The fundamentals of content creation and website optimization begin with keyword research. It helps in understanding the term utilized by your audience to find information on any subject, strategically targeting relevant keywords, and increasing visibility on SERPs. Without the right tools, this can feel like a blindfolding act, throwing darts, and hoping one hits the target.
In this post, we will discuss some of the great free keyword research tools that will help you identify the correct keywords, optimize your content, and further improve your SEO strategy.
What is a Keyword Research Tool?
A keyword research tool is a program to identify and analyze keywords associated with a specific topic. These tools prescribe critical metrics for both free and paid versions, including:
- Search volume: The frequency with which a keyword is searched.
- Keyword Difficulty: The level of competition in ranking for a particular keyword.
- Cost-per-click (CPC): What advertisers pay each time someone clicks on paid campaigns.
By utilizing these tools, businesses are able to gather important information regarding audience behavior, discover trending topics, and refine their SEO strategies in effectively reaching the target market.
The Best Free Keyword Research Tools
Here’s a rounded list of some of the best free keyword research tools out there:
Ryan Robinson’s Keyword Research Tool
Ryan Robinson’s tool is user-friendly and designed to make keyword research pretty easy. Based on a topic such as “remote work,” one gets recommendations of keywords, accompanied by volume and competitiveness measures.
Lowlights:
- Sort keywords based on what will drive the most traffic.
- Discover trending ideas in your niche.
- Gain insights into emerging topics to stay ahead of the competition.
This tool is an excellent starting point for building a content strategy around relevant, high-performing keywords.
The Hoth’s Google Keyword Planner Tool
An alternative to Google’s original Keyword Planner, The Hoth’s tool offers enhanced features for marketers and businesses. By entering seed keywords, you can access:
- A set of keyword suggestions.
- Insights into search volume, difficulty, and competition of keywords.
- Trends and cost-per-click metrics to help with strategic decisions.
This tool is really good for refining your content strategy down to targeting high-value keywords to increase organic traffic.
Ahrefs Keyword Generator
Ahrefs is one of the leading SEO tool providers that provides a very powerful keyword generator for free. It helps users find great keyword opportunities on Google, Bing, YouTube, and Amazon.
Key Features:
- Get relevant keyword suggestions for your topics.
- Study metrics that include search volume, keyword difficulty, and SERP data.
- Customize research based on the degree of difficulty: from easy to super hard.
Results for something like “best SEO plugins” in this tool give you very pointed suggestions to help you find keywords that answer your audience’s search intent.
Keyword Surfer Chrome Extension
This lightweight Chrome extension, developed by SurferSEO, provides keyword insights directly on the Google search results page.
How It Works:
- Install the extension and search for a keyword like “remote work.”
- View monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, and CPC for your chosen keyword.
- Access related keyword suggestions and their metrics.
It also allows the extension to group keywords into collections and export them as .csv for smooth workflow management.
WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool
WordStream’s tool is ideal for creating keyword suggestions and learning about search volume and competition.
How to Use:
- Type in a keyword or your website URL.
- Select an industry and location.
- Click “Continue” for the presentation of a detailed keyword list.
With this tool, you are able to make priorities in keywords regarding the level of traffic and generate lists for download, making it an invaluable utility for keyword planning and research.
Answer Socrates
Answer Socrates allows finding question-type keyword suggestions, and this is what one needs to craft an engaging and relevant article.
Example: If one searches for “SEO plugins”, some questions can be:
- “What is the best SEO plugin for WordPress?
- “How do SEO plugins improve rankings?”
These insights help you address audience queries effectively, ensuring your content aligns with user intent and captures organic traffic.
Google Keyword Planner
Google’s Keyword Planner is a go-to tool for discovering keyword ideas and analyzing search data. Available through the Google Ads platform, it provides:
Keyword suggestions based on seed terms or URLs.
Volume information to gauge keyword popularity.
Competitor level insight for knowing how competitive the keyword is to bid on for paid campaigns.
Although these tools were made for advertisers, they are just as applicable to organic strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Keyword Research Tools Cost a Thing?
Each different tool has free and paid versions with or without more advanced functionalities.
What Metrics Do Keyword Research Tools Provide?
Typical metrics include search volume, keyword difficulty, competition level, CPC, and trend analysis.
How Do I Use a Keyword Research Tool?
Simply enter a seed keyword or topic and get a list of related keywords, complete with metrics and insights.
How Do I Choose the Right Tool?
Consider your budget, the features you need, the ease of use, and what scale of keyword research projects you’ll be working on.
Can Keyword Tools Help with Local SEO?
A number of tools offer keyword suggestions and data by location, making them extremely valuable for local SEO strategies.
Conclusion
Keyword research tools are fundamental to creating potent SEO campaigns and driving relevant organic traffic toward your website, be it a blog, an e-commerce store, or a corporate website. The right keywords form the foundation of your SEO campaign.
In the following guide, each of the enlisted tools has unique features, hence suiting different needs and budgets. Integrating these tools into your workflow allows you to optimize your content better, stay ahead in trends, and, most importantly, get close to your target audience.