Keyword research is essential to get your website ranking well. However, to be successful in keyword research, it’s not enough to google and guess what your audience is looking for. Check out these free or paid keyword research tools to improve your ranking.

You know you need to do keyword research to make your website perform better, but you might not know where to start. Maybe you don’t know which is the best keyword research tool for your needs, or maybe you don’t have room in your marketing budget to pay for an expensive new service. Then check out our list of the 16 best tools to use for keyword research. We have included both free and paid options to meet the needs of each business. If you don’t know much about keyword research, start here.

Free keyword research tools

Free doesn’t necessarily mean that these keyword research tools aren’t as good as the paid ones. Free ones can be a good option if you’re just learning to research keywords or if your needs are relatively straightforward. Here are eight free, easy-to-use tools that we love.

Google Keyword Planner

This simple tool has some basic features, but it’s still one of the most accurate sources of keyword data you can find. You won’t find many individual search functions here, but you will be able to access search volume and usage statistics directly from Google itself.

Use it if:

  • You need to find high volume keywords for your business website.
  • Finding keywords has been difficult, and you need a tool that can suggest options based on your industry.

Google Trends

As the name suggests, Google Trends shows you keyword trends now and over time. This visually rich tool will help you understand not only which keywords are trending, but also where they are and whether they are gaining or losing popularity. A map view divided into sub-regions can even let you see even the regions where your chosen keywords are most popular.

Use this tool if:

  • You want to see which keywords are the most popular in your geographic region right now.
  • You’d like to know more about what shoppers in your area are looking for, but don’t know where to start to collect them.
  • You need to see which keyword phrases are trending so that you can successfully target sales campaigns to potential buyers.

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest by Neil Patel is a flexible and user-friendly keyword tool that helps you understand the impact of keyword usage on your SEO efforts. You can enter a keyword that you want to search for, or you can enter your website address. Ubersuggest will scan your site and analyze your keywords, traffic, domain score, and backlinks, then provide you with keyword ideas. This unique tool can even offer content suggestions.

Use it if:

  • You have a well-established website and want to know the impact of your ranking efforts.
  • You need fresh ideas for content that will improve your site’s ranking in the SERPs.
  • You’re looking for data like SEO difficulty and cost per click for specific keywords.

WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool

Designed to drive Google and Bing ad success, WordStream’s free keyword tool will help you understand which keywords are best suited for your industry and geographic region. Start by entering your website URL or a target keyword. WordStream offers information on search volume, cost per click, and competition, with separate columns for Google and Bing. You can even email yourself your keyword list.

Use this if:

  • You want to customize the keywords for Google and Bing.
  • You want to know which keywords are likely to be successful in both your industry and your location.
  • Knowing the cost per click and the competition are your top priorities for keyword research.

AnswerThePublic

You may have been looking for answers to questions like “How do I fix a leaking faucet” or “Where can I find exotic animals?” Wording search queries as a question are popular with around 8% of Google users, and knowing how to leverage these question-based searches is to your advantage. Just enter them in AnswerThePublic. Just enter your industry or the topic you want to cover, and the site will provide you with an infographic list of relevant user questions.

Use this if:

  • You want to add diversity to your keyword portfolio.
  • You want to know what questions people in different countries use to find information.
  • You write FAQ pages or tutorial blogs, which tend to provide answers to common consumer questions.

Keyword Surfer Chrome extension

This free extension for Google Chrome offers powerful keyword overviews from Chrome. Do research, and you’ll get keyword data that includes monthly search volume. Dig deeper from there by looking at related research or traffic and page data. You can also save keyword information to a clipboard for easy access later. The extension works with datasets from 70 different countries, making it ideal for international businesses.

Use this extension if:

  • Tailoring SEO content for Google searches is one of your primary marketing goals.
  • You want a keyword tool that integrates with your everyday browser.
  • You have a hard time organizing your keyword ideas.

Wordtracker Scout Chrome extension

Designed to provide keyword information for specific markets, Chrome’s Wordtracker Scout extension gives you access to a large database of keywords. It provides information at a glance, including performance metrics for keywords and page elements. You can also use this tool to see how you stack up against your competition.

Use this tool if:

  • You want to do keyword research, but you don’t have a lot of time to study a lot of data.
  • You’re looking for a keyword research tool that integrates directly with Google Chrome.
  • You are new to researching keyword data and want a tool that makes it easy to understand the important things.

Paid keyword research tools

Free keyword tools are a great starting point for research, but sometimes you need more information than these basic services. When it does, check out these eight popular paid tools.

SEO Powersuite

If you are looking for accurate keyword data for any of the cities, countries, or languages ​​supported by Google, the SEO Powersuite tool is worth using. This service prides itself on providing accurate data instead of giving vague ranges. You can get search volume data for your current keyword lists.

SEO Powersuite Pro can also help you find hidden keywords that have high potential but are not very competitive. This tool uses data from Google Place Autocomplete to find keywords that you won’t find elsewhere. This Keyword Tool also has a free version that you can use to check out the basics of how this tool works. Read the complete SEO Powersuite Review to know more in detail.

Use it if:

  • You need a robust source for long tail keywords.
  • You want to know what people in your area are looking for right now.
  • You need fresh ideas for content and keywords, but you don’t have a lot of time to conduct your own research.

Ahrefs Keyword Explorer

Ahrefs is one of the best-known SEO sites out there, and the Ahrefs Keywords Explorer does not disappoint. This tool offers thousands of keyword suggestions pulled from 10 search engines, so you never run out of important data. It is the only keyword tool that provides metrics that estimate exactly how many clicks a given keyword will attract. With the SERP overview and ranking history, you’ll know exactly where your website is. Ahrefs is offering a seven-day trial of its service for $ 7.

Use this service if:

  • You want to know how many clicks your website is likely to get for given keywords.
  • Competition between multiple browsers is one of your marketing priorities.
  • You want to identify the keyword combination used by leading websites in your industry.

The SEMrush Keyword Magic tool

SEMrush has the largest keyword database of any SEO solution out there. When you search for keywords, you get a comprehensive list of keywords and related questions. Keyword Magic offers an array of statistics including search volume, keyword trends, and cost per click, competition density, click potential, and keyword difficulty. With 142 geolocated databases, it’s a great choice for international businesses too. SEMrush does not offer a free trial.

Use it if:

  • You know the basics of keyword SEO and want to dive deeper into the data.
  • You want to group your keywords by thematic segments in order to easily find what you need.
  • Analyzing competing websites and SEO success is critical to growing your industry.

Moz Keyword Explorer

Moz’s Keyword Explorer provides in-depth data for businesses around the world. To get started, all you need to do is enter your URL or keyword into Moz’s search interface. Then you’ll get a full scan that covers keyword suggestions as well as SERP details. Of course, you can also perform competitive keyword analysis to determine what other businesses in your industry are using to drive traffic to their website. Moz offers a free 30-day trial version for its Keyword Explorer.

Use it if:

  • You want to know which keywords you should use to improve your website ranking.
  • You need to export your keyword data to CSV files.
  • You want the ability to enter keywords or URLs to get personalized suggestions for your site.

Keywords Everywhere

True to its name, this browser extension works for both Chrome and Firefox. Keyword Everywhere provides trend data dating back to 2004, which means you can see the long-term performance of keywords in your industry. Keywords Everywhere offer informative, easy-to-read reports, even for SEO novices. It also has specialized tools for YouTube, Bing, Etsy, Amazon, and eBay. Keywords Everywhere offer free and paid versions of its service.

Use this if:

  • You like the idea of ​​having data on what “people are looking for too” to help you identify gaps in your website or its content.
  • You want to export your keyword research and results in Excel, CSV or PDF format.
  • You need to target keywords for sales on Amazon, Etsy, and eBay.

KWFinder

KWFinder is designed to help you uncover long tail keywords that don’t have a lot of search competition. To find keywords, you enter one of your existing keywords, choose your location and set your language. You can also enter a website URL to get detailed information about its performance in a selected geographic region. The tool has very precise data on search volume and keyword difficulty. KWFinder offers a 10-day free trial of its service. Read the complete Kwfinder Review to know more in detail.

Use it if:

  • You want to find low difficulty, long tail keywords for your industry and region.
  • You want to see how your site or your competitor’s sites are performing in different geographic regions.
  • You need to find profitable keywords on a tight marketing budget.

Serpstat

Serpstat prides itself on being an all-in-one SEO platform, so you will get more with this tool than just keyword data. When it comes to keywords, you can easily search by subject, domain, or URL to see where the keywords are ranking and who is using them. This is a professional-level tool that is ideal for people with a solid SEO background. Serpstat offers a Chrome plugin so you can do quick searches wherever you are on the web. Serpstat does not offer a free trial.

Use it if:

  • Making SEO research more efficient is one of your top priorities.
  • You have a solid SEO background and want to see detailed reports on all aspects of your SEO efforts.
  • You would like to choose from a variety of bespoke subscription plans that meet your business needs.

Long Tail Pro

With Long Tail Pro, you start by entering the main keyword. Then the tool performs keyword and competitor analysis that covers 13 metrics and provides a report on potential long tail keywords and their profitability. This tool offers rank tracking which helps you understand how your site is behaving over time and which keywords need to be changed. Long Tail Pro is available as a free trial version for seven days, with hands-on training to help you get the most out of this tool.

Use it if:

  • You understand the basics of SEO strategy, but you’re not sure how to find the right long tail keywords for your needs.
  • You need keyword recommendations based on metrics of competition in your industry and region.
  • You want rich information about your competition and how their search rankings compare to yours.

How do I find the right keyword research tool?

Keyword research is like the livelihood of SEO professionals, but it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to keyword tools. If you’re new to keyword research, start with a free service that offers basic functionality. Familiarize yourself with how the tool works and the information it offers, and try to incorporate some of the keywords you find into your website to see if the service shows promise.

When choosing a keyword tool, there are several things you should take into consideration.

Be sure to consider:

  • the size of the keyword database that the service offers (SEMrush and Ahrefs are considered among the best here),
  • the characteristics of the service and whether they meet or exceed your needs,
  • the user-friendliness and design of the tool’s interface, and
  • whether the tool is specialized (like Long Tail Pro) or if it offers more general information on keywords (like Google Keyword Planner).

If you think you need a paid tool but are hesitant to commit, choose a service that offers a free trial. If you’re interested in a service that doesn’t offer a trial, consider purchasing a one-month subscription and run a test project to see how easily you can integrate service data into your content and SEO strategies. Of course, you can also reach out to your friends and colleagues in your field who use keyword tools and ask them for an overview of their favourite keyword tools.

Keep in mind that it can take time to find the right keyword tool for your needs. Don’t give up if you don’t like the first serve you try. With a little experimentation, you can find a research tool that matches your needs, experience, and marketing goals.