Best Keyword Research Tools: Boost Your SEO Today

Introduction

Did you know? Over 68% of all online experiences begin with a search engine. So you can understand how important it is to understand the search intent if you want to attract the right audience. That underscores the critical need for effective keyword search.

To that end, the top SEO agencies recommend a few outstanding free and paid tools to identify the terms your target audience uses. Some of these are recognized among the best SEO tools.

Whether you are a seasoned marketer or just starting out, this guide will help you find the best keyword research tools that can ultimately drive targeted traffic to your site and content.

List of Best Keyword Research Tools to Find the Right Keywords for SEO

SEO can benefit greatly from the information provided by free keyword research tools. Businesses can improve their chances of ranking well in search engine results by producing content that makes use of search engine result pages (SERPs). The results of an organization’s SEO initiatives can be monitored over time with the help of free keyword research tools.

There are many keyword research tools available, some of which are optimized for both SEO and PPC, and the ones listed below are the most effective and free to use.

Best Free Keyword Research Tools

A variety of free tools offer valuable insights, allowing you to identify relevant keywords without breaking the bank. While these options may have limitations compared to their paid counterparts, they provide a solid foundation for understanding search trends and user intent.

1. Google Keyword Planner

The data in Google Keyword Planner directly comes from Google itself, so using it could be more beneficial. Google Keyword Planner has two main features: exploratory keyword research & discovery and more in-depth search volume & forecasting study.

The “Keyword ideas” feature, like many of the tools on this list, creates keyword suggestions based on a seed phrase and provides monthly search traffic, change over time, competition, ad impression share, and bid ranges. Refine your keyword list by brand, non-brand, source website, and more. Google Ads’ “Forecast” function helps you budget and plan sponsored ads.

Another feature “Top of page bid” lets you know how people are bidding on a keyword. Which shows higher the number of page bids, more the keyword has commercial intent. 

Google Keyword Planner thrives at PPC keyword research. You can chill with this tool as it is free and don’t worry about limits or upgrades. Google Keyword Planner may also show you where ranking organically may save you PPC expenses.

Takeaway: Best tool for Intermediate to advanced PPC keyword research and it’s completely free. 

2. Google Trends

Google Trends is another free tool for keyword research provided by Google. And it’s fun to use while checking what’s trending on the search engine.

Multiple search keywords can be entered, and results can be narrowed by geographic area, browsing history, and subject area. Following that, it will return a list of related keywords and an analysis of how much popularity there is in a certain keyword, what triggered the interest, and where the traffic is coming from.

You can use this information to prepare seasonal content if doing so is beneficial to your business, as well as track the seasonality of keyword trends. For online retailers, such as those, this is crucial in order to capitalise on seasonal and holiday shopping trends. Like, valentine gifts and block friday sales.

Also you can find keywords with low volume and competition that are on the rise. Then, you can go ahead and start trying to rank for those keywords today in order to build up your traffic, backlinks, and authority.

Takeaway: Easily Identify the real-time and historic value of a keyword.

3. WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool

Most free keyword suggestion tools offer limited results and limited utility, especially when it comes to keyword research for PPC. But, WordStream gives you hundreds of relevant keyword results, plus additional, actionable information like competition level and estimated CPC, all for free!  

You can also narrow your search by industry or location. You can use the tool to get the best 25 keywords right away. Enter your email address to receive the complete list as an instant download. 

It’s an awesome alternative to Google’s Keyword Planner. 

Takeaway: It’s a free keyword research tool with strategic advice.

4. Keyword Tool.io

The Keyword Tool.io isn’t the most sophisticated research tool, but it can be helpful if all you need is a list of long-tail keyword recommendations relating to a single keyword. It’s free, and you don’t even have to sign up for an account to use the basic version.

In a matter of seconds, Keyword Tool’s free version can create over 750+ keywords using Google’s autocomplete feature. In order to generate keyword recommendations, Keyword Tool lets you pick from among 192 different Google domains and 83 different languages.

Google’s Autocomplete feature is the basis for Keyword Tool’s ability to create useful long-tail keyword suggestions. Google Autocomplete takes a number of criteria into account when making its suggestions, including the frequency with which a certain term has been used by users in the past.

Takeaway: It’s the best keyword research tool to get long-tail keyword suggestions.

5. AnswerThePublic

Only the first three questions each day on AnswerThePublic are free. Additional capabilities such as monitoring and notifications, personalised viewing, data comparison across time, and folders are available in the commercial version, which starts at $99.

With the help of Answer the Public’s keyword generator, you can easily compile the data-rich report needed to prove the campaign’s success. The United States, Australia, Afghanistan, and other countries are supported by this keyword research tool.

You can see different type of queries related to keywords:

• Questions: who, what, where, when, why, which, can, and ho
• Comparisons: vs, or, and
• More: which, are, will, can, like

Takeaway: Best for Finding question keywords and targeting People Also Ask in the SERP.

The Best Paid Keyword Research Tools

Businesses and individuals can benefit from using paid keyword research tools to discover the most effective keywords to use in their marketing strategies. These tools can analyze search engine data to provide the most popular keywords and the level of competition for those keywords. By using this data, marketers will be able to pick their keyword targets with greater precision.

1. Keyword Overview By SEMrush

Are you looking for an advanced SEO keyword research tool? Semrush is here, don’t look anywhere else. It provides a lot of keyword information and facilitates in-depth exploration of aspects such as search engine results page (SERP) elements (featured snippet, reviews, site connections, picture pack, and so on) and granular analysis of current results.

As a bonus, Semrush provides a wide variety of keyword research tools, such as content-driven keyword research and competitive keyword gap analysis, in addition to the more basic traffic and search volume data.

Semrush is an all-inclusive keyword research tool with applications in content marketing, competitive analysis, pay-per-click advertising, and social media promotion. It facilitates the acquisition and development of a larger online following in a shorter amount of time. You may begin your risk-free trial and receive a comprehensive website audit on their main page.

Pricing: $119.95/month with a seven-day free trial

Takeaway: Best for Advanced SEO & PPC Experts and Large Businesses.

2. Ahrefs Keyword Explorer

The Ahrefs Keywords Explorer is quite similar to SEMrush, however it has a lot more features and is easier to use.

Ahrefs goes above and beyond when it comes to providing useful keyword ideas. The largest database it operates on contains 5.1 billion keywords from over 200 nations, allowing it to spot opportunities that smaller databases would overlook.

Ahrefs gives you some flexibility in your keyword research by letting you see it in a variety of contexts. You can conduct a search using any one of many different resources, including but not limited to Google, YouTube, Bing, or Amazon.

The “Keyword Difficulty” feature of Ahrefs will let you know exactly how many backlinks can help you rank on the first page of google, which makes it more unique and awesome.

Pricing: $99/month with a seven-day seven-dollar trial.

Takeaway: Ahrefs provides a comprehensive SEO toolkit that is not free but has many useful features. And it’s always getting better and more advanced as new features are introduced.

3. Moz Keyword Explorer

Moz is the best keyword research tool that provides not only the standard keyword information you need, but also rank tracking, website audits, and page optimization reports.

This keyword research tool will find the top 10 results for a given keyword once you enter it. Then, based on the pages that currently rank for that phrase, it will give that keyword a “Difficulty Score.” If you want to see the top 10 results for each keyword, you can look at the search volume statistics and then open the SERP.

You may optimise your keywords for international audiences, conduct in-depth research on long-tail keywords posed as questions, and access sophisticated data on your competitors’ use of those keywords. Those are but a few of the many benefits that the Moz Keyword Explorer provides.

Pricing: 10 free searches a day and the minimal paid plan starts with $99/month. 

Takeaway: Best for beginner to intermediate SEOs.

4. Keywords Everywhere

Chrome and Firefox users can install the freemium browser extension called Keywords Everywhere. It is a helpful tool for keyword research that can be used immediately in your browser when you type in questions while you are exploring the web.

You may use it to find out more information about specific words. Not only does it work for Google, but it also works for Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner, YouTube, and a great deal of other websites.

You can lessen your load with the help of the Keywords Everywhere tool if you are tired of spending an endless amount of time on individual keyword research tools. 

Pricing: It works on credit system 1 credit for 1 keyword, $10 to $100 paid plans are available for 100,000 to 1,000,000 credits, which expire after one year. 

Takeaway: Best freemium extension for keyword research.

5. KWFinder by Mangools

Because of its intuitive user interface, robust feature set, and attractive appearance, KWFinder is a good choice for novice bloggers. It provides a variety of research alternatives for one-of-a-kind keyword chances.

The “Keyword Difficulty” feature will automatically show the Keyword difficulty score next to every keyword. Another great thing about KWFinder is that its keyword suggestions aren’t just the term you typed in with words added or removed.

You can easily find the question-based SEO keywords, Autocomplete Keywords suggestion, Organic search Keywords using Domain, In-depth SERP overview, and much more.

Pricing: 5 searches per day are allowed in the free version of KWFinder, and each search returns 25 related keywords and 10 competitor keywords. Paid plans begin at $29/month.

Takeaway: Best for Small Budget SEO teams.

From basic keyword suggestions to competitor analysis, these tools empower you to make informed decisions and optimize your content for search engines, even on a limited budget.

You can, of course, hire from the top SEO marketing agencies to take care of the task altogether and enjoy better traffic and visibility.

Let’s Summarize

Whether you are implementing a comprehensive SEO strategy or content marketing that drives sales, effective keyword research is a key element. It’s what helps create content that resonates and drives meaningful results.

There are both free and paid tools that help uncover valuable keywords, analyze competitor strategies, and ultimately, improve your search engine visibility. Remember that keyword research is an ongoing process. So continuously analyze and adapt your strategy to stay ahead of the curve.

If you need professional help with the keyword research, check out our recommendations on the leading SEO agencies and hire one today!

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

Alan Salt

Alan Salt is a seasoned digital marketing strategist specializing in SEO, PPC, social media, and branding. With a robust background in IT consulting, Alan brings a unique perspective to marketing strategies across various industries, including fintech, EdTech, and retail. At Tech Newscast, he leverages his expertise to provide actionable insights and forward-thinking solutions that drive visibility and growth for businesses.