how are people using google keyword planner in 2026?

Mostly for ideas and rough ranges. Unless your ads account is actually spending, volumes come in buckets like 1K-10K instead of exact numbers, so I don't lean on it for sizing. The bit I still use: discover new keywords, start with a website, and give it a competitor's page. It pulls keyword ideas from that page, which is often better than seeding it yourself. The forecast side is useful if you're genuinely planning ad spend.