Updated at: 05-04-2023 - By: Eden Wise

Overview

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of keyword research tools that can help you find the best keywords for your content. They also range from being completely elementary and useless to being incredibly useful.

Finding the right keywords to target and the information you need to actually rank for them is simplified and streamlined with the help of the best keyword research tools. But they shouldn’t make you give up your house and your firstborn to gain access to that information.

Years of experience with a wide variety of clients using varying keyword research and SEO content optimization tools has taught me the value of having access to a high-quality keyword planner. More than 60 free keyword research tools were considered. Here are the six best, as determined by extensive testing; they range from universally useful to purpose-built.

Best Free Keyword Research Tool

Best free keyword research tool

AnswerThePublic

If you want to see unfiltered search data, AnswerThePublic is the place to go. You enter a keyword or phrase, and it returns a list of questions others have had about that subject. All the who, what, where, when, and why questions users ask are displayed graphically.

It’s an effective method for discovering new keyword opportunities and learning about the information needs of your target audience. The information is downloadable in both chart and tabular form.

There is one drawback to this resource: you can only conduct three free searches per day.

Keyworddit

Keyworddit

Keyworddit searches Reddit for specific terms. In order to use it, you must first select a time period and a subreddit with at least 10,000 subscribers. Up to 500 keywords with search volumes are extracted from the titles and comments using the tool.

The results may not be universally applicable because of the diversity of opinions expressed in the various subreddits. High relevance can be specified, but doing so will slow down the tool.

While Keyworddit isn’t meant to take the place of more traditional keyword research tools, it can be a fun addition to your approach. Many people use Reddit to delve deeply into topics that interest them. There’s a chance it’ll turn up search terms and blog posts you couldn’t have found any other way.

Ahrefs Keyword Generator

The Ahrefs Keyword Generator is a free feature of the otherwise premium Ahrefs service. If you enter a target keyword or phrase, it will search its database of over 8 billion keywords from more than 170 countries and return the 100 most relevant suggestions.

The Keyword Generator shows the following information for each keyword phrase:

  • Number of Searches
  • Scale of 1 to 100 for keyword difficulty
  • Time since last update of this result
  • A set of inquiries pertinent to your query

This keyword tool can help you find long-tail keywords, zero in on less competitive phrases, and restrict your search by location or engine.

You can save your search results as a downloadable file and use them in other applications. Ahrefs has free tools for Bing, YouTube, and Amazon in addition to the Google-based Keyword Generator.

Whereas the search engine results pages (SERPs) of some freemium services are integrated into the keyword research tools themselves, Ahrefs’s free SERP service is offered on a separate page.

If you’re looking for a powerful and useful free tool, look no further than Ahrefs Keyword Generator. However, it does not provide a download option like other tools do. The free service requires you to verify that you are not a robot before each search, and there is no way to save your information.

Moz Keyword Explorer

Moz Keyword Explorer

The Moz Keyword Explorer is an elegant and user-friendly program for finding relevant keywords. For each search term, you can view data on monthly volume, organic difficulty, organic click-through rate (CTR), and a priority score.

The organic CTR shows what percentage of people who search for a term end up clicking on one of the results shown. You can see how likely you are to rank for that keyword phrase with a single score that takes into account the keyword’s difficulty, opportunity, and volume.

In addition to providing monthly search volume and relevance, Keyword Explorer also provides a long list of keyword suggestions for each term.

In addition to the standard search results, the SERP analysis provides you with a list of the top 10 results for your chosen keyword. Their name, web address, page authority, domain authority, number of inbound links, and total inbound links are all displayed. The data can be downloaded directly into a table.

The service that Moz offers is top-notch. The monthly limit of 10 queries is a major drawback of the free account.

Google Keyword Planner (Web)

For paid keyword research, we recommend Google’s free Keyword Planner.

Google’s Keyword Planner is a top choice for pay-per-click (PPC) keyword research. You never have to worry about limits or pricey upgrades because it is always free (even if you don’t buy Google Ads).

The two primary functions of Google Keyword Planner are (1) broad keyword research and discovery, and (2) detailed search volume research and forecasting.

The “Keyword ideas” function works much like the other tools on this list: after entering a seed term, it suggests related terms and provides data on search volume, trends, competition, ad impression share, and possible bids. Your keyword list can be honed in on in a number of different ways. If you’re also managing your paid ads and budget with Google Ads, the “Forecast” feature can help you get a head start.

As a result of the information provided by Keyword Planner, your organic strategy can be improved.

QuestionDB (Web)

QuestionDB (Web)

To find question-based keywords, we recommend using QuestionDB, the best free keyword research tool.

The QuestionDB tool is one of the most efficient ones I tried. You can use the tool to find questions people have asked online by entering a keyword or a broad topic.

What makes QuestionDB stand out is its sourcing. QuestionDB scrapes questions from sites like Reddit, Quora, and Stack Exchange, which are, of course, a gold mine of questions, while other tools only show you question-based keywords pulled from Google or Bing.

Consider conducting a search for something like “keyword research,” for instance. You can see how, why, and where people are talking about a topic by using QuestionDB, which will scrape the web to find frequently asked questions related to keyword research. You can use it as a content idea generator, research how people outside of Google are discussing a topic, and more.

Keyword Surfer (Chrome)

We recommend Keyword Surfer as the best free keyword research add-on for Chrome.

Lightweight keyword research that doesn’t require leaving the search engine results page is made possible by browser extensions. Surfer SEO’s Google Chrome extension, Keyword Surfer, is a stripped-down version of their full SEO suite.

After installing and activating the add-on, simply conduct a standard Google search using the keyword to see estimated search volume and CPC data appear in the search bar as you type. When you hit enter, you’ll see the same details as before, plus the total number of exact match keywords on the page for each SERP listing.

There are correlated search terms and visual representations of the SERP data to the right. The Free AI Article Outline Generator is also located on the right and can be used to quickly create an article outline. All the keywords you need to use in your content are laid out for you, along with a suggested heading structure. The outline can even be distributed via a link.

If you purchase Surfer SEO’s full version, you’ll gain access to the full Content Editor (with free WordPress and Google Docs add-ons), complete with a global “Content Score” and recommendations on where to place headings, paragraphs, and images.

AdWord & SEO Keyword Permutation Generator

The AdWord & SEO Keyword Permutation Generator is a useful tool for coming up with alternative keyword combinations. You can input up to three separate keyword lists, and the generator will produce as many possible combinations of those keywords as it can.

One of the simplest tools on this list, yet one of the most powerful, as it can generate hundreds of keyword permutations simultaneously.

Wordtracker Scout

Wordtracker Scout

Wordtracker Scout is a free add-on for Google Chrome that mines your visited websites for keyword ideas. If you want to learn more about the SEO of a page and find relevant keywords for your own marketing efforts, all you have to do is click on the Wordtracker logo next to your search bar.

SpyFu

SpyFu examines the effectiveness of your rivals’ websites and marketing campaigns in terms of traffic, keyword rankings, and more. You can ask for additional details not shown on their online dashboard by submitting a request. Document in PDF format.

SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool

SEMRush, like Moz, is widely recognized as the go-to source for SEO data.

Their tools are consistently cutting-edge, and they provide reliable data on the long-term success of your digital marketing campaign.

Which is why it’s thrilling that they provide a low-cost option via their Keyword Magic Tool.

Simply enter a seed keyword and hit the button to get over a million related keyword suggestions.

You can then evaluate the rivalry score to decide if they are worth attempting to outdo with your own copy.

You can only perform so many searches with this free service, but it’s still useful.

Rank Tracker

Among the many great things about Rank Tracker is that it incorporates a number of the other excellent free keyword tools we’ve highlighted here.

It has twenty-three of the best resources to help you find more information, get better suggestions for keywords, and get a broader perspective on your topic.

You can also find less obvious keywords with the help of a database of the keywords for which your competitors already rank and a feature that takes into account common misspellings.

This is without a doubt the best free keyword tool available today.

Ahrefs Keyword Generator

We also included Ahrefs, another SEO powerhouse, because of their excellent Keyword Generator.

The tool provides the expected amount of information on popular search terms and how different businesses fare in relation to one another.

The killer feature of this free keyword generator, though, is that it considers not just Google, Yahoo, and Bing, but dozens of global search engines.

This can be a major issue when trying to obtain relevant keyword data if your company and target audience are based outside the United States.

Google Autocomplete

Want to do some keyword research but don’t have much time? Autocomplete on Google is always helpful.

Start a new Google search in your browser and type in your question.

The search results will launch an autocomplete for you, making it easier to create longtails from single- or double-word queries.

What people are looking for and how they are framing their questions can be gleaned from this as well.

Even though it’s a fairly simplistic procedure, it’s worth keeping in mind for those times when you need to quickly add a couple more keywords to your list.

FAQs

Is Google keyword research tool free?

Yes. Individuals and companies alike can use Google’s free keyword research tools, Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner. Take advantage of free keyword tools like Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner to get first-rate results based on the most up-to-date algorithms used by a wide variety of search engines, including Google itself.

If you want your website or online store to show up higher in Google’s own search results, you should use Google’s own keyword research tools. Google Trends allows you to find and compare the most important keywords, phrases, and trends for your company or brand in record time. Check the popularity of your keywords in different regions and see how the data has changed over time. If you are looking for the best free keyword research tool or are just starting out with keyword research, Google Trends is your best bet.

Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool that can aid in the preparation of Pay-Per-Click and Search Engine Optimization marketing campaigns by providing data on the popularity, usage, and market trends of specific keywords.

Are paid keyword research tools worth it?

Depending on your needs and the resources available for your next advertising campaign, a paid keyword research tool may be worthwhile. Those who are interested in targeting a specific geographic area will benefit most from the location-based SEO tools that are included in some of the more expensive keyword research tools.

You can save and organize your keyword research in one place with the help of paid keyword research tools. Use a rank tracker to see how your site’s individual pages are faring after implementing the recommendations made by your chosen premium keyword research tool.

Where does Keyword Tool get keywords from?

Keyword Tool pulls search terms from a wide variety of platforms, including but not limited to Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, eBay, the App Store, the Google Play Store, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Keyword Tool pulls the majority of its suggestions for keywords, hashtags, and products directly from search engines’ autocomplete features.

Does Keyword Tool support different languages and countries?

Yes! Keyword Tool is available in all languages and regions where it is supported by the relevant search engines. Accurate search volume data for keywords in various languages and regions is also provided by Keyword Tool Pro.

Conclusion

If you use the right keywords in your content, you can easily dominate search engine results pages.

The proper equipment is the first step in this process.

If you want to generate organic traffic with great content, any of these eleven choices will do the trick.