Keyword research is an essential part of any successful online marketing strategy. It helps businesses and marketers identify the right keywords and phrases to use in their content, which can significantly improve their search engine rankings and drive more traffic to their websites. Fortunately, there are many free keyword research tools available that can make the task easier and more efficient. In this blog, we will explore the seven best free tools for keyword research, including their features, advantages, and disadvantages. Whether you’re a blogger, a marketer, or a business owner, these tools can help you optimize your content and attract more visitors to your website. So, let’s dive in and explore these valuable tools.
Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool provided by Google Ads that helps advertisers and marketers identify the right keywords for their online campaigns. It provides users with a comprehensive list of keywords related to their search query, along with information about their search volume, competition, and estimated cost per click (CPC). Here’s how you can use Google Keyword Planner for keyword research:
- Sign in to your Google Ads account and navigate to the Keyword Planner tool.
- Enter a keyword or phrase related to your business or niche in the search box.
- Select your targeting preferences, such as language, location, and search network.
- Review the list of suggested keywords and their metrics, including average monthly searches, competition, and CPC.
- Refine your keyword list by adding filters, such as excluding irrelevant terms or targeting specific search volumes.
- Download your keyword list or save it to your Google Ads account for future reference.
Advantages of Google Keyword Planner include its reliability and accuracy, as it uses data directly from Google’s search engine. It’s also easy to use and provides useful insights into keyword trends and search volume. However, its main disadvantage is that it’s primarily designed for Google Ads campaigns, so some of its features may not be relevant to non-advertising users. Additionally, Google has limited access to its search data, so the tool may not provide as much keyword data as other paid tools.
Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is a free keyword research tool that helps businesses and marketers find new keyword opportunities and analyze their competitors’ content. It provides users with a list of related keywords, along with their search volume, competition, and other important metrics. Here’s how you can use Ubersuggest for keyword research:
- Go to the Ubersuggest website and enter a keyword related to your business or niche.
- Select your language and location preferences.
- Review the list of suggested keywords, including their search volume, CPC, and competition.
- Use the filters to refine your search and find keywords with lower competition or higher search volume.
- Analyze your competitors’ content by entering their domain in the search box.
- Identify their top-performing pages, keywords, and backlinks to gain insights into their content strategy.
Advantages of Ubersuggest include its user-friendly interface and the ability to provide keyword suggestions from different search engines, including Google, Bing, and Yahoo. It also offers a wealth of data and insights, including estimated traffic and domain score. However, its free version has limitations, and some of its features, such as historical data and keyword difficulty scores, are only available in the paid version.
Answer the Public
Answer the Public is a free keyword research tool that provides users with a list of questions and phrases related to their search query. It uses Google’s autocomplete feature to generate content ideas based on what people are searching for online. Here’s how you can use Answer the Public for keyword research:
- Go to the Answer the Public website and enter a keyword related to your business or niche.
- Select your language and location preferences.
- Review the list of questions and phrases related to your keyword, grouped into categories such as “what,” “why,” “how,” and “where.”
- Use the visualizations to identify keyword trends and patterns.
- Export your results for further analysis or content creation.
Advantages of Answer the Public include its unique approach to keyword research and the ability to provide content ideas based on real search queries. It also offers a visual representation of keyword data, which can be helpful for brainstorming content topics. However, its free version has limitations, and it may not provide as much data or metrics as other keyword research tools. Additionally, some of its features, such as search volume and competition, are not available in the free version.
Keyword Tool
Keyword Tool is a free keyword research tool that helps businesses and marketers find long-tail keywords and phrases related to their search query. It provides users with a list of suggested keywords, along with their search volume, CPC, and competition. Here’s how you can use Keyword Tool for keyword research:
- Go to the Keyword Tool website and enter a keyword related to your business or niche.
- Select your language and location preferences.
- Review the list of suggested long-tail keywords and phrases related to your keyword.
- Use the filters to refine your search and find keywords with lower competition or higher search volume.
- Export your keyword list or copy and paste it into your content creation tool.
Advantages of Keyword Tool include its ability to provide long-tail keywords and phrases, which can be easier to rank for and more specific to your target audience. It also offers a comprehensive list of related keywords, including those that may not appear in Google’s Keyword Planner. However, its free version has limitations, and some of its features, such as historical data and competition analysis, are only available in the paid version.
Google Trends
Google Trends is a free keyword research tool that provides users with insights into the popularity and search volume of specific keywords over time. It allows businesses and marketers to identify trends and seasonal patterns in search behavior, which can inform their content strategy and marketing campaigns. Here’s how you can use Google Trends for keyword research:
- Go to the Google Trends website and enter a keyword related to your business or niche.
- Review the graph of the keyword’s search volume over time, along with related queries and topics.
- Use the filters to refine your search by location, time range, and category.
- Identify trends and seasonal patterns in search behavior to inform your content strategy and marketing campaigns.
- Compare the popularity of multiple keywords to identify which ones are most relevant to your target audience.
Advantages of Google Trends include its ability to provide real-time data and insights into keyword popularity and trends. It also allows users to compare multiple keywords and identify related topics and queries. However, its main disadvantage is that it only provides relative search volume data, not actual numbers. Additionally, it may not provide as much data or metrics as other keyword research tools.
SEMrush
SEMrush is a comprehensive keyword research tool that provides businesses and marketers with a wide range of data and insights into their competitors’ search strategy. It offers both free and paid versions, with the paid version providing more advanced features and metrics. Here’s how you can use SEMrush for keyword research:
- Go to the SEMrush website and enter a keyword related to your business or niche.
- Review the list of related keywords, along with their search volume, CPC, competition, and other important metrics.
- Analyze your competitors’ content by entering their domain in the search box.
- Identify their top-performing pages, keywords, and backlinks to gain insights into their content strategy.
- Use the keyword gap feature to identify keywords that your competitors are ranking for but you are not.
- Use the keyword difficulty feature to assess the competition level of a keyword and determine if it’s worth targeting.
Advantages of SEMrush include its comprehensive data and insights, including historical data, keyword difficulty, and competitor analysis. It also offers a wide range of features, including backlink analysis and site auditing, which can help improve your overall search strategy. However, its paid version can be expensive, and some of its advanced features may be too complex for beginners.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a popular keyword research tool that provides businesses and marketers with in-depth data and insights into their website’s search performance and their competitors’ search strategy. It offers both free and paid versions, with the paid version providing more advanced features and metrics. Here’s how you can use Ahrefs for keyword research:
- Go to the Ahrefs website and enter a keyword related to your business or niche.
- Review the list of related keywords, along with their search volume, CPC, competition, and other important metrics.
- Analyze your competitors’ content by entering their domain in the search box.
- Identify their top-performing pages, keywords, and backlinks to gain insights into their content strategy.
- Use the keyword difficulty feature to assess the competition level of a keyword and determine if it’s worth targeting.
- Use the content gap feature to identify topics and keywords that your competitors are ranking for but you are not.
Advantages of Ahrefs include its comprehensive data and insights, including backlink analysis, keyword difficulty, and competitor analysis. It also offers a wide range of features, including site auditing and content analysis, which can help improve your overall search strategy. However, its paid version can be expensive, and some of its advanced features may be too complex for beginners.
Conclusion
In conclusion, keyword research is a crucial component of any successful SEO and content marketing strategy. Using the right keyword research tools can help businesses and marketers identify high-value, low-competition keywords and phrases that can drive traffic and engagement to their website. The seven best free keyword research tools we’ve discussed in this blog are Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, Answer the Public, Keyword Tool, Google Trends, SEMrush, and Ahrefs. Each tool offers unique features and advantages, so it’s important to choose the ones that best meet your needs and goals. By leveraging the insights and data provided by these tools, you can optimize your content strategy and improve your search rankings, leading to increased traffic, leads, and revenue.
