Best Keyword Research Tools: Top 7 SEO Compared

Keyword research is the backbone of any SEO and content strategy. We want to know what our audience is searching for and how to reach them. In this review, we’ll look at the best keyword research tools for 2024 and compare features, pros and cons, and pricing so you can decide.

What is Keyword Research

Keyword research is finding and analyzing search terms people enter into search engines. It’s for:

• Finding new content ideas
• Understanding user intent
• Optimizing existing content
• Finding low-competition keywords

Key metrics in keyword research are:

• Search volume: How many times a term is searched
• Keyword difficulty: How hard is it to rank for a term
• Relevance: How well the keyword matches your content
• CPC (Cost Per Click): For paid search campaigns

Criteria

We rated each tool on:

• Ease of use
• Data accuracy and freshness
• Depth of keyword data
• Additional features
• Integration with other tools
• Pricing and value
• Customer support

Top 7 Keyword Research Tools Review

1. SEMrush: The Digital Marketing Swiss Army Knife

SEMrush goes beyond keyword research. It’s a complete digital marketing suite. The Keyword Magic Tool generates millions of keyword ideas and the Keyword Gap tool shows you what your competitors are targeting but you’re not. With SEMrush you’re not just researching keywords you’re building a complete SEO and content strategy. The platform’s integration of PPC, social media, and brand monitoring tools makes it a one-stop-shop for digital marketers who want to align their keyword strategy across all channels.

Features:

• All in one SEO suite with 40+ tools
• Keyword Magic Tool for millions of suggestions
• Keyword Gap tool for competitor analysis
• Position tracking and rank monitoring
• On-page SEO checker and content optimizer

Unique:

• PPC keyword tool and ad builder
• Social media management toolkit
• Brand monitoring across the web

Popularity:

• 7 million+ users worldwide
• 30% of Fortune 500 companies use SEMrush
• Popular among digital marketing agencies and in-house SEO teams

Pros:

• All-in-one digital marketing suite
• Accurate search volume data
• Great competitor analysis

Cons:

• Steep learning curve
• More expensive

Pricing: $119.95/month

Best for: Full digital marketing campaigns

2. Ahrefs: Backlink Power with Keyword Muscle

Ahrefs is famous for its backlink analysis but its keyword research tools are just as good. The Keywords Explorer has data on over 7 billion keywords and metrics like “Traffic Potential” that go beyond search volume. Ahrefs helps you understand the full SEO picture – not just what keywords to target but how hard it will be to rank for them based on the current competition. The Content Gap tool is great for finding keywords you’re missing out on compared to your competitors.

Features:

• Full keyword explorer with 7 billion keywords
• Site Explorer for deep backlink analysis
• Content Explorer for content research and ideas
• Rank Tracker for keyword tracking

Unique:

• Content Gap analysis for keywords competitors rank for
• Broken link checker and link intersect tools
• “Traffic potential” metric for estimated organic traffic

Popularity:

• 1 million+ active users
• SEO professionals and content marketers love it
• Popular in the blogging and affiliate marketing niches

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Great backlink data
• Accurate difficulty scores

Cons:

• Limited features in lower plans
• No free plan

Pricing: $99/month

Best for: SEO pros who need deep backlink analysis

3. Google Keyword Planner: The Source

As a free tool from Google, Keyword Planner has access to Google’s data. While it may not have all the features of paid tools, its integration with Google Ads makes it a must-have for PPC campaigns. It excels in search volume and trend data and helps you understand seasonal fluctuations in keyword popularity. For local SEO businesses, location-based keyword data is super valuable. It’s the starting point for many SEO pros even if they use other tools as well.

Features:

• Keyword ideas from seed keywords or website URL
• Search volume and forecast data
• Keyword trends and seasonal fluctuations
• Budget planning for Google Ads campaigns

Unique:

• Direct integration with Google Ads
• Location-based keyword data
• Mobile search volume breakdowns

Popularity:

• 10 million+ Google Ads advertisers
• Go to tool for beginners (free)
• Small businesses and startups love it

Pros:

• Free
• Direct data from Google
• Integrated with Google Ads

Cons:

• Limited features compared to paid tools
• Broad search volume ranges

Pricing: Free

Best for: Beginners and AdWords campaign planning

4. Moz Keyword Explorer: SEO-Focused Research

Moz’s Keyword Explorer shines with its SEO-specific metrics. The “Priority” score helps balance keyword difficulty and opportunity so you can decide which keywords to target. Moz is great for accurate difficulty scores and SERP analysis so you can understand not just the keywords but the current search results landscape for those terms. Its integration with other Moz tools makes it a seamless workflow for full SEO campaigns from keyword research to rank tracking to site optimization.

Features:

• Keyword suggestions and SERP analysis
• Keyword lists and management
• Difficulty and opportunity scores
• Page optimization recommendations

Unique:

• Priority score to balance difficulty and opportunity
• Integration with Moz Pro for full SEO workflows
• “Keyword Lists” feature to organize research

Popularity:

• 500,000+ Moz community members
• SEO agencies and consultants love it
• The digital marketing education industry uses it

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Accurate difficulty scores
• Keyword prioritization

Cons:

• Smaller keyword database than some competitors
• Limited features in lower plans

Pricing: $99/month

Best for: Keyword research and analysis for SEO

5. KWFinder: Find Low Hanging Fruit

KWFinder has built a reputation by focusing on long-tail keywords with low competition. Its easy-to-use interface and color-coded keyword difficulty scores make it easy for even SEO beginners to find keyword opportunities. It’s great for local keyword research so you can find location-based terms that bigger tools might miss. For bloggers, affiliate marketers, or small businesses looking to carve out a niche in competitive markets KWFinder’s ability to find low-competition keywords is a game changer.

Features:

• Long tail keyword research tool
• Keyword difficulty scores
• SERP checker and analysis
• Competitor keyword analysis

Unique:

• Easy-to-use interface with color-coded difficulty scores
• Integration with SERPChecker and SERPWatcher tools
• Local keyword research

Popularity:

• 500,000+ users worldwide
• Bloggers and affiliate marketers love it
• Those looking for low-competition keywords

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Cheap
• Accurate difficulty scores

Cons:

• Limited daily searches on lower plans
• Fewer features than top-tier tools

Pricing: $29.90/month

Best for: Long tail keywords with low competition

6. Ubersuggest: Affordable with AI Boost

Ubersuggest has grown from a simple keyword suggestion tool to a full SEO platform and still remains affordable. Its integration of Neil Patel’s AI for content ideas is unique, it gives you not just keywords but content frameworks to target those keywords. The Chrome extension brings keyword data directly into Google search results so you can research on the fly. For small businesses and content creators on a budget, Ubersuggest has a full set of features that rival more expensive tools.

Features:

• Keyword overview with volume, SEO difficulty, and CPC
• Content ideas generator
• Site audit tool
• Backlink data analysis

Unique:

• Chrome extension for keyword data on Google
• AI-powered content ideas
• Keyword graphs for search trends

Popularity:

• 1,000,000+ active users
• Small business owners and solo entrepreneurs love it
• Content creators and bloggers use it

Pros:

• Cheap
• Easy to use
• Good content ideas

Cons:

• Less data than premium tools
• Fewer features

Pricing: $29/month

Best for: Budget users and beginners

7. Answer the Public: The Question Master

Answer the Public takes a different approach to keyword research by focusing on the questions people are asking online. This tool is a game changer for understanding user intent and creating content that answers user questions. The visual search cloud makes it easy to see the relationships between different search terms. With the addition of search volume Answer the Public is now even more powerful for content strategists and SEO’s who focus on question-based content and featured snippets. It’s great for voice search optimization as it mirrors how people phrase their questions when speaking.

Features:

• Question-based keyword research
• Visual search queries
• Export data options

Unique:

• Visual search cloud
• Focus on questions, prepositions, and comparisons
• Recently added search volumes and keyword metrics

Popularity:

• 500,000+ marketers worldwide
• Content strategists and writers love it
• Voice search optimization

Pros:

• Question focused
• Visual data
• Free plan

Cons:

• Limited search volume data
• Fewer features

Pricing: Free plan available, Pro plan starts at $99/month

Best for: Content creators looking for question-based keywords

Comparison Table

How to Pick the Right Keyword Research Tool

To choose the right one:

1. Know your goals and budget
2. Know your experience level
3. Know if it integrates with your current tools
4. Take advantage of free trials

Best Practices for Keyword Research

• Understand the search intent behind keywords
• Balance search volume with competition
• Use long-tail keywords for targeting
• Analyze competitor keywords
• Consider seasonal trends in your niche
• Update your keyword strategy

Conclusion

Picking the right keyword research tool is key to SEO success. SEMrush and Ahrefs are for pros, KWFinder and Ubersuggest are budget friendly with good features. Google Keyword Planner is the free option for beginners.

Think about your needs, budget and experience level. Remember the best tool is the one that fits your workflow and helps you achieve your SEO goals.

FAQs

Sonu Kumar Pandey Digital Marketer

Sonu Kumar Pandey is an entrepreneur and digital marketing expert with more than 20 years of experience in the industry. He is the Director of Digital Shiksha Pvt Ltd and the Founder of Search Markup Digital Marketing. He is a thought leader in the digital space. Sonu Pandey November 2024

See Full Bio

HTML WordPress SEO Google Ads Bing Ads Meta Ads Social Media Marketing Web Hosting Google Business Profile PHP