Top 10 Best Paid & Free Keyword Research Tools You Must Know

Suppose you are working towards launching a new website for your business, or you want to boost the rankings of your website on the existing web pages. In that case, keyword research tools are integral to your SEO strategy and are designed to improve your website's organic traffic. 

The ticket to successful keyword research is to utilise various keyword research tools and use each of their strengths and potentials to boost traffic to your website. Picking the correct keyword research tool is essential for your business. 

Before we begin listing the tools for keyword research, let us look at the basic understanding of the term “Keyword Research!” 

Keyword research can be referred to as the linchpin of digital marketing. The best keyword research tool can enable you to uncover some good keywords to target in your business campaigns. Tools exist that help perform keyword research. Such tools are called (drumrolls, haha); Keyword Research Tools.

A Keyword Tool is a free SaaS product that uses Google Autocomplete and other search engines to generate relevant long-tail and related keywords for any topic.

Want to know more about keyword research and its tools? Check Out This Blog!

Before We Proceed, Let Us Examine Why Keyword Research Is Important!

Keyword research helps you find which keywords are best to target and provides valuable insight into your target audience's queries on Google. The insight you can get into these search terms can help inform your content and more extensive marketing strategies.

Keyword Research forms the backbone of any SEO strategy. Without proper keyword research, your SEO will not move ahead. Let’s have a basic understanding of why keyword research is necessary:

→ Understand The Competitive Landscape

Keyword research allows SEOs to understand the competitive landscape by giving them a clear picture of who they’re competing against.

It gives insights into how difficult or easy it will be to rank in the top spot in Google search and other search engines.

→ Identify Competition Content Opportunities

When conducting keyword research, you’ll be able to dig up content opportunities that have low competition. By targeting low-competition keywords, you’ll increase the odds of your content attracting more visitors and organic traffic to your website through search engines. Most free keyword tools can be used to find low-competition keywords and to sift out high-competition keywords. 

→ Understand Search Intent

Google’s mission is to “organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” By understanding the search intent for a search query, you’ll be able to create content that aligns with why people are using a keyword to find the information they’re looking for. Keyword research helps you to understand the search intent for your target keyword(s). By typing in your target keyword into Google Search, you’ll be able to see what results come up.

What Makes A Keyword Research Tool The Best?

A good keyword research tool is essential for any digital marketer or website owner who wants to improve their search engine optimisation (SEO) and drive more targeted traffic to their website. Here are some key factors that can make a keyword research tool the best:

Accuracy: The tool should be able to provide accurate data on search volume, keyword difficulty, and other metrics. This will help you choose the right keywords to target for your content and ensure that you're not wasting time and effort on keywords that won't bring in traffic.

Range of Keywords: A good keyword research tool should have an extensive database of keywords to draw from! This will allow you to find keywords relevant to your business or niche that your competitors may have overlooked.

Competitive Analysis: A tool that can provide insights into your competitors' keywords and ranking can be invaluable. You can use this information to find opportunities to outrank them or to identify gaps in your keyword strategy that you can fill.

User-Friendly Interface: The tool should be easy to use and understand, with clear instructions and intuitive navigation. This will make it easier to get started and use the tool effectively.

Cost: Price is always a consideration, but it should not be the only factor you consider. Many free and low-cost keyword research tools are available, but they may not offer the same features and accuracy as more expensive options.

Integration: The tool should integrate with other marketing tools and platforms you use, such as Google Analytics, AdWords, or social media platforms. This will help you streamline your workflow and get a complete picture of your marketing efforts. Overall, the best keyword research tool fits your specific needs and goals and enables you to find the right keywords to target for your content and marketing efforts.

Coming back to our article, we have prepared a list of the best paid and free keyword research tools every SEO professional can use for their business.

Let's Start With The Free Keyword Research Tools! 

1. Google Search Console

Another free keyword research tool is — Google Search Console. To utilise this tool, you must create an account and validate ownership of your website. For website owners, the Google Search Console is a platform for SEO management. It generates performance reports, and with that help, you can learn keyword opportunities based on prevailing content. 

The performance report will display all the keywords that help your website rank in SERPs. Also, you can view the pages that rank on top of SERPs, the number of clicks generated, and the number of impressions. This valuable information lets you find new terms and optimise your standing pages to rank even higher. Plus, you can develop new content mainly formulated to target fresh new keywords.

2. Google Trends

Are you looking for a free keyword research tool? Yes, you are! That's the reason why you are here. Well, Google Trends is a free keyword research tool that helps you excavate keywords that are famous & trending. After hitting the search button, you will get a line chart displaying the search term's interest over time. You can also set the chart to show trends for numerous periods comprising the day, week, or month. 

3. Google Keyword Planner

Guess what? Google Keyword Planner is another such free tool! Through your Google ads account, you can get complete access to the tool. This tool provides you with a list of keywords with all the valuable metrics such as their competition, top & bottom of page CPC bids, search volume, three-month change, and the year-over-year change. The most important feature here is the option of entering a website's link in the search box, and a list of keywords that the website ranks for will appear. 

4. Google Search

Many people do not consider Google's search engine a keyword research tool, but trust us; there are numerous ways to discover new keywords. The best thing is that it's a free platform! Have you ever noticed that whenever you enter a query in the search box, the auto-complete feature produces a list of keywords encompassing the letters/words/phrases you have already written? 

Now, this list is beneficial for finding new keywords related to your query.

You must have seen that Google search results also include a section known as — "People Also Asks." This list includes prominent keyword questions related to the preliminary search query. Plus, at the bottom of the search result page, you can find additional keywords associated with your query.

5. Answer The Public

Answer the Public is a free online tool that helps you create content that will lead to traffic and sales on your site. You can find keywords and topics to cover to help you rank at the top of Google, which means more eyes on your store and more customers. It’s a goldmine of consumer insight you can use to create fresh, ultra-useful content, products, and services. The kind your customers want.

Now that we are well-versed in the free keyword research tools, let's have a look at the paid keyword research tools that are useful for all SEO pros!

1. SEMRush Keyword Magic Tool

SEMRush Keyword Magic Tool has an inclusive & extensive database with thousands & billions of keywords that are used on Google searches. With the help of this specific keyword research tool, you can search your way down to find the relevant keywords and learn some essential understandings of those keywords. 

The central feature of this keyword research tool is that it provides metrics like keyword density, search volume, CPC, trend, competitive density, and intent. SEMRush keyword research tools also include many filters that help refine the results based on your choices or requirements, and you can also sort the results. 

This unique feature is beneficial when performing keyword research to find transactional or commercial keywords. This particular tool allows you to search keywords for free but provides limited solutions, and if you want complete access to the tool, you will have to sign up for a paid version. 

So, there are three plans with different degrees of features; they are — 

Pro - It charges $119.95 per month and $1,199 yearly. Also, a 7-day free trial of their Pro plan is available.

Guru - $229.95 per month and $2,299 per year. 

Business - $449.95 per month or $4,499 can be paid yearly.

2. Ahrefs Keyword Explorer

Ahrefs Keyword Explorer is a popular keyword research tool that draws valuable data from the most extensive third-party database of search inquiries. The fundamental feature of Ahrefs keyword explorer is that you can enter a search word, and you will be able to see its main metrics, such as CPC, traffic capability, search volume, SERP features, and keyword difficulty as well. 

This tool also provides you with an overview of the recent ranking pages, accompanied by their domain rating and backlinks for each & every page. This enables you to analyse the competition for that particular term instantly. You can filter the terms by traffic, volume, and other factors here. Ahrefs keyword explorer is a paid keyword research tool, and you need to sign up to get a subscription. 

This tool comes with different plans; they are: 

Lite Plan - Charges $99 per month

Standard Plan - Charges $199 per month

Advanced Plan - Charges $399 per month

Enterprise Plan - Charges $999 per month

Also, enrolling on an annual plan will give you a free subscription for two more months. 

3. Moz Keyword Explorer

Moz Keyword Explorer is the most prominent keyword research tool for collecting data on search queries and getting right at new keyword targets. The main feature of this one is that after entering a seed phrase in the search box, you will see all the relevant information like volume, organic CTR, difficulty, priority for the term, and much more. 

The organic CTR here gives you a glimpse of the number of clicks you will continue to earn if you are apt to rank in the top 10 for the word. In contrast, the priority metric demonstrates if a keyword deserves to be targeted and bestowed the possible bonuses. Moreover, Moz Keyword Explorer's SERP estimation exhibits the existing top-ranking pages with their page authority and volume of linking domains. 

You can search keywords for free every month here, but that is limited to only ten. You can sign up for a Moz Pro subscription to gain complete access. Now, let's look at the four plans offered by Moz keyword explorer:

Standard Plan - $99 every month

Medium Plan - $179 per month

Large Plan - $299 every month

Premium Plan - $599 per month

If you subscribe to Moz Pro, you will get access to supplementary tools, including on-page optimisation checking and rank tracking. 

4. Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is one of the best keyword research tools for generating content and keyword ideas. You can also track your rank daily, do a competitor analysis, or conduct a site audit among the many features the all-in-one SEO tool can expand on.

Neil Patel founded Ubersuggest as one of the best keyword research tools for generating content and keyword ideas. You can also track your rank daily, do a competitor analysis, or conduct a site audit among the many features the all-in-one SEO tool can expand on.

The pricing model of Ubersuggest is divided on a monthly and lifetime basis. If you buy the monthly model, then the plans for you will be:

Individual (1 website)- $12/ month

Business (2-7 websites)- $20/ month

Enterprise (8-15 websites)- $40/ month

If you buy the lifetime model, then the plans for you will be:

Individual (1 website)- $120/ lifetime

Business (2-7 websites)- $200/ lifetime

Enterprise (8-15 websites)- $400/ lifetime

5. Serpstat

SerpStat is a one-stop SEO platform equipped with a robust keyword research tool. Like any other keyword research tool, this one also lets you enter a seed phrase in the search box to get a list of all the related keywords. You will get a list of both organic & paid keywords. Plus, all the metrics like ranking difficulty, search volume, and CPC. 

Competitors' reports are one of the most extraordinary features of SerpStat. It lists the most pertinent competing websites similar to the term you have searched for. The list encompasses the number of popular keywords each site shares and its overall domain visibility. 

It's incredible to know that SerpStat is another freemium keyword research tool, which means that with the accessible version of this tool, you can do up to 10. 

The four paid plans are as follows: 

Lite - $69 every month

Standard - $149 per month

Advanced - $299 every month

Enterprise - $499 per month

In Conclusion

Keyword research plays a vital role in an effective SEO strategy, and it is an endless method that will never stop. Besides, you will not likely utilise all of these tools mentioned above simultaneously, but make sure you use each one in every stage, as they all are worth trying. 

Once you discover which characteristics most apply to your keyword research, you can use them to create an extensive content strategy that will increase traffic and improve your rankings.

Do you have any questions related to keyword research and its tools? Get in touch with the 12Grids team!