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In this article, we shall be covering all the best free keyword research tools that are actually beneficial for discovering the right keywords to reach out to a bigger audience.

There are literally hundreds of tools available for keyword research, ranging from those targeted toward beginners to those with extremely high levels of expertise. They also range from being quite simplistic and useless to be extremely beneficial.

The finest keyword research tools can help you discover the ideal keywords to target and provide you with the information you need to rank for them, which may streamline and simplify your workflow. They should not, however, force you to sell your firstborn child and empty your bank account in order to have access to that information.

After years of dealing with a variety of customers that use various tools for keyword research and Effective SEO, I’ve seen the best (and worst) of them, and I understand how critical it is to select the correct keyword planner tool. To assist, I looked at over 60 free keyword research tools. Following extensive testing, here are the six greatest, including all-around greats and programs designed for more particular use cases.

The best free keywords research tools

Moz Keyword Explorer is the greatest free SEO keyword research tool all-around.
QuestionDB can help you locate keywords that are related to questions.
Google Keyword Planner may be used to find sponsored keywords.
Semrush is designed for experienced SEO specialists.
Jaaxy is best for the use of Affiliate marketing.
Keyword Surfer is a browser add-on for free SEO keyword research.

What features make the best keywords research tools

free keyword research tools — Best features

The features that create a superb keyword research tool are simple: you search for a term, and the program tells you about it. But because there are so many various ways of using keyword data, I wanted to find tools that could cover a wide range of use cases, as well as a few that were expressly designed for some of the most typical keyword research objectives.

During testing, I focused on the following characteristics to decide which applications made our initial list.

Included data: The top keyword research tools provide you with all the information required to rank for the term of your choice. Each of the applications we picked offers, at the very least, traffic, keyword difficulty, and competitive SERP analysis.
Sources of data: Considering where the information in each keyword research tool comes from was a crucial step for us because you should be able to trust that it is clear of biases and inaccuracies. Every tool on our list imports data from Google Analytics or Google Search Console.
Guidance on keyword optimization: To utilize keyword research tools, you shouldn’t need to be a 10-year SEO industry veteran—the finest tools provide easy, uncomplicated ideas for optimizing for your keywords. There are tools (like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz) that run a thorough SEO analysis on your website, looking at anything from domain authority and subject clusters to site performance and technical information. This isn’t what we’re after here. We’re seeking for tools that every business owner or marketer can utilize to rapidly understand and improve their site for their target keyword.
Free plan upgrades and allowances: Some tools label their “free plan” as having extremely limited outcomes. Or they limit the period of the free plan, thereby transforming it into a trial. Only tools with perpetual free plans that are both generous enough to be really useful and reasonably priced when it comes time to upgrade were considered.

To discover the best of the best, I put every tool that checked those boxes through an extensive methodology. My testing process looked like this:

If necessary, I made an account and followed any onboarding or guided instructions supplied (many of these free applications do not need account setup or provide any introduction).
I searched for a variety of terms, such as “free keyword research tools,” “chocolate cake,” and “best white shoes,” to observe how the results varied depending on the search intent.
I looked to see what relevant terms, metrics, and other information were available I also highlighted the source of the information, such as whether it originated from Google, non-search engine websites (such as social media or forums), or the tool’s own data.
I checked the free plan’s allowances (such as time, results, metrics, searches per day or month, or other restrictions) and the price to upgrade to a paid plan if necessary.
I experimented with other keyword research tools as they were available, including functions for content optimization and competitive gap analysis.

After experimenting with various tools for over 15 hours, I settled on the six tools listed below, each of which has a manageable free version.

Best Free Keywords Research Tools available in 2022

1. Moz Keyword Explorer (Web)

Moz’s SEO platform includes a number of tools for keyword research. While Moz does not provide as many data points as some other full-featured SEO tools, such as SERP position history or the total amount of keywords a competing result ranks for, it does provide a wealth of information, we believe this to be an advantage. It provides a less confusing user experience for individuals who aren’t skilled search marketers while not sacrificing the data you truly care about.

You may use the Term Explorer tool to look up any keyword and examine its monthly traffic, difficulty, and organic click-through rate (CTR). Scroll down to get an overview of the current results ranking for it, as well as keyword ideas.

My favorite feature: Moz’s “Priority” score, which informs you whether a term is worth pursuing, simplifies keyword research. In addition to your “My Score”—a measure you select yourself, marking how significant a certain term is to your company, based on your personal knowledge and experience of your business and industry—Moz automatically finds the score based on the keywords’ volume, organic CTR, and difficulty.

Furthermore, the Competitive Research tool’s new Keyword Gap feature allows you to find all of the terms for which your competitors rank but you do not.

Moz Pricing

Keyword research capabilities are free for up to 10 queries per tool each month, with a maximum of 1,000 keyword recommendations and SERP analysis per inquiry. Moz Pro subscriptions begin at $99 per month for 150 keyword searches.

2. QuestionDB (Web)

QuestionDB is one of the most basic tools I tried. As the name implies, you enter a keyword or general topic into the tool, and it returns a list of relevant questions others have asked online.

The source is what distinguishes QuestionDB. While numerous tools will display you question-based keywords from Google or Bing, QuestionDB collects questions from all over the web, including Reddit, Quora, and Stack Exchange—all of which are gold mines of questions.

For instance, you might look for “keyword research” as a topic. You can observe how, why, and where people are talking about the subject by using QuestionDB to search the web for frequent questions people are asking about keyword research. You may generate content ideas, conduct research on a topic outside of the Google search box, and learn more about the context in which you should present it.

QuestionDB Pricing

Pricing for QuestionDB is free for up to 50 results for each search; the Pro plan, which costs $15 per month, includes all results for up to 500 searches.

3. Google keyword Planner (Web)

Google Keyword Planner is one of the most powerful tools for PPC keyword research. It’s absolutely free (even if you don’t use Google Ads), so there’s no need to worry about hitting restrictions or paying for pricey upgrades.

Google Keyword Planner has two major functions: one for exploratory keyword discovery and research and the other for more in-depth study on search traffic and forecasts.

The “Keyword ideas” function, like many of the tools on this list, searches for a seed phrase and then provides further keyword suggestions, as well as statistics on monthly search traffic, change over time, competition, ad impression share, and bid ranges. Filter your keyword list by brand or generic phrases, source website, and more. If you also utilize Google Ads, the “Forecast” option makes it easier to budget and plan properly for your sponsored adverts.

Keyword Planner may help you with your organic approach by revealing places where ranking organically may help you save money on PPC.

Google Keyword Planner Pricing

It is completely free.

4. Semrush (Web)

If you want something more complex, Semrush provides a wealth of keyword data and makes it simple to go into the specifics, such as SERP features (featured snippets, reviews, site links, picture packs, and so on) and comprehensive analysis of current results. Semrush also provides a comprehensive set of keyword research tools, ranging from traditional traffic and search volume analytics to content-driven keyword research and competitive keyword gap analysis.

This range, which includes the typical Keyword Overview, the Keyword Amazing Tool for interdisciplinary keyword research, a Keyword Manager and position tracking, competitive Keyword Gap analysis, and Organic Traffic Insights—which, when connected to your Google Analytics or Search Console account, can reveal those notoriously tricky “not provided” keywords—is what really sets Semrush apart.

The SEO Content Template tool is an extra advantage since it allows you to automatically construct a material briefly and optimize content as you write by measuring readability, originality, tone of voice, and SEO in real time. It accomplishes this by utilizing a handy bullseye image to assist you in striking the proper balance. Furthermore, the tool graphically validates SEO advice as you go, such as adding relevant links and pictures, as well as employing your objective and associated keywords.

Because of everything described above, upgrading will be costly; nevertheless, you can initially use it for free in modest quantities.

Semrush Pricing

The free plan offers up to 10 Analytics reports daily and 10 monitored keywords; premium subscriptions begin at $119.95/month and include up to 3,000 reports per day, 10,000 results in each report, and 250 keyword metrics updates each month.

5. Jaaxy (Web)

Jaaxy’s keyword research tool is simple: enter a keyword, subject, or URL, and the tool will return a list of related and suggested keywords, along with basic statistics on each (Consider the typical monthly search volume and traffic to the first page of results.).

What I loved best about Jaaxy is that it can assist you find affiliate programs to join and promote on your website. To get a list of affiliate programs from Commission Junction, Link Share, Digital River, and ClickBank, enter your keyword into the Affiliate Programs page. Jaaxy displays the mentioned commission as well as the Alexa Rank for each program and linked product page.

While Jaaxy’s free plan is one of the most limited I’ve seen, premium plans offer a reasonably priced starting point for anyone wishing to monetize their website through affiliate marketing.

Jaaxy Pricing

On the restricted Starter trial, the first 30 searches are free (with 20 results each), while paid plans begin at $49/month.

6. Keyword Surfer (Chrome)

Browser extensions allow you to perform keyword research without leaving the search engine results page. Surfer SEO’s Keyword Surfer, a Google Chrome addon, is independent of the entire SEO package and provides a restricted version of the platform for free.

After you’ve downloaded and enabled the extension, go to Google and search for your keyword as you normally would; you’ll see predicted search volume and CPC statistics appear in the search box as you enter. To view the same information, including the number of exact match keywords just on the page for each SERP listing, press enter.

The SERP data and relevant keywords are represented on the right side. To generate an article outline, click the Free AI Article Outline Generator link on the right. You’ll see a list of every keywords your content has to contain along with a recommended heading hierarchy. Even better, simply send a link to the outline.

If you choose the complete Surfer SEO tool, you’ll get access to the full Content Editor with an overall “Content Score,” recommendations for the number of headings, paragraphs, and photos to use, and free extensions for WordPress and Google Docs.

Keyword Surfer Pricing

The Chrome extension and Free AI Article Outline Generator are both free; premium Surfer SEO suite options begin at $49/month for the full content editor (with 10 articles per month), SERP analyzer, and other SEO capabilities.