Keyword research is the backbone of your SEO strategy. If you do it right using the right keyword research tools, you create high-quality content that attracts organic traffic.
With increasing content competing for audience attention daily, using the right organic keywords means more eyes on your content.
This is why, you need the right keyword research tools to help you choose the right keywords for your SEO keyword strategy.
So, in this article, I will discuss the top 10 keyword research tools I’ve used. You’ll learn their winning features and pricing details to make an informed decision.
Let’s start!
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the process of finding the right words and phrases that people use in searches for your niche.
Keyword research allows you to understand what your audience is typing into the search bar and then adjust the keywords in your website content to reflect their interests.
You can use keyword research tools to run SERP analysis and do proper keyword research.
We know the internet is vast, and audience attention is often scattered. So, keyword research tools help you get insights on popular search terms and conversations relevant to your business.
Using a keyword research tool, you can zero in on what’s important and enhance visibility, increase traffic, and, ultimately, get higher rankings on search engines.
The best keyword research tool for you will depend on your specific needs. Some tools are great for running a site audit or understanding the keyword overview. While others focus more on identifying trends or performing competitor analysis on keyword data.
When selecting a tool, make sure it aligns with your SEO strategy.
So, to give you a headstart, in the next section, I’ve discussed the best free keyword research tools and the paid ones, too.
10 Best Keyword Research Tools (Free and Paid)
The list below offers an overview of popular tools that can assist you in developing your keyword research strategy.
1. SEOBoost – Top Keyword Research Tool
SEOBoost is a comprehensive SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tool designed to improve website performance and visibility in search engine results.
It offers a range of features to optimize website content, analyze competitors, and track your content performance.
Features
Here are the winning features of SEOBoost for me:
Topic Reports: Get keyword recommendations for related keywords, long-tail keywords, and popular keywords related to your content. Generating a topic report gives you access to keywords to help your content rank higher.
Competitor Analysis: Peek at your competitors’ SEO scores and learn more about what keywords they rank for and their content performance.
Keyword Tracking: Monitor how well competition keywords or phrases are doing on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Content Audits: Get real-time website content analysis alongside recommendations on how to optimize your page better.
Pricing
SEOBoost offers a 14-day free trial. Here are the 3 plans you can choose once your free trial is finished.
| Plan | Essential | Team | Agency |
| Pricing | $27/month | $57/month | $97/month |
Best for?
SEOBoost is ideal for website owners, digital marketers, and SEO professionals looking to improve their website’s search engine visibility and performance.
It’s particularly suited for those seeking a comprehensive SEO tool that does it all—so you don’t have to think about it!
2. Google Trends
Google Trends is a free keyword research tool that allows users to explore the popularity of search queries over time and across different regions.
It provides insights into the search intent for various topics, keywords, and queries on Google’s search engine.
Features
Here are the top Google Trends key features that I liked using:
Search Interest Trends: Analyze the popularity of specific search terms over time, identifying trends and seasonal fluctuations.
Regional Data: Explore search trends by geographic location and learn more about regional interests and preferences.
Related Topics and Queries: Discover new ideas about your focus keyword and think outside the box regarding new content ideas.
Real-time Data: Access real-time updates on search trends, meaning timely content creation and optimization.
Pricing
As an open-source application, Google Trends is a free analysis tool.
Best for?
Google Trends is perfect for marketers, journalists, researchers, and businesses that want to understand their audience’s interests. This tool allows professionals to track topic popularity over time, identify emerging trends, and optimize their content or advertising strategies accordingly.
3. Ahrefs Keyword Explorer
Ahrefs Keyword Explorer is designed to assist users in conducting comprehensive keyword research to optimize their content and improve search engine rankings.
It provides valuable insights into keyword metrics, click-through rate, monthly search volume, competition, and more.
Features
Here are the top Ahrefs Keyword Explorer features that help me:
Keyword Metrics: Access detailed metrics for individual keywords, such as search volume, keyword difficulty, clicks per search, and more.
Keyword Suggestions: Discover new opportunities through generated keyword suggestions based on an initial query.
SERP and Competitor Analysis: Analyze top-ranking pages, their backlink profiles, domain ratings, and other relevant metrics. Users can also research keywords their competitors are ranking for, helping them identify potential keyword gaps and opportunities.
Historical Data: Track keyword trends through historical data and make informed decisions about your SEO strategies.
Pricing
Ahrefs Keyword Explorer is included in all Ahrefs subscription plans.
| Plan | Lite | Standard | Advanced | Enterprise |
| Pricing | $99/month | $199/month | $399/month | Custom Pricing |
Best for?
Ahrefs Keyword Explorer is ideal for SEO professionals, content marketers, bloggers, and website owners interested in advanced features and data-driven insights.
4. Semrush Keyword Magic Tool
Semrush Keyword Magic Tool is designed to help users conduct thorough keyword research.
With its extensive keyword database and advanced functionalities, this tool equips users to identify relevant keywords, analyze the difficulty score, and optimize their content effectively.
Features
Semrush Keyword Magic Tool offers comprehensive features tailored to meet the needs of SEO professionals, content marketers, and website owners. These are some of the features I liked:
Keyword Grouping: Analyze and prioritize keyword lists based on relevant groupings.
Competitor Analysis: Conduct an in-depth analysis of competitors’ keyword strategies and uncover the keywords they are ranking for.
Filtering and Sorting: Organize keyword lists based on various criteria, such as search volume, keyword difficulty, and CPC (cost-per-click) value.
Keyword Difficulty Analysis: Assess keyword difficulty to ensure focus on keywords with the highest potential for success.
Pricing
The Keyword Magic Tool is included in all plans, but the features available may vary depending on the plan level.
| Plan | Pro | Guru | Business |
| Pricing | $129.95/month | $249.95/month | $499.95/month |
Best for?
Semrush Keyword Magic Tool is ideal for those seeking information on given keywords. With features that allow for multiple grouping types across keyword difficulty, CPC, and volume, working with Semrush means you can draw from various options to drive your keyword strategy.
5. Moz Keyword Explorer
Moz Keyword Explorer stands out for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive data. It empowers users to make informed decisions to optimize their content and social media strategy effectively.
Features
Moz Keyword Explorer’s features allow users to access the following keyword analysis features:
Keyword Metrics: Access detailed information about each keyword, such as how often it’s searched, how hard it is to rank for, how often people click on it, and its importance.
Keyword Suggestions: Enter seed words and discover new keyword opportunities through the tool’s relevant suggestions.
Competitor Analysis: Analyze competitors’ keyword strategies, identify keywords they are ranking for, and uncover potential gaps and opportunities.
Pricing
Moz offers different subscription and product plans, which include access to Moz Keyword Explorer.
Best for?
Moz Keyword Explorer is ideal for SEO professionals, digital marketers, and website owners looking for a user-friendly interface with insightful metrics and suggestions.
6. AnswerThePublic by Ubersuggest
AnswerThePublic is a unique keyword generator that provides insights into users’ questions and queries online.
Unlike traditional keyword research tools, AnswerThePublic aggregates data from search engines to generate visualizations of common queries related to a particular topic.
Features
Here’s why I liked using AnswerThePublic’s unique interface:
Visualization: Access visualizations, such as word wheels and lists, showcasing common questions and queries related to a specific keyword or topic.
Question Formulations: Identify specific queries through the tool’s organization. Queries are categorized into questions like “what,” “how,” “why,” “where,” and “who,” making it easy to stay on top of audience interests.
Data Export: Export generated data in various formats for further analysis and integration into your content strategy.
Trending Topics: Keep your finger on the pulse through the tool’s insights on trending topics and queries.
Pricing
AnswerThePublic offers a free version of the tool with limited features, including a limited number of daily searches and access to basic visualizations.
| Plan | Individual | Pro | Expert |
| Pricing | $5/month | $49/month | $99/month |
Best for?
AnswerThePublic is ideal for content creators, bloggers, and marketers who want to better understand their audience’s questions and interests. It’s particularly suited for creating informative and engaging content that addresses your audience’s needs, concerns, and questions.
7. Rank Tracker for YouTube
If creating optimized social media content is your priority, you should use Rank Tracker for YouTube.
It is a specialized keyword research tool designed to track the performance of videos on the YouTube platform.
It provides insights into video rankings, views, engagement metrics, and other key performance indicators to help content creators and marketers optimize their YouTube presence effectively.
Features
Rank Tracker for YouTube offers a range of features to help monitor and analyze video performance:
Video Rankings: Track your videos’ rankings based on specific keywords and search queries on YouTube to gain insight into your content’s visibility and performance.
View and Engagement Metrics: Understand your audience’s behavior and preferences through data on video views, likes, comments, shares, and other engagement metrics.
Competitor Analysis: Compare your video performance with that of competitors, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
Keyword Research: Find relevant keywords to optimize your video titles, descriptions, and tags for better visibility.
Price
Rank Tracker for YouTube is available as part of various subscription plans, with pricing typically based on factors such as the number of videos tracked and additional features included.
Best for?
Rank Tracker for YouTube is ideal for content creators looking to optimize their video content and improve their performance on the platform. Focusing on YouTube-specific metrics, It offers valuable insights tailored to the needs of YouTube creators and marketers.
8. Keyword Tool
Keyword Tool is an online platform designed to assist users in generating keyword ideas and analyzing search queries across various search engines and platforms.
Features
Here are the best Keyword Tool features:
Keyword Suggestions: Discover new keyword opportunities through relevant suggestions based on seed keywords.
Search Volume Analysis: Gain insights into the search volume for specific keywords to gauge popularity and potential traffic impact.
Platform-specific Insights: Access insights into keyword trends and search behavior across various platforms, including Google, YouTube, Amazon, and more.
Pricing
Keyword Tool offers both free and paid subscription options. While the free version provides limited access, paid plans offer advanced functions such as competitor analysis and platform-specific insights. Pricing varies depending on the plan level.
Best for?
Keyword Tool is ideal for content creators, bloggers, and marketers looking to enhance their SEO and content marketing efforts. It suits those seeking a user-friendly keyword research tool with platform-specific insights across multiple search engines and platforms.
9. Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a powerful tool offered by Google Ads, designed to help advertisers plan their advertising campaigns by providing insights into keyword suggestions, search volume, and competition levels.
Features
Google Keyword Planner offers features such as:
Keyword Suggestions: Generate keyword ideas based on user input or website content.
Search Volume Data: Access insights into keyword search volume trends over time.
Competition Levels: Evaluate the competition levels for specific keywords in Google Ads.
Keyword Performance Forecasts: Estimate the performance of keywords in advertising
campaigns based on bid and budget settings.
Pricing
Google Keyword Planner is free for advertisers of Google Ads. Users must have a Google Ads account to access the tool.
Best for?
Google Keyword Planner is best suited for advertisers and businesses looking to plan and optimize their Google Ads campaigns. It provides valuable insights into keyword performance and competition levels, helping advertisers make informed decisions about their advertising strategies and budget allocation.
10. Soovle
Soovle is a unique tool that provides users with real-time keyword suggestions from multiple search engines and platforms on a single interface.
It offers a holistic view of popular search queries across various platforms, enabling users to identify trends and optimize their content accordingly.
Features
Soovle offers the following winning features:
Multi-Platform Keyword Suggestions: Receive keyword suggestions from popular search engines and platforms, including Google, Bing, Yahoo, Wikipedia, Amazon, and YouTube.
Real-Time Updates: See real-time updates on keyword suggestions as you type, facilitating quick and dynamic keyword research.
Customization Options: Customize your search preferences and filter results based on specific platforms or search engines.
Price
Soovle is a free tool available for all users. There are no subscription fees or premium features, making it accessible to anyone needing quick and comprehensive keyword research.
Best for?
Soovle is one of the ideal keyword research tools for content creators, bloggers, and marketers who require a quick overview of popular search queries across multiple platforms. It’s particularly useful for those seeking to diversify their keyword strategy and simultaneously optimize content for various search engines and platforms.
Key Takeaway
Various keyword research tools exist to assist you in optimizing your content and ensuring it is discoverable by your target audience.
The best tool for keyword research often depends on your individual needs. But if you’re looking for a tool that helps you with keyword research and creating and optimizing content, go for SEOBoost.
With comprehensive features, competitor insights, keyword tracking, and SEO content audits, SEOBoost is one of the winning keyword research tools to capture search traffic in 2024.
Sign up for a 14 day free trial today.
FAQs
1. What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of identifying the right search terms and phrases that your users are searching for. You can also use keyword research tools to help you do it.
2. What is the best tool for keyword research?
SEOBoost is one of the best keyword research tools, providing a detailed report of what keywords to use and helping optimize the content within the same platform.
