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As you may remember, Google announced they are replacing the external keyword tool with the Google Keyword Planner tool.
Well, it took some time, but now the legacy external keyword tool is gone. If you try to access it at adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal you will see an error page that reads:
Keyword Planner has replaced Keyword ToolWith Keyword Planner, we've combined the functionality of Keyword Tool and Traffic Estimator to make it easier to plan search campaigns. That's why Keyword Tool is no longer available. You can use Keyword Planner to find new keyword and ad group ideas, get performance estimates for them to find the bid and budget that are right for you, and then add them to your campaigns. We've also added several new features with Keyword Planner.
So now to get any keyword data similar to the external keyword tool, you need to login to your AdWords account. If you do not have an AdWords account, you will need to sign up for one to get this data.
The keyword tool is one of the oldest and most useful tools from Google. Seeing it go is pretty historic.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
Comments:
Mary Desilva
08/28/2013 12:14 pm
Whats new in keyword planner? Looks a new way to get more advertisers, I hate google #hategoogle
Business Email
08/28/2013 12:17 pm
Same here Mary. They are just being modest with their advertisments.
Jawad Latif
08/28/2013 12:37 pm
That Planner tool sucks.
lez bennet
08/28/2013 12:41 pm
The first screen starts with a question:What would you like to do? Well duh Google, I want to find which keywords are getting the most attention. What does Google give me? Detailed estimates by ad group Yes, its no tool no more. One aspect of their service which hasn't changed, for the better or worse, is their laboriously slow servers. Went to Starbucks, stood in line, half finished my drink, came home and it was still loading
ethalon
08/28/2013 01:30 pm
You can get estimates for keywords as well. I am not a fan of how they took something simple and made it into something...not simple. But keyword estimates, search volume, etc... is all still available.
ethalon
08/28/2013 01:31 pm
How is it different from the keyword tool in that respect?
ethalon
08/28/2013 01:52 pm
Bah, you keep editing posts and make responding to them completely a difficult task: What is still loading? I am curious because I have had some 'slow' issues as well from time to time and just assumed it was on my end. What specifically were you attempting to do that took such a long time to load?
David Eaves
08/28/2013 02:01 pm
Why can't they do a good one like the overture keyword suggestion tool?
Sam
08/28/2013 04:42 pm
This isn't a tool anymore! It doesn't show other related keywords! What I am suppose to spend hours learning how to do that? Guess it's time to explore other keyword tools. Goodbye Google
ethalon
08/28/2013 04:49 pm
...it still shows related keywords. AdWords UI Tools and Analysis Search for Keyword and Ad Group ideas Select your desired filtering and populate any combination of the requested fields Click on 'Get Ideas' Did I misunderstand what you were attempting to access?
guy
08/28/2013 05:10 pm
one more good service shutdown. I not like new tool.
Guest
08/28/2013 07:21 pm
Trash!! Google will never get a dollar out of me!
Mat
08/28/2013 07:57 pm
You can geotarget locations with this one by city etc... this one is way better than the last one..there's not much difference in functionality, people just always complain about change..
Graeme Benge
08/28/2013 08:16 pm
I've found the tool to give better organisation to keyword themes (helps stop me being blinkered) but there is no doubt that it is another unsubtle AdWords nudge.
Mariya
08/29/2013 04:14 am
I think this tool is more helpful for people spending money on ad campaigns. From the perspective of SEOs, can we get the accurate idea of our keywords we should focus to get traffic and business to the organization?
jitendra vaswani
08/29/2013 04:47 am
Again Google trolled webmasters with new keyword tool
Soni Sharma
08/29/2013 04:48 am
Tool is good for Advertisers..
Kamaldeep Singh SEO
08/29/2013 05:10 am
Keyword Planner has nice features. Keyword Planner Tool is good for Advertisers.
Tim
08/29/2013 06:49 am
Going through "ideas" does not give me the full picture anymore as before. Its not given me all possible related keyword terms. There is a lot missing.
Dean Rowe
08/29/2013 08:53 am
It looks to have bugs with the match types... if you specify broad, phrase & exact they all come out the same.
Jodie Peg
08/29/2013 09:59 am
it's so good
Sushi Digital Wen Development
08/29/2013 11:31 am
The search volume last month are totally different with the search volume results today.
Sushi Digital Wen Development
08/29/2013 11:32 am
Any keywords tools that you recommends?
ethalon
08/29/2013 11:56 am
I had wondered the same thing about the discrepancies between the numbers. After talking to a few people over at Google it seems that the main difference you see is that the planner includes both mobile and 'regular' search volume estimates. Furthermore, the default for estimated volume is now, and I hope I am not remembering this incorrectly, set to exact match. I believe in the tool it had been set to 'broad' by default. They fail to make this difference clear, which is frustrating. If this isn't what you referring to, please let me know and I can dig into my saved chat logs/e-mails and maybe we can figure this one out.
ethalon
08/29/2013 12:01 pm
Fair enough, I never really used the 'ideas' part of the tool so I was missing a thorough understanding of that feature pre-planner. I am lucky enough to be working in a relatively small industry and a few Google searches (which is how I do my proactive negative keyword research for the most part; reactive negative keywords come straight from the keyword details in the AdWords UI - Barry wrote a post about it when it first came out...if you aren't using it, you should be) combined with competitor watching and talking to our engineers fills in most of the gaps. Please do let us know if you find a great 'ideas' tool though, would be nice to have another tool in the shed.
Inge
08/29/2013 07:35 pm
Let me know if you figure this one out. I was asking myself the same thing.
Pinky shah
08/30/2013 06:34 am
This new tool is not at all helping to get the proper picture of the keyword traffic and past performance. Spending hours to learn how to deal with this. Also, for the all type of matches it shows the same result. How can I get the accurate result for Phrase and Exact match!!!!? Not so liking the Keyword planner.. Older one was better and easy to get the data..
rankyacomau
08/30/2013 05:58 pm
I agree with you Maria, why fix something that wasn't broken right? Less features more towards Ads. Good on Ya Google (not), and RIP Keyword Tool, May Google Bless Your Helpful Data
lgdlf
08/30/2013 06:14 pm
Its a much worse solution, full of usability traps and numbers certainly do not match. Keyword research is way more difficult with this new tool.
Graciousstore
09/01/2013 03:05 am
I got to know that the external keyword tool is no longer available in a hard way. I went as usual tying "google keyword tool" in the search box only to have error message coming up for me,
Tim
09/02/2013 06:40 am
I read somewhere else they expect it to be 3 weeks till they fix that bug. :(
Tim
09/02/2013 06:41 am
They are in the business of selling ads... not SEO like us.
Tim
09/02/2013 06:42 am
The missing match type really lowers the functionality. I was also surprised to find out that if your using 1024x768 resolution and Firefox the keyword planner doesn't display the results in a usable form (the keyword column is just squished beyond recognition).
Tim
09/02/2013 06:43 am
I miss that tool too.
Mat
09/02/2013 07:50 am
Ah see I use Chrome and it looks fine there (I would hope so since it's their browser lol) I'll admit it is a change that takes some things out, and kind of force feeds you into Google Adwords more, but if you use more than one tool to begin with then you shouldn't have much of an issue. The one thing I keep finding myself doing that doesn't work this anymore is hovering over the competition to find the number, lol.
Saby
09/03/2013 10:34 am
Hi Tim, If you want possible related keyword terms, why not try Wordtracker’s new Free Keywords Tool http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com Learn about the tool by visiting our blog http://www.wordtracker.com/blog/new-free-keyword-tool Saby Wordtracker
Latasha
09/04/2013 10:43 pm
I agree 100% and I do not like it at all !!!!!!!!!! I thought it was just me ! smh
Latasha
09/04/2013 10:47 pm
help me understand it, its so difficult to understand, I don't like it. If I understood it, then I would like it lol
Latasha
09/04/2013 10:48 pm
I agree Tim!!!!
Latasha
09/04/2013 10:49 pm
lol!!!!
Latasha
09/04/2013 10:50 pm
I just spent like 3 hours trying to find something to help I am so so mad Google sucks I swear! also, Google plus!!! like who even uses that? it was like pulling teeth trying to unlink it from my YouTube account!!!!
Thomas Amalraj
09/05/2013 08:58 am
It took quite some time to get used to the keyword tool and just when I was pretty familiar with its usage, google announces its demise. Its hard to learn the usage of the new tool, the keyword planner.
Carl
10/28/2013 07:09 pm
I don't even know what the point was, in taking away this functionality. Now there's no way to compare search terms based on traffic and competition. The only thing you can do is let Google size up your keyword ideas for a potential paid outreach campaign, and sorry I don't do that these days, I'm trying to use it to help make decisions, to put the most relevant, interesting, low-competition and high-traffic keywords on my article tags. Now I will have to go back to guessing, but then again, the keyword tool was so inconsistent (totally different results if you log in or out), for all we know, it might've just been guessing too, the whole time.
haromaster
11/13/2013 04:21 am
You really just answered your own question.. "The only thing you can do is let Google size up your keyword ideas for a potential paid outreach campaign, and sorry I don't do that these days" They weren't making any money off you
haromaster
11/13/2013 04:22 am
For starters you need an Adwords account to access it. I'd call that a difference
Carl
11/13/2013 06:18 am
Yep!... I suppose so. It will be interesting to see what the "lean" community has done to replace this functionality.