Before determining the right keywords for an article, keyword research needs to be done. Fortunately, nowadays there are many keyword tools that can help you do your research more effectively.
With the keyword tools, you can find keywords that are relevant to the needs of readers quickly.
As a result, your articles will be more easily marked by Google as SEO Friendly, and will be placed at the top of search results. You want, right?
Well, you don’t need to be confused about which keyword tools to use, we have summarized the best keyword tools that you can try.
11+ Best Free Keyword Tools!
A good keyword tools should be able to help your SEO efforts, especially to improve the quality of content (On Page SEO).
Here are the 12 keyword tools recommendations that have these criteria:
1. Google Search
Google search is the simplest and easiest to use keyword tools. Why is that?
The reason is, Google Search is able to provide keyword recommendations related to your search instantly.
Let’s say you’re looking for the keyword “hosting Indonesia” in Google Search. Then a dropdown of several derived keywords will appear as below:
By looking at the long tail keyword recommendations or derived keywords that are displayed, you will know what information is being needed and the most sought after by Google users about the topic.
This is what you can then turn into content ideas.
There are tips for you. Do a Google search with incognito or guest window mode . The goal is to keep search results accurate without being influenced by your previous search history.
2. Google Trends
Google Trends is a platform made by Google that is quite capable of doing keyword research. This keyword research tool will help you find out the search trends at any given time.
Whether you’re a blogger, a marketer, or something else, Google Trends can help you find the best keywords for your content. This is because this tool has access to data obtained from real time Google search results.
This platform is one of the free keyword tools that is widely used because of its various advantages, namely:
- Has a search filter by region
- Displays a list of hot topics
- Showing the development of a topic from year to year
- Has easy-to-use features and navigation
- Provide keywords relevant to the topic.
- Can compare multiple keywords at once.
- Can display keyword data from the web, Google Image, Google News, Google Shopping, to YouTube.
With the advantages of Google Trends above, you can measure which keywords have high search rates or are suitable for certain regions. Next, you just need to decide which keywords to use.
3. Google Keyword Planner
Like other keyword research tools from Google, Google Keyword Planner can help you get the right keywords thanks to accurate data from Google.
The difference is, this tool can also search for keywords for ads as part of the Google Ads service.
That is, this tool is quite effective for targeting keywords with SEO purposes in the organic realm, for example to create blog articles.
In addition, this tool also supports keyword research for businesses. For example, look for keyword ads (ads) that support conversion rates.
In Google Keyword Planner, there are two main features , namely Discover New Keywords and Get Search Volume and Forecast .
With the Discover New Keywords feature , you can search up to 10 related keywords at once. Or, you can also search for keywords that are relevant to your domain or website.
In addition, you can know the level of keyword search as well as the level of competition to be number one in the search results.
Meanwhile, when using the Get Search Volume and Forecast feature , you will get specific information about paid search and keyword performance.
That way, you can map out your keyword ads strategy so that the target can be achieved.
The following is the detailed information that you will get in each feature:
| Discover New Keywords | Get Search Volume and Forecast |
| Looking for keywords in two ways, namely entering the target keyword and the website address. | Contains keyword forecast data and historical metrics. |
Contains basic information, such as:
|
The forecast table contains the performance of keywords:
|
| Can store multiple keywords in one group. | Estimated keyword performance for the next year. |
| Refine keywords feature or filter brand and non-brand search keywords, or keywords that are also searched by other people. | Filter performance of keywords based on search devices, such as desktop, tablet, and mobile. |
| Search keyword search filters by location which can be matched against other factors, such as conversions, clicks, advertising costs, etc. |
With a lot of information provided, Google Keyword Planner can help you estimate which keywords are potential to use.
However, you should not rely on Google Keyword Planner alone, but also use other keyword tools to get maximum research results.
4. Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool released by Google to monitor website performance and is quite effective for doing keyword research .
With this tool, you can view keyword performance reports on all content. For example, how many clicks the content generates on each keyword, see the position of the content keywords in search engines, and others.
Google Search Console is also easy to use. Even this keyword tool can be integrated with your WordPress website for easy monitoring.
You will find the entire report provided by Google Search Console on the Performance tab . And for keyword research, you only need to access Queries .
In Queries, there is a list of keywords that you use, complete with information in the form of:
- Number of clicks to the website.
- impression.
- CTR.
- The average position of your website in search results.
With this data, you can measure the effectiveness and performance of the keywords used. You can also find new keywords for content ideas.
Apart from that, you can also take advantage of filters . For example, filter by position in search results. Although simple, this feature can filter out which keywords have less than optimal performance and must be optimized.
5. Keywordtool.io
As the name suggests, Keywordtool.io is a keyword research tool that can help you find new keyword ideas.
No need to doubt the ability of this tool. This is because all the data displayed uses resources from Google.
No wonder then Keywordtool.io can provide long tail keyword results that are quite complete and relevant to user searches.
Then, what are the advantages of this keyword research tool? Ability to find keywords that are not even visible to Google Keyword Planner .
That’s why this tool is trusted by big agencies, such as Uber, Philips, Harvard University, etc.
The research results provided by keywordtool.io are not just Google searches . But also other platforms such as YouTube, Bing, Amazon, eBay, Play Store, Instagram, and Twitter.
There are also various content formats that can be checked, namely website content, images, videos, and news . A location filter is also provided if you want more specific research results.
When searching for a keyword, the tool will automatically display a research table containing a collection of relevant keywords , like this:
Well, each keyword is equipped with information such as:
- Search volume or keyword search volume.
- Trend or keyword search statistics.
- Cost-Per-Click (CPC) or the estimated cost of advertising in Google Ads.
- Competition score or difficulty level wins in the top ranking.
Key information such as volume and difficulty level can certainly help your content better match the targeted keywords.
Meanwhile, trend information makes it easy for you to find statistics on keyword performance in the last year .
Keywordtool.io lets you view up to 750+ long tail keywords for each keyword with short information .
If you want complete information and get excellent features such as competitor analysis, search volume, more detailed CPC data, there are paid options ranging from 69 US Dollar to 159 US Dollar per month.
6. Ubersuggest
In the world of SEO, you may already be familiar with the name Ubersuggest. This tool has one of the excellent features for keyword research, namely Keyword Analyzer .
Ubersuggest’s Keyword Analyzer itself has four main features, namely:
- Keyword Overview
- Keyword Ideas
- Keyword List
- Content Ideas
To use Ubersuggest, you only need to type in your target keyword and set the location filter. Then, you will be directed to the Keyword Overview page which contains the following information:
- Search volume or the number of searches for a particular keyword in a month
- SEO difficulty or competition level for your target keywords
- Estimated paid search competition
- Average CPC
- Historical data statistics on keyword development within one year
- Comparison of search results from desktop and mobile
- Number of keyword clicks from SEO results
- Up to the average age of a keyword searcher
When you scroll down, you’ll find Keyword Ideas , which displays a list of keywords that are relevant to the keywords you’re looking for.
In fact, the information is complete with search volume, CPC, paid and SEO difficulty. So, you can strategize, for example what keywords are still potential and see how much competition there is.
Like the example above, from the keyword “digital marketing”, it can be seen that Ubersuggest provides 11 top keyword recommendations, 4,983 relevant keywords, and real time search results dropdowns on Google.
With this data, you can measure keyword search performance, find out who your rival websites are, what alternative keywords are to get top rankings, etc.
Next, there is the Content Ideas feature . You will get a list of content that uses the keywords you are looking for.
The information provided is quite complete, namely:
- Content title
- Website URL
- Estimated visit
- Number of backlinks
- Number of shares on social media
You can use all of this information to design content that is relevant to readers and better than competitors.
Ubersuggest also provides a new feature, namely Keyword Lists . You can save your target keywords, research is even more organized with a complete data set on one page.
Ubersuggest’s Keyword Analyzer is free to use, but with some limitations. However, to access the Keyword Lists feature, you need to subscribe to the paid version.
You can subscribe to Ubersuggest from USD 12 to USD 40 per month to get full access to all the keyword research results in the tool.
7. Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator
Ahrefs is actually a complete SEO tool that offers premium features. However, Ahrefs has a Free Keyword Generator as a free keyword tool that you can try.
As a keyword tool, Ahrefs allows you to search for new keyword ideas, view SEO performance metrics for specific keywords, identify long tail keywords, analyze competitors, and more.
However, the information displayed in the free version is still very limited. Ahrefs will only provide 100 relevant keywords, along with keyword difficulty, search volume, and the last time the keyword was updated.
Meanwhile, analytical data on the Pro account will provide more complete results such as:
- Matching terms – Displays keyword ideas that contain your keywords
- Related terms – Match related keywords
- Search suggestions – Report keyword suggestions on targeted keywords
To access the full data, you need to make a paid subscription from USD 99 to USD 999 .
8. Wordtracker
Want a keyword tool with a simple and intuitive interface? Try Wordtracker first.
By typing keywords in the Wordtracker search box, you will get the main data as follows:
You will instantly receive information on the search volume, level of competition, and search trends for that keyword.
In fact, at the same time, you will get other relevant keyword information . For example in the example above is seo is , website with seo , seo marketing , seo as a service , and others.
Eits, not only that, Wordtracker also proves to be intuitive because on the same page you can:
- Sorting out keyword suggestions that are still related to the keywords you are looking for
- Has location filters for more targeted searches
- Using the keyword import feature, if you already have a keyword file to search for
- Using the export or download feature of keyword research data, so that research can run even offline
- Make a list of target keywords
- Entering certain keywords with include keywords
- Exclude keywords with exclude keywords
In addition, Wordtracker claims to be more than just a keyword tool, it’s a market research tool . Which means, Wordtracker can also do research for business needs, such as Ads, PPC, and others.
Just like Google Keyword Planner, Wordtracker also presents keyword data in the context of paid search and SEO simultaneously . However, there are some differences that make this keyword tool superior:
Well, to see keyword data for both PPC and SEO, Wordtracker provides a toggle that you can choose from. That way, you will get two keyword data in one page at once, thus speeding up the research process.
In addition, Wordtracker also provides keyword performance statistics in the historical column. When clicked, a specific pop up box will appear showing the URL’s ranking in the past year.
Uniquely, you can set the limit for each data manually , making it easier to research keywords as needed. For example, you can search for keywords with a moderate level of competition, or a search volume above 1000, and so on.
The free version of Wordtracker, gives you the opportunity to search 10 times for keywords, with the results of 50 relevant keywords displayed. The rest, can only be accessed with paid accounts, ranging from USD 27 to USD 99 .
9. KWFinder
Since its appearance in 2014, KWFinder has continued to grow to become one of the keyword tools with a high level of accuracy. Not surprisingly, this tool is a mainstay by various large companies. Call it Airbnb, Adidas, Alexa, and others.
KWFinder is a Mangools keyword tool (SEO tool) which has the ability to:
- Identifying potential keywords, with a database of 2.5 billion keywords
- Check competitor keywords that rank in search engines
- Display search volume in historical statistics
- Provide information about local keywords and SERP analysis
To do research, you can enter keywords or domains in the KWFinder search box, and specify the search location. Make sure you already have an account that can be created for free.
With the example of the keyword “search engine optimization” above, you will get two metric results , namely a table of relevant keywords and a SERP overview.
In the SERP Overview, there is a search volume analysis on the keywords you searched for in the last 6 years. In this example, the volume of search engine optimization is 2900.
Furthermore, you will know that the difficulty level of the keyword above is 28, which means it is not too difficult. And, you’ll find examples of top-ranking content complete with information:
- Domain Authority
- Page Authority
- Backlinks
- Share social media
In addition, you will get related keyword information, you can measure keyword strength with information, such as:
- Trend – Keyword search volume in the past year.
- Search – Average number of searches per month, you can choose a data range between 12 months, 6 months, or 3 months.
- CPC – Estimated bid (cost per click) in Google Ads, can convert currency to IDR.
- PPC – Level of competition in PPC (pay per click) in Google Ads.
- KD – Difficulty level for ranking on that keyword. Calculated based on the strength profile of the URL on the first rank.
For those of you who are focused on SEO efforts, it is enough to pay attention to the search volume statistics on each relevant keyword and trend so that you can:
- See which keywords are potential in the long term.
- Define seasonal or seasonal keywords.
- Read which keywords have decreased.
Meanwhile, for those who want to research keywords for advertising, you can pay attention to the CPC and PPC information on each related keyword that appears.
Want to feel the experience of keyword research in this tool? You are required to create an account first. KWFinder provides a 10 day free trial, with limited daily usage.
If you want more detailed data, you can upgrade to a paid subscription. This keyword tool sets prices ranging from USD 29.90 to USD 79.90 per month.
10. SEMrush Keyword Tool
SEMrush as an old player in the world of SEO tools, also has several features that support keyword research. One of the main ones is the Keyword Magic Tool .
You only need to type in the desired keywords, set the location filter, and get the following data:
In the table of research results, there are several data containing:
- Search volume
- Trending keywords
- Keyword difficulty
- Estimated CPC in USD
- PPC competition forecast
- SERP features, such as snippets, knowledge panels, site links, reviews, video carousels, and more
- Number of URLs with these keywords
Want to filter for more specific keywords? Use advanced keywords or advanced filters, which include word count, competition, SERP features, and SERP results.
In addition, SEMrush also displays specific data for each keyword, as below:
With this data, you can see competitor content with the same keywords and create better content.
As a keyword tool, the free version of SEMrush is enough to help with keyword research.
However, if you need more than the keyword tool features, there are several paid subscription plans to choose from. Starting from USD 119.95 to USD 449.95 per month.
11. Soovle
The next mainstay keyword tool is Soovle. This tool can help you search for keywords from multiple platforms at the same time . There are at least seven platforms, namely:
- Google;
- Amazons;
- Yahoo;
- Bing;
- YouTube;
- Answers;
- Wikipedia.
When typing a keyword in the search box, Soovle automatically collects the relevant and most searched keywords on each platform, as in the example below:
If you optimize keywords across different platforms, Soovle is quite effective for you to use. The reason is, with this tool you can feel several benefits , namely:
- Can perform keyword searches simultaneously on several platforms in real time and quickly.
- Can compare which keywords have the most potential on each platform
- Measures how many keyword searches are on each platform.
- Can devise different SEO strategies according to platform keywords.
- Bringing up the top long tail keywords on each platform in real time.
In addition, there are several other features that you can take advantage of. For example, sending automatic keyword data to email, printing keyword data, saving on the Soovle web, or seeing keyword performance on Google Trends.
However, it seems that Soovle still has some drawbacks , such as:
- Not too many keyword results
- The information provided is less complete, such as search volume, search trends, competition, and others
- Provide only raw information in the form of relevant keywords along with SERP results
- Does not provide a location filter, so the keyword results obtained are less specific
For that, this tool is suitable for you to use in the early stages of keyword research . For example, looking for keyword ideas, seeing potential long tail keywords, and others.
12. WordStream
The last keyword tool to consider is WordStream. This tool is suitable for those of you who need keyword research, especially for Ads needs .
One of the things that this keyword tool excels at is its ease of use, it only takes three steps, namely:
- Search for new keywords.
- Keyword analysis.
- Upload the keyword list to Google Ads.
In the main search field , you can search for keywords as well as URLs, which are equipped with domain and location industry filters .
For example, when entering your business URL, the research results will specifically display up to 500 relevant keywords.
Well, you can also do this technique to see competitor keywords. Just enter a competitor’s URL and you’ve got a potential keyword.
As an alternative to Google Keyword Planner, this tool displays fairly complete information regarding paid search . The information contains search volume, estimated CPC, and level of keyword competition.
Another trick you can do is to input a competitor’s domain into a WordStream search, and volley! You can peek at what keywords are used by competitors.
For the website version, you will be able to see the top 25 keywords on the WordStream page. If you want to access keywords in full, you can send them automatically to email.
In one download, you will be given two files. The excel document contains keywords and complete instructions for uploading the file to Google Ads.
The good news is that all of WordStream’s features are free to use. Not bad, to help with keyword research?
Which Keyword Tool is Your Choice?
The keyword tool will make it easier for you to do keyword research, both looking for new keywords and seeing the performance of keywords that are already used.
We have recommended 12 of the best free keyword tools to try. So, you can more effectively get keywords that are relevant to your audience to make it easier to be number one in search results.
The following is a summary of the overall keyword tool, to make it easier for you to sort out which tool you want to use.
| Keyword Tool | Superiority | Lack | Price |
| Google Keyword Planner | – Targeting keywords for SEO and paid search. – Have access to Google’s keyword data. – There are two main features: Discover New Keywords and Get Search Volume and Forecast. |
Only displays the results of the competition between Google Keyword Planner users. | Free. |
| Google Search Console | – Reliable in monitoring performance in the organic realm. – Can be integrated with WordPress. – See keyword performance. |
Lots of professional terms, which beginners should understand. | Free. |
| Google Trends | – Suitable for use by all walks of life. – The comparison feature of several keywords at once. – Displays keyword data from various platforms. – Easy to use. |
The information available is still limited. | Free. |
| Google Search | – Very close to everyday use. – Accurate search. – Provide long tail keywords. |
The information obtained is limited. | Free. |
| Keywordtool.io | – Using Google Autocomplete. – Can find 750+ long tail keywords for each keyword. – Has been trusted by many big companies. – Suitable for business and SEO. |
The free version information is very brief. | – Limited free version. – Pros: USD 69 – USD 159. |
| Ubersuggest | – Has a special feature, Keyword Analyzer. – Intuitive and simple interface. – Complete information, both SEO and paid search. – Provide thousands of relevant keywords. – Pro account fees are more affordable than other keyword tools. |
Not all features in the free version are unlocked. | – Limited free version. – Pros: USD 12 – USD 40. |
| Wordtracker | – Easy to use. – Also works as a market research tool. – Presenting data on paid search and SEO. – Provides keyword performance statistics. |
The free version is limited to 10 uses. | – Limited free version. – Pros: USD 27 – USD 99. |
| Sloove | – Simple and concise appearance. – Provides data from 7 platforms at once. |
The information provided is incomplete. | Free. |
| WordStream | – Specializing in Google Ads. – There is a domain industry filter. – Can download keyword sets and upload them to Google Ads. |
Information only focus on paid search. | Free. |
| KWFinder | – Provides two metrics at once: a table of relevant keywords and a SERP overview. – Provides historical keyword performance statistics. – There is a setting feature for CPC estimation to IDR. – Provides 10 days free trial. |
In the free version, daily use is limited. | – Limited free version. – Pros: USD 29.90 – USD 79.90. |
| SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool | – Provides more complete keyword research information than other tools. – Specific filter features. Intuitive display. – Integrated with other SEO features. |
The price of the Pro version is quite expensive. | – Limited free version. – Pros: USD 119.95 – USD 449.95. |
You can use one or more of the tools above, choose the one that best suits your needs and budget. That way your SEO efforts can run more optimally.