Keyword generator: keyword ideas from Google autocomplete
·4 min read
The best keyword generator for a new topic is the search box itself. Google autocomplete turns a seed like "espresso machine" into the phrases people actually type, and a few simple tricks multiply that list by ten. Autocomplete shows predictions, not search volume, so generate the list there, cut it hard, then check volume before you choose what to write.
How Google autocomplete predictions work
Autocomplete predictions come from real searches made on Google, but they are not a ranking of the most popular ones. Google's help page on how autocomplete predictions work says they reflect real searches and weigh the language of the query, where it comes from, trending interest and your own past searches. The same page says autocomplete "doesn't simply display the most common queries" and points you to Google Trends if you want popularity.
Danny Sullivan's 2020 post on the Google blog, How Google autocomplete predictions work, adds that a topic with rising interest can show up as a trending prediction even when it is not the most common option. Policies also remove predictions. Automated systems block them and enforcement teams take down the rest when they fall into categories such as dangerous, hateful, sexually explicit or violent content, plus special rules for elections, health and named people.
Three things follow for keyword research:
- A prediction proves people search the phrase. Its position in the dropdown does not tell you how often.
- What you see depends on the country and language. A UK list and a US list for "trainers" barely overlap.
- Gaps are not always gaps. A missing health or brand phrase may be filtered by policy, not unsearched.
Open a private window, stay signed out, and set the country you sell in, so your own history skews the list less.
Alphabet soup and modifiers: turning autocomplete into a keyword generator
Alphabet soup means typing the seed followed by each letter of the alphabet and copying what Google predicts. "espresso machine a" returns phrases that continue with a word starting with a, "espresso machine b" the b words, and so on. Twenty-six lookups give you a few hundred raw ideas from one seed.
Then do the same with modifiers. These are the words that change what the searcher wants:
| Modifier | What it reveals | Example prediction you might see |
|---|---|---|
| for | Audience or use case | espresso machine for beginners |
| vs | Comparisons people weigh | espresso machine vs moka pot |
| with | Required features | espresso machine with grinder |
| without | Things people want to avoid | espresso machine without pods |
| under / cheap / best | Budget and buying stage | best espresso machine under 300 |
| near me / city | Local intent | espresso machine repair near me |
The examples are illustrative. Run them in your own market.
Question prefixes
Typing a question word before the seed gives you the questions people ask, phrased the way they type them. Use how, why, what, can, is, does, which and should, each followed by the seed or the start of it: "how to descale", "why is my espresso".
Questions are the part of the list most likely to become headings with a direct answer under them. Our post on question keywords covers how to sort them by intent and where each kind belongs on a page, so I won't repeat it here.
How to filter the generated keyword list
Most of what a keyword generator returns should be deleted. Go through the list in this order.
- Remove duplicates and near duplicates. "espresso machines for beginners" and "beginner espresso machine" are one search for your purposes. Keep the phrasing that reads most naturally.
- Remove what you can't serve. Competitor brand names, parts you don't sell, a city you don't deliver to. Relevant to the topic is not the same as relevant to you.
- Remove the wrong intent. If you sell machines, "espresso machine repair near me" belongs to someone else unless you repair them.
- Group what's left by page. Phrases that one page would answer go together. The modifiers usually become sections, and only a different answer earns a different page.
Expect to delete most of the raw list. That is normal.
Check search volume before you pick
Autocomplete tells you a phrase exists, not whether it is worth a page. Once the list is filtered, check volume for the survivors. Our post on keyword search volume explains how to read those estimates, why tools disagree and how to check a list in bulk.
Low volume is not an automatic cut. A phrase with 30 searches a month and clear buying intent can beat one with 3,000 vague ones. But a phrase with no measurable volume and no business reason to target it should go.
Generate keyword ideas for your market
Our Keyword Ideas tool runs one Google autocomplete lookup for your seed in the market you choose, from 20 supported countries, and returns up to ten unique predictions plus the seed. For each one it shows the words it shares with your seed, the new modifier words it adds and whether it is shaped like a question. It does not scrape Google's results pages.
A run costs 15 credits. It returns no search volume, difficulty or cost per click, and no People Also Ask or related searches. Each run is one seed, so for alphabet soup or modifier passes, run the seed variants you care most about, such as "espresso machine for" or "espresso machine vs", rather than all 26 letters.