Top Keyword Research Tools in 2024
It’s no secret that a solid keyword research strategy is a prerequisite for PPC and SEO access. But how do you ensure you’re targeting the right keywords?
Gone are the days when keyword research tools simply presented you with a list of words. Today’s solutions are incredibly advanced, with a considerable amount of data, insight, and helpful metrics.
Details such as alternative phrases, associated phrases, and competitor strategies help you to see the bigger picture. Features such as competition levels and how likely you are to rank, plus which keywords you should make a priority, mean you don’t have to second guess your strategy.
A good keyword research tool should provide you with the data you need to make informed decisions, whether you’re targeting improved local search visibility or better-paid search performance. The keywords you discover can then be used to help you track your local rankings with tools like Local Rank Tracker or Local Search Grid.
Whether you’re looking to rank better or produce more relevant content, you absolutely need to have a keyword assistant within your local SEO tools collection. For more information about how to perform local keyword research and how to turn your keywords into successful campaigns, head over to our local SEO resources.
Semrush
Semrush offers no less than six different keyword research tools as part of their suite of SEO tools. They include Keyword Overview, which helps you discover keywords, and Organic Research to help you rank for keywords that benefit your competitors.
The Keyword Magic Tool generates keyword combinations, while Keyword Gap can help you pinpoint new areas to target for better SEO. Keyword Manager aids in the creation of master lists tied to your SEO strategy.
Finally, if you integrate your Semrush account with your Google Analytics, you can use the Organic Traffic Insights tool for hunting down ‘not provided’ keywords. You can also use this tool to find your most valuable keywords across the search landscape.
Semrush: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$119.95 – $449.95/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
There is a free version of this tool.
What makes it unique?
Semrush has a huge database of more than 20 billion keywords.
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Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is an invaluable keyword suggestion tool – and best of all, it’s free to use. The straightforward interface is not overly complicated and therefore is easy to get to grips with even if you’re new to performing keyword research.
All you need to do is enter your chosen keyword to generate a list of related keyword suggestions Ubersuggest will provide valuable data on metrics that can help you decide which keywords to target in SEO or PPC.
Information includes search volume, cost-per-click, the number of results, competition levels, and even seasonality.
Ubersuggest: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
Free
Does it have a free trial?
It’s free to use.
What makes it unique?
Ubersuggest isn’t just a free keyword research tool. It also helps you to understand competitor strategies by suggesting keywords that are working well for others.
Website
https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest
Answer the Public
Answer the Public is made for anyone wanting to know what people are asking Google. It’s a powerful content marketing tool in its own right. Give your topic or keyword to the ‘Seeker’, and you’ll be presented with a circular diagram showing what kind of questions are being asked about the topic.
This is immensely useful when researching potential blog and content topics, as you can use the returned questions to inform your content creation planning.
What’s more, the question format is a treasure trove of potential featured snippet rankings. The keywords and questions suggested are built out around one phrase, meaning you’ll get more variations than you could ever generate manually.
Answer the Public: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$99-$199/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
There is a free version of this tool.
What makes it unique?
Rather than returning singular keywords, Answer the Public tells you what questions search users are asking about a particular topic. This means you can use it to target featured snippet positions.
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Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a suite of tools for getting to grips with your website’s SEO. They boast access to trillions of backlinks, more than eight billion keywords, and over a billion pieces of content, so ‘no data available’ is not a message you’re likely to receive.
From rank tracking and finding keywords to auditing SEO and competitor comparison, users will have a lot of data to play with.
On the keyword front, you can input up to ten keywords or search phrases. Ahrefs then gives you a choice of six different reports, so you can sort and filter the output in a way that makes the most sense to your project.
Options include a report that will only show phrase matches, related newly discovered keywords, questions, and ranks. In addition, each keyword is presented with useful data such as search volume, the average cost per click, and difficulty level.
Ahrefs: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$99 – $999/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
No.
What makes it unique?
The choice of six keyword reports allows you to focus on your specific needs.
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Keyword.io
Keyword.io is an easy-to-use free long-tail keyword tool that generates hundreds of keyword ideas. For PPC campaigns, SEO, content marketing, or niche evaluation, the Keyword.io keyword finder will help you build a comprehensive list of highly relevant suggestions.
It enables you to find actual phrases people use to find information, products, and services on various search tools. This includes Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, Yandex, Alibaba, eBay, and more.
The platform-specific focus is incredibly helpful as keywords that are trending on Amazon, for example, may be different from the most valuable keywords for Google visibility. Being able to home in on each specific platform’s keyword trends allows you to tailor your approach for each channel.
Keyword.io: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$29 – $49/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
There is a free version of this tool.
What makes it unique?
Keyword.io allows you to search for keywords based on the platform of intended use. For example, you can focus on creating Amazon-specific longtail keywords or, Google keyword lists.
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Keyword Insights
This is one of the best keyword research tools for content marketers as keywords are presented in pillar and spoke clusters. The clusters highlight where new pages of content can be created, and which keywords should be targeted on those pages.
The AI engine then creates a detailed content brief based on that information to guide the content writer.
Keyword Insights also reports back on the search intent of the keywords generated. It identifies whether keywords are informational or transactional, so you know what kind of content to create to meet search user needs. Keyword clusters additionally determine where keyword cannibalization is present on your site and which pages can be combined to improve ranking performance.
Keyword Insights: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$550 – $6589/yr.
Does it have a free trial?
Yes. 400 free credits.
What makes it unique?
The AI assistant creates content briefs with suggested page headers, word count, and content outline, all built around the identified keyword clusters.
Website
https://www.keywordinsights.ai
Google Ads Keyword Planner
One of the original crop of free keyword research tools, Google Ads Keyword Planner has been around pretty much since Google Ads were a thing. This tool was developed to help advertisers identify the most relevant keywords for their PPC ads. It really does do just what it says on the tin.
You can carry out keyword research in one of two ways. The first way is to enter the names of products or services that you want to advertise for, such as ‘swimsuits’ to generate a list of keywords. You can specify your domain name too so that any irrelevant keywords are filtered out before the list is returned for your review. The second way is just to enter your website URL (either the domain as a whole or a specific page).
Your keyword results will be presented with helpful information for campaign planning. This includes average monthly search volumes, competition level and bid range.
Google Ads Keyword Planner: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
Free.
Does it have a free trial?
This tool is free to use.
What makes it unique?
Ads Planner will predict how keywords could perform in ad groups or in different locations in the search results.
Website
https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/
KWFinder
Are you looking for local keyword research tools? Consider KWFinder. You can enter a keyword and then specify an exact location (for example, Tampa) and language. This is especially useful if you want to grow your local search presence in particular areas.
You can also use KWFinder to snoop on your competitor’s keyword strategies. Just enter their web address to see which keywords they are ranking for. From there, you can identify any gaps in your strategy and create a shortlist of new keywords to target.
You’ll also be able to see other useful details, such as the average cost per click for paid search ads, search volumes, and trends.
KWFinder: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$29.90 – $79.90/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
Yes. 10 days.
What makes it unique?
The ability to specify the exact geographic location of interest to tailor keyword results for local SEO use.
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MOZ Keyword Explorer
Part of Moz’s SEO Pro collection of tools, Keyword Explorer helps you to build and manage keyword lists in one central location. You can enter a single keyword to generate keyword suggestions or go much deeper with a comprehensive search analysis.
Keyword Explorer shares a wealth of handy information to refine your keyword targeting and SEO strategy if you choose to go deeper with a SERP analysis. For any given phrase, it will give you the monthly search volume, difficulty level, and organic click-through rate (CTR) for that term.
Moz’s own priority metric is a personalized score that combines other data to indicate keywords that are lower-difficulty phrases with high search volumes and CTR.
Moz Keyword Explorer: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$99 – $599/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
Yes. 30 days.
What makes it unique?
The Priority Score metric indicates which low competition, high volume keywords you should prioritize in your campaigns.
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Jaxxy
Originally created for affiliate marketing, Jaxxy is suitable for all kinds of keyword research. Keyword lists come complete with useful data easily seen at a glance. This includes the average number of searches for each keyword, the amount of traffic you can expect from a page one ranking, and the number of websites competing for that exact search term on Google. In addition, an SEO score will tell you how likely you are to rank for that term.
If you’re feeling stuck for inspiration, a ‘Brainstorm’ feature gives you a list of keywords to help you brainstorm.
Jaxxy: Cost, Trial, and Features
How much does it cost?
$49 – $99/mo.
Does it have a free trial?
Yes. 30 keyword searches.
What makes it unique?
The SEO metric tells you how likely it is you’ll get page one rankings.
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