Looking for the Best Free Keyword Research Tools? These tools are essential if you’re trying to improve your content SEO and attract visitors searching for topics you’re writing about. Especially if you’re on a low budget.
There are many tools to choose from, however, testing each of them would take ages; therefore we decided to provide a straight-to-the-point sum up of the best ones we like.
Using Google Keyword Planner is not always an option, especially because it provides very vague numbers when it comes to search volume data (in case you are not running any ads on Google).
There are many paid tools on the market; however, not everyone can afford them. In such a situation, using free keyword research tools is the best option. Continue reading below if you are looking for some fresh keyword generator options that we consider to be the best ones.
Best Free Keyword Research Tools Reviewed
1. Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is probably the best free keyword research tool out there. It gives you keywords that are not available on Google Keyword Planner. What is useful that it provides features that are usually available in paid tools.
In Ubersuggest, you can start keyword research simply by entering a preferred keyword. After doing so, you get search volume, SEO difficulty, paid difficulty, and CPC data. Besides, you can also see keyword ideas, trends, volume, CPC, competition rates in paid and organic search. Finally, you can see related keywords as well.
The keyword suggestion tool also allows entering competitor?s domain name and seeing its top keywords, top pages by country and much more data.
Drawbacks: Ubersuggest can be a miss in certain cases, so you’ll have to filter some data in your head and ignore it. For example, after entering SEO, it suggested key phrases such as Seoul weather? or Seoul national university,? which aren’t actually related to search engine optimization.
2. Keywords Everywhere
Keywords Everywhere are also among the best free keyword research tools. Unlike other tools, it is an add-on for Chrome and Firefox browsers, which displays keyword analysis on the go in websites like Google, Amazon, Answer The Public, eBay, Youtube, Bing, and other keyword tools/search engines. It typically displays these details about keywords:
- Search volume;
- Competition rate;
- CPC information.
To begin using Keyword Everywhere, you’ll have to verify it using an API Key which you should receive via e-mail. After verifying the plugin, you will notice keyword data as you type in search fields all over the Internet.
What is also interesting about this plugin is that it has Analyze Page feature, which provides word count and keyword density details.
In short, the plugin makes daily browsing into keyword research. The Ahrefs blog reached out to the developer of the tool, Akash Mantsukhani, who suggested that the keyword data comes from Google Keyword Planner.
According to him, keywords with a volume greater than 50 are updated monthly, while keywords with a lower volume get updated every two or three months.
Drawbacks: As you can see, the information accuracy is quite decent, although not as decent as from paid tools. Besides, it doesn’t have as many features as we’d like.
3. Wordtracker Scout
Yet another useful keyword research extension Wortracker Scout is like an analysis tool for websites. You just have to visit the website and check the data the extension provides.
It divides information into 4 segments – page summary, insights, keywords, and word tracker. Speaking of keywords, it displays search volume, competition, and opportunity metrics.
You can also sort the keywords from high relevance to low, which is great. Finally, you can check keyword data for different regions for free, while tools like Answer The Public ask to join the Pro version in order to access such information. It is the main feature that lifts this plugin to the best free keyword research tools list.
Cons: Wordtracker Scout doesn’t do all-in keyword research. You can simply check what your competitors are using in their individual posts, but you can’t do keyword research by entering your preferred phrases.
4. Google Correlate
Google Correlate is a free tool that finds search patterns that match real-world trends. After entering the search phrase, you will see ten results, and not all of them will contain the exact thing you entered. Some of the generated keywords might seem unrelated, but do not hurry.
After performing a couple of searches, you might find an audience that is looking for quite the same thing you suggest.
Let’s take a basic example with cupcakes. If you are thinking about making a blog about these sweets, you might want to write recipes and frosting ideas. Although this example is very straightforward, we want to say that it is a great tool that can produce useful keywords you might never think of.
Drawback: With some queries, this tool might appear useless as it doesn’t intentionally pick related keywords for you. Also, no keyword data.
5. Answer the Public
Answer the Public is a free keyword suggestion tool that also provides visualizations. In short, the tool generates keyword variations based on questions, prepositions, comparisons, alphabetical and related searches. First of all, the user interface is really cool.
The main page displays a video of an impatient man who urges you to enter your keyword already. After entering it and choosing the preferred language, you hit “Get Questions” button. Then, you’ll be taken to a page that displays easy-to-understand visualizations. These are parted into:
- Questions beginning with why, will, where, can, which, who, when, what, are and how;
- Prepositions – is, can, near, with, to, without, for;
- Comparisons – versus, vs, or, like, and;
- Alphabetical – returns all suggestions [your keyword] + [letter]. In other words, it returns Google Autocomplete suggestions.
- Related – returns related keywords that weren’t mentioned earlier.
You can switch to data mode if you don’t like twisting your eyes while trying to read that sideways-written text.
Drawbacks:
- Keep in mind that this tool returns only results gathered from the UK region, and if you want to change that, you have to go Pro.
- Another drawback is that the tool only gives several reports, later telling you that you have exceeded your limit for the day. You can go around this restriction by using a VPN, but having to use such walkarounds is certainly an annoyance.
- The final drawback is that the tool doesn’t provide keyword stats.
6. Keywordtool.io
We bet you’ve heard about this one. Keywordtool.io is a limited, yet useful keyword research tool. It doesn’t allow you to search local keywords (country-based ones), but it provides global data, gives search volume, trend report, CPC (in USD), and competition rate.
However, by using this tool you’ll discover that in certain places it decides to hide it, or not display full data, suggesting to join Keyword Tool Pro membership, which is a paid service.
You can also get keyword ideas using questions or propositions. Besides, you can search trending keywords not only for Google but for Youtube, Bing, Amazon, eBay, App Store, Instagram, and Twitter.
Drawbacks: No keyword data available.
Please share your thoughts about the best free keyword research tools available on the market today.