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The New Google Keyword Tool is Terrible

Google released a new keyword research tool some time ago now and although it wasn’t very good people ignored it because you could still access the old tool which worked perfectly.

Now the old tool has been turned off and we are stuck with the new tool permanently.

Below are the things I hate most about this tool:

  • You have to fill in a captcha every time you load up the tool
  • There is no longer an option to just show search volumes for the keywords you enter into the box
  • Ticking the box to just show match type “Exact” has no effect and the tool still shows broad & phrase matches

There are only two things SEO people want to be able to do with a keyword tool:

  • 1. Enter a list of keywords and then export a CSV file containing the keywords they entered and the exact match local search volume for that keyword.
  • 2. Enter a list of keywords and have the option to get suggestions for relevant additional keywords to add to the list.

I did a quick straw poll in Twitter this morning and everybody seems to agree. Google please fix this ASAP!

BY Patrick Altoft AT 9:39am ON Wednesday, 6 October 2010

Patrick Altoft is Director of Search at Branded3 and has worked in the SEO industry for over 10 years. With experience across some of the worlds largest brands as well as startup businesses Patrick is well known in the industry and speaks regularly at the major SEO conferences and events. Follow Patrick on Twitter or Google+

Comments

  • http://www.seokai.com Kai

    I totally agree with you Patrick.

    But I don’t think Google will fix these issues, because they don’t want us to see exact search volumes for specific keywords. The captcha has to be there to prevent their data for beeing mass scraped.

    This is no SEO-Tool, they want SEA Managers to advertise on more keywords – nothing else…

  • http://www.compareaholic.co.uk/ David

    Also agree! It’s driving all of us mad.

  • http://www.seorocks.co.uk Gary

    I think the exact match error is a bug, it has returned different traffic values when ive used it but ive had a look now and its returning the same traffic for broad and exact match.

    You dont get the capture if you have an adwords account but i agree that its annoying you cant just return results for what you have searched

  • http://www.aviemorebusiness.co.uk Gavin Fenton

    I couldnt agree more – the two things that really bug me about the new tool is 1. you cannot just search for data on the keywords that you specify (the tool always expands the list!) = potentially more bids on adword perhaps? and 2. Google now takes away our choice to use the old version!

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  • http://alexjuel.com Alex Juel

    I have another one to add. When you check the boxes, the keywords aren’t saved if you search for another keyword. You have to export the keywords every time you start a new search.

  • http://benkrull.com Ben Krull

    I completely agree. Let’s all email these notes to our Google Reps so they can pass along the feedback. That’s the only way its going to get fixed.

  • Richard Diamond

    I did note that clicking the match types didn’t seem to do anything. Also my search volumes took a huge dive on the keywords because Google isn’t factoring in Google Network Partners into the mix.

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  • http://www.businesswebsites.com BusinessWebsites.com

    I feel the same: time consuming, technically flawed, and does not do the basics well. I really dislike their suggested keywords and inability to match keywords properly. I also feel like it does a worse job in suggesting mid and long tails then the old tool.

  • http://www.sitestep24.de Arndt Embacher

    You are absolutely right! Lets add one more: Downloading a list of keywords results in a zip-file. You can’t open it directly with excel, you first have to save it. Formerly you could open it directly.

  • Miles Carter

    I’ve noticed a few times that data is not the same for keyphrases when comparing the old tool to the new.

    It’s also near impossible to get data for just the keywords you put in – it always suggests a whole load of rubbish that the old tool wouldn’t

  • http://www.expocursos.com tsode2001

    I don’t like it neither. But you say…

    “There is no longer an option to just show search volumes for the keywords you enter into the box”

    Have you tried the Traffic Estimator feature available in the same tool?

  • http://www.whit3h4t.de whit3h4t

    Hm ok Patrick,

    the only point i would agree in is the captcha-thing^^ But the rest? If i klick [exact] i only see exacts and additional suggestions, and the search volumes are still there (ok and some more things)

  • http://www.sea.de sea

    they probably did this for some reason, which is indeed not clear to me yet!

    Regards
    Nico

  • Nicolas

    Google has not intent to facilite SEO efforts. The Keyword Tool is provided in order to increase the media spent on Google, nothing else.

  • http://proximitysearchmarketing.com/ Brett

    Gary mentioned this once above, but I also find that the Captcha box only appears if you are not signed into an AdWords account. Google must assume you are not a bot or script if you have an established AdWords account.

  • Nichole

    I want the ability to generate negatives again – I found that to be one of the most valuable uses of the keyword tool that I constantly had to go back to the old version to use.

  • http://proximitysearchmarketing.com/ Brett Westerman

    Agree with Nicolas on the intent to increase PPC spend. One aspect I do enjoy on the new tool is that it ignores traffic from Search Network Partners, which I felt always inflated the prior tool’s volume results (and hence would entice newbie bidders to spend more, hence an increased media profit to Google).

  • http://www.link-assistant.com/ Ian

    Hey Patrick,

    Sorry for the shameless self-promotion (I really hate to make my first post on your blog like this), but if you want to just check search volumes in AdWords Keyword Tool for your keywords without getting the suggestions try using our Rank Tracker (the Free version should do the trick).

    Just checked to make sure, you do get different numbers on broad and exact via Rank Tracker

    You can check the search volume of an unlimited # of keywords, and since you hate the CAPTCHAs (and who doesn’t?) there’s an Anti-CAPTCHA service integrated into the tool (though it’s a paid service).

  • http://www.i-com.net ady berry

    I hate the new KW tool – I have a s/sheet which I use to work out projected KW volumes – no longer works and I have to change the formulas at some point – oh well!

  • http://www.isa-media.de/ SEO Notes

    I had a discussion with Google employees practice the new keyword tool …
    There are improvements coming up.
    One thing the Google guys have fixed is missing searchvolum by some keywords like notebook or laptop. The Google gus are unhappy too about the point that now you dont get a result only for the keywords you entered

  • http://www.isa-media.de/ SEO Notes

    @ Ian:
    support Ranktracker other areas and languages like germany?

  • http://www.robolizard.com Thomas

    I work on a team of 4 people who use the tool 8-10 hours a day. I have made every effort to embrace it positively but this tool is absolutely atrocious.

    We are spending 2-3 times as long to get 75% of the results we were getting, this tool has seriously negatively impacted our production, we may have to hire a new person because of it.

    It is very sad. Googles new keyword tool is useless.

  • http://www.link-assistant.com/ Ian

    @SEO Notes

    Sure, the tool supports most of the world languages and virtually all the search engines you could possibly care about.

  • http://www.seotopofsearch.info seotopofsearch

    Sure it has change but it is still a very useful tools especially for keyword CTR

  • Tom

    I totally agree with everything and some times the suggested keywords are irrelavant to what ever I’ve searched for. Its a terrible tool now.

  • http://smallbusinessmarketingblog.net stuart

    I couldnt agree more. I now cant use any of my SEO software as the CSV files are downloaded as zipped files. This has to be the worst thing google have done!
    stuart

  • http://www.vrdrug.com/ VrDrug

    I agree too, I like older feature than new tool.

    mostly times when research keyword, the keyword lists on results quite so poor if you didn’t checked by manual again before click to research.

    For the previous feature, you can fast research by 1-3 clicks and get lists of relevant keyword.

  • James

    Hi Patrick,

    Great talk today at A4U Expo.

    You can get traffic data on a set of Keywords (without getting KW suggestions) by using Google Traffic Estimator.

    There is a link to it at the top left of the screen in the new Google Keyword Tool.

  • http://www.csewebsolutions.com Dan

    I also agree with you that the new Google tool has some rather annoying traits, and is not as functional. I was bummed when I couldn’t access the old tool any longer!

    Sure, the new tool appears more “modern” but I prefer the old look and feel. Of course I don’t like Google Instant either, but that’s a different topic…

  • http://www.market-vantage.com Hans

    The best keyword research I think comes from Google Suggest. In fact, we’re offering a free software tool that scrapes Google Suggest. You can download it for free here: http://www.market-vantage.com/2010/10/free-keyword-research-using-google-suggest/

  • http://www.webdesignoptimum.co.uk Stephen K

    As one of the many who have recently been using this latest keyword tool from Google I know the listed frustrations all too well. I can’t believe that key features such as the exact tool don’t appear to work correctly, and that you can’t simply display the keywords you searched for.

    To me this feels like a BETA version of the tool, and that Google will roll out features as it is developed. It is just a shame that key tools appear to be missing.

  • http://mrmilkman.co.uk Mr Milkman

    It also doesnt give you the correct results either. If you try it logged in and then try it logged out you will see what i mean.

  • http://websitefound.co.uk Mark James

    It used to drive me nuts but i no longer use the Google keyword tool but wordtracker instead i think the cost is worth it.

    I have had amazingly differant results using this free keyword tool – ok one keyword I searched for produced 1.5million results on the exact search and no other competition!

    Six month later the same exact search told me there were only a few hundred people searching for this term! not just wrong but amazingly wrong!

    If you are building a campaign using this tool you need to take a step back and think would this amount of people really be searching for this.

    Also type in the keyword into google – take the top sites listed for the term – enter them into a site like brainstat and see how many visitors they get each day.

    Does this in any way tally with what the google keyword tool says?

    there are plenty of other ways to cross check!

  • http://www.genericbactrim.com/ Alexander

    I was awaiting for such an article and I have gained some useful information from this site Thanks for sharing this information

  • http://www.mauseo.com. seo mauritius

    Totally agree with you on that one the new Keyword tool suck !!! If i could have the old tools that would be just great
    Mauritius SEO Company

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