The process of finding and analyzing search terms (keywords) that users enter into search engines (like Google) for the purpose of using the data for a specific purpose. Keyword research is the foundation of search engine optimization (SEO) and getting your website found online. But choosing the right keyword research tool isn’t easy. There’s a huge range of tools on the market, with some costing hundreds of dollars per month. In this guide, we’ll reveal the best SEO keyword tools to suit every budget and level of experience.
1. Ahrefs Keywords Explorer
Ahrefs Keywords Explorer is a powerful keyword research tool. You get the essential data you would expect (search volume, keyword suggestion, etc.), but you also get an in-depth breakdown of the pages that currently rank for the keyword.
It shows you exactly how many backlinks are pointing to competing pages. You can also see estimates for organic clickthrough rate (CTR) – the number of searchers that click on the organic search results. This is super-useful information to help you decide if a keyword is worth targeting.
Along with Keywords Explorer, Ahrefs comes with a host of other SEO tools to help you improve your ranking.
- Pros: Full suite of SEO tools, in-depth keyword data, responsive customer support.
- Cons: Expensive, steep learning curve.
2. Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest does everything a keyword research tool should do and more. You can see search volume data, keyword difficulty, competitor backlinks, and keyword suggestions.
It also has some useful features that you don’t get from other more expensive tools. For each result in the SERP, you can see estimated traffic, a breakdown of social media shares, and a domain score.
The Ubersuggest Chrome extension is another great feature. You can do keyword research directly on the search engine results page (SERP), which streamlines workflow.
- Pros: icon: Beginner-friendly, great value, lots of useful SEO tools, 7-day free trial.
- Cons: Data is not always reliable, Tiered pricing with usage limits.
3. Google Keyword Planner
Google’s Keyword Planner doesn’t offer anywhere near the number of features you get with other tools. But it does have two significant advantages: It’s afforable, and the data is directly from Google.
Enter your seed keyword and you can see average monthly searches, competition, and a list of keyword ideas.
You can also see the metric “top of page bid.” This shows the amount advertisers are bidding to appear in the paid search results for the keyword. The higher the bid, the more valuable the keyword.
To access Keyword Planner, you’ll need to sign up for a Google Ads account.
- Pros: Reliable data, good for local SEO keyword research.
- Cons: Designed for advertisers rather than SEOs, limited data and features.
4. Moz Keyword Explorer
Moz does a great job of finding unusual keyword ideas. The Keyword Explorer also has some helpful features to help you decide if a keyword is viable.
The Priority metric uses search volume, organic CTR, and competitor analysis to assign each keyword an overall rating out of 100. A high Priority score indicates that the potential rewards outweigh the difficulty, and it could be a good keyword to target.
Moz helps you avoid being overwhelmed by data and focus on the metrics that matter.
- Pros: Makes data easy to understand, full suite of tools, one month free trial.
- Cons: Navigation could be more intuitive, expensive.
5. Jaaxy
Jaxxy is a standalone keyword research tool. It doesn’t have a lot of features, but it’s good at what it’s designed to do: keyword research.
Enter your seed keyword, and Jaxxy will return a long list of keyword ideas. You can see the search volume, traffic estimates, and competition.
There’s also a rank tracker feature that tracks your website’s keyword performance.
- Pros: Clean interface, unique keywords, free trial.
- Cons: Data could be made clearer, more expensive than similar tools.
6. SEMRush
SEMRush is one of the most used keyword research tools. It’s easy to see why it’s so popular. You get in-depth data and a massive list of keyword ideas.
The Keyword Magic tool makes it super-easy to refine your results and speed up the keyword research process.
You can filter out keyword ideas according to competition, search volume, specific words, and more. Overall, this means you can create a list of target keywords much faster.
SEMRush also comes with a host of other tools to help you improve your SEO performance.
- Pros: Great range of industry-leading tools, In-depth competitor analysis, Time-saving filter options, Save if you opt to be billed annually
- Cons: Search volume is sometimes exaggerated, expensive, Interface can be clunky.
7. Keyword Tool
Keyword Tool is one of the best standalone keyword research tools you can buy. It combines an easy-to-use interface with a good range of features.
If you’re looking to upgrade but don’t feel like you will get the most out of a top-tier tool like SEMRush, Keyword Tool is a great option.
You can filter keyword ideas according to search volume, difficulty, specific words, and other metrics.
Keyword Tool also provides a competitor analysis tool. Enter your competitor’s URL, and you get a breakdown of the keywords they currently rank for.
- Pros: Beginner-friendly, competitor analysis, reliable data.
- Cons: Expensive for a standalone keyword research tool, limited data with basic plans, no free trial.
8. KWFinder
KWFinder is a beginner-friendly tool that’s a great option if you want to upgrade from a free tool like Keyword Planner.
You won’t find any special features that you get with top-tier SEO tools, but it’s super-easy to use and does everything you need a keyword research tool to do.
The interface makes it really easy to find keyword opportunities. Enter your seed keyword, and you’ll see a long list of keyword ideas. Each keyword on the list has a difficulty score, search volume estimate, and trend data. You can also filter results to create a list of keyword opportunities quickly.
- Pros: Intuitive interface, Easy to find keyword opportunities, Great value.
- Cons: Data is not always reliable, only two day money-back-guarantee.
9. Serpstat
Serpstat is an all-in-one SEO tool that comes with a robust keyword research tool.
You get a list of keyword ideas with a detailed breakdown of the search volume, competition, and keyword difficulty. You’ll also see a graph from Google Trends showing the interest in the keyword over time.
One of the tool’s best features is the Competitors Graph – a visualization of the websites that are competing for the keyword. High domain rating competitors are displayed as big bubbles. If the keyword has low competition, you’ll see lots of smaller bubbles. This can help you to see if a keyword is viable quickly.
- Pros: Full suite of SEO tools, Unique data visualization, 4 different tiers at very different price points.
- Cons: The interface can be clunky, No social media data.
10. Long Tail Pro
Long Tail Pro is a pleasure to use. Add your seed keywords, and you get a solid list of keyword ideas.
Unlike some other tools on the list, it automatically filters and sorts results based on difficulty.
It shows you long-tail keywords with low competition. This enables you to find viable keyword opportunities with minimal effort.
You can also analyze your competitors’ websites to see their keyword strategies and find opportunities for content. For professional marketers, keyword research is the most popular way to come up with ideas for content.
Long Tail Pro also comes with a SERP analyzer, backlink checker, and a rank tracker to monitor your SEO performance.
- Pros: Easy to use, automatically sorts keyword ideas, accurate data.
- Cons: No free trial, Usage limits on basic plans.
Which is the Best Keyword Research Tool?
The best keyword research tool depends on your budget, what you need the tool to do, and how often you’ll be using it. If you sign up for an expensive all-in-one SEO tool and only use the keyword explorer a few times per month, you’ll be wasting money.
For beginners operating on a budget, Google Keyword Planner offers accurate data and is free to use. Ubersuggest offers a good range of tools without costing too much. For a standalone keyword research tool, you can’t go wrong with KWFinder. And if you need a robust SEO tool with the best features, SEMRush is the most expensive, but it’s also the best on the market.
