18 Best Keyword Research Tools (Free + Paid)

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Keyword Magic Tool
  3. Keyword Overview
  4. Google Trends
  5. Keyword Strategy Builder
  6. Organic Research
  7. QuestionDB
  8. Keyword Gap
  9. Rank Tracker for YouTube
  10. AlsoAsked
  11. Keyword Analytics for YouTube
  12. Ecommerce Keyword Analytics
  13. Organic Traffic Insights
  14. Keyword Surfer
  15. AnswerThePublic
  16. TubeBuddy
  17. Keyword Tool
  18. Keyword Planner
  19. Soovle
  20. Conclusion
  21. FAQ
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Introduction

Are you looking to enhance your website's SEO strategy and drive more traffic to your content? Leveraging the right keyword research tools is crucial. Keyword research tools help you uncover valuable keywords, understand their metrics, and outsmart your competition. In this blog post, we will explore 18 of the best keyword research tools, encompassing both free and paid options, to assist you in performing effective keyword research. Let’s dive into it.

Keyword Magic Tool

Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool stands out as a formidable keyword research tool. With access to the largest keyword database in the market—comprising over 25 billion keywords across 142 international databases—it’s a treasure trove for marketers. Utilizing advanced AI features, it allows you to extract data pertinent to your website. By entering a seed keyword, domain name, and preferred country, you can generate a plethora of keyword ideas complete with their corresponding metrics. The Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD %) score is particularly useful, helping you identify keywords that are easier for your domain to rank for. This includes comparing the general keyword difficulty score (KD %) to get a comprehensive understanding of your keyword landscape.

Pricing: The tool is part of Semrush’s SEO toolkit, which offers a limited number of free searches per day. Full access requires a subscription starting at $108.33 per month (billed annually).

Keyword Overview

Keyword Overview, also from Semrush, offers a detailed analysis of any keyword in their database. By entering up to 100 keywords and your domain name, you garner personalized results. The report is divided into three key sections: key metrics snapshot, overview of relevant keywords, and SERP Analysis. The tool helps in identifying high-potential keywords and provides insights into other relevant keywords and their variations. The SERP Analysis section offers a closer look at the top-ranking pages for your keyword, helping you understand the competition better.

Pricing: Like the Keyword Magic Tool, Keyword Overview is accessible via Semrush’s subscription plans, starting at $108.33 per month (billed annually).

Google Trends

Google Trends is an essential free tool for identifying trending topics worldwide. By entering a keyword, you can observe interest over time, see related queries, and compare multiple keywords to gauge popularity. This can be particularly beneficial for staying ahead of market trends and adjusting your content strategy accordingly.

Pricing: Free to use.

Keyword Strategy Builder

Also from Semrush, the Keyword Strategy Builder helps you structure your website for better SEO by generating grouped keyword ideas. By entering a seed keyword, the tool lays out topics, pillar pages, and subpages, illustrating a tree-like structure. This user-friendly organization aids in creating a navigation-friendly website that appeals to both users and search engines.

Pricing: Available with Semrush’s subscription plans, starting at $108.33 per month (billed annually).

Organic Research

Semrush’s Organic Research tool is perfect for analyzing your competitors’ keyword data. By entering a competitor’s domain, you can identify their top keywords and explore data through various filters. This tool is essential for discovering new keyword opportunities and understanding your competition's strategy.

Pricing: Free with limits, with full access starting at $108.33 per month (billed annually).

QuestionDB

QuestionDB assists in finding question-based keywords by analyzing questions people ask on forums like Reddit. This tool is excellent for uncovering content ideas that directly address audience inquiries.

Pricing: Free with limited results; the Solo plan costs $15 per month with increased search capabilities.

Keyword Gap

Keyword Gap, another Semrush tool, enables gap analysis by comparing your keyword profile with up to four competitors. This highlights missing keywords, presenting new opportunities for keyword optimization.

Pricing: Free with limits; full access starts at $108.33 per month (billed annually).

Rank Tracker for YouTube

Rank Tracker for YouTube helps monitor your channel's ranking and optimize keyword performance. It also offers competitive analysis by comparing your channel’s ranking with that of competitors.

Pricing: Subscription-based at $19 per month, after a seven-day free trial.

AlsoAsked

AlsoAsked utilizes Google’s People Also Ask (PAA) boxes to generate a branching diagram of questions related to your main keyword. This visual representation helps in understanding relationships between topics and structuring your content accordingly.

Pricing: Free with limited searches; paid plans start at $15 per month.

Keyword Analytics for YouTube

This tool analyzes YouTube trends, revealing top keywords that can boost your video’s visibility. Comprehensive data on search volumes and related keywords enables better video SEO.

Pricing: Available as an app in the Semrush App Center for $10 monthly, with a seven-day free trial.

Ecommerce Keyword Analytics

Ideal for online retailers, this app provides insights into keywords searched on top ecommerce sites. This data can be pivotal in refining your keyword strategy for ecommerce campaigns.

Pricing: $19.99 per month after a seven-day free trial.

Organic Traffic Insights

Organic Traffic Insights combines data from Semrush, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console. It is particularly useful for revealing keywords that were previously obscured under Google Analytics' “not provided” category.

Pricing: Included in Semrush’s SEO toolkit subscription, starting at $108.33 per month (billed annually).

Keyword Surfer

This free Chrome extension integrates keyword suggestions directly into your SERPs, along with data on search volumes and SERP metrics, making it an invaluable tool for immediate keyword research.

Pricing: Free.

AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic generates keyword ideas from autocomplete suggestions across major search engines. The visual representation of search queries helps in identifying content opportunities.

Pricing: Free with limited searches; paid plans begin at $11 monthly.

TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy, a browser extension, offers extensive YouTube-specific keyword research features. Its Keyword Explorer evaluates keyword competition and optimization potential, aiding in channel growth.

Pricing: Free with limited daily searches; paid plans start at $3.75 per month.

Keyword Tool

Keyword Tool uses autocomplete data from multiple search engines to generate keyword suggestions, questions, and prepositions. This broad data source is useful for creating diverse content strategies.

Pricing: Free without metrics; paid plans start at $69 monthly.

Keyword Planner

Google’s Keyword Planner, designed for advertisers, is also effective for keyword research. It offers insights into new keyword opportunities and historical data, guiding both SEO and PPC strategies.

Pricing: Free via a Google Ads account.

Soovle

Soovle aggregates search suggestions from across multiple platforms, providing a broad spectrum of keyword ideas. The easy-to-use interface helps in generating keywords for various content needs.

Pricing: Free.

Conclusion

Effective keyword research is the cornerstone of a successful SEO strategy. By utilising the appropriate tools, you can uncover valuable keywords, optimize your content, and outperform your competition. Semrush offers a variety of powerful tools, but there are also numerous free options available to get you started. Whether you are budgeting for a comprehensive toolkit or looking for cost-effective solutions, there is a keyword research tool on this list for you.

FAQ

Q: Are there any free keyword research tools that are effective? A: Yes, tools like Google Trends, Keyword Surfer, and Soovle are excellent options for free keyword research.

Q: What is the best tool for YouTube keyword research? A: TubeBuddy and Keyword Analytics for YouTube are both highly effective for YouTube keyword research.

Q: How does Semrush’s Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD %) score help in keyword research? A: PKD % score provides insights into how difficult it would be for your specific domain to rank for a keyword, helping to identify easier-to-rank-for keywords.

Q: Can I use keyword research tools for ecommerce websites? A: Yes, tools like Ecommerce Keyword Analytics provide valuable insights into retail-specific keywords and their performance on major ecommerce platforms.