6 Best Keyword Research Tools In The Industry

In this post, we’ve covered

• What are the best keyword research tools and factors
• 6 Best keyword research tools in the industry
• Other useful keyword research tools  

What are the best keyword research tools?

When looking for a keyword research tool, you’d want a range of exciting features to help you maximize your SEO and content strategy.

The best keyword research tools are the ones that excel in these areas and we’ve used these factors in rating the keyword research tools mentioned in this post based on the best among these rating factors.

1. Comprehensive Keyword Database: Access to a vast database of keywords, including long-tail and niche-specific options, helps you find relevant terms for your content.
2. Search Volume Data: The tool should provide accurate monthly search volume data for each keyword, helping you gauge potential traffic.
3. Keyword Difficulty Score: A feature that estimates how hard it would be to rank for a particular keyword can guide you in selecting attainable targets.
4. Competitor Analysis: The ability to analyze competitor keywords, including what terms they rank for and their performance, gives you insights into your niche.
5. SERP Analysis: Access to SERP (Search Engine Results Page) data for each keyword, showing the top-ranking pages, can help you understand the competition and identify content gaps.
6. Keyword Suggestions: Automatic suggestions for related keywords, synonyms, and variations based on your input help expand your keyword list.
7. Content Ideas: The tool can provide topic ideas based on trending keywords or search queries, assisting you in generating relevant content.
8. Local SEO Features: If you’re targeting local markets within a particular location, the tool should provide localized search volume and competition data for you.
9. Filters and Sorting Options: Customizable filters (by search volume, difficulty, etc.) and sorting options allow you to narrow down your keyword choices effectively.
10. Export and Integration Options: The ability to export keyword data to spreadsheets or integrate with other SEO tools (like Google Analytics or SEMrush) streamlines your workflow.
11. Trends and Historical Data: Features that show keyword trends over time and historical performance data can help you identify seasonal opportunities.
12. User Intent Analysis: Understanding the intent behind a keyword (informational, transactional, navigational) allows you to tailor your content strategy effectively.

These features can significantly enhance your keyword research process, making it easier to develop a robust SEO strategy and create content that not only resonates with your target audience but also has a decent search volume.

15 Best keyword research tools for content writing

1. Semrush
2. Ahref
3. Moz Keyword Explorer
4. Ubersuggest
5. KWFinder
6. Answer the public

[1]. SEMrush

• Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

SEMrush is a powerful keyword research tool that helps you find millions of keywords. It gives you accurate search volume data and keyword difficulty scores to help you identify competitive terms.

You can also analyze your competitors’ keywords and see which ones rank well in search results.

With its comprehensive insights and local SEO features, SEMrush is great for optimizing your content strategy effectively.

Key Features Of Semrush

• Extensive Keyword Database: Offers millions of keywords across various languages and regions, allowing you to find relevant terms for any niche.
• Accurate Search Volume Data: Provides reliable estimates of monthly search volume, helping you prioritize high-traffic keywords.
• Keyword Difficulty Score: Ranks keywords based on their competitiveness, guiding you toward more attainable options.
• In-depth Competitor Analysis: This lets you analyze competitors’ keyword strategies, revealing gaps and opportunities in your own approach.
• Comprehensive SERP Analysis: Displays the top-ranking pages for each keyword, including their backlinks and content details.
• Advanced Keyword Suggestions: Generates related keywords and variations, helping you expand your keyword list effectively.
• Content Ideas Based on Keywords: Offers suggestions for content topics related to your keywords, simplifying the ideation process.
• Local SEO Features: Provides local keyword data to help you optimize for geographic-specific searches.
• Excellent Filters and Sorting Options: Allows you to filter keywords by criteria such as volume, difficulty, and intent for more targeted results.
• Export and Integration Capabilities: This enables you to export your keyword data to spreadsheets and integrate it with other tools like Google Analytics.
• Trends and Historical Data: Shows how search volume and keyword performance have changed over time, assisting in trend analysis.
• User Intent Analysis: Classifies keywords by intent (informational, transactional), helping you align content with user needs.

Free and paid plans

• Semrush has a free basic plan that allows you to use its basic features at 5 maximum requests before asking you to upgrade.
• Its paid plans start at $139.95 if you are paying monthly and $117.33 if you are paying annually [12 months straight].

If you looking for an industry-standard SEO tool that offers you all the SEO and keyword search features then semrush is a very good option for you.

[2].  Ahrefs Keywords Explorer

• Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ahrefs Keywords Explorer is known for its vast keyword database and reliable metrics.

It helps you discover keywords along with search volumes and difficulty scores.

You can analyze your competitors’ keyword strategies and get a clear view of the top-ranking pages for your keywords.

The tool also suggests related keywords, making it easier to expand your targeting and improve your content planning.

Key Features Of Ahref Keywords Explorer

• Massive Keyword Database: Covers a broad spectrum of keywords across various markets, ensuring you have access to a wide range of options.
• Reliable Search Volume Data: Offers accurate monthly search volume estimates, allowing you to make informed decisions about keyword targeting.
• Keyword Difficulty Score: Analyzes how hard it is to rank for a keyword, factoring in competitor strength and backlink profiles.
• Detailed Competitor Analysis: This lets you view competitor keyword rankings and traffic, helping you identify successful strategies.
• SERP Overview for Keywords: Provides insights into the search results for a keyword, including featured snippets and ads.
• Suggested Keywords and Phrases: Automatically generate variations and related keywords, expanding your targeting possibilities.
• Content Ideas and Top Pages: Displays popular content associated with a keyword, guiding you in creating relevant articles.
• Local SEO Insights: Offers localized search volume data, which is essential for businesses targeting specific regions.
• Customizable Filtering Options: Allows you to filter keywords by search volume, difficulty, and more for tailored results.
• Export Capabilities: Facilitates exporting keyword lists and data for offline analysis or integration with other tools.
• Historical Keyword Data: Provides historical search volume and ranking data to help you track trends over time.
• User Intent Insights: Helps categorize keywords based on user intent, guiding content creation to meet audience needs.

Free and paid plans

Ahref offers a series of free tools with a limited feature on each of them. They offer four different paid plans.

• The basic plan starts at $129/month if you are paying month by month and $108/month if you are paying for 12 months straight.

This annual plan gives you two months free and starts counting into your 12-month subscription after your first two months are exhausted.

[3].  Moz Keyword Explorer

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Moz Keyword Explorer is a complete SEO tool that offers a user-friendly experience for keyword research. It provides relevant keywords, accurate search volume, and difficulty scores.

You can see how your competitors rank and get valuable insights on top pages for each keyword.

The keyword suggestions and historical performance data help you identify trends and adjust your strategy easily.

Key Features Of Moz Keyword Explorer

• Extensive Keyword Database: Hosts a vast collection of keywords, allowing you to discover niche-specific terms easily.
• Accurate Search Volume Metrics: Provides search volume data that reflects actual user interest, helping prioritize your keyword strategy.
• Keyword Difficulty Score: Assigns a difficulty score to each keyword, indicating how challenging it will be to achieve a ranking.
• Competitive Analysis Features: Offers insights into competitors’ keyword performance, enabling you to identify areas for improvement.
• SERP Analysis: Displays the top-ranking pages for keywords, including their DA (Domain Authority) and PA (Page Authority).
• Keyword Suggestions: Generates related keywords and phrases based on your input, helping expand your keyword list effectively.
• Content Ideas Based on Keyword Data: Provides suggestions for content topics that can rank well for your chosen keywords.
• Local Keyword Data: Offers insights into local search volume, allowing businesses to target specific geographic areas effectively.
• Filtering and Sorting Options: Features customizable filters for refining keyword searches based on various metrics.
• Export Functionality: This lets you export your keyword research data for analysis or sharing with your team.
• Historical Performance Data: Tracks keyword performance over time, helping you understand trends and shifts in user behavior.
• User Intent Tracking: Helps analyze the intent behind keywords, enabling you to create content that aligns with user needs.

Free trial & paid plans

• Moz offers a 30-day free trial before you can pay for it.
• Moz also has different pricing pages for the different types of SEO services it offers. Its main pricing page offers four paid plans that give you access to all of its features within the plan.

Its basic paid plan starts at $49/month if you are paying month by month while it’s $39/month if you are paying for 12 months in a row [annual plan].

See all of its pricing here.

You can sign up for Moz’s 30-day free trial on this page.

[4].  Ubersuggest

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Ubersuggest is an intuitive tool that makes keyword research straightforward. It provides essential metrics like search volume and keyword difficulty.

You can analyze your competitors’ keywords and get content ideas based on what people are searching for.

While its local SEO features are basic, Ubersuggest’s simplicity and valuable insights make it a great choice for enhancing your SEO efforts.

Key Features Of Ubersuggest

• Comprehensive Keyword Database: Provides a wide range of keywords, including long-tail options, across different languages and regions.
• Search Volume and Trend Data: Displays estimated monthly search volume and historical trends, helping you identify popular topics.
• Keyword Difficulty Score: Assesses how competitive a keyword is, aiding in the selection of more achievable keywords.
• Competitor Keyword Analysis: This allows you to see which keywords your competitors are ranking for, providing insights for your own strategy.
• SERP Overview for Keywords: Offers a look at the top-ranking pages for each keyword, along with their estimated traffic.
• Keyword Suggestions and Related Terms: Automatically generates related keywords and phrases to expand your keyword list.
• Content Ideas Based on Keywords: Suggests content topics that align with popular keywords, helping you generate relevant ideas.
• Basic Local SEO Features: Provides insights into local keywords, but may be less robust compared to dedicated local SEO tools.
• Filters and Sorting Options: Allows you to filter keyword results by various criteria, helping you find the best keywords for your needs.
• Export Capabilities: This enables you to export keyword data for offline analysis or sharing.
• Historical Data Insights: Shows historical performance data for keywords, assisting in trend identification.
• Limited User Intent Analysis: Offers some insights into user intent but may not be as comprehensive as other tools.

Free and paid Plans

• Ubersuggest offers you a free plan with limited functionality.
• It offers three paid plans: 3 different monthly plans and 3 different lifetime plans.
• The basic monthly plan starts at $12 whereas the lifetime plan starts at $120. The bigger the plan the more functionality it offers.  

[5].  KWFinder [Also known as Mangools]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

KWFinder is a keyword tool that focuses on making keyword research simple and efficient.

It offers a large database of keywords with search volume and difficulty scores. You can analyze competitors and see which keywords they’re ranking for, along with their traffic.

The tool also suggests long-tail keywords, helping you find targeted opportunities easily.

Key Features Of KWFinder

• Large Keyword Database: Contains a wide array of keywords, making it easy to discover relevant options for your niche.
• Accurate Search Volume Information: Provides reliable monthly search volume data, helping you prioritize which keywords to target.
• Keyword Difficulty Score: Ranks keywords based on competitiveness, allowing you to focus on more accessible options.
• Competitor Analysis Tools: These tools let you analyze competitor rankings and provide insights into their keyword strategies.
• SERP Analysis for Keywords: Displays the top-ranking pages for each keyword, along with their traffic and backlinks.
• Keyword Suggestions: Automatically generates related keywords and variations, helping you expand your keyword targeting.
• Content Ideas Based on Popular Keywords: Provides suggestions for content topics that can perform well for specific keywords.
• Local Keyword Data: Offers localized keyword data to help businesses target specific geographic markets effectively.
• Filtering and Sorting Capabilities: Allows you to filter results by various metrics, making it easier to find relevant keywords.
• Export Options: You can export keyword data for further analysis or sharing with your team.
• Historical Data Tracking: Tracks the performance of keywords over time, assisting in identifying trends and shifts in interest.
• Basic User Intent Insights: Offers some insights into user intent, helping guide your content creation.

Free and Paid plans

• KWFinder allows you to get 5 lookups in 24 hours, 15 related and 5 competitor keywords per lookup for free.
• It offers three paid plans. Month by month plan starts at $49 while if you are paying for 12 months straight you would pay $29.90 for each month.

[6]. Answer The Public

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Answer the Public stands out by revealing the actual questions people ask online.

It generates keyword ideas based on user queries, helping you create content that meets their needs.

While it doesn’t provide search volume or difficulty scores, its strength lies in capturing user intent and generating engaging content ideas that resonate with your audience.

Key features of Answer The Public

• Unique Question-Based Keyword Suggestions: Generates keyword ideas based on actual questions people are asking, giving you insight into user needs.
• Good for Generating Content Ideas: Helps you brainstorm topics that align with user queries, making it ideal for content creation.
• Visual Keyword Data Representation: Displays keyword data in an easy-to-understand visual format, simplifying the research process.
• Limited Search Volume Data: Provides less comprehensive search volume data compared to other tools, which can limit targeting effectiveness.
• No Difficulty Scores: Lacks keyword difficulty scoring, which may hinder your ability to assess competitiveness.
• Basic Competitor Insights: Offers limited insights into competitor performance for the suggested keywords.
• Strong Focus on User Intent: Primarily focuses on understanding what users are asking, making it great for content that addresses those questions.
• Export Capabilities: Allows you to export the generated keyword data for further analysis or content planning.
• Historical Data Not Available: This does not provide historical keyword performance data, which can limit trend analysis.
• Less Comprehensive Compared to Others: While excellent for generating ideas, it may not replace a dedicated keyword research tool for in-depth analysis.
• Local Insights Limited: Offers minimal local keyword data, which may be a drawback for businesses targeting specific regions.

Free and paid plans

Answer the Public Ltd will allow you to use the basic feature even without a sign-up. If you want to utilize all of its features;

• It offers a 7-day free trial to all of its paid plans.
• It has three paid plans with the basic plan starting at $5/month
• It also offers lifetime payment options in three plans with the basic plan starting at $50/lifetime.

Other useful keyword research tools

• Google search bar
• Gemini
• ChatGPT
• Google keyword planner
• Answer the public

[7]. Google Search Bar

You can use the Google search bar to generate keyword ideas by typing in a base keyword or phrase.

As you type, Google will auto-suggest related searches based on popular queries.

These suggestions can give you insights into what people are already searching for, helping you identify relevant keywords to target in your content.

[8]. Gemini

Gemini is an AI-driven platform that analyzes search patterns and user behavior to generate keyword ideas.

By entering your main topic or niche, Gemini can provide a list of related keywords and phrases.

This helps you identify high-potential keywords that can enhance your SEO strategy.

I personally use Gemini to understand my audience’s intent among some of the topics I write about by asking it certain queries based on the keywords/topic.

[9]. ChatGPT

You can use ChatGPT to brainstorm keyword ideas and get insights into trending topics. Simply ask for keywords related to your niche or content theme, and ChatGPT can generate a list of relevant terms.

Additionally, you can ask for content ideas based on those keywords, making it a versatile tool for both keyword research and content creation.

[10]. Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a robust tool designed specifically for keyword research. It’s best utilized when running Google display ads.

You can enter keywords or phrases to get data on search volume, competition, and keyword trends.

The tool also provides keyword suggestions based on your input, helping you find high-traffic keywords that can improve your visibility in search results.

It’s especially useful for planning Google Ads campaigns and optimizing your website content.

[11]. Answer the Public

Answer the Public is fantastic for uncovering the questions and phrases that people are searching for around a specific topic.

By entering a keyword, you can see a visual representation of related questions, prepositions, and comparisons.

This helps you understand user intent and generates ideas for content that answers those specific queries, making it a great resource for creating engaging and relevant material.

Note: There are no ideal best keyword research tools thank God they mostly offer free trials. This will allow you to try out many of them to find out which is the best for you before paying, though it might be stressful trying out many of them it is the best way you can find the one that is most suitable for you since many of them are similar.

Post End.

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