10 Best Keyword Research Tools for SEO

Keyword research is essential for any website, whether you are just starting out or have been in the online world for a while.

Without the right keywords, your website may find itself higher up on Google’s search engine results pages, but not for the most valuable terms in your industry. Furthermore, choosing the wrong keywords can lead to a messy strategy that does not lead to your desired outcome, wasting valuable time and resources.

However, by taking the time to do your research and target the appropriate search terms, you can streamline your SEO efforts and find better results and improve your ranking on search engines.

What Is The Best Keyword Research Tool?

Back in the day, keyword research was a painstaking process that involved manually sifting through mountains of data.

A lot of the time, we had to rely on intuition and guesswork to find the right keywords, since much of the data that was available was inaccurate or irrelevant. It gives me shudders just thinking about it.

Thankfully, things have changed a lot since then and we now have access to a wide range of powerful keyword research tools that make the process a lot easier and more accurate.

But with so many options now available, it can be tricky to know which keyword research tool is the best for your needs.

To help you out, I’ve put together a list of what I believe to be the 10 best keyword research tools currently available, based on my own experience and research. Let’s get into it.

• Semrush – All-in-one SEO platform with an outstanding keyword research tool
• Ahrefs – High-end keyword research tool with an exceptionally large keyword database
• SE Ranking – Ideal keyword research tool for small businesses and startups
• KWFinder – Effective tool for finding easy-to-rank keywords
• LowFruits – Great for identifying low-completion keywords
• SpyFu – Deep feature set with a focus on competitor analysis
• Long Tail Pro – Identify long-tail keywords to rank higher in SERPs
• Serpstat – All-in-one platform to manage online rankings
• Google Keyword Planner – Free tool provided by Google that’s perfect for ideation
• Google Search Console – Another free tool from Google that analyzes your current keyword ownership

Semrush

Semrush is an all-in-one SEO platform that offers a comprehensive set of tools for keyword research, competitor analysis, site auditing, and more. In my opinion, SEMrush is by far one of the best tools in the digital marketing world, and its keyword research tool is one of the strongest I’ve come across.

One of the things I like most about SEMrush is that its interface is relatively simple and easy to use, even for those who are not familiar with SEO. The platform also offers a wide range of tutorials and support resources to help you make the most out of its features.

In terms of features, SEMrush’s keyword research tool is second to none. It offers a comprehensive set of options for finding and analyzing keywords, including a Keyword Magic Tool that groups together related keywords, a search questions report that analyzes the SERPs for your target keywords, and even a competitor keyword matrix that lets you see the keywords your competitors are targeting.

Pros

• Access to massive amounts of keyword data
• In-depth competitor analysis
• Keyword Magic Tool is exceptionally useful
• Option to rank keywords based on difficulty

Cons

• Expensive compared to other options
• Traffic data analysis isn’t always accurate (it’s an estimation)
• A lot of unnecessary features if you are only interested in KWR

Price

Semrush has a free plan which allows you to search up to 10 keywords/domains per day. If you need more than that, you’ll need to sign up for the “Pro” or “Guru” plan which cost $129.95 and $249.95 respectively.

Ahrefs

 

Ahrefs is a powerful platform that offers a wide range of digital marketing tools, with keyword research being one of its core features. Once again, Ahrefs offers pretty much everything you would hope to find from an SEO platform, although that does mean it can get quite confusing for those who are new to the world of SEO.

As for Ahrefs’ keyword research tool, it’s safe to say it’s one of the best I’ve used. It offers a massive keyword database (over 19 billion keywords across 240 countries), as well as a range of features that make it easy to find and analyze the right keywords for your needs.

One of the things I really like about Ahrefs is the Keyword Explorer, which offers a range of advanced options for finding keywords, including filtering by keyword difficulty, search volume, and even SERP features. Ahrefs also offers a really handy Keyword Difficulty report that gives you an overview of how difficult it would be to rank for your target keywords so you can have a better idea of which ones are worth going after.

Pros

• One of the largest keyword databases available
• Extensive SERP overview
• Competitive intelligence
• Advanced filter options for finding keywords

Cons

• Can be quite confusing for those new to SEO
• Pricing is on the high end
• The interface could be more user-friendly
• Not as much focus on long-tail keywords

Price

Ahrefs has four payment plans, which are as follows:

• Lite – $99/month
• Standard – $199/month
• Advanced – $399/month
• Enterprise – $999/month

You can get 2 months free when you pay annually.

SE Ranking

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use keyword research tool that doesn’t break the bank, SE Ranking is a great option. Although it doesn’t offer some of the bells and whistles of its more expensive competitors, it does provide everything you need to find and analyze keywords for your website.

SE Ranking’s keyword research tool is based on a simple interface that allows you to enter your target keywords and get results in just a few seconds. One of the things I really like about this tool is that it offers detailed difficulty metrics for each keyword, as well as SERP features and estimated traffic. This makes it easy to quickly see which keywords are worth going after and which ones aren’t.

Pros

• Affordable
• Simple and easy-to-use interface
• Detailed difficulty metrics

Cons

• Lacks some of the features of more expensive options
• Not as much data available
• Not the best customer support

Price

SE Ranking offers a 14-day free trial where you can access all of the features of the paid plans. After that, you can choose from the following three payment options:

• Essential- $39/month
• Pro – $89/month
• Business – $189/month

KWFinder

KWFinder is one of the newer tools on the market, but it’s quickly become a favorite among SEOs thanks to its simple interface and comprehensive keyword data. This tool specializes in finding long-tail keywords with low SEO difficulty, which makes it perfect for smaller websites and businesses that are just starting out with SEO.

KWFinder’s keyword research tool is based on a simple interface that allows you to enter your target keywords and get results in just a few seconds. I particularly enjoyed the local keyword research and SERP analysis tools, since it allows you to quickly see which keywords are most popular in your area, as well as how difficult it would be to rank for them.

Pros

• Simple and easy-to-use interface
• Excellent keyword research data
• Great for finding long-tail keywords
• Local keyword research tools

Cons

• Competitor analysis could be better
• No monthly or annual plans, only pay per use
• On the expensive side

Price

After your 10-day free trial, you can choose from three payment plans based on your needs:

• Basic – $29.9/month
• Premium – $39.90/month
• Agency – $79.90/month

You can also save 40% when paying annually.

LowFruits

LowFruits is another new addition to the SEO world, but it’s already making a big splash thanks to its unique approach to keyword research. The tool is primarily focused on helping you find low-competition keywords within your niche. The “low hanging fruits.”

To use the tool, all you need to do is enter a seed phrase into the search bar and LowFruits will generate a list of related long-tail keywords ranked by their estimated search volume and difficulty. One of the unique things I noticed about the LowFruits tool was how it highlighted “Weak Spots,” which meant that a keyword was particularly easy to rank for.

In general, this meant that forum posts or weak websites were ranking highly (in the top 10), which is an opportunity for you to swoop in and take their spot.

Pros

• Unique approach to keyword research
• Focuses on low-competition keywords
• Highlights “weak spots” in the SERPs

Cons

• Credit based system that isn’t always the most economical
• Lacks other SEO features
• Can be a bit cumbersome

Price

LowFruit has a pay-as-you-go plan, which means you must purchase credits to use the search feature. It costs $25 for 2000 search credits, which is more than enough to get the wheels turning and come out with plenty of target keywords for your website.

SpyFu

SpyFu is a great tool for competitive analysis. It allows you to see which keywords your competitors are ranking for, as well as how much they’re spending on PPC ads. This information can be invaluable in helping you adjust your own keyword strategy.

In addition to competitor analysis, SpyFu also offers in-depth keyword research, allowing you to see things like monthly search volume, SEO difficulty, and even SERP features. This is a great way to get a well-rounded view of a keyword before you start targeting it. In my opinion, it is one of the very best all-around SEO platforms for competitor analysis, but it may not be the best place to go if you need help with keyword ideation.

Pros

• Comprehensive competitor analysis
• In-depth keyword research data
• Historic traffic data
• Easy to comprehend data presentation

Cons

• The user interface can be cluttered
• Not as good as other tools for ideation
• Can be sluggish

Price

SpyFu has three plans, these are:

• Basic – $39/month
• Professional – $79/month
• Team – $299/month

You can make savings by paying annually.

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Long Tail Pro

Long Tail Pro is one of my personal favorites. Created by Spencer Haws, the tool was originally designed to help him with his own niche sites. Through trial and error, he was able to come up with a fantastic keyword research tool that many people now use on a daily basis.

Long Tail Pro works by allowing you to generate hundreds or even thousands of long-tail keywords from a single seed keyword. You can then use the built-in keyword difficulty checker to see which of these keywords are actually worth targeting. This is a great way to quickly come up with a huge list of potential keywords and then narrow it down to the ones that are actually worth going after.

Pros

• Generates a large number of long-tail keywords
• Built-in keyword difficulty checker
• Beautiful interface
• SERP analysis and backing tracker

Cons

• Not as sophisticated as the other all-in-one platforms
• Slightly lacking on the analysis side
• Support could be better

Price

Long Tail Pro currently has 3 different pricing plans. The “Starter” plan is $37 per month, the “Pro” plan is $67 per month, and the “Agency” plan is $147 per month.

You can get four months free if you pay annually.

Serpstat

Serpstat is a solid SEO tool that covers pretty much everything you need, from keyword research to rank tracking, backlink analysis, and even PPC metrics. If you are familiar with Semrush and Ahrefs then you will feel right at home with Serpstat as it has a very similar interface and offers many of the same features.

As for keyword research, Serpstat offers all of the features you would expect, such as search volume, CPC, competition, and SERP features. However, one thing that sets it apart is the “Keyword Clusters” feature. This allows you to group together similar keywords so that you can target them more effectively.

For example, if you are selling shoes, you could group together all of the keywords related to “running shoes”, “dress shoes”, “sandals”, etc. This would allow you to create more targeted content and ad campaigns, which would in turn lead to better results.

Pros

• Plenty of data
• Competitor analysis
• Excellent support
• Keyword Clusters is extremely useful

Cons

• Can be confusing for beginners
• Some unnecessary features if you are just looking for keyword research
• On the expensive side

Price

Serpstat has four payment plans:

• Lite – $69/month
• Standard – $149/month
• Advanced – $299/month
• Enterprise – $499/month

You can save 20% when you pay annually.

Google Keyword Planner

Formerly known as the Google Keyword Tool, the Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool that is available to anyone with a Google Ads account. Even if you don’t have an active campaign, you can still use the planner to do some basic keyword research, which can help you to come up with new ideas for your content.

If you ask me, Google Keyword Planner should be used as a supplementary tool rather than your primary keyword research tool. This is because you don’t get access to the same amount of data as many of the other tools in this list, which means you will be relying on guesswork and intuition, rather than hard data, to come up with your keywords.

Pros

• Free to use
• Integrated with Google Ads
• Data from the horse’s mouth
• Can help you to come up with new ideas

Cons

• Limited data
• Difficult to use for anything other than basic keyword research

Price

Google Keyword Planner is free.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console (formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools) is a free tool that gives you insights into how your website is performing in the search results. While it doesn’t offer any keyword research features, per se, it can be extremely useful for coming up with new ideas.

This is because it provides you with data on the keywords that you are already ranking for, but may not be targeting. For example, you may find that you are ranking for some long-tail keywords that you hadn’t even considered, which you can then add to your list of target keywords.

In addition, Google Search Console can also be useful for identifying potential technical SEO issues with your website, such as crawl errors and redirect chains, which is why I believe it is an essential tool for anybody looking to improve their website’s SEO.

Pros

• Free to use
• Provides data on the keywords you are already ranking for
• Can help to identify technical SEO issues

Cons

• Data can be difficult to interpret
• Limited data unless you have been ranking for a while
• No keyword research search feature

Price

Google Search Console is free.

Final thoughts

Keyword research is an essential part of SEO, but it can be a time-consuming and frustrating task. Thankfully, there are plenty of tools out there that can make the process a whole lot easier.

In this article, we have looked at 10 of the best keyword research tools currently available. Some are better than others, but all of them have their own unique features and benefits. Ultimately, the best tool for you will depend on your specific needs and requirements.

If you are just starting out, or if funds are limited, I suggest using up a few of the free trials so you can get a feel for what each tool has to offer. Once you have a better idea of what you are looking for, you can then make a more informed decision about which one is right for you.