Keyword research is one of the most important aspects of search engine optimization (SEO). Choosing the right keywords to target can make or break your SEO and content marketing strategies. With the right keywords, you can attract highly qualified visitors, drive relevant traffic to your site, and boost your rankings in search engines. But finding the best keywords isn’t easy with thousands of tools and options to choose from. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the top keyword research tools available today and help you determine which one is the best fit for your needs.
Why Keyword Research Matters
Before diving into the best keyword research tools, it’s important to understand why keyword research is so critical in the first place. Here are some of the key benefits of comprehensive keyword research:
- It helps you identify high-traffic, low-competition keyword opportunities to target.
- It allows you to align your content with searcher intent and create content that answers common questions.
- It ensures you choose keywords that your target audience is actually searching for.
- It provides insights into keyword difficulty and search volume to inform your SEO and content strategies.
- It enables you to optimize pages and content for the keywords that matter most to your business.
In other words, keyword research is the foundation of both your SEO and content marketing strategies. With the right keywords, you can drive qualified organic traffic to your site and maximize your ranking potential. That’s why having the right keyword research tool is so important.
Key Features of the Best Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research tools come in all different shapes and sizes, from free to enterprise-level solutions. But the best keyword research tools have a few core features in common:
- Accurate and up-to-date keyword data: The tool should pull fresh keyword data directly from search engines to give you the most accurate search volume and difficulty metrics.
- Competitive analysis: View keyword ranking data for other domains and discover the terms your competitors are targeting.
- Search query mining: Identify the specific keyword phrases real people are using in searches.
- Filtering and sorting: Easily filter and sort keywords by search volume, CPC, difficulty, relevance, and other attributes.
- Keyword grouping: Cluster keywords into related groups and themes to inform your content creation.
- Tracking and alerts: Monitor keyword rankings over time and set up alerts for ranking changes or new organic competitors.
Additional advanced features like predictive analysis using machine learning algorithms, custom reporting, and integrations with other marketing tools are also useful.
Now that we’ve covered the key ingredients of robust keyword research software, let’s look at some of the top tools on the market today.
Keyword Research Tool #1: Ahrefs
Ahrefs is one of the most powerful and popular paid keyword research tools used by SEO experts and content marketers. Here are some of the main features and benefits:
- Robust database with over 15 billion keywords.
- Accurate search volume and CPC data pulled directly from search engines.
- Comprehensive metrics including keyword difficulty scores and click-through rates.
- Clickstream exploration shows actual user search queries.
- Competitor keyword tracking and ranking monitoring.
- Tiered pricing plans from $99 to $999/month.
Ahrefs provides one of the largest keyword databases around. You can gather long-tail keyword suggestions and high-volume keywords using the keyword explorer tool. Data is sourced directly from search engines for accuracy. The clickstream feature reveals the word-for-word keyword phrases people are actually searching for.
For competitor analysis, Ahrefs allows you to track up to 3 competitor domains for free. Paid plans let you view even more keyword data related to competitors in your space. You can see which terms specific domains are ranking for as well as their organic traffic sources.
The tool also helps with keyword tracking over time. You can monitor your own keyword rankings and set up alerts when changes occur. Historical data allows you to analyze performance over months or years.
Ahrefs Pricing:
- Lite – $99/month
- Standard – $179/month
- Advanced – $399/month
- Agency – $999/month
Keyword Research Tool #2: SEMrush
SEMrush is likely Ahrefs’ biggest competitor when it comes to robust keyword research and SEO tools. Key features and benefits of SEMrush include:
- Database of over 700 million keywords.
- Accurate search volume and CPC data from search engines.
- Clickstream keyword data reveals actual user search queries.
- Competitive keyword gap analysis.
- Customizable reports for tracking and exports.
- Tiered pricing from $99 to $399/month.
Like Ahrefs, SEMrush pulls keyword data directly from search engine sources for accuracy and frequently updates its massive database. The Keyword Magic Tool enables deep keyword research including long-tail variations. You can view search volume, CPC, and difficulty scores for each keyword to find the best opportunities.
For competitor analysis, SEMrush really shines. The keyword gap analysis shows you which terms your competitors rank for that you don’t. This helps reveal untapped keyword opportunities. You can also track competitor keyword ranking changes over time.
SEMrush allows robust keyword tracking as well. Set up customized reports that show keyword ranking changes, traffic estimates, and difficulty scores for the terms you’re targeting. Schedule reports for regular delivery to stay on top of keyword performance.
SEMrush Pricing:
- Pro – $99/month
- Guru – $199/month
- Business – $399/month
Keyword Research Tool #3: Moz Keyword Explorer
Moz offers one of the most popular free keyword research tools: Keyword Explorer. Key features include:
- Free basic keyword research functionality.
- Some paid members get access to more advanced features.
- Show keyword search volume and CPC estimates.
- View keyword difficulty scores.
- Generate related and long-tail keyword ideas.
Moz Keyword Explorer is the best free option for basic keyword research. Even on the free tool, you can get monthly search volume estimates and difficulty scores for any keyword or group of keywords.
With a paid Moz Pro account, you unlock additional data and features such as clickstream keyword data, SERP analysis, and historical metrics. A Pro account starts at $99/month.
Moz Keyword Explorer is ideal for early keyword research when you’re starting with a small budget. The free features meet the needs of many small businesses and blogs. But advanced SEOs may need the more robust (paid) capabilities of Ahrefs or SEMrush.
Keyword Research Tool #4: Google Keyword Planner
Google’s free Keyword Planner tool offers keyword insights tied directly to Google Ads. But it still provides useful data for SEO as well. Key features include:
- Free keyword research tied to Google Ads account.
- Get search volume estimates and forecasted traffic.
- View competitive density metrics.
- Discover long-tail variations and related keywords.
A Google Ads account is required to access Google Keyword Planner, but a basic account is free. Since the tool is designed primarily for PPC, it focuses on keywords relevant to paid search. But the traffic and competition estimates are still useful for SEO keyword research.
Long-tail and related keyword suggestions help flesh out additional keyword ideas during the research process. You can also get search volume estimates for groups of keywords rather than individual terms.
Since Keyword Planner is linked to Google Ads, it provides direct insights into keywords related to Google search traffic and competitor PPC activity. This makes it a valuable free addition to other keyword tools even if it lacks some of the robust SEO-focused features.
Keyword Research Tool #5: ÜberSuggest
ÜberSuggest is a free keyword suggestion tool from Neil Patel. Key features include:
- Totally free keyword generator.
- Generate keyword ideas based on a root keyword.
- View monthly search volumes using Moz data.
- See Cost Per Click estimates.
- Filter keywords by attributes like volume and CPC.
ÜberSuggest allows you to enter a root keyword like “keyword research” and instantly generates hundreds of additional long-tail keyword ideas. You can view estimated search volume and CPC data to identify promising keywords.
The tool is completely free without any paid plans or upgrades. This makes it easy to access comprehensive keyword suggestions during initial brainstorming. However, ÜberSuggest lacks some of the robust analytics of paid tools.
ÜberSuggest is an ideal starting point for free keyword discovery. Once you identify promising keyword opportunities, you can cross-reference them against paid tools for further validation. The tool helps expand your keyword list quickly without cost.
Choosing the Best Keyword Research Tool
Now that we’ve covered some of the top keyword research tools available, how do you determine which one is right for your specific needs? Here are some factors to consider when choosing a keyword research tool:
Budget
Paid tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush provide the most robust keyword data but carry monthly subscription costs. Free tools like Moz and ÜberSuggest offer solid basics at no cost but lack some premium features. Know your budget constraints when selecting a tool.
Depth of Analysis Needed
Consider the depth of keyword analysis you need. For early brainstorming, free tools often suffice. But advanced competitive analysis, ranking tracking, and integrated reporting call for a paid solution like Ahrefs or SEMrush.
Size of Keyword Database
Larger isn’t always better when it comes to keyword databases. But tools with databases in the hundreds of millions or billions of keywords give you more opportunities for discovery. Ahrefs and SEMrush have two of the largest keyword databases in SEO.
Accuracy and Relevance of Data
Ensure any keyword tool you choose sources search data directly from engines like Google rather than relying on estimates. The data should also be relevant to SEO rather than just paid search volume.
Integration With Other Tools
Some tools like Ahrefs allow direct integration with SEO platforms like SEMrush for seamless workflows. If you already use other marketing tools, check for integration capabilities.
Every business’s needs and budget will be slightly different. But considering these factors will help you zero in on the best keyword research tool for your organization.
Conclusion
Accurate and in-depth keyword research is mandatory for effective SEO and content marketing. The right tools provide the keyword data and competitive insights you need to drive qualified organic traffic to your site.
Modern keyword research goes far beyond just search volume estimates. Robust tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush offer features like:
- Clickstream keyword data for actual user search queries.
- Competitor keyword gap analysis.
- Customized keyword reports and tracking.
- Alerts for ranking changes.
Even free tools like ÜberSuggest and Google Keyword Planner can provide useful starting points for keyword discovery.
Taking the time to research the best keywords for your business allows you to create high-value content tailored to searcher intent. This process pays dividends through higher organic traffic, lower cost-per-click, and ultimately greater visibility in search engines.
In the competitive world of search, owning the top spots for your target keywords gives your brand a huge advantage. With the tools above, you’ll have the data you need to build an effective keyword-focused SEO strategy.