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Keyword Research Tools In SEO are a lot out there!
With the recent obsession of bloggers with SEO looking to make a good amount of money blogging,
It’s no wonder that the prices of keyword research tools for SEO have Sky-rocketed!
Prices for a paid subscription to a high-quality keyword research tool service can go as high as $200 for a monthly subscription,
We wonder, are all keyword research tools out there worth the money and the hype? and if yes, which of them actually gives you a bang for your buck?
In this post,
We will be going in-depth to review the top 6 free and paid keyword research tools for bloggers out there that will help you learn how to search for keywords your blog can rank for regardless of whether you are a beginner or an expert!
What Is The Purpose Of Keyword Research?
Keyword research is essential for getting results with SEO, It helps you find keywords and search queries that people are currently typing into search engines and helps you to figure out how much traffic each of these keywords is getting every month to help you make informed content creation decisions on your blog.
You need to master keyword research if you want to make considerable efforts in terms of website traffic and email conversions as well as product and affiliate sales from your blog.
Why Do We Need SEO Tools?
You need SEO tools to help you find out what keywords your competitors are ranking for, what those keywords are, how much search traffic they are getting, how difficult it is to rank for them, and ultimately, how to optimize your website content to take advantage of SEO opportunities on your blog to help improve your search rankings.
You can also use these tools to measure your SEO success over time and compare it to your competitors to see if your SEO efforts are paying off or not and whether or not you are getting a good ROI for your blogging investments.
6 Best Free Keyword Research Tools In SEO
Here are the best keyword tools for free that help to improve your search rankings over time.
1. Google
Google is a great tool that I think most people should start with at the beginning of their SEO journey,
The search engine has an in-built auto-complete and auto-suggest system that lets you know if people are actually searching for the keyword you are trying to target on your blog.
It also tells you what kind of content is currently ranking for that keyword,
The most preferred content format people are searching for, and the questions related to that keyword that people need answers to.
This information helps you determine what kind of content to create around the keyword,
What format to use that people are searching for, and even get to answer the frequently asked questions on your blog for people to find.
The great thing about this keyword research tool is that it is free to use and you don’t have to pay a dime to get started using it.
2. Google Trends
Google Trends is a really great tool for bloggers who need a Google-owned keyword research tool for free,
It is a great tool that shows you how much the search volume of one or multiple keywords has increased or decreased over time in different parts of the world.
This is useful because just knowing the search volume of a keyword and targeting it based on that won’t guarantee that you get traffic from it, you need to think long-term,
Google Trends helps you to discover if the search volume of that keyword will rise or fall over time before you start spending time creating content for it.
For example, in the image shown above,
You can see that the search volume of the keyword content marketing keeps rising over the years so would be a good keyword to target on your blog if your blog niche was marketing or related.
It can also tell you which keywords are best to target for a topic in a particular country so you can create content that is specific to the country you have in mind because search patterns for a specific keyword at any given time vary from country to country,
it is free to use and you don’t need to pay for it.
3. Google Search Console
If you are a blogger and you don’t know about the Google search console,
Then you are missing out on a ton of value for your blog, GSC is Google’s very own tool made for website owners to help manage how their website interacts with Google.
The great thing about this tool is that it gives you a lot of free insights about changes you need to make on your website in terms of blog SEO which you usually need to pay for with other premium keyword research tools.
It helps you to analyze your current ranking content and their positions,
Shows you search queries your blog is currently ranking for with their respective number of impressions and click-through rates (CTRs) which pages are currently indexed on Google, and which pages are having indexation issues.
You can also see your internal and external backlink profile as well as measure the speed or core web vital performance of every single page on your website to see if it is optimized for all devices and browsers.
My favorite part of this tool is that the “query” section allows you to see what your website is currently ranking for and then use these keywords to further optimize your blog posts to have them rank higher for that particular search query,
The query section also gives you an idea of related topics to target in new posts to help build up topic clusters.
4. MOZ
The Moz keyword explorer is one of the best free keyword research tools in SEO that bloggers need to take advantage of,
It offers all the tools that you would generally get from other great keyword research tools and more, including deep competitor analysis,
By identifying keywords that your competitors are already ranking for, as well as backlink analysis and link-building opportunities that your website can take advantage of.
Moz Keyword Explorer also shows you an organic click-through rate score (CTR),
This metric shows you how many organic clicks you can expect to receive from a particular keyword if it were to appear on page one of the Google SERPs.
Another really great feature of MOZ’s keyword explorer tool is the priority score which combines proper search analysis, CTR, and search volume, with keyword difficulty scores to tell you if a certain keyword should be a top priority for targeting based on your niche.
In addition to MOZ’s keyword explorer,
you can also take advantage of other tools like the free competitive research tool and the link explorer to take your keyword research to the next level.
Moz offers 10 free queries a month when you sign up for an account, to get access to more features,
You will need to pay for the entire suite but the good thing is that they offer a free 30-day trial where you can test out their product to see what works for you.
5. Answer The Public
Answer the public is one of the best free tools that you can take advantage of as a blogger regardless of what level of blogging you are in,
It is a really great tool that shows you the most asked questions depending on the keyword that you enter into the search bar.
It is also great for discovering what questions people are frequently asking regarding your niche by utilizing phrases like “what“, “why“, “when“, “where“, “are“, “can” and “how”
to generate millions of questions you can answer on your blog to create answer targets which give you an opportunity to appear in the featured snippet results for that particular question being asked.
The reason why you want to utilize this tool is that people are now searching for things on search engines by asking questions about every topic,
If you can properly answer these most asked questions in your blog posts then you have a higher chance of appearing in the search results for providing an answer.
Answer the public is a free keyword research tool and you don’t need to pay for it to start utilizing its benefits.
6. Keywords Everywhere
Keywords Everywhere is one of the best keyword research tools in SEO that offers you a lot of promising features for free without you having to pay a dime for it,
It is a simple tool that you can add to your browser to help you see accurate search volume data statistics for every website you are viewing on that particular browser.
Its main features include showing data statistics such as the search volume, cost per click (CPC), keyword competition or keyword difficulty score, and the trend of that particular keyword over time on both Google and YouTube as well.
The best part about using this tool is that you can perform keyword research right there in your browser while just casually browsing through the internet,
It displays the keyword statistics of every search query typed into the search bar of any major search engine like Google, Bing, or YouTube by displaying the most relevant information about that keyword on the right-hand side of the SERP results.
Keywords Everywhere is a free tool and you do not need to pay for it to get started.
5 Best Paid Keyword Research Tools In SEO
1. SEM Rush
SEM Rush is by far, the best tool for SEO to use for keyword research,
It offers a big toolbox of up to 55 SEO tools that can help take your competitor research and search analysis to the next level.
Whether it’s SEO, content marketing, Social media, Market research, Advertising, or content marketing,
SEM Rush provides you with the tools required to unveil millions of keywords both locally and internationally, analyze the backlink profile of any competitor’s website, run technical SEO audits on your website, and even track your SERP position and ranking in real time.
You can also use it to find topics that are better suited for your audience,
track your brand mentions and content reach, get easily implementable SEO tips, improve your content to make it rank higher,
uncover promotion tactics that are currently being used by your competitors,
and discover link opportunities and gaps you can take advantage of on your website to improve your backlink profile.
SEM Rush offers free 7-day trial access to all tools to help you try out the tool to know if it works for you,
After the trial period, you can then proceed to sign up for any of their annual pricing plans,
Their pro plan starts at $99.95 per month, the Guru plan which is best for agencies and small business start at $191.62 per month,
the business plan best for e-commerce stores and larger agencies starts at $374.95 per month
and the enterprise plan is custom and prices can be tailored according to your needs.
2. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is one of the best keyword research tools in SEO that bloggers can take advantage of to perform proper search analysis and keyword research for their blogs.
It provides a wide range of tools just like SEM rush and has previously been compared to it in the past by marketers and bloggers alike,
Its main features include using clickstream data to provide a keyword report to users,
as well as unique click data statistics and results.
Ahrefs provides an extensive overview of SERPs, accurate difficulty scores for each keyword,
1000+ keyword ideas and suggestions, valuable metrics for improving your CTRs, and is supported in well over 171 countries worldwide.
With this tool,
You can perform website audits for proper website optimization, track your keyword ranking positions, get an overview of competing websites,
You can also get great ideas for the top-performing content in your niche or industry and even find keywords that your unique customers are searching for.
Pricing for Ahrefs starts at just $82 per month annually for marketers, small organizations,
and freelancers but they also offer a cheap trial plan for just $7 for 7 days if you go for the Lite or Standard subscription plans.
3. KW Finder
If you are looking for great keyword research tools in SEO, then you need to shift your gaze to a tool called keyword finder,
It is a really great tool designed by Mangools, a leading SEO and marketing company known for creating some of the best search analysis tools in the market.
This particular tool does exactly as the name implies, keyword finding and keyword research,
It helps you find keywords that you can easily rank for and provides accurate data metrics for keyword queries,
you can get insights into what your competitors are currently doing that is working for them,
which keywords they currently rank for and search volume data that they need to start seeing some changes in their blog.
It boasts a very user-friendly intuitive and easy-to-navigate user interface,
helps you to create the perfect keyword suggestions list by using filters to get exactly what you need for your blog,
an ability to find keywords in any language and target keywords in any location, get accurate statistical data, and even choose from s many powerful keyword ideas.
Pricing for Ahrefs starts at $30 for a basic package, perfect for freelancers and bloggers,
$40 for a premium package, perfect for small companies, and $80 for an agency package best for eCommerce stores and large websites.
4. Long Tail Pro
Longtail Pro is one of my best keyword research tools in SEO,
the reason is that it is a tool that helps you generate long-tail versions of a seed keyword,
seed keywords on their own are usually harder to target and rank for because they have a high difficulty score makes it almost impossible for new bloggers to rank for seed keywords.
This tool helps you to find profitable keywords in your niche,
help you build a strong content marketing strategy, create updated content that ranks higher in the SERPs,
analyze and optimize your backlink profile, and solve any technical issues your blog might be experiencing.
Pricing for this tool starts at $25 a month for the starter package, $45 per month for the pro package, and $98 per month for the Agency package,
Longtail Pro also offers a 7-day free trial to see if it fits your needs,
after that, you will be charged.
5. Ubersuggest
If you are a newbie blogger who has little to no money to spend on keyword research tools in SEO,
then the best place to get started for free will definitely be with Ubersuggest,
I have been using this tool for quite some time and I must say,
it is a really good one especially if you are just getting started with SEO.
Its main features include tracking your websites and their keywords by constantly crawling your website to discover new posts and URLs as well as SEO issues your blog might have,
giving you a complete overview of your competitors’ domains to show what keywords they are currently ranking for as well as their backlink profiles,
offer suggestions for related keywords and questions related to your seed keyword
and also help you discover top-ranking pages for different keywords, and websites and obtain secret search traffic information.
Ubersuggest also offers tons of video tutorials to help you understand how to use all the tools,
allows for keyword lists to be exported to your computer after keyword research, free SEO training, social media traffic statistics for different websites and URLs, content idea suggestions,
and a Chrome extension that makes keyword research a lot easier and faster.
Pricing for Ubersuggest starts at $12 per month for an individual plan, $20 per month for a business plan, and $40 per month for an enterprise plan,
it also allows you to have a maximum of 3 free searches per day without paying a dime.
6. LSI Graph
LSI graph is an amazing tool for SEO that allows you to perform keyword research in any of their approved 45 languages while using the tool,
in more than 100,000 locations worldwide.
It is a tool that suggests smart content fulfilling keywords and phrases that must be included in your content for it to rank higher in the SERPs,
for instance,
if you were writing a blog post about “How to make coffee”,
then words like “coffee beans”, “milk” or “hot water” would be considered LSI phrases that attest to the comprehensiveness of your article and so will help it rank higher.
The main features of the LSI Graph tool include finding Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords that are relevant to your topic and content,
choosing keywords that your website has the potential of ranking for on Google,
find the best keywords for your website,
see how well your post or article meets the standard or requirements for each keyword, get access to great copywriting tools and so much more!
They are also working on features that allow you to target keywords based on data points unique to your specific website or blog, create strong content clusters,
and use a semantic editor to write SEO-optimized blog posts.
Pricing for this tool starts at $19 for a basic plan per month,
$29 for a monthly premium plan, and $87 for an agency plan,
you can also go for the lifetime basic plan for $648, the premium plan for $1040,
and the agency plan for $1392 as a one-time payment to access all features of the tool forever!
FAQs
What is the best free keyword research tool for SEO?
The best free keyword research tool for SEO is the MOZ keyword explorer, with MOZ, you can easily research keywords and obtain accurate search volume and SEO difficulty data metrics to help make an informed decision, it also allows you to have access to the free competitive research tool and link explorer tool for free without paying a dime by just signing up for a free account.
What is the best keyword research technique in SEO?
The best keyword research technique in SEO is one that combines longtail, competitor, and trending keyword research with keyword ideas from SERP result pages to produce a bulk list of keywords in different categories in your niche to help provide creative and unique answers to questions people are searching for in that particular industry.
Which SEO tool is best?
The best SEO tool so far is SEM Rush, this tool out-performs other SEO tools in the market in terms of ease of use, diverse toolkit with over 55+ SEO tools, and helps to provide solutions to problems in all areas of digital marketing such as content creation, SEO, content marketing and competitor research all combined into one very powerful tool.
What is the most accurate keyword research tool?
The most accurate keyword research tool is SEM Rush, it combines the most relevant data points across the internet to give you the most accurate search volume of every keyword depending on the location to help improve your search rankings easily and fast.
How do I find SEO keywords for my website?
There are so many ways to find SEO keywords for your website, the best ways are;
- Use an SEO tool to check for keywords your competitors are currently ranking for.
- Utilize Google search console for related keyword suggestions
- Go on forums like Quora and Reddit.
- Use Answer The Public to search for related questions for that keyword
- Use Google auto-suggest
Conclusion
There you have it, my top 12 best free and paid keyword research tools in SEO that will make keyword research a walk in the park.
Keyword research isn’t something that you learn at once right off the bat,
it takes time, experience,
and a lot of effort to gain a good amount of knowledge about what should be done and what shouldn’t be done when it comes to keyword research.
It is a very important part of any SEO strategy and will take some time to master.
So don’t worry too much about it and just take your time and ease into it,
the 12 tools listed above will help you go from beginner to pro in no time and even understand what to search for when using a keyword research tool.
Did you like these keyword research tools in SEO? Which ones do you use and why? let me know, and leave a comment below.
