Best Keyword Research Tools for SEO

Ask any SEO expert and they will tell you how important it is to have a strong keyword strategy.

The right keyword strategy is not only identifying the seed keywords for your brand. It is to map out a smart keyword mix that includes primary, secondary, and long tail keywords. This helps you draft a content strategy that aligns with your service industry and build your online presence among your target audience.

• But how do you sort out the best keywords for your business?
• Which keywords will direct traffic to your website?
• What is the intent of the keywords you are targeting?
• What is the volume, CPC and keyword difficulty of your seed keywords?

These questions may seem simple. But the one who knows how to rank understands its importance.

You must define these factors in order to build a winning content strategy. And you cannot define these without a keyword tool.

Keyword research tools are platforms that enable you to conduct in-depth keyword research and analysis. It helps you to sort out the best keywords according to their demographics, volume, intent, SERP features, and more.

Additionally, keyword research tools for SEO give you an insight into customer queries. This helps you understand the common queries your customers have, their pain points, and preferences.

Keyword gap, competitor analysis, keyword clusters, and questions are added bonuses that you get with the best keyword research tools.

In this blog, we have curated a list of the best keyword planner tools (both paid and free) to help you find the one that fits your needs.

What Makes the Best Keyword Research Tool?

There are hundreds of keyword research tools in the market. Finding the one that is easy-to-use, gives accurate data, and offers SEO optimization tips has become hectic.

So, what makes a keyword tool ideal for SEO purposes?

Accurate Data

The core purpose of a keyword planner is to offer accurate and credible data. It’s a simple process – you enter the keywords and it gives you all the data related to it.

You get demographically categorized volume, keyword difficulty, related keywords, faqs, top-ranking pages, CPC, intent, and more. The more the data, the better it is for your analysis.

So, you should go for the keyword planner that provides you with all the data you need to rank your website.

Credible Data Sources

Data is useful only if it comes from trusted sources. The keyword tool you use should be extracting data from reliable sources.

Most of the top keyword research platforms get their data from Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

If the platform is using unreliable sources to pull in data, it won’t help you rank on Google SERP.

SEO Optimization

Best keyword research tools not only help with keyword planning but also SEO optimizations. The top-most SEO audit tools conduct an overall SEO analysis of your website and offer suggestions for improvement.

Tools like Semrush and Ahrefs help you:

• Evaluate site speed
• Analyze technical SEO
• Check backlink quality
• Track organic keyword positionings
• Analyze website traffic
• Offers tips for on-page SEO improvements
• Plan ad campaigns
• Analyze competitor’s social media metrics
• Conduct topic research
  …and more

This additional data helps you keep in check the overall SEO of your website. Plus, it also assists you in planning your marketing strategies that build your brand identity and boost your online visibility.

User-Friendly

The purpose of any tool is to make our work simple. So, when it comes to keyword tools with several features, user-friendliness is a necessity.

What is the use of SEO optimization features, and keyword analysis data when you cannot figure out how to access them?

That is why the best keyword planner tool is the one which you can easily navigate. You should be able to access the features and utilities. Plus, the SEO data should be structured in a way that’s easy for you to understand.

Also, backlinks, on-page SEO, technical SEO, social media, competitor analysis, and others should be categorized as separate features. So, that you are not overloaded with all the data on one screen. You can use these features as and when required and focus more on one aspect at a time.

Pricing

All the goodies come with a cost. Top keywords research tools like Semrush, Moz, Ahrefs, and Keyword Surfer have monthly and annual subscription plans. Plus, the plans are divided as per the use cases. There are different plans for individuals, SEO companies, and enterprises.

However, there are free keyword research tools as well. The top ones include Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, Jaxy, and Google Trends.

Some keyword planner tool also offers limited free usage. After it’s exhausted, you will have to take a subscription to use the services.

So, you should find a keyword tool that is your one-stop destination for all SEO purposes and fits your budget. So, that you don’t require any additional paid tools or extensions to help you with digital marketing strategies.

Best Free and Paid Keyword Research Tools

Semrush

Semrush is one of the best keyword research tools in the market right now. It is not because of the in-depth keyword analysis it offers. But its additional features like competitor research, position tracking, traffic insights, link building, local SEO, market analysis and more.

What you will like about Semrush is its Keyword magic tool. This is where you will find the real gem.

All you need to do is enter your seed keyword and target location. Once you click on the search button, you will get an overview of the keyword with its volume, traffic cost and other metrics.

Along with an overview, you also get questions related to that keyword, similar phrases, broad match, phrase match, languages and more. Plus, you can set advanced filters to sort out the keywords as per your needs.

These insights help you find the keywords your competitors are already ranking for and which are easy to rank.

For example, the “Yoga poses” keyword is difficult to rank when you have competitors with lots of quality content on it. But “Yoga poses for back pain” is easier to rank as there is less competition.

Key features of Semrush:

• SEO dashboard
• Keyword Magic Tool
• Traffic analytics
• Organic research
• Competitor analysis
• Keyword gap
• Backlinks audit
• Backlinks building
• Local SEO
• Content Marketing

Pricing: $99.95-$449.95/month, Pro $129.95 monthly, Guru $249.95 monthly, Business $499.95 monthly

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is the best-paid keyword research tool for digital marketing experts. Similar to Semrush, Ahrefs also offers keyword research, organic research, competitor analysis, backlink audit and more.

But one that differentiates Ahrefs from Semrush is its highly detailed data projection. For example, not all searches convert to real page visits. Semrush only gives you keyword search volume. But Ahrefs shows you “with clicks” and “without clicks” data.

This helps you find keywords that would bring people to your website. So, assisting you in narrowing down the target keyword list to more specific and result-oriented terms.

Also, the content marketing features in Ahrefs are far better than Semrush. From finding low-competition topics to content gaps, guest post blogging opportunities, and popular content, you can draft a content marketing strategy that generates traffic and leads for your website.

The crazy part is that you can also monitor your competitor’s publishing frequency. This enables you to plan your content calendar and churn out quality content pieces to outshine them.

Key Features of Ahrefs:

• Rank tracking
• Keyword research
• Competition analysis
• Content gap
• Content research
• Site audit

Pricing: Lite $129/mo, Standard $249/mo, Advanced $449/mo

Keyword Surfer

Keyword Surfer is a simple keyword explorer tool that works as a Chrome extension. You download and install it to your Chrome and then search for the keywords on Google.

Upon installation, the tool is visible on the right side of your SERP. It gives you keywords related to your search query with their volume and overlap.

Plus it also gives you the traffic, word count, number of keyword appearances, and title change if Google has changed the title tag for each page on the SERP.

It is a very affordable tool that lets you uncover hidden data about your SERP results.

Key Features of Keyword Surfer:

• Keyword research
• Keyword counter
• Word count
• SERP overview

Pricing: ESSENTIAL $89 per month, SCALE $129 Per month, SCALE AI $219 per month

ESSENTIAL plan For small business owners and freelancers starts from $89 per month. SCALE For mid-sized agencies & marketing teams begins at $129 per month. SCALE AI For agencies and teams looking to scale up with AI is of $219 per month. Also, contact for ENTERPRISE plan For large agencies & marketing teams Customized per month, billed yearly

KeywordTool.io

If you want to dive deeper into your keywords, there’s no better tool than KeywordTool.io.

For one keyword search, you will get an average of 1400 unique keyword suggestions. You surely will be able to find out some for your content.

Also, the platform has an easy-to-use filter that lets you narrow down your keywords on the basis of location, language, and network.

If these don’t entice you, you get a top-notch competitor research feature. It’s a very cool feature that gives you all the keywords your competitor is ranking. Plus, you also get keywords related to the niche of your competitor which is something you don’t see in other keyword planner tools.

KeywordToo.io offers both free and paid features. Compared to other keyword planners, the pricing is on the lower side.

Key Features of KeywordTool.io:

• Keyword Suggestions
• Multiple languages
• Advanced filtering
• Keyword basket
• Search volume
• Competition level
• Bulk keyword upload

Pricing: $69/month for Pro Basic; $79 per month for pro plus; and$159/month is for pro business

Moz Keyword Explorer

You cannot miss Moz keyword explorer in the list of best keyword research tools. Similar to other keyword research platforms, Moz gives you detailed insight into your seed keywords.

But there is one feature that makes it smarter than other tools. It’s the lateral search feature. When you enter a seed keyword on Moz, you get a lot of keyword suggestions including the metrics and related terms.

But Moz goes one step beyond and gives you unique long-tail keyword suggestions. These help you target new keywords and come up with quality content topics quickly.

Additional features that make Moz perfect for your SEO strategies are Keyword difficulty, organic CTR, priority and competitor research.

Key Features of Moz:

• Keyword research
• Competitor analysis
• Rank tracking
• On-page optimizations
• Link building

Pricing: STANDARD $ 99/mo, MEDIUM $179/mo LARGE $ 299/mo, PREMIUM $599/mo

AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic is not like your other keyword planner tools. It refers to itself as a “search listening tool”. This is because the platform uses data from autocomplete suggestions of search engines like Google. Then uses the same data to uncover queries that interest people.

This tool is great for content marketing purposes. It helps you easily come up with topics that are relevant to your audience and cater to their pain points.

For example, you enter the seed keyword “AI agents”. The tool will then come up with a visually appealing chart that includes questions, comparisons and related searches to AI agents.

The chart divides the keyword analysis into “what”, “can”, “who”, “why”, “when”, “where” and more such prepositions.

This helps to tap into all the aspects of the keyword. Most importantly the tool assists in understanding what customers are looking for, their pain points, and the type of content they are consuming.

You can use AnswerThePublic for free up to a limited number of searches. The paid plans start at $5 for 100 searches per day.

Key Features of AnswerThePublic:

• Search listening
• Chart based data
• Multiple search queries
• Data comparison

Pricing: $9/month, $99/month, $199/month

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest, an advanced keyword research tool by Neil Patel, is 90% cheaper than Semrush and Ahrefs. Ubersuggest monthly subscription plan starts at $12.

With its keyword suggestions feature, you get hundreds of quality keyword suggestions including head terms and long tail keywords. Plus, you also get key metrics like volume, seasonal trends and competition for each keyword.

The best thing is that it generates a list of keywords based on what’s working for your competitors and what your target customers are looking for on search engines.

From social media marketing to content research and backlinks, Ubersuggest helps you run your digital marketing tasks smoothly.

Key Features of Ubersuggest:

• Keyword Suggestions
• Domain Overview
• Organic keyword research
• Content ideas
• Backlink data

Pricing: Business $20/month, Individual $12/month, Enterprise $40/month

Google Trends

Google Trends is the best free keyword research tool. Coming from Google the tool helps you find what’s trending on the internet at the moment.

You can enter multiple seed keywords and filter the result by location, search history, and category. It will give you results on how much interest is present around your keywords, the reason for interest, and similar keywords.

You can also find what people are searching for that’s related to your keywords. The related queries and topics section is where you will get the real value of Google Trends.

Key Features Google Trends:

• Search term comparison
• Timeframe selection
• Geographic filtering
• Search type filtering
• Related queries
• Related topics

Pricing: Free to use

Jaaxy

While Jaaxy calls itself the “world’s most advanced keyword tool,” its strength lies in its user-friendliness.

It simplifies keyword research for affiliate marketers by generating a comprehensive list of related keywords and phrases.

Along with these suggestions, Jaaxy provides valuable data on search volume, estimated traffic you can attract, and how your competitors are performing for those keywords.

You can even track your own website’s ranking for keywords you’re targeting.

Key Features of Jaaxy:

• Keyword research
• Search volume
• Traffic estimation
• Competitor analysis
• Rank tracking
• User-friendly interface

Pricing: Pro plan $49/mo and Enterprise plan $99/mo

Soovle

Soovle is one such free keyword research tool that aggregates keyword suggestions for multiple search engines. From Google to Bing, Wikipedia, Amazon, eBay and YouTube, Soovle helps you prepare a 360-degree SEO strategy.

All you need to do is enter your seed keyword and click the search button. The tool will consolidate related keyword suggestions trending across all search engines.

Use the right arrow key to select a keyword from the search suggestions. Clicking the chosen keyword will open its live search results page.

Soovle offers you a smart way to find out keywords that your competition hasn’t tapped into.

Key Features Soovle:

• Multi-search engine suggestions
• Real-time suggestions
• Visual overview
• Simple interface
• Keyword filtering

Pricing: Free

Google Keywords Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that helps you explore keywords. It is particularly useful for planning pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns but also has valuable applications for search engine optimization (SEO).

Key Features Google Keywords Planner:

• Keyword research
• Estimated keyword search volume
• Bid estimates for PPC

Pricing: Free

FAQs About Keyword Research Tool

What is the most accurate keyword research tool?

Semrush and Ahrefs are the best keyword research tools in the paid category. While Google Keyword Planner is the top keyword planner tool available for free.

Which Google tool is used for keyword research?

You can use Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner to explore potential keywords, get key insights and review your competitors’ keywords. Both tools are free to use.

Can I do keyword research for free?

Yes, you can do keyword research for free. Keyword planner tools like Google Trends, Soovle, and Google Keyword Planner are some of the best free keyword research tools at the moment.

How to get keywords for SEO?

You can easily get a long list of keywords for your website SEO and content planning by using keyword planner tools. These tools give you in-depth insight into the keywords along with related queries, questions, and phrase match options.

What are keyword research tools?

Keyword research tools are online tools or extensions that help to explore and analyze keywords based on their volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, intent, and other factors. Additionally, these keyword research tools also offer features like competitor analysis, backlink audit, social media management, content research, keyword gap and more.

How to do keyword research?

Doing keyword research has become easy with keyword tools. Pick any tool and sign up. Then go to its keyword research feature and enter one or more seed keywords. Seed keywords are the terms directly related to your core services or products. Once you click on search, you will see on-screen a long list of related keywords sorted by volume, intent, traffic cost, latest trends, clicks, and other such metrics. The keyword result also includes related queries, topics, and phrases that match your seed keyword. You can select the keywords relevant to your niche and export them to a CSV file.

For keyword research, you can use tools like Semrush, Moz, Ahrefs, Google Trends, KeywordTool.io and Ubersuggest.