There are hundreds of applications created just for keyword research, ranging from beginner to expert. They range from utterly basic and worthless to quite vital.
When used correctly, the greatest keyword research tools simplify and streamline your workflow—they help you uncover the ideal keywords to target and provide the data you need to rank for them. However, they should not ask you to empty your bank account and sell your firstborn kid in order to obtain that information.
After years of working with customers that use various tools for keyword research and SEO content optimization, I’ve seen the best (and worst) of them—and I understand the importance of selecting the correct keyword planner tool. To assist, I reviewed over 80 keyword research tools, including a free alternative. After extensive testing, these are the four finest free keyword research tools, including all-around favorites and programs designed for specific use cases.
The best free keyword research tools
- Moz Keyword Explorer is the greatest overall free SEO keyword research tool.
- Google Keyword Planner is used for researching paid keywords.
- Semrush is for sophisticated SEO specialists.
- Free Keyword Research Tool for a basic tool.
What makes the best keyword research tool?
- How We Evaluate and Test Applications
- Our best app roundups are curated by individuals who have spent a major amount of their lives using, analyzing, and writing about software. Unless specifically specified, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing applications, using each app as intended and comparing it to the category’s requirements. We never accept payment for app placement in our articles or for connections to other websites; we respect readers’ faith in us to provide honest assessments of the categories and applications we evaluate. For more information on our methodology, see the Zapier blog post detailing how we choose applications to showcase.
- The elements that distinguish an excellent keyword research tool are simple: you search for a certain term, and the program tells you about it. But there are so many various ways to use keyword data, so I wanted to discover tools that could handle a wide range of use cases, as well as a couple created specifically for some of the most common keyword research applications.
- During testing, I largely considered the variables listed below to determine which apps made the initial list.
- Data was included: The top keyword research tools provide all of the information you need to rank for your target term. All of the applications I choose had at least traffic, keyword difficulty, and competitive SERP analysis.
Keyword optimization advice:
You don’t need to be a 10-year SEO industry expert to use keyword research tools; the top ones provide easy, uncomplicated ideas for optimizing for your keywords. There are programs (such as Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz) that run a thorough SEO research on your website, checking for anything from site performance and technical information to domain authority and subject clusters. That is not what we’re looking for here. We’re seeking for tools that any
company owner or marketer can use to rapidly learn about their target keyword and improve their website to rank for it.
Plan allowances and upgrades are provided for free:
Some tools provide extremely restricted results for free and term it a “free plan.” Alternatively, they limit the duration of the free plan, thereby turning it into a trial. I only included tools with evergreen free plans that are generous enough to be useful—and won’t break the bank when it comes time to upgrade. Ahrefs, one of my favorite tools from last year, did not make the cut this year since its keyword research tools are no longer available for free.
Stand-alone functionality:
Because you’re searching for something free, your keyword tool should be a one-stop shop that doesn’t require any extra tools or plugins to function, especially ones that cost money. And, while I did not include them in this round-up, there are a lot of excellent WordPress SEO plugins that you can use right now if you have a WordPress site.
To choose the best of the best, I put each tool that satisfied those criteria through a rigorous technique. Here’s how my testing process looked:
If necessary, I made an account and followed any supplied onboarding or guided instructions (many of these free applications do not require account setup or onboarding).
To check the results for different search intents, I searched for a variety of phrases, such as “free keyword research tools,” “chocolate cake,” and “best white sneakers”.
I investigated if relevant keywords, metrics, and other data were available. I also noted the source, whether the information came from Google, non-search engine websites (such as social media or forums), or the tool’s own data.
I confirmed the free plan’s limitations—whether they were time, amount of results, metrics covered, searches per day or month, or anything else—as well as the cost of upgrading to a premium plan if necessary.
Where available, I experimented with other keyword research tools such as competitive gap analysis, content optimization features, and more.
After using these applications for over a dozen hours this year, I’ve narrowed it down to the four greatest keyword research tools—all of which have a tolerable free version—listed below.
The best free keyword research tools at a glance
- Moz Keyword Explorer
- Google Keyword Planner
- SEMrush
- Free Keyword Research Tool
The best free keyword research tool overall
- Moz Keyword Explorer (web)
- Moz Pros: More user-friendly data display than many other programs.
- Simple prioritization metrics
- A wide range of tools are accessible for free
- Cons of Moz: Less data than more powerful tools.
- The free plan only allows 10 inquiries per tool each month.
- Moz’s SEO platform includes a variety of tools for keyword research. While Moz may not provide as many data points as some of the other full-featured SEO tools (such as SERP position history or the total amount of keywords a competitive result ranks for), I consider this a plus. It provides a less intimidating user experience for non-professional search marketers while maintaining the analytics you want.
- The term Explorer tool allows you to search any term and view its monthly volume, difficulty, and organic clickthrough rate (CTR). Scroll down to get a study of its current standing in search results, as well as suggestions for related keywords.
- Metrics such as plain keyword difficulty and minimal domain authority make it simple to pick the keywords you have the highest chance of ranking for—and avoid spending time on irrelevant searches.
- Furthermore, with the Keyword Gap function (part of the Competitive Research tool), you can identify all of the terms that your rivals rank for but you do not.
- Moz pricing: Keyword research capabilities are free for up to 10 queries per tool per month, including up to 1,000 keyword ideas and 10 SERP analyzes each question; Moz Pro subscriptions begin at $99 per month for 150 keyword searches.
The best free keyword research tool for paid keywords
- Google Keyword Planner (Website)
- Google Keyword Planner Advantages:
- Free forever, even if you don’t utilize Google Ads.
- If you utilize Google Ads, you may benefit from useful budgeting forecasting options.
- Can get keyword ideas merely from your website.
Cons of Google Keyword Planner:
- Not useful for organic keyword research.
- Google Keyword Planner is one of the greatest PPC keyword research tools available. It’s absolutely free (even if you don’t use Google Ads), so there’s no need to worry about restrictions or pricey upgrades.
- Google Keyword Planner has two major features: one for exploratory keyword research and discovery, and another for more in-depth analysis of search volume and predictions.
- The “Keyword ideas” function works similarly to many of the tools on our list: you search for a seed phrase, and it returns other keyword ideas, as well as information on monthly search traffic, change over time, competition, ad impression share, and bid ranges. You may filter your keyword list by brand or non-brand terms, source website, and more. If you also use Google advertisements, the “Forecast” tool allows you to plan your sponsored advertisements and budget ahead of time.
- Keyword Planner may also help you plan your organic approach by telling you where ranking organically could save you money on PPC.
Google Keyword Planner Pricing: Free
The best free keyword research tool for advanced SEO
- Semrush (web)
- Semrush pros:
- Tons of granular keyword data.
- A broad range of specialized keyword research tools
- Quite generous free plan.
- Cons of Semrush:
- Can be intimidating for individuals who are less acquainted with keyword research.
- The most costly improvement.
- If you’re searching for anything more complex, Semrush provides a wealth of keyword data and makes it simple to go into specifics such as SERP features (featured snippet, reviews, site links, picture pack, and so on) and deep analysis of recent results. Semrush also provides a wide range of keyword research tools, including conventional traffic and search volume analytics, content-driven keyword research, and competitive keyword gap analysis.
- That range is what truly distinguishes Semrush, including the standard Keyword Overview, the Keyword Magic Tool for exploratory keyword research, a Keyword Manager and position tracking, competitive Keyword Gap analysis, and Organic Traffic Insights, which, when linked to your Google Analytics or Search Console account, can uncover those notoriously tricky “not provided” keywords.
- As an added benefit, the SEO Content Template tool allows you to automatically construct a content brief and optimize material as you write by rating your content in real-time for readability, originality, tone of voice, and SEO: it employs a helpful bullseye visual to assist you in striking the proper balance. Furthermore, the tool graphically checks off SEO tips (such as using your target and related keywords and including relevant links and pictures) as you go.
- The app’s recently released Copilot AI will even make proactive recommendations, such as alerting you when your ranks for tracked keywords decline, offering technical SEO tips, and urging you to contribute more information to help fine-tune your data.
- All of this implies that upgrading will be expensive—but you may start for free with low volumes.
- You can do more with Semrush by integrating with Zapier to monitor SEO tasks between Semrush and your project management tool, automate site audits and re-crawls, link with Google Analytics objectives, and more. Here are a few instances.
- Semrush pricing: The free plan gives up to 10 analytics reports per day and 10 monitored keywords; premium plans begin at $129.95/month for up to 10,000 results each report and 500 tracked keywords per month.
The best simple and free keyword research tool
- Free Keyword Research Tool (Website)
- Pros of Using a Free Keyword Research Tool:
- Simple and clear report.
- Unique suggested content angles
- Cons of using a free keyword research tool:
- Very basic data.
- There is no built-in option to preserve your research.
- Ryan Robinson’s Free Keyword Research Tool is a simple tool that will provide you with basic keyword statistics.
- The Explorer tab displays similar queries for each term you search, as well as approximate search traffic data and a keyword difficulty rating ranging from “low” to “very high.” My favorite feature here is the recommended perspectives for building content. Switch to the Ideas page (or click the lightbulb icon on any of the associated keywords) to view recommended long-form variants of the phrase that might help inspire your content angle.
- This is pretty much all there is here. This program does not provide a large amount of data, and there is no upgrade option for when you are ready to spend monetarily in your search strategy. However, if you only require basic keyword research, it’s worth a look.
- Pricing for the Free Keyword Research Tool is 100% free.
Can you use AI chatbots for keyword research?
- You may use AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini (previously Bard) to conduct keyword research for you, but should you?
- The primary advantage of taking the AI method is simplicity. You can request plain, simplified results and receive a simple, streamlined response.
- Here’s Gemini, for example.And here’s ChatGPT.
- ChatGPT was more transparent about the sources it utilized (in the picture above, for example, you could click on “Searched 7 sites” to see the precise websites the chatbot mentioned). But it also provided search volume data, which appear impressive if not for the fact that I know they are made up. ChatGPT cannot read real-time data (it would even confess this if asked). Gemini was more open: it informed me it couldn’t extract specific monthly search traffic figures (it’s not even linked to Google Keyword Planner), and it just gave me what sort of content it anticipates to rank for that keyword—not what material is presently ranking.
- I would acknowledge that both ChatGPT and Gemini have progressed much since last year, particularly when it comes to more complicated instructions. However, the information they offered falls short of the functionality you would expect from a tool created specifically for keyword research. For now, at least.
- If you’re in a hurry and need simple, straightforward information on a term, an AI chatbot can assist. However, as of today, I would not advocate employing an AI chatbot as your primary keyword research tool—especially when there are so many very useful specialized free keyword research tools available.
- Of course, many specialist SEO solutions (albeit not necessarily free ones) will include AI—it’s the best of both worlds.
When should you consider upgrading from a free keyword research tool?
- The short response is “only when necessary.” If you can receive all the data you need without exceeding the limits of one of the free plans listed above, there’s no reason to upgrade to a subscription plan (or to a completely paid tool).
- Having said that, here are a few signals it might be time to consider upgrading:
- You often reach the monthly or daily search restrictions of your existing solution.
- You’re losing out on services that aren’t available for free, such as content optimization advice or the opportunity to monitor your site’s keywords and ranks over time.
- You require more SEO functions that an updated all-in-one solution may offer (such as technical SEO and site inspection).
- When the time comes, several of the tools on this list can evolve alongside you. Moz Pro, for example, and Semrush are both quite solid tools. GetKeywords, KWFinder, and Topic Ranker are among the popular tools with low-cost entry-level subscriptions.
FAQs
What is keyword research, and why is it crucial in SEO?
Keyword research is the process of determining popular terms and phrases that people type into search engines. It is important for SEO since it helps you discover what your target audience is looking for, allowing you to tailor your content to their demands and boost your search engine rankings.
What are the advantages of utilizing free keyword research tools?
Free keyword research tools have various advantages, including cost savings, access to critical data for content optimization, and the opportunity to uncover high-traffic keywords without requiring a money commitment, making them suitable for small enterprises and startups.
How can I choose the finest keyword research tool for my needs?
Consider the tool’s simplicity of use, the comprehensiveness of the keyword data, extra capabilities like competition analysis, and how effectively it combines with your current SEO methods. Free tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, and others give useful data to get started.
Can free keyword research tools produce reliable and thorough results?
Yes, many free keyword research programs provide reliable and complete results. While they may not have all of the functionality of premium tools, they can give useful information about search volumes, keyword difficulty, and related keywords that can help you plan your SEO campaign.
What are the top free keyword research tools accessible in 2024?
Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic, and KeywordTool.io are among the top free keyword research tools for 2024. These tools give useful keyword data that can help you enhance your SEO efforts without requiring a financial commitment.
