In the world of digital marketing, a solid keyword research strategy is essential for both PPC and SEO success. But with the vast amount of data and metrics available, how do you ensure that you are targeting the right keywords? Thankfully, there are numerous free keyword research tools available that can provide valuable insights and help you make informed decisions.
Semrush
Semrush is a comprehensive suite of SEO tools that offers six different keyword research tools. These include Keyword Overview, which helps you discover keywords, and Organic Research, which allows you to rank for keywords that benefit your competitors. The Keyword Magic Tool generates keyword combinations, while Keyword Gap helps you identify new areas to target for better SEO. Keyword Manager aids in creating master lists tied to your SEO strategy. By integrating your Semrush account with Google Analytics, you can also use the Organic Traffic Insights tool to find valuable keywords across the search landscape.
Semrush: Cost, Trial, and Features
- Cost: $119.95 – $449.95/mo.
- Free trial: Yes
- Unique feature: Semrush has a vast database of over 20 billion keywords.
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Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is a valuable keyword suggestion tool that is completely free to use. Its straightforward interface makes it easy to get started, even for beginners. Simply enter your chosen keyword, and Ubersuggest will generate a list of related keyword suggestions. It provides valuable data on metrics such as search volume, cost-per-click, number of results, competition levels, and seasonality.
Ubersuggest: Cost, Trial, and Features
- Cost: Free
- Free trial: No
- Unique feature: Ubersuggest suggests keywords that are working well for your competitors.
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Answer the Public
Answer the Public is a powerful content marketing tool designed to provide insights into what people are asking Google. By entering your topic or keyword, you’ll be presented with a circular diagram showing the questions being asked about that topic. This is particularly useful when researching potential blog and content topics, as it can inform your content creation planning. The questions suggested by Answer the Public are built around one phrase, allowing you to target featured snippet positions.
Answer the Public: Cost, Trial, and Features
- Cost: $99-$199/mo.
- Free trial: Yes
- Unique feature: Answer the Public tells you what questions users are asking about a particular topic, allowing you to target featured snippet positions.
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Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a suite of SEO tools that provides access to trillions of backlinks, over eight billion keywords, and more than a billion pieces of content. It offers a range of features, including rank tracking, keyword research, SEO auditing, and competitor comparison. With Ahrefs, you can input up to ten keywords or search phrases and choose from six different reports to sort and filter the output according to your needs. Each keyword is presented with useful data such as search volume, average cost per click, and difficulty level.
Ahrefs: Cost, Trial, and Features
- Cost: $99 – $999/mo.
- Free trial: No
- Unique feature: Ahrefs offers a choice of six keyword reports to focus on your specific needs.
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Keyword.io
Keyword.io is a free long-tail keyword tool that generates hundreds of keyword ideas. It is useful for PPC campaigns, SEO, content marketing, or niche evaluation. The tool allows you to find actual phrases people use to find information, products, and services on various search tools, including Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, Yandex, Alibaba, and eBay. The platform-specific focus is incredibly helpful, as it allows you to tailor your approach for each channel.
Keyword.io: Cost, Trial, and Features
- Cost: $29 – $49/mo.
- Free trial: Yes
- Unique feature: Keyword.io allows you to search for keywords based on the platform of intended use.
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Keyword Insights
Keyword Insights is an excellent keyword research tool for content marketers. It presents keywords in pillar and spoke clusters, highlighting where new pages of content can be created and which keywords should be targeted on those pages. The AI engine creates detailed content briefs based on the identified keyword clusters, guiding the content writer. Keyword Insights also reports back on the search intent of the generated keywords, determining whether they are informational or transactional. This helps you create content that meets the needs of search users.
Keyword Insights: Cost, Trial, and Features
- Cost: $550 – $6589/yr.
- Free trial: Yes, 400 free credits.
- Unique feature: AI assistant creates content briefs with suggested page headers, word count, and content outline based on keyword clusters.
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Google Ads Keyword Planner
Google Ads Keyword Planner is an original and free keyword research tool that has been around for a while. It was developed to help advertisers identify relevant keywords for their PPC ads. You can perform keyword research by entering the names of products or services you want to advertise for, or by entering your website URL. Keyword Planner provides helpful information for campaign planning, including average monthly search volumes, competition levels, and bid range. It can also predict how keywords could perform in ad groups or different locations in the search results.
Google Ads Keyword Planner: Cost, Trial, and Features
- Cost: Free
- Free trial: Yes
- Unique feature: Predicts how keywords could perform in ad groups or different locations in the search results.
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KWFinder
If you’re looking for local keyword research tools, KWFinder is a great option. It allows you to enter a keyword and specify an exact location and language, which is especially useful for growing your local search presence in specific areas. KWFinder also enables you to analyze your competitors’ keyword strategies by entering their web address and identifying the keywords they are ranking for. This can help you identify any gaps in your strategy and create a shortlist of new keywords to target. In addition to search volumes and trends, KWFinder provides details such as the average cost per click for paid search ads.
KWFinder: Cost, Trial, and Features
- Cost: $29.90 – $79.90/mo.
- Free trial: Yes, 10 days.
- Unique feature: Allows you to specify the exact geographic location of interest to tailor keyword results for local SEO use.
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Moz Keyword Explorer
Moz Keyword Explorer is part of Moz’s SEO Pro collection of tools. It helps you build and manage keyword lists in one central location. You can enter a single keyword to generate keyword suggestions or conduct a comprehensive search analysis. Keyword Explorer provides useful information for refining your keyword targeting and SEO strategy. Each keyword is presented with monthly search volume, difficulty level, and organic click-through rate (CTR). Moz’s proprietary priority metric combines various data points to identify low-competition, high-volume keywords that should be prioritized in your campaigns.
Moz Keyword Explorer: Cost, Trial, and Features
- Cost: $99 – $599/mo.
- Free trial: Yes, 30 days.
- Unique feature: Priority Score metric indicates low competition, high volume keywords to prioritize in your campaigns.
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Jaxxy
Originally created for affiliate marketing, Jaxxy is suitable for all kinds of keyword research. It provides keyword lists with useful data such as average search volume, expected traffic from a page one ranking, and the number of competing websites for each search term. Jaxxy also offers an SEO score that indicates the likelihood of achieving page one rankings. If you’re feeling stuck for inspiration, the “Brainstorm” feature generates a list of keywords to help you come up with new ideas.
Jaxxy: Cost, Trial, and Features
- Cost: $49 – $99/mo.
- Free trial: Yes, 30 keyword searches.
- Unique feature: SEO metric predicts your likelihood of achieving page one rankings.
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With these free keyword research tools, you can gain valuable insights into the keywords that will help you drive organic traffic, improve your search visibility, and optimize your PPC campaigns. Each tool offers unique features and metrics, allowing you to tailor your strategy according to your specific needs.
Remember to make the most of these tools by incorporating the keywords you discover into your content creation and optimization efforts. By targeting the right keywords, you can increase your chances of ranking higher in search engine results and reaching your target audience effectively.
So, which free keyword research tool will you choose to elevate your digital marketing strategy? Explore the features and offerings of each tool to find the one that aligns best with your goals and objectives. Happy keyword research!