Keyword research plays an important role in the Search Engine Optimization process, because it provides you with the foundation to make smart decisions about your content and how you want it to be presented in search engines like Google and Bing.
If you’re thinking about investing money in SEO services, it’s important to understand what goes into keyword research, so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not this type of marketing is right for your business or organization. Here are ten tools that will help you conduct effective keyword research for SEO.
1) Audiencequake: Keyword Research Tool
One of our personal favorites, Audiencequake gives you an overview of a bunch of websites that focus on your niche and can help you figure out what sort of things people are searching for in your area.
While there aren’t any keyword-specific features here, it can be helpful to get a glimpse into what sorts of searches go on in your niche.
Furthermore, Audiencequake is a keyword research tool that lets you type in multiple keywords and pull up statistics on each of them.
It’s helpful if you want to compare different words against one another to determine which are most popular with your target audience. You can use Audiencequake’s free version or get a professional plan for $10/month.
2) SEMrush: Amazing Keyword Research Tool
Semrush is one of my favorite keyword research tools. It has a ton of features, but their competitive keyword tool is by far my favorite. This tool allows you to search for your competitors’ keywords and then figure out what keywords you can rank for as well based on their domain authority.
You also can see how many backlinks you’d have to get to rank where they do and if it would be worth it before using all your resources there.
The search volume tool works really well too! I love using SEMrush for competitor analysis, keyword research, and site audits. There are tons of other amazing tools that allow you to do an advanced audit on a website or piece of content so I won’t go into depth about these other ones here.
3) SpyFu
SpyFu is a great way to find out what keywords your competitors are ranking for and how much they are paying. This tool can also tell you how hard it would be to rank in certain areas based on your domain authority, which can help you decide if keyword targeting is worth it.
This site provides some of my favorite results because of its detail. You get to see exactly what each website is ranking for by doing a search within SpyFu’s database. You can even export all of these keywords into an Excel spreadsheet!
Hurrah! The best part about using SpyFu is that it’s free up to 10 searches per day! (For $7 per month or $47 per year, you will unlock unlimited searching.)
4) Ubersuggest: Neil Patel Keyword Tool
Ubersuggest is a new and free keyword research tool. Unlike many other keyword research tools, you don’t have to log in or register. Just type a keyword into Ubersuggest and get suggestions!
All with an easy-to-use web interface or downloadable Google Chrome extension. Ubersuggest is great because it not only gives you topic ideas but also tells you how competitive those topics are so that you can pick your niche accordingly!
Of course, if you need more information than just keywords and search volume, SEMrush is an excellent resource. Not only will you get great keyword ideas from their Keyword Magic Tool, but you’ll also get a wealth of information about your specific competition.
5) Wordstream’s Keyword Difficulty Tool: Best to Find Keyword Difficulty
Wondering how hard it will be to rank on a particular keyword? Wordstream’s free Keyword Difficulty Tool (KDT) makes it easy to find out.
Just type your keyword into KDT and you’ll see your overall competitiveness, suggested AdWords bid, top-ranking competitors, and SERP features.
You can even use KDT to compare up to 5 keywords at once! Each keyword gets its own tab within the tool, so there’s no need to switch back and forth between them.
Once you’ve identified your favorite keywords in KDT, you can use those as seed terms within WordStream Advisor our brand new keyword research tool designed specifically for local businesses.
6) Adwords Cost per Click: Recommended to check Keyword CPC
AdWords is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform created by Google. It is widely considered to be one of the most popular tools in search engine optimization. Whether you’re simply trying to get more views on your video or you’re looking to increase website traffic and leads, AdWords can provide an incredibly high ROI.
PPC advertisements are usually text ads that show up when users are searching for certain phrases related to your business. If someone clicks on an ad, they will be redirected to another page with information about whatever service or product you’re offering.
The cost of each click is set by Google and varies depending on what type of advertisement(s) you use; however, it typically ranges from $0.50-$1 per click but can fluctuate depending on how much competition there is within that specific industry.
7) How many searches are being done on your keyword? [Google’s Adwords]
The first thing you should do when conducting keyword research is to check how many people are searching for your product or service by using Google’s Adwords tool.
You simply type in your keywords, along with your location, and see how many searches are done every month. I recommend setting a minimum of 100 searches per month before considering a keyword marketable.
8) Google Trends: To Rank Fast on Google
While there are several free keyword research tools on Google, Google Trends is a great way to get more specific data. In fact, it’s one of our favorite research tools because it provides real-time information on how specific keywords are trending (up or down) and whether they’re seasonal or not.
You can also compare search volume over time by using the graph at default settings. That feature comes in handy when you use relative terms like more or less, so you can see if an increase in searches has been consistent over multiple months instead of just one.
9) Long Tail Pro: Best to use for SEO
This tool is different than other tools out there because it is specifically designed for researching keywords as they relate to your website and/or business. This keyword research tool will tell you specifically what people are searching for that relates directly to your business.
The nice thing about Long Tail Pro is that it gives you relatively accurate search numbers in terms of how many searches are made each month, in aggregate, across all Google platforms. It also allows you a peek at how your competitors are targeting these keywords.
For example, I own a wellness coaching business that helps clients improve their health naturally. If I enter my competitor’s name into Long Tail Pro and look at one of their client’s websites, I can see keywords they’re ranking for (even ones that aren’t posted on their website) by using a long-tail pro.
10) Keyword Shitter
This free tool, created by Glen Allsopp, helps you generate hundreds of long-tail keywords from a single seed keyword. It accomplishes this task in two steps: it generates keyword ideas based on a seed keyword and then outputs related keywords that are grouped into seven levels of competition (such as highly competitive and low competition).
Basically, if you want more keyword options than just 10 or so this is your go-to tool. Just enter your seed keyword and let it go.
Conclusion
All of these tools are well worth using, but I personally like Google AdWords' Keyword Planner best. It's extremely thorough, and since it comes from Google, you know that there's no hidden agenda behind its recommendations.
However, because of its comprehensive nature (it provides both local and global results), it takes longer than most tools to generate keyword ideas.
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