How can your Google Ads data show which SEO keywords bring enquiries?
Start with the searches that already bring you calls and enquiries through your ads. Your search terms report lists them.
Check each one in Keyword Planner, the keyword tool inside Google Ads, with the location set to the towns you serve. Then build pages for those proven searches first.
Google itself says the search terms report can help you find new ideas for landing page content that matches what your customers are looking for. A landing page is simply the page someone lands on after a search, which is exactly what your new service and location pages will be.
Which Google Ads data shows real demand?
If your ads already bring in calls for one service, such as boiler repairs, your account holds a record of the searches behind those calls. That record is the clearest proof of demand you have, so it is the first place to look.
Searches that already brought enquiries
The search terms report shows the searches that made your ads appear, and how your ads performed on each one. You can split the table by conversions, which is Google's word for the calls and form enquiries it counts from your ads. So the searches that turned into enquiries stand out straight away.
Note those searches first. Each one has already brought you a real enquiry, which makes it a safe first choice for a new page.
If an agency or freelancer runs your ads, your money paid for those clicks, so ask them to send you the search terms report split by conversions. The same goes if you also advertise abroad. A business selling into Germany or Austria, for example, might use a local Google Ads specialist who knows how people search in that market. Ask them for the same report, because it shows the exact words customers use there.
Keyword Planner ideas for your services
Keyword Planner gives you a way in too, if you have never run ads, and it also helps with services you have not advertised yet. Type in the words you use for each service, such as "boiler repair" or "boiler servicing", and add your own website. Keyword Planner then looks for keywords related to your site's content. Using a keyword and a website together can give you more ideas than the website alone.
The ideas come back grouped by theme, brand or category, which makes a long list easier to work through on your phone. Go through one theme at a time and mark the searches that match the work you want more of.
What do the Keyword Planner columns mean?
Beside each keyword idea, Keyword Planner shows a row of columns, and every one of them follows the location you choose. So set the location before you read anything else.
If you work across north London and parts of Hertfordshire, for example, choose exactly those places. A search that looks busy across the whole UK can look different once you narrow it to the towns where you take on work.
Once the area is right, the columns help you sort your list in different ways. Some show how many people search, and others show how much businesses pay to reach them.
| Keyword Planner column | What it shows | How to use it for your page list |
|---|---|---|
| Average monthly searches | A rounded average of how often people searched for the keyword and near matches of it in the area you chose | Compare demand between searches in the towns you serve |
| Competition | How many advertisers showed ads on that search compared with all keywords, rated low, medium or high | Keep a search with a high rating on your page list |
| Top of page bid (low range) and (high range) | The low and high end of what advertisers have paid in the past to show at the top of the page | Move searches with higher bids nearer the top of your list |
| Forecasts | Estimates of how often an ad would be seen and clicked, based on your bid and budget | Use them for planning ads and leave page decisions to the other columns |
The Competition column is all about advertisers. A high rating means plenty of businesses are paying to show ads on that search in the area you chose. We read that as a sign the search is worth money to businesses like yours.
Unless you change the date range, Google averages the monthly searches over 12 months and rounds the figures. So use the number to compare one search with another in your area.
Why are some search terms hidden or approximate?
Keyword Planner sometimes shows no results for a narrow local search, such as a specialist service in one small town. That points to very low search volume, or to a search Google treats as sensitive. You'll see an error, with a suggestion to try different keywords or websites. Judge a page like that on what one enquiry is worth to you. If a single job would cover the cost of the page, it can earn its place on your list.
Your search terms report has a gap too. Google leaves out some search terms that have too little activity, to meet its data privacy standards. Search terms insights, a summary view in Google Ads, groups those low-volume searches into themes or into a line called "other queries". So a topic missing from your report may still be bringing you clicks. Check the themes before you cross it off.
Some of the wording in the report is also Google's own reading of the search. In May 2026, Google changed how it reports some searches. Its help pages now say the term you see may be "the best approximation of the user's intent". This covers searches from Google Lens, which searches from a photo, and from autocomplete, the suggestions that drop down as you type. It also covers AI Overviews, the AI summaries at the top of some results, and AI Mode, Google's chat-style search.
Google has not said how much of this happens, so treat these terms as a guide to what customers want. Your Keyword Planner ideas make a good second check before you put any of that wording into a page heading.
How we pick your keywords
When you hand over a shortlist, you are trusting someone with your pages and the money behind them, so you should be able to see why every search is on it.
At First Place SEO, we base our keyword choices on Google Search Console and Semrush. Search Console is Google's own record of how your site shows up in its free results, and Semrush is a keyword research tool. Our Keyword Research Service builds a data-led keyword plan from those two sources, so every page on the plan has evidence behind it. If you would like your paid ads looked after too, our PPC and Google Ads Management service covers that side.
As a client, you would work with a dedicated specialist and have direct access to the founder, so you could always ask why a search made the list. We meet clients by phone, on Google Meet or face to face, and we can come to you, whether you are in London, Bedfordshire or anywhere in between.
Our monthly report covers traffic, rankings and conversions. Keep an eye on the conversions in particular, because they show whether the chosen searches are bringing in enquiries.
Turning your shortlist into a page plan
Your finished page plan is a short, ordered list of pages. Each one is built around one main search, with the searches that have already brought enquiries at the top. We suggest putting it together in this order.
- Copy every search from your search terms report that led to a call or a form enquiry.
- Run each one through Keyword Planner with the location set to the area you serve, and note its average monthly searches and Competition rating.
- Next, add Keyword Planner ideas for services you have not advertised yet.
- Once Search Console is connected to Google Ads, open the paid and organic report. It shows your ad clicks beside your organic clicks for the same searches, and organic means Google's free results. If you pay for clicks on a search and your pages rarely appear in those free results, that search is a strong candidate for a new page.
- Give each page one main search, so two of your pages never compete for the same one, and put the proven enquiries first.
Whatever stage your shortlist has reached, link Search Console to your Google Ads account now. The organic side of the paid and organic report only starts from the day the link begins importing data. So an early link gives you more history to compare when you sit down to plan your pages.
Questions owners ask us about Google Ads data and SEO
Is Google Keyword Planner free?
Yes, Google's help pages mention no fee for using Keyword Planner itself. You do need a Google Ads account with its setup finished before the tool opens. Finishing the setup means entering your billing details. An agency that already manages your ads can run the Keyword Planner searches for you.
Where is the search terms report in Google Ads?
In your Google Ads account, select Campaigns, then choose Search terms under Insights and reports. Split the table by time, device or network when you want to see how searches change through the year or which ones come from mobile phones.
Does running Google Ads help SEO rankings?
No, Google states that what you spend on paid search has no impact on your organic ranking, which is where your pages appear in its free results. Use your ads for evidence of what people search for, and build pages around those searches to compete in the free results.
How long do new pages take to start showing results?
Most SEO work starts to show results from three to six months in. Over that time, track the calls and form enquiries each new page brings, so you can see which searches are paying off.