
3. Skip campaign creation if you’re prompted. Many accounts allow you to proceed to the account dashboard without launching anything (you’re aiming for access, not a live campaign).
4. In the top menu, click Tools and Settings.
5. Under Planning, choose Keyword Planner.

Inside Keyword Planner you’ll see two core tools:

• Discover new keywords: best for generating blog topic ideas from seed terms or a website.
• Get search volume and forecasts: best for quick validation once you have a shortlist.

As of January 2026, Keyword Planner’s planning views also tend to surface more grouped keyword ideas and more detailed forecast views (including breakdowns by location and device in some accounts). For bloggers, that matters because it makes it easier to spot clusters and local angles without extra tools.

Quick setup checklist: account, location, language, and search network

Before you type in a single keyword, set the context. If you don’t, the numbers can look “wrong” later, and you’ll waste time chasing topics your audience never searches.

Check these settings at the top of the Keyword Planner screen:

Location: Set it to where your readers are. Volumes change a lot by country, and even by region. A “big” topic in the US can be tiny in Canada, and the reverse happens too.

Language: Match the language you publish in. If you write in English but serve a bilingual audience, run research twice and compare.

Search networks: Stick to Google search unless you have a reason not to. It keeps the data closer to what people type into Google.

If your blog is global, run two passes: one for your largest country, and one worldwide. You’ll often find cleaner, more specific topics in country-level data.

Know what the metrics really mean (and what to ignore)

Keyword Planner can feel “PPC-first,” but the columns are still useful for content planning if you read them correctly.

A few traps to avoid:

• Don’t chase only high-volume terms. They’re usually broad, hard to satisfy, and packed with competition.
• Don’t assume ads competition equals SEO competition. It overlaps sometimes, but it’s not the same game.
• Don’t ignore intent. A keyword can have great volume and still be a bad blog topic if it doesn’t match what readers want.

If you want extra detail on how the columns behave in real use, this guide is a solid reference: Backlinko’s Google Keyword Planner walkthrough.

Find blog topic ideas with “Discover new keywords”

“Discover new keywords” is where vague ideas turn into publishable angles. You’ll use it two ways: starting with keywords, and starting with a website.

Your goal isn’t to find one perfect keyword and stop. Your goal is to find a topic you can own, plus enough related phrases to build a complete post that answers the whole search.

Start with seed keywords, then widen the net with questions and modifiers

Begin with 5 to 10 seed terms that describe your niche. Keep them plain. If you run a finance blog, seeds might be “budget spreadsheet,” “credit score,” “index funds,” “high-yield savings,” “pay off debt.” If you write about AI tools, seeds might be “AI meeting notes,” “AI email writer,” “prompt templates,” “AI for students.”

In Discover new keywords, choose “Start with keywords,” then paste your seeds.

Now widen the net using modifiers that naturally create blog angles. These are the words that turn a keyword into a headline:

Modifiers that work in January 2026 (and most years): best, vs, for beginners, checklist, template, step by step, mistakes, tools, examples, free, pricing, review, alternative, 2026.

Also look for question-style phrasing. Keyword Planner won’t always label questions clearly, but it often surfaces “how to,” “what is,” and “why does” variants when your seed is strong.

Here are headline patterns that map cleanly to intent:

• Learn: “What is X?” “How X works,” “X for beginners”
• Compare: “X vs Y,” “best X for Y,” “alternatives to X”
• Do: “How to X step by step,” “X checklist,” “X template”
• Fix: “X not working,” “common X mistakes,” “how to troubleshoot X”

A simple transformation example:

• Keyword: “keyword planner without running ads”
• Topic angles:
  • “How to use Google Keyword Planner without running ads (free setup)”
  • “Google Keyword Planner account setup: settings that change your data”
  • “Keyword Planner metrics explained for bloggers”

This is also where long-tail phrases shine. If a keyword is 3 or more words, it’s often more specific, easier to satisfy, and easier to write a strong post around.

If you need a step-by-step reference for free access and setup, this is clear and current: How to use Google Keyword Planner without running ads.

Start with a website to uncover topic gaps (yours or a competitor’s)

The second option is “Start with a website.” This is a shortcut to ideas Google already associates with a site or page.

Use it when:

• You have a competitor who targets the same audience.
• You want to expand an existing post with missing subtopics.
• You’re unsure what language people use for your niche.

Two choices matter here:

Use a whole site when you want broad topic buckets. This can reveal categories you haven’t covered yet.

Use a specific page when you want ideas tightly related to one article. This is great for building a stronger update, adding FAQs, or writing follow-up posts.

A practical rule: pick competitor sites that are close to your size and focus. A giant general site (big news, Wikipedia-style hubs, huge marketplaces) will flood you with broad terms you can’t realistically compete with.

How to spot topic gaps once results load:

• Look for repeated themes you don’t cover yet (same word family showing up across many ideas).
• Find subtopics with steady demand, even if the volume isn’t huge.
• Notice phrasing differences. Sometimes your audience says “budget planner,” not “budget worksheet,” and that changes how your headline should read.

If you want another perspective on using Keyword Planner for content research (not just ads), this guide includes helpful screenshots and examples: How to Use Google Keyword Planner for SEO in 2026.

Turn keywords into a simple topic shortlist you can actually publish

It’s easy to collect 200 keyword ideas and still not know what to write. The fix is a lightweight scoring method and a habit of grouping related terms.

Think of keywords like grocery items. A single keyword is one ingredient. A publishable blog post is a full meal.

A beginner-friendly scoring approach (keep it quick):

Intent fit: Does the query match what your blog helps with? If your site is about practical personal finance, “stock market today” is probably a miss.

Volume range: Is there enough demand to justify writing it? You don’t need massive numbers. You need consistent curiosity.

Competition (ads) as a filter: If it’s “High” and the term is broad, expect a fight. If it’s “Low” and specific, it’s often a good bet.

Uniqueness: Can you add something real, like a template, a checklist, a tested process, or a strong point of view?

Once you score a batch, your shortlist should feel boring in a good way. Clear topics, clear readers, clear outcome.

Use filters and sorting to surface “easy wins” and evergreen topics

Keyword Planner is more useful when you filter aggressively.

Good starter filters for bloggers:

Competition: set to Low or Medium to find terms that often have less advertiser pressure.

Exclude brand terms: remove competitor names and big tool brands unless you’re intentionally writing comparisons.

Minimum volume: try a floor like 100 monthly searches (adjust based on niche). For many blogs, a range of 100 to 10,000 is where practical topics live.

Then sort by volume, but don’t blindly pick the top. Medium volume with clear intent usually beats huge volume with messy intent. “Budget spreadsheet template” is clearer than “budget.”

Also pay attention to seasonality. Keyword Planner can reveal spikes and dips across months. That’s how you plan timely posts (tax season, holiday spending, summer travel) without guessing.

For a blogger-first view of keyword research and how to choose topics that match your site’s stage, this is a strong companion read: keyword research for bloggers.

Create keyword clusters, then map each cluster to one strong blog post

Clustering sounds technical, but it’s simple: group phrases that mean the same thing, then write one great post that covers the whole group.

A cluster usually includes:

• One main phrase that best matches the core intent (often your title).
• Close variants that can fit naturally in headings and paragraphs.
• Questions that become FAQ-style sections.

Example cluster:

Main phrase: “Google Keyword Planner for blog topic ideas”
Related terms: “keyword planner blog topics,” “keyword planner content ideas,” “discover new keywords tool”
Questions: “how to use keyword planner for free,” “what does competition mean in keyword planner”

How that maps to a post:

• Title uses the main phrase.
• H2s cover the related terms as sections (setup, metrics, discovery).
• H3s answer the questions (free access, competition meaning).

This prevents a common mistake: publishing one thin post per tiny keyword, then wondering why none of them rank. When searches share intent, they belong together.

If you want a visual, step-by-step walkthrough that mirrors this workflow, MonsterInsights has a straightforward guide: How to Use Google Keyword Planner (Step-by-Step).

Save ideas, plan your calendar, and avoid common Keyword Planner mistakes

Topic research only pays off when you can repeat it and ship posts on schedule. Keyword Planner is good at that if you treat it like a weekly habit, not a one-time project.

Save, export, and build a weekly topic pipeline in 20 minutes

When you find promising keywords, use Add to plan to save them inside Keyword Planner. This keeps your shortlists organized.

For a cleaner workflow, export to a CSV and store it in a simple spreadsheet with columns like: Topic, Main keyword, Intent, Notes, Publish month.

A weekly routine that stays realistic:

1. Pick 3 seed themes (from your niche categories).
2. Collect about 30 keyword ideas in Discover new keywords.
3. Filter down to 10 using intent and competition.
4. Choose 2 to write this week.
5. Add publish dates and a one-line angle (what makes your post different).

After you publish, track results in your own analytics later. Posts that win will tell you what to research next.

Mistakes to avoid: chasing huge volume, ignoring intent, and misreading “competition”

Most Keyword Planner frustration comes from a few avoidable errors:

Chasing massive volume: Broad terms attract broad competition and vague readers. Fix it by focusing on specific long-tail phrases.

Ignoring intent: If the search wants a tool, and you write an opinion piece, you’ll struggle. Fix it by matching the format (template, checklist, how-to, comparison).

Misreading “Competition”: It’s about advertisers. Fix it by using it as a rough filter, then checking the search results manually before you commit.

Not adjusting location and language: Wrong settings create fake demand. Fix it by matching your real audience first.

Using only one-word keywords: They’re rarely good blog topics. Fix it by adding modifiers and questions.

Copying what everyone else wrote: Same topic, same angle, same outcome. Fix it by adding a unique asset (template, examples, updated screenshots, or a tighter process).

Treating Keyword Planner as the only tool: Pair it with your own Search Console data, reader emails, comments, and support questions. Those sources give you real intent, not just numbers.

Conclusion

Google Keyword Planner works best when you keep it simple: set your targeting, use Discover new keywords, filter for clear intent and doable volume, cluster related phrases into one strong post, then save your best ideas and repeat weekly.

If you want progress you can feel today, open Keyword Planner and build a list of 10 blog topic ideas from three seed themes. Pick the most specific one, outline it in 10 minutes, and publish the first draft. The blank page gets a lot quieter once you know people are already searching for what you’re about to write.