When you type something on Google, those words are called keywords. To improve your website’s visibility, you must use the right keywords to help people find you on Google.
Keyword research is an important part of Search Engine Optimization and Content Marketing. That is why various keyword research tools for SEO will attract your audience and increase your brand’s online visibility & content reach. Keyword research tools ensure that you choose the most relevant keywords for your target audience.
In this blog, you will explore the top 10 free & paid SEO keyword research tools that will help you find the best keywords for your website’s content to get more visitors.
What are SEO Keyword Research Tools?
The best keyword research tools will simplify and streamline your SEO work. They make it easier to find the right types of keywords to target and give you the data you need to rank for them.
There are many free and paid keyword research tools for SEO available that can be used for researching the keywords. However, you must know the trick to use them in finding the best keywords to grow your website.
The features that make the keyword research tool for SEO great are pretty straightforward: you search for a given keyword, and the tool tells you about it. But, there are many different ways to use keyword data. Here is the basic three-step process of keyword research:
- Finding the ongoing trends
- Check their search volume and difficulty of ranking
- Search the best ways in which keywords can rank
Importance of Keyword Research Tools for SEO
Here are 5 reasons why every digital marketer needs to prioritize keyword research tools for SEO when creating content or launching a new SEO campaign.
1. You Can Find What People are Searching for Online
As a content creator, you’ll be able to get information on what people are searching for online when conducting keyword research. It will give you instant feedback on whether or not a content idea is worth spending time on.
2. You Can Understand the Competitive Landscape
Keyword research tools will allow you to understand the competitive landscape by giving you a clear picture of who you’re competing against. Keyword research gives insights into how difficult or easy it will be to rank in the top spot in Google and other search engines.
3. You Can Identify Content Opportunities
With the help of SEO keyword research tools, you’ll be able to dig up content opportunities that have low competition. By targeting keywords that have low competition, you increase the odds of your content attracting more visitors and organic traffic to your website through search engines.
4. You Can Understand Search Intent
Keyword research tools can help you understand the search intent for a search query through which you’ll be able to create content that aligns with why people are using a keyword to find the information they’re looking for.
5. Tools Assist in Generating New Content Ideas
The reason why keyword research tools are important for SEO is because they assist in generating new content ideas. Sometimes, it can be challenging to think of new content ideas for your blog. Luckily, most keyword research tools can be used to find new ideas and keywords that are ranking.
10 Best Free & Paid Keyword Research Tools for SEO
Now, we will take a look at the 10 best free & paid SEO keyword research tools available to find the best keywords for your content and boost your website’s visibility.
| SEO Keyword Research Tools | Pros of Tool | Cons of Tool | Key Features of Tool | Best For |
| AnswerThePublic (Free/Paid) | Great for content ideas and unique visualizations | The tool is not ideal for in-depth analysis and offers very limited data on the free plan | Get question-based keywords with search visualization | The tool is best for visualizing search questions and queries |
| Ahrefs (Paid) | Get extensive backlink data with in-depth SEO analysis | The tool is very expensive and might take time to master it | The tool can be used as a website explorer, keywords explorer, and content explorer | The tool is best for backlink research and comprehensive SEO analysis |
| Google Keyword Planner (Free) | The tool is free and integrates with Google Ads | Requires a Google Ads account and is limited to Google data | The tool helps in finding top-ranking keyword suggestions with traffic estimates | The tool is best for finding keywords for Google Ads campaigns |
| Google Trends (Free) | Like keyword planner, Google Trends is also free and visualizes keyword trends over time | Lacks in-depth analysis with limited keyword suggestions | Keyword research can be done with trend analysis and geographic data | The tool is best for analyzing keyword popularity over time |
| KeywordTool.io (Free/Paid) | The free version of the tool is available which supports multiple languages | Paid plans are very expensive and there are limited features on the free plan | The tool can be used on multiple platforms with free keyword suggestions | The tool is best for generating long-tail keyword suggestions |
| Moz (Free/Paid) | Moz offers a 30-day free trial for exploring keywords | Limited searches on free plans with data variations | Top-ranking keyword suggestions and metrics with SERP analysis | The tool is best for SEO insights with in-depth keyword analysis |
| SEMrush (Paid) | The tool offers strong competitive analysis with comprehensive features | The tool is expensive and may prove complex for beginners | The tool is used for keyword research, auditing websites, and position-tracking | The tool is best for an all-in-one marketing toolkit |
| Seed Keywords (Free) | Free to use with a unique approach to keyword generation | Less automated and is dependent on user responses | User-generated keywords with customizable surveys | The tool is best for generating keyword ideas from real users |
| Soovle (Free) | Free and easy to use on multiple platforms | Limited features with a basic interface | Accumulate keywords from multiple search engines | The tool is best for quick keyword ideas from multiple sources |
| Wordtracker Scout (Free/Paid) | The tool is good for competitor insights and has a simple interface | Very limited features and not as comprehensive as other tools | The tool provides keyword suggestions with competitor analysis | The tool is best for competitor keyword research |
How to Conduct Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the foundation of a successful SEO strategy to help you understand what your target audience is searching for and how to optimize your content accordingly.
That is why SEO keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush can help you identify relevant keywords, analyze search volume & competition, and select the basic terms to drive traffic and engagement.
You can conduct keyword research by following these crucial steps:
1. Pick a Topic to Research
You should focus on one topic at a time and think about the web page you want the content to feature on to look like then set the imagery, headlines, CTAs, etc. as per content.
2. Select Brainstorm or Creative Keywords
At this stage, you should focus on quantity over quality. Try to research keywords with similar meanings around a closely related topic including synonyms, variations, and related phrases.
3. Review Keyword Difficulty and Value
With the help of SEO tools, try to gather keyword data that will help you decide how valuable the keywords are, and whether you can rank your content with them or not.
4. Choose Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Keywords
Choose one main keyword (primary keyword) and a few variations of the main keyword (secondary keywords). For example, a primary keyword could be “digital marketing” while a secondary keyword would be “digital marketing courses near me”.
Learn All About Keyword Research with Kalpavriksha Academy Today!
At Kalpavriksha Academy, we offer specialized digital marketing courses online to master basic SEO skills with in-depth keyword research knowledge. Here you will learn how to identify high-ranking keywords, analyze search intent, and utilize keyword research tools for SEO to optimize your content for maximum visibility.
Enroll today and become an expert in keyword research with Kalpavriksha Academy!
FAQs
Q1. What are the top paid SEO keyword research tools?
For SEO, the top paid keyword research tools are: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool, and Moz Keyword Explorer. Since these tools are paid, they offer in-depth keyword analysis, competitive insights, and data to enhance your SEO strategy.
Q2. What are the best free keyword research tools for SEO?
The best free keyword research tools for SEO are: Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, and KeywordTool.io. These tools will help you find relevant keywords, and check search volumes, and keyword difficulty without spending any money.
Q3. Why is keyword research important for SEO?
Keyword research is important for SEO because it helps to understand what terms your audience is searching for. By integrating the right keywords, you can optimize your content that will rank higher in search engines and attract more visitors.
