What is keyword research?

Keyword research is the process of identifying and analyzing the words and phrases that people use to search for information, products, or services on search engines like Google. The goal of keyword research is to understand the language and search behavior of your target audience, and use this information to optimize your content, website, or advertising campaigns for search engines. By targeting the right keywords, you can increase your visibility in search results, drive more traffic to your website, and ultimately, attract more potential customers or clients.

What are keyword research tools?

Keyword research tools are software programs or online services that help you to find, analyze, and track the performance of keywords that are relevant to your business or niche. These tools use various data sources, such as search engines, online marketplaces, social media platforms, and competitor websites, to generate lists of keywords and provide insights into their search volume, competition, and potential value.

Also Read: SEO tips and trends For 2023

Some common features of keyword research tools include:

1. Keyword suggestion: Generating a list of related keywords based on a seed keyword or topic.
2. Search volume data: Estimating the number of searches for a keyword in a given time frame.
3. Keyword difficulty: Assessing the competition level of a keyword in organic search results.
4. SERP analysis: Showing the top-ranking pages and their features for a keyword.
5. Competitive analysis: Identifying the keywords that your competitors are targeting and their performance.
6. Historical data: Providing the trend and seasonality of a keyword’s search volume over time.

Top 5 Online Keyword Research Tools to Boost Your SEO

1. Google Keyword Planner:

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that helps you to find relevant keywords for your business and provides information about their search volume, competition, and estimated cost per click (CPC) for Google Ads. It allows you to enter a keyword or website and get suggestions for related keywords and their performance data. You can also use Keyword Planner to create and analyze keyword lists, and plan your advertising budget.

Read more on  How to use Google Keyword Planner 

2. Ahrefs:

Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO tool that offers a variety of features, including a keyword explorer that lets you discover new keyword ideas, analyze their search volume, and evaluate their difficulty level for ranking. It also shows you the top-ranking pages and their backlinks for a keyword and provides advanced filtering options to refine your research. Ahrefs is a paid tool, but it offers a 7-day trial for $7.

Read more on How to use ahrefs free keyword tool for keyword research 

3. SEMrush:

SEMrush is another popular all-in-one SEO tool that provides a suite of features, including a keyword research tool. It allows you to enter a seed keyword or domain and generate a list of related keywords with their search volume, CPC, and competition data. You can also see the top-ranking pages and their features for a keyword, and track your keyword rankings and changes over time. SEMrush offers a free plan with limited features, as well as paid plans starting at $119.95 per month.

Read More on how to How to Use SEMrush Keyword Tool:

4. Moz Keyword Explorer:

Moz Keyword Explorer is a tool that helps you to find high-potential keywords for your SEO or PPC campaigns. It offers a variety of keyword research metrics, such as search volume, difficulty, opportunity, and potential, as well as keyword suggestions and related topics. It also allows you to prioritize and organize your keyword lists based on your business goals and search volume data. Moz Keyword Explorer is a paid tool, but it offers a free 30-day trial.

Read more on how to Master SEO with Moz Keyword Explorer

5. Ubersuggest:

Ubersuggest is a free keyword research tool that provides suggestions for long-tail keywords and related phrases, as well as their search volume, CPC, and competition data. It also shows you the top-ranking pages and their backlinks for a keyword and provides insights into your domain’s overall SEO performance, such as domain score and organic keywords. Ubersuggest also offers additional features, such as content ideas, backlink analysis, and site audit, with paid plans starting at $29 per month.

Overall, these keyword research tools can help you to identify the right keywords for your business, understand their search volume and competition, and optimize your content and advertising strategies to improve your SEO performance.

Other bonus tools you need to know

1. Keyword Tool:

Keyword Tool is a free online tool that generates long-tail keyword suggestions based on a seed keyword, using autocomplete data from Google, Bing, YouTube, Amazon, and other search engines. It also provides search volume, CPC, and competition data for each keyword, as well as questions and prepositions related to the topic. Keyword Tool offers a paid plan with additional features, such as historical data and competitor analysis.

2. Answer The Public:

Answer The Public is a unique keyword research tool that focuses on question-based and visual keyword research. It generates a list of questions, prepositions, comparisons, and other phrases that people ask on search engines, and organizes them into a visual map or table. It also provides search volume and competition data for each keyword and allows you to download or share the results. Answer The Public offers a free plan with limited searches, as well as paid plans with additional features.

3. KWFinder:

KWFinder is a keyword research tool that emphasizes on finding low-competition keywords with high search volume and commercial intent. It provides various metrics, such as search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, and search trends, as well as related keywords and their SERP features. It also allows you to analyze the backlinks and social metrics of the top-ranking pages for a keyword, and track your keyword rankings and competitors. KWFinder offers a free trial, as well as paid plans starting at $29.90 per month.

4. Keyword Surfer:

Keyword Surfer is a free browser extension for Chrome that provides keyword data and insights directly in the Google search results page. It allows you to see the search volume, CPC, and related keywords for a search query, as well as the on-page word count, backlinks, and domain authority of the top-ranking pages. Keyword Surfer also provides a content editor that helps you to optimize your content for search engines and users.

5. SpyFu:

SpyFu is a competitive keyword research tool that allows you to spy on your competitors’ keywords, advertising campaigns, and SEO strategies. It provides data on the keywords that your competitors rank for, as well as their organic and paid search performance, ad copy, and ad spend. It also allows you to track your keyword rankings and compare your performance with your competitors. SpyFu offers a free plan with limited features, as well as paid plans starting at $33 per month.