How are people searching google keywords in 2026?

Same as always for the free route: type the main phrase into google and note the autocomplete suggestions, people also ask, and related searches at the bottom. Google Keyword Planner gives volume ranges for free with an ads account, no spend needed. What changed is that a lot of informational queries now get an AI overview on top, so I check for that before targeting something. If the overview fully answers it, the click is mostly gone.