17 of the Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2022 (Updated) (2024)

Wondering what the best free keyword research tools for SEO in 2022? While many consider premium SEO keyword tools as the best in the market, several free keyword software apps work incredibly well.

Therefore, if you’re looking for top keyword research software tools and do not have the budget for premium tools, I will help you find some of the best research tools to boost your SEO strategy.

Every successful SEO campaign starts with an effective keyword research process. Without keywords, your SEO strategy can be a hit and miss game. Today, there are lots of free keyword research tools that can help you simplify the process.

*Sidenote* Free doesn’t always mean cheap.

Just because these keywords tools offer free access and SEO features don’t mean they’re not top-notch keywords tools.

Although some paid keyword research tools provide more benefits and keyword features, you’re good with most SEO tasks’ free features. If you want more SEO features and needs, consider upgrading to their paid plans.

17 of the Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2021 (Updated) - by @cybernaira #SEO #keywordresearch #tools Click To Tweet

17 of the Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2022 (Updated) (1)

Table of Contents

What are the best free keyword research tools for SEO?

Some keywords tools offer both free and paid features, while many are entirely free to use. In this post, I give you the best free keyword research tools you should consider giving a try. Please, find out the top SEO software apps for keyword research as I outline them below.

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1. Google Keywords Planner

Arguably, Google Keyword Planner is the most popular, reliable, and widely used best free keywords research tool for marketers of all sizes.

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or SEO professional, Google keyword planner is one of the top free SEO keyword research tools to try.

Though, from an SEO perspective, the Google keyword tool is built, putting advertisers first. If you want more keyword data, other keyword tools can give you more information.

However, one of my favorites features in the Google keyword planner (GKP) is the top of the page bid.

As an affiliate marketer, I use this feature to discover high paying affiliate products. If an advertiser can pay as much as $22 for a click, it shows the commercial intent behind that search query.

2. Keyword Surfer (keyword tools)

The Keyword Surfer for SEO is a free Chrome extension software that shows you the estimated worldwide and regional monthly search volumes for any search terms to enter into Google. The chrome extension free keyword tool provides insights for your query through the Google interface.

But at this point, you can only see the regional search volumes and the percentage in similarities for SEO ranking possibilities.

Hence, clicking the dropdown arrow will reveal all other regions in the tool’s database. From there, you can target your preferred location.

17 of the Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2022 (Updated) (2)However, if you scroll a little down, you will see the “Correlation charts” that shows the amount of search traffic your competitors’ drive to their websites for that particular keyword.

Furthermore, it reveals the word count for their pages and how many of the exact keywords they added within their content.

17 of the Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2022 (Updated) (3)This data is critical since it helps you understand how to outperform the competition and rank higher on SERPs.

3. Google Trend

If you write a lot on evergreen topics, you should use the Google Trends keyword tool regularly. It is because you need to know if a keyword is trending upward or taking a deep dive.

Google Trends helps you understand the popularity between keywords over-time to make the best marketing decisions.

If your business services or products are seasonal, for example, you can use Google Trends to identify the best time to prepare your content creation, promotion, and marketing strategies.

To learn more about Google Trends and how to make the best use of it, read “How to Use Google Trends to Create SEO-friendly Content That Converts.”

4. Seosout research tool for SEO

SEOScout is, by far, one of the most straightforward free keyword research tools around. You start by inputting your seed keywords and select your match type.

You can experiment with the broad, phrase, or exact match type to see the one that provides you with the best possible long-tail keyword variations.

After that, click on the red generate button at the top right of the page to create a list of long-tail keywords.It presents research results based on three parameters:

  1. Categories
  2. Groups
  3. Text list

The basic idea behind keyword In is to generate as many long-tail keywords as possible. Though, at first, you might find this free keyword tool a bit confusing. But as you use it more frequently, you will learn how it works.

5. Soolve (Keyword everywhere)

Soolve, one of the best keyword tools, is a simple and straightforward free keyword research tool to use. For example, if you’re optimizing one of the search engines below, such as Yahoo web search, you should consider giving the software a try.

  • Yahoo searches or Yahoo search engine
  • Bing search engine / Bing searches
  • Google web searches
  • YouTube search engine / YouTube searches
  • Amazon searches / Amazon search engine
  • Wikipedia search engine

This free keyword research tool takes after Google autocomplete to bring you a list of long-tail keywords to optimize your content.

As you type in your base keyword, the software provides auto-complete suggestions from various sources, including Wikipedia searches.

Soolve is best for experimenting with different keywords that you can further work on to pick the best for your content marketing and SEO best practices.

Therefore, if you’re looking for a simple yet efficient keyword research tool, Soolve is one of the best keyword research tools for your SEO campaign.

6. Google Search Console.

Don’t be surprised. Of course, the Google search console is not your standard keyword research tool. But if you want to know what keyword is bringing you organic search traffic, keyword position, impression, and more, there is no better free keyword research tool than Google search console (GSC).

Go to the search console on your Chrome browser and choose the website property you want to analyze its search queries from the dropdown menu on your browser’s top-left corner.

17 of the Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2022 (Updated) (4)

From there, you’ll see a list of your top-performing search queries, keyword impressions, and the top-ranked pages on your website. This process is useful if you’re looking to optimize a page on your website to rank better in organic search results.

If you're looking for top #SEO keyword research software apps and do not have the budget for premium, these 17 result-driven free research tools will make your day - by @cybernaira #keywordreseach #tools Click To Tweet

7. WordTracker Scout.

Competitor analysis is one of the best SEO strategies proven to be useful for uncovering hidden or unknown marketing ideas.

WordTracker Scout helps you spy on your competitor’s page to dig out keywords your competitor used to optimize his web page.

Many keyword research tools provide a list of in-depth keyword ideas, but WordTracker scout enables you to find already proven keyword terms you can quickly write content around.

It is a Google Chrome extension that you install on your browser. After installation, visit any webpage you want to uncover keyword data from and click on the “W” icon on your chrome bar.

Give it a few minutes for the tool to dig through the web page and provide a list of keywords found on the page.

WordTracker is a high-power free keyword research tool you should start using. I mean this!

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8. KeywordTool.io

KeywordTool.io is a free keyword tool you can use even without creating an account on the website. It uses Google autocomplete features to provide you with a list of relevant keyword ideas.

One of the useful features of KeywordTool.io is in the long tail keyword it generates. Type in your seed keywords, and the tool will create a list of two, three, or four-word keywords.

You can filter your search limit to a particular country, search engines, and even preferred locality. It is a useful content marketing tool for SEO.

For example, when I search for blogging and Cyprus as my target country, I can also select the target locality for more targeted keyword phrases.

17 of the Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2022 (Updated) (5)

If you do international SEO or have your business in other countries, this keyword functionality might be a bonus for you.

9. Bulk Keyword Generator

For example, if you run a local company or local business, the Bulk Keyword Generator tool for SEO is what you need.

Though the result you get is not more particular than what other keyword tools provide, it gives you quick and easy access to what you need. So, start by choosing your business category from the dropdown menu on the front page.

From there, select your business service type. After that, enter your location in the empty box and click on the generate button underneath.

The tool will present a list of your target keyword ideas. You can enter multiple locations in the box as your business requires. Finally, you get a list of keyword ideas for optimizing your business.

10. QuestionDB

Admittedly, Questiondb is not your typical keywords research tool but a reliable keyword tool for marketers and content publishers.

If you want to generate content ideas from questions people ask in relevant online communities, give Questiondb a try.

It works differently from most keyword tools. You start by typing your seed keyword into the search bar on the homepage and click on the generate button. For an experiment, I typed in “blogging” as my seed keyword and hit the generate button.

Here is a list of keyword ideas, the tool return, and the sources.

If you focus your content on a particular online community, you will find Questiondb very useful to your SEO strategy.

The excellent use of it is in knowing what’s already popular in an online marketplace. Then you can create content around that topic and promote it to relevant audiences.

11. Answer The Public.

Like Questiondb, Answer The Public is a free keyword research tool design with content creators in mind. This simple yet powerful tool digs through Google keyword data to discover what people ask about in your niche.

Answer The public has both a free and paid plan. The open layout is ideal enough for doing basic keyword research. Thus, if you write slowly on “How-to” articles, comparison articles, and things like that, consider using Answer The Public.

The software breaks your search into five categories, such as:

  1. Questions.
  2. Prepositions.
  3. Comparison.
  4. Alphabetical.
  5. Related searches.

With the seed keyword “blogging,” the keyword tool returns a list of searches and related keywords below. Lots more keyword information is available on the page when you use it.

What are the best free keyword research tools for SEO? Consider these 17 hand-picked SEO software tools - by @cybernaira #SEO #research #tools Click To Tweet

12. Moz Keyword Explorer.

Moz keyword explorer is one of the underutilized keyword tools. With a Moz free account, you can only do ten search queries per month.

Like Ubersuggest, Moz keyword explorer provides more keyword data for your blog content. It provides insight into the top rank pages for your target keyword.

This keyword hack can be useful when evaluating the success of your content in organic search ranking. Though, the top rank data provided by Moz may not always be accurate. For the search queries “blogging,” these are the top three rank pages in Moz Keyword Explorer:

However, running the same search query in Google search returns a different top three spot. The first position in Moz ranked in the 4th spot on Google.

But First Site Guide maintains its 2nd position in both Google and Moz search data. So, it is an excellent idea to test and compare your keyword data from multiple keyword tools.

17 of the Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2022 (Updated) (6)

13. WordStream Keyword Tool.

If you run PPC ads, you need the WordStream Keyword Tool for optimizing your ad campaigns. Developers designed this free keyword analyzer tool with PPC (pay-per-click) advertisers in mind.

Mostly, if you run advertising campaigns on either Google or Bing, the PPC keyword tool might be useful to you. However, you’re limited to the first free 30 searches in the open plan.

WordStream works similarly to the Google keyword planner. You enter your head keyword, select your industry and location, and get a list of relevant keywords.

You can have all the keyword data emailed to your inbox by clicking on the “email all my keywords” button at the top of the page. Consequently, WordStream can be a reliable and useful keyword tool for advertisers if utilized to the fullest.

14. Rank Tracker

If you’re looking for a free to use all-in-one keyword research tool, the Rank Tracker is the go-to tool. The Rank tracker has it all, from keyword research, keyword analysis, related keywords to keyword tracking.

Nonetheless, this free keyword research tool has a paid option. But the 100% forever open plan is enough for most keyword research tasks.

Rank tracker is one of the most complete and useful keyword tools on the internet today. The SEO software for keyword research has lots more keyword analytic features than many paid tools on the list.

It pulls its keyword data from many sources to bring you a gem of the most relevant keyword list. Rank tracker uses more than 20 keyword research methods, but only a few keyword tools can compare.

There is so much to Rank tracker that makes it a powerful research tool for SEO keywords. You can read more about Rank Tracker’s complete set in this post and download the free version from there.

15. Google Free Keyword Research Tools

Google Search is the most advanced and powerful SEO tool for keyword research on the planet. The search engine is your one-stop keyword research tool─100% free.

Google understands the purpose and intent behind a search query more than any other keyword tool, and there are many ways to use Google as a keyword software.

As you enter your seed keyword, Google autocompletes feature generates a list of ideas you can tap. But it doesn’t end there. The “people also ask” section on the search result page is a great feature to uncover other relevant keyword ideas.

So, as you scroll the page, you discover more of “people also ask” keyword ideas you can tap. You can further use this information to expand your keyword data. These are keyword suggestions you may not have thought of or discover otherwise.

And the good thing is that these are relevant questions people in your niche ask to find answers. Google search also has a filtering search setting to fine-tune your search criteria to meet your requirements.

16. Serpstat (free keyword research tools)

Serpstat is another fantastic keyword research tool for SEO that should be in your digital marketing toolbox. Why? Because the software offers a comprehensive analysis of your keyword search terms.

And like other top SEO tools, Serpstat shows you search volume for your keyword, competitive percentage, keyword difficulty (KWD), and more.

The free keyword research tool also provides you a graph of your top competitors, their best ranking pages for the keyword, and how many of those search terms they have on each page.

Moreover, notice that the SEO research software has specialized tools for various types of SEO research. However, to get a more detailed analysis, you should upgrade to premium.

17 of the Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2022 (Updated) (7)

The premium features let you perform thousands of daily search queries with more detailed analytics reports.

17. Whatsmyserp (WMS everywhere)

Whatsmyserp, also known as WMS Everywhere, is a browser extension that helps discover lucrative related keywords to improve your SEO campaign. Keyword Surfer uses a Google search interface and shows you related search terms for your keyword.

Source image: WMS Everywhere

All you do is download the extension and sign up. After that, enter your search term in Google, and WMS will appear on the right-hand side of Google SERP. It pulls a list of relevant keywords you can use to improve your content marketing SEO.

And like Google, the tools will show you more related keywords in the “People also search for” section. From there, you can export or download to CSV.

17 of the Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2022 (Updated) (8)

Wrapping Up the Best Free Keyword Research Tools for

The fact most of these free keyword research tools offer free access doesn’t take away the value. If you’re starting as a beginner blogger or content writer, these tools are enough to help you learn more about keyword research and scale your business blog quickly.

As you grow your business, you can then move on to something advanced with more in-depth keyword data and information. Do you have other top-notch keyword tools you can add to the list above? Please, bring it on!

Related

17 of the Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2022 (Updated) (2024)

FAQs

Which is the best tool for keyword research for SEO in 2022? ›

The best free keyword research tool for advanced SEO

Semrush offers a broad range of keyword research tools, too, from the standard traffic and search volume data to content-driven keyword research and competitive keyword gap analysis.

What is the best free keyword research tool for SEO? ›

Free keyword research tools
  • QuestionDB.
  • Ahrefs Keyword Generator.
  • SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool.
  • Ubersuggest.
  • Moz Keyword Explorer.
  • Soovle.
  • Keyword Tool Dominator.
  • Google Trends.

How do I find free trending keywords? ›

You can use the free keyword finder tool to get keyword ideas including: Google Ads keywords – find high-volume, low-competition keywords that your competitors haven't discovered to use in your Google ad campaigns. Keywords for websites – find popular and niche keywords for your website at scale.

What is the best keyword research technique in SEO? ›

6 keyword research techniques for SEO success [Infographic]
  • Bulk keyword research.
  • Competitor keyword research.
  • Crowdsourcing keywords.
  • Long-tail keyword research.
  • Keyword ideas from SERPs.
  • Trending keywords.
May 5, 2022

Where can I find low competition keywords for free? ›

Use the Google Search bar to find keywords

The goal: find low competition keywords that are relevant to the product or page I'm trying to promote at that point in time. Once I find them, I write blog posts about these keywords and link back to the target pages from the blog posts.

Is there any SEO tool as good as Google keyword planner? ›

SE Ranking provides accurate SEO data and insights on keyword searches via Keyword Research tool, a comprehensive Google Keyword Planner alternative. Their keyword analysis tool has access to 3 billion keywords in 78 countries and is one of the largest keyword databases available.

Does Google have a keyword planner for free? ›

Keyword Planner helps you research keywords for your Search campaigns. You can use this free tool to discover new keywords related to your business and see estimates of the searches they receive and the cost to target them.

How can I find best keyword? ›

  1. Step 1: Make a list of important, relevant topics based on what you know about your business. ...
  2. Step 2: Fill in those topic buckets with keywords. ...
  3. Step 3: Understand How Intent Affects Keyword Research and Analyze Accordingly. ...
  4. Step 4: Research related search terms. ...
  5. Step 5: Use keyword research tools to your advantage.
Jan 7, 2022

How do I find my popular keywords? ›

One of the easiest ways to find trending keywords is to use Google's search autocomplete feature on their website. Start typing your search term(s). As you type, Google will report some popular searches based on what you've entered. Look for "head" keywords.

What free tool can be used to check what are some of the most popular keywords searched by users in your industry? ›

Google Trends

And, you can search and compare specific keywords in three quick steps: Type in your keyword in the search box at the top. Click compare, then type in your second keyword.

How do you do advanced keyword research? ›

In this guide, you'll learn five advanced keyword research tips for finding untapped keywords.
  1. Find newly published pages with traffic.
  2. Find competitors' low-competition topics.
  3. Find and expand on unique keyword ideas.
  4. Identify uncommon seeds.
  5. Find affiliate keywords at scale.
Sep 9, 2022

Where can I find Rankable keywords? ›

5 Creative Methods To Find Rankable Keywords
  1. Google's Related Search Suggestions And Predictions. ...
  2. Target Ranking Forum Content. ...
  3. Reworking Popular Facebook Group Content. ...
  4. Manufacturer And Company Sites. ...
  5. Ahrefs Top Pages Report.

Is Semrush keyword free? ›

Managing your Social Media for Free with Semrush Tools

Our whole Social Media toolkit is c-o-m-p-l-e-t-e-l-y free to use.

Is Semrush free? ›

You can use Semrush for free with limited functionality, or choose one of the three main plans: Pro, Guru, and Business.

How do I use Ahref for free? ›

Signing up here gives you access to Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT), our answer to the limitations of Google Search Console. It's completely free.
...
AWT lets you:
  1. Monitor your website's SEO health.
  2. Check for 100+ SEO issues.
  3. View all your backlinks.
  4. See all the keywords you rank for.
  5. Find internal linking opportunities.

Which Google tool is used for keyword research? ›

Keyword Tool uses Google autocomplete (which uses search behavior and data) to generate long-tail keyword suggestions for any term. Google autocomplete typically only gives you about five suggestions, but this tool shows you the hundreds of suggestions available.

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