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You are here: Home / Google / Google AdWords Removes Detailed Keyword Planner Data From All Non-Advertisers

Google AdWords Removes Detailed Keyword Planner Data From All Non-Advertisers

September 12, 2016 at 4:58 am PST By Jennifer Slegg

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adwords-keyword-planner-removalGoogle has continued their removal of detailed data from search marketers.  Now, all legacy accounts (even those that weren’t currently advertising but had previously advertised via AdWords in the past) now only see the general monthly search range instead of the detailed data they previously were able to see.  And Google has also closed the loopholes that made it possible for non-advertisers to see the detailed data.

Google began removing access to detailed monthly search data earlier this year, although at the time AdWords claimed it was a bug.  Last month it expanded the removal from non-advertisers, but it still left access to legacy accounts.  It was then revealed that bots were the reason for the removal of detailed keyword data, presumably from the many third party keyword tools.

Google recently added an advertiser spend threshold to access the detailed estimates in Keyword Planner, where it would show 103,000 monthly searches instead of the search range of 100k-1M… data that isn’t helpful to most advertisers and SEOs trying to make informed decisions regarding keywords.  However, Google will not reveal what these thresholds are, but they presumably will prevent those from spending $1 a month, or pausing a brand new campaign, from seeing unlimited detailed monthly search data.

Google also closed loopholes that non-advertisers were using to still see the detailed data as well.

This is a huge loss for SEOs who were dependent on this information for making informed decisions on keywords to target and content to create.  While it is true that it is an advertiser tool, SEOs have used the Keyword Planner (and its previous incarnations) for many years and this effectively makes the tool’s data unusable unless they also invest in AdWords campaigns to essentially pay for access.

Here is what the new estimated data ranges look like:

keyword-planner-restricted

Google made the new restrictions to Keyword Planner access on Friday.

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Jennifer Slegg

Founder & Editor at The SEM Post
Jennifer Slegg is a longtime speaker and expert in search engine marketing, working in the industry for almost 20 years. When she isn't sitting at her desk writing and working, she can be found grabbing a latte at her local Starbucks or planning her next trip to Disneyland. She regularly speaks at Pubcon, SMX, State of Search, Brighton SEO and more, and has been presenting at conferences for over a decade.
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Latest posts by Jennifer Slegg (see all)

  • 2022 Update for Google Quality Rater Guidelines – Big YMYL Updates - August 1, 2022
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  • New Google Quality Rater Guidelines, Update Adds Emphasis on Needs Met - October 16, 2020
  • Google Updates Experiment Statistics for Quality Raters - October 6, 2020

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Comments

  1. Steve Morgan says

    September 12, 2016 at 1:01 pm

    What’s the situation with My Client Centre accounts, do we know? I manage a small handful of accounts and I’m not seeing the full data, despite the fact that the accounts in my MCC are active accounts. Do I need to be spending with AdWords independently of them, or is it the case that perhaps the accounts in my MCC aren’t spending enough?

  2. Bryce Cleveland says

    September 12, 2016 at 2:10 pm

    Really frustrating that Google did this, as I heavily depending on the detailed results for deciding what keywords are worth my time. I am now kind of stuck in a position where I can’t confidently write new articles because I no longer know the monthly search amount. What would you recommend as a free alternative? Thanks! 🙂

  3. Tim Hodges says

    September 13, 2016 at 5:35 am

    This morning I found out that it is now cut off completely to advertisers who haven’t met the threshold.

  4. Peter says

    September 13, 2016 at 11:09 am

    Google is the pure monopoly and we all should do whatever we can and reduce using their services. It must start somewhere. It will be worse and worse every year. This is how monopoly works until someone stops them

  5. Kobe says

    September 13, 2016 at 11:17 am

    So this means unless you are spending money, you can’t use this to help you grow your channel. What Joke.

Trackbacks

  1. Google AdWords Keyword Planner More Transparent in Combining Search Variants says:
    September 12, 2016 at 5:32 am

    […] Google AdWords Removes Detailed Keyword Planner Data From All Non-Advertisers – September 12, 2016 […]

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