The best free keyword research tool is one of the best things any blogger can have in their toolkit.
With access to the most searched keywords on search engines, you can boost the traction your content receives.
Instead of paying monthly or annual fees for keyword research, let’s look at some of the best free resources available.
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What Are Keyword Research Tools?
There’s no doubt that keyword research is one of the most essential SEO tools to use to your advantage.
These unique sites are designed like search engines, allowing bloggers to find the most used keywords related to their niche.
Using these keywords, you can target a specific audience to help direct them to your website.
Organically placing keywords in your content tells Google that your site has content related to what internet browsers are looking for.
For example, if someone is searching for domain registrars, using keywords related to this subject can direct them to your site.
Although keywords aren’t the only thing to consider when developing SEO content for your site, they are pretty important.
Best Free Keyword Research Tool: Our Top Picks
With a general understanding of keyword research and how it can help, let’s look at some of the best tools available.
Google Trends
Any list of free keyword research tools wouldn’t be complete without Google Trends.
This platform is one of the most popular, has the most recently updated results, and is offered directly by Google.
Google Trends takes a look at the relative popularity of specific search terms over certain periods.
For example, you’ll be able to see the popularity of a particular term, like “Domain,” between October and November.
Using the information you get from Google Trends, you can establish an effective content calendar.
Knowing what keywords are searched the most during specific times of the year, you can plan your postings more accurately.
Take Halloween, for example. If you’re selling Halloween decorations, you can see which decorations are most searched for in October.
Using this data, you can tailor the keywords you put into your content to drive increased traffic levels to your site.
In general, the metrics available from Google Trends can also tell you the popularity of specific search terms overall.
Keyword Generator
Keyword Generator is a unique tool because it shows popular keywords and their ranking difficulty.
You’ll input a general keyword on the site, and the engine will then provide you with a list of related keywords.
Each of these terms has its own “Keyword Difficulty,” which tells you how challenging it is to rank for the specific term.
The rule of thumb is, the greater the keyword difficulty, the more backlinking you’ll have to do.
You’ll find other valuable metrics as well, such as the search volume of specific keywords and when they were last updated.
Keyword Generator is a valuable tool for bloggers looking for short- and long-term keywords.
At the top of the search page, you’ll see a tab labeled “Questions.”
The questions tab allows you to look at the most-searched questions per keyword.
For example, if you search “Domain,” one of the question results could be, “How to buy a domain?”
One of the best tips for using this platform is to make sure you have the proper country selected.
By default, all of the results are tailored to audiences in the United States.
However, you can adjust the search area to relatively any country in the world, as there are over 170 to choose from.
Answer the Public
Answer the Public is a modernized site for keyword searches with free and paid subscription options.
With a Pro account, you’ll have access to additional features, such as being able to change your region.
However, for basic keyword searches, it should be relatively helpful for the majority of bloggers.
The most considerable benefit of this platform is that it not only searches for related keywords.
You’ll also have a list of questions, comparisons, alphabetical results, and prepositions to help formulate your keywords.
Every user will have to start with a “seed” keyword, which will begin your search.
The “Questions” results you receive will relate to the who, what, where, why, and how of a specific keyword.
For example, using “Domain” as the seed keyword, you’ll get questions like, “Why are domains important?”
For preposition results, the layout will be your seed word + preposition + related term.
There’s no doubt that this platform is popular due to the number of search results it spits out.
Answer the Public is more productive than other keyword search tools, typically offering more than 20 results per search term.
SEMrush Free – Keyword Magic Tool
If you’re searching for a straightforward keyword research tool, SEMrush Free is a fantastic option.
It also provides you with a reasonable amount of information, even with a free account.
Like Answer the Public, you can opt to sign up for a paid account depending on how many daily searches you need.
Every free account is allowed 10 queries per day, including keyword analytics and domain searches.
When you input your seed term, you’ll be able to review phrase matches, exact matches, related matches, and broad matches.
As an added benefit, users will also be able to take a look at questions about specific keywords.
It’s an easy tool to use with a free account unless you intend on doing bulk searches.
For a higher number of queries, opting for a Pro or Guru account comes with several extras, including:
- 500-1500 keyword tracking
- 100,000-300,000 page crawls
- PDF exporting
- Historical data
- 40+ additional tools
Keyword Tool Dominator
Bloggers who intend to sell products and affiliate links through their sites should consider Keyword Tool Dominator.
Like SEMrush’s tool, you’ll have a limited number of searches with a free account (three daily).
However, they allow you to search for popular keywords on top-rated high-traffic sites, including:
- Etsy
- Walmart
- Amazon
- Google Shopping
- Bing
- YouTube
When you input the search criteria for your keywords, you’ll have some valuable information at your fingertips.
First, you’ll be able to review the source for specific keywords as well as the country it’s ranked in.
Users can also look at the rank score for each term to know how competitive it will be.
One of the more valuable features of Keyword Tool Dominator is that it shows frequency data in an easy-to-read chart.
You can opt to use these charts for market research or to get a better idea of how often specific terms are searched.
People Also Ask
When formulating your content, it’s not only important to consider keyword targeting but also to receive useful information.
The more valuable the content on your site is to visitors, the higher authority your page will receive.
Making sure your content is informative and helpful can also help reduce bounce rates and retain more customers.
With People Also Ask, marketers will have a better idea of how specific keyword-led questions are grouped.
You’ll also be able to look at the relevant and related keywords to a particular search term.
Using this information, you can better understand how to direct your content to answer questions that potential clients could have.
There’s no doubt the information you get per query can significantly improve the format of your content.
You’ll have a better idea of what people ask to ensure your content focuses on the most critical questions.
With this method, you can make your site stand out against your competitors more efficiently.
YouTube and Google Autocomplete
Autocomplete functions are a handy resource when it comes to keyword research.
Before the popularity of keyword search tools, autocomplete was the only way marketers could see most searched terms.
To use these tools, you have to type a keyword into the search bar on YouTube or Google.
You’ll then see a list of related searches about your seed word, helping you know what’s most searched.
Typically, the top listed item is what people are looking for most often, followed by lesser searched terms.
Although this process doesn’t give you specific metrics, such as ranking difficulty, it can help you get started.
You can have a general idea of what people are looking for about the keyword you’re interested in.
Also, it’s an efficient way to do a little bit of research without finding specific tools or signing up for accounts on sites.
WordStream
If you’re looking for a keyword research tool for specific niches, WordStream’s platform is highly recommended.
You’ll be able to review specific target niches to help get further suggestions related to particular keywords.
With a search term, you can also group extra suggestions based on particular themes.
On the platform, you enter your keyword or URL to receive keyword suggestions.
You can then adjust the industry you want to search within as well as the country.
Your results will provide you with related keywords, their Google search volume, and their opportunity score.
Two other important pieces of data in every result are CPC and competition.
The competition score tells you how challenging a specific keyword will be to rank, ranging from low to high.
As for CPC, you can see the approximate cost for using cost-per-click advertising methods per keyword.
Like many other keyword search tools, you won’t have an unlimited number of searches you can do for free.
Instead, you’ll have 30 free searches or sign up for an Advisor account to get additional inquiries.
Soovle
Looking at search result data across all search engines can be beneficial for many reasons.
It allows you to get a leg up on the competition by targeting searches on various platforms across the internet.
Soovle is a unique platform that looks at keyword searches on Yahoo!, Wikipedia, YouTube, Google, and more.
When you enter your keyword, the site provides you with a list of the most typed related terms on various sites.
You’ll not only be able to see keyword performance across multiple avenues but also generate an effective marketing strategy.
As you start typing in ideas, the site helps provide you with a different list of potential keywords to target.
Final Thoughts
Finding the best free keyword research tool all depends on the amount of research you need.
Some tools are better suited for related search terms on Google, while others focus on the internet as a whole.
Regardless, there’s no doubt that this level of market research is essential to a successful blogging campaign.
