Best Keyword Research tools: Choose the best keywords for SEO

Best Keyword Research Tools: Step-By-Step Guide to Choose the Best Keywords for Your SEO Strategy

Keyword research is one of the several activities that can either make or break the effort put in toward search engine optimization in digital marketing today.

Be it a lookout beginner who wants to get to the root of things or an expert marketer who wants only to tune their strategy to very perfection, the right keyword research tool in this case is paramount.

There are many tools out there; it can be quite confusing to decide what’s best for your needs. Below, we will break out some of the best keyword research tools at your disposal and give insights and tips to make a decision.

Why Best Keyword Research Tools Matter

The Foundation of SEO Success

Keyword research tools will let you know what your target audience is searching for.

They can provide you with very valuable information, such as search volume, competition level, and difficulty to rank the keyword.

Applying the right tools can potentially result in optimized content visibility, drawing organic traffic to your site and eventually placing you higher in the result pages.

What to Look for in a Keyword Research Tool

Below, consider these factors when choosing a keyword research tool.

Ease of Use:

An intuitive interface can make keyword research a whole lot less daunting, particularly if you are new to this stage of proceedings.

Data Accuracy:

Robust data on search volume, competition, and trends lays the bedrock.
Features: The other things to look out for in functionalities include competitor analysis, keyword difficulty score, and long-tail keywords.

Cost:

Some are free while some are subscription-based. Consider adding investment value based on your budget.

Top Keyword Research Tools for Beginners

Now, let’s look at some keywords research tools that are suitable for beginners as well as professionals.

Google Keyword Planner

Most Used Tool by the Professionals

Google Keyword Planner is, without a doubt, one of the most popular keyword research tools. First, because it’s free.

And second, because it’s from Google, so you can count on the data regarding search volumes, competition, and CPC fascinatingly perfect for those running Google Ads campaigns.

Key Features

Search Volume Data:

Get accurate estimations of the average monthly searches for keywords.

Keyword Ideas:

Enter a seed keyword or URL to get a list of related keywords.

Competitiveness:

Know the competitiveness of each, hence aiding you in decision-making on the most viable ones.

How to Use Google Keyword Planner

Getting Access to the Tool:

You need a Google Ads account. Though you are not compelled to have your ad campaign running to see this through.

Enter Your Seed Keywords:

At first, you will enter a generic keyword that most describes your niche.

Explain the Results:

Use data on search volume, competition, and CPC to find keywords for your content.

Pros:

Free to use
Accurate data for search volume
It is directly connected to Google’s database.

Cons:

Designed Primarily for PPC, not SEO
Lacks advanced features like competitor analysis

Ubersuggest (Best Keyword Research Tools)

All You Want in an SEO Tool for Beginners

Ubersuggest by Neil Patel is an intuitive tool in digital marketing, full of features and working efficiently for new entrants in the fields of digital and search-based marketing.

The tool makes your work quite easy to execute for search engine optimization tasks, competition analysis, and keyword research routines.

Key Features

crimson Keyword Suggestion:

It generates hundreds of keyword ideas on the basis of your seed keyword.

SEO Difficulty Score:

Know how tough it’s going to be to rank for any given keyword.

Content Ideas:

See what’s hot for content in your niche, ranked for how well the keywords fit.

Site Audit:

Get an overview of how your site’s performing on SEO and actionable recommendations.

How to Use Ubersuggest

Enter Your Keyword:

You can go ahead and provide a keyword about the niche or rather the topic you are doing.

Review Keyword Ideas:

It churns out a list of recommended keywords to you with search volume, SEO difficulty, and CPC for ad managers.

Analyze Competitors:

One is able to research exactly what’s working about competitors’ best content and keywords.

Pros:

Has many varied features

The interface is pretty user-friendly.

Provides keyword research with SEO analysis.

Cons:

It has less data compared to any paid tool out in the market, be it Ahrefs or SEMrush. Not all features are free.

Ahrefs (Best Keyword Research Tools)

Powerhouse for Deep SEO Analysis

Ahrefs is an incredibly powerfully featured SEO tool for deep keyword research, competitor analysis, and backlink tracking among many other features.

This one’s a bit more advanced and pricier, but if you are really serious about SEO and have the budget to invest in the best tools available, this one would suit you.

Key Features

Keyword Explorer:

Large keyword database with detailed metrics such as search volume, keyword difficulty, CTR, etc.

Competitor Analysis:

Find out which are the competitor keywords, and then analyze their backlinking profiles.

Content Gap Analysis:

Identify the keywords for which your competitors are ranked, and you are not, so that you find new content opportunities.

Backlink Checker:

Backlink profile analysis and thus knowing the opportunities regarding this for your website.

How Does Ahrefs work?

Enter Your Keyword:

Enter the keyword you want to explore.

Following Competitors:

This is useful to check on top keywords and backlinks of your competitors with the help of the Site Explorer.

Content Gap Analysis:

It will show you what exactly you are missing out on content for, which you need to make anew.

Pros:

Tons of data and features
Really fantastic for competitor analysis and backlink monitoring
Updated regularly

Cons:

Pricing might be a little steep for someone starting out.
Slightly steeper learning curve on some areas than simpler tools

SEMrush (Best Keyword Research Tools)

All-in-One Marketing Toolkit

One more original premium tool, SEMrush is designed to take keyword research and competition analysis deeper, like SEO management as a whole, in depth of features.

This would correspond pretty well to the case when one would need an all-in-one solution to cover most aspects related to digital marketing.

Key Features

Keyword Magic Tool:

Insert your keyword and get thousands more ideas.

Analysis of Competitors:

Unpack the keywords, backlinks, and ad placements that help your competitors be better than you.

Position Tracking:

Keep track of how your website rankings are doing.

Analyze your content:

Check your content performance from the SEO angle of view and receive recommendations for further improvement.

How to Use SEMrush

Enter your keyword: Get the list of probable search queries, sorted based on the number of topics and keywords involved.

Spy on your competitors: A free domain overview tool will help in seeing what your competition is ranking for.

Track your ranking: With this free tool, see how your website ranking fluctuates with time for any keyword.

Pros:

It holds all the functionality you may need, smacked into one tool.

Deep competitors analysis with keyword tracking.

Regular updates and improvements.

Cons:

Quite expensive for small businesses and beginners.

Overwhelming due to the number of features.

AnswerThePublic (Best Keyword Research Tools)

Content Idea Tool Like No Other

Product Gestation: Answer The Public is a free tool that helps in visualizing search queries into a mind map in comprehending a question or concern by users.

It helps especially in generating content ideas based on questions asked online.

Key Features

Question-Based Keywords:

You can find keywords in the form of questions and phrases generally asked by people.

Visual Mind Maps:

You can visualize data according to your preference:

either by keywords or in mind maps.

Content Inspiration:

It enables one to find new angles of content by keying in on precise questions that the audience will more than likely be asking.

How to Use Answer The Public

Input Your Keyword – Write in a broad keyword or topic.

Questions to Be Had – Look at the visual mind map of what questions people are asking about your keyword.

Content Generation: Let those questions drive new content, be it blog posts, video ideas, or social media updates.

Pros

The tool is free to use and doesn’t require any subscription.
The tool is excellent for content ideas and to work out search intent.
The visual representation of data is very nice.

Cons:

The amount of data available in the tool is pretty limited considering the other tools.
Alone, this isn’t a keyword research tool for effective utilization.

Conclusion: Picking a Best Keyword Research Tools for You

The best keyword research tool will depend on your needs, budget, and experience level.

Some beginner tools, including Google Keyword Planner and the newly launched Ubersuggest, are going to give a very nice starting point by offering a user-friendly interface but still being beefy with features.

After that, when you are experienced in the subject and a little bent toward analysis, some premium tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush will really upgrade your game with their huge datasets and functionalities.

So, are you ready to embark on the keyword research adventure?

Go ahead and play with the tools I mentioned to get a feel for them. Best Keyword Research Tools

The fit of the right tool is irreplaceable when it comes to SEO, and it will help you learn what your traffic, engagement, and success are about in online presence. Enjoy your research!