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The Best Keyword Research Tools for Gaining Actionable SEO Insights

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Oct 20, 2023

37 min read

Let’s cut to the chase: keyword research is and has always been one of the most crucial components of any SEO strategy. When SEO experts say that SEO starts with keyword research, they mean it.

To get the most out of keyword research, begin by choosing the right tool. There are tons of options that promise to skyrocket your SEO, but it will take more digging to find what’s truly best for you.

And we’re excited to help you find the perfect match.

We analyzed dozens of keyword suggestion tools on the market and rated them using six criteria (more on that later) to cut the list down to eight top-of-the-line solutions. Let’s review each one so you can choose the most suitable option for your business.

Which keyword research tools did we choose?

Let’s explore some top-notch keyword search tools for your SEO needs.

SE Ranking: This versatile SEO platform provides robust keyword research capabilities and one of the best SEO reporting tools. From its wide range of crucial keyword metrics, suggestions for untapped keywords, an in-depth SERP analysis to bulk analysis functionality, and its custom filtering options, you can find all you need for keyword research here.

Ahrefs: This platform is one of the most trusted SEO software suites available on the market today. It’s used for link building, competitor analysis, rank tracking, site audits, and, of course, in-depth keyword research.

Semrush: This reputable toolset offers the full range of SEO services. By using its rich combination of keyword research features, you’ll find more than just a list of valuable keywords. It also lets you discover their organic and advertising value, and identify your rivals’ keyword research strategies.

SpyFu: This tool specializes in keyword and competitive research. With access to 15+ years of historical data, SkyFu provides comprehensive insights on how both your strategies and your competitors’ have evolved over time. This helps you adjust new strategies accordingly.

SECockpit: As a comprehensive keyword research tool, SECockpit offers keyword suggestions from multiple sources like Google, YouTube, and Amazon. It’s known for being one of the fastest platforms for processing keyword data, saving its users hours of time.

Moz Pro: This outstanding platform offers a set of SEO tools, and is widely known for its flagship Keyword Explorer tool. Offering over 500 million keyword suggestions, Moz Pro is a great assistant for expanding your keyword list.

Mangools: This powerful SEO platform has one of the most user-friendly interfaces on the market. With over 50,000 supported locations and over 40 languages to choose from, people worldwide are using its keyword research tool to identify popular and relevant keywords for specified niches.

Google Keyword Planner: This free tool is primarily designed for PPC advertising, but you can also use it to discover and target new keywords, and look at their estimated search volumes and costs.

By the end of this article, you’ll have a 360-degree view of each tool’s capabilities, as well as their pros and cons. This will help you understand which options perfectly match your needs and expectations.

How we ranked each keyword research tool for you

To ensure impartiality, we evaluated each keyword research tool based on a wide range of essential criteria. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the factors we considered:

Crucial keyword metrics: An effective tool should provide all critical keyword data, including search volume, keyword difficulty, estimated traffic, and search intent.
Data accuracy and relevance: The best SEO keyword research tools not only provide a wealth of necessary data but also ensure a high level of accuracy for metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, traffic forecast, and so on.
Datasets in different regions: To complement their comprehensive keyword databases, keyword research tools should let users check keywords in different regions, countries, and even cities.
Variety of relevant keyword ideas: These tools should offer relevant keyword ideas in different forms, such as long-tail keywords and questions. They should also allow users to filter out stop words and irrelevant queries based on their goals, like search volume, keyword difficulty, and word count.
Convenience: The tool should have an intuitive and user-friendly interface for all skill levels.
Flexibility of pricing policy: To accommodate various budgets and usage requirements, the best keyword research tools for SEO should offer flexible pricing options, including different subscription tiers or customizable plans.

To help you find the most suitable keyword research tool, we created this comprehensive comparison table.

G2 rating

Capterra rating

TrustRadius rating

Minimum pricing plan cost

Size of keyword database

Number of supported locations

Categorized keyword recommendations

Global search volume

SERP analysis with all the essential metrics

Search engines available for keyword research

Bulk keyword analysis

Keyword gap analysis

Automated keyword intent identification

Additional SEO features available

Free Trial

G2 rating

4.8

4.5

4.6

4.4

4.6

–

Capterra rating

4.7

4.5

–

4.5

4.7

–

TrustRadius rating

8.9

8.7

8.8

8.1

–

8.1

–

Minimum pricing plan cost

$55/month

$99/month

$129.95/month

$39/month

$99/month

$29/year

free

Size of keyword database

4.7 billion keywords

20 billion keywords

25 billion keywords

No data available

1.25 billion keywords

2.5 billion keywords

No data available

Number of supported locations

190 countries

216 countries

142 countries

14 countries

No specific data available

52k locations including countries, cities, and DMA regions

All countries and territories except those subject to OFAC sanctions

Categorized keyword recommendations

Similar, related, questions-based, low search volume keywords

Matching terms, related terms, search suggestions

Related, question-based keywords, and keywords with broad/phrase/exact match

Similar, question-based, keywords, as well as keywords’ top-ranking domains/advertisers rank for

Keyword ideas from Google Ads, as well as Google Suggest Synonyms, Google Related Searches Synonyms, Amazon/Youtube Suggest Synonyms, and keyword ideas your competitors rank for

Keyword suggestions with all of the query terms, broader ideas, related topics, synonyms, keywords with similar results pages, and question-based keywords

Related keywords, autocomplete suggestions, and question-based search terms

Keyword suggestions with broad/phrase/exact match

Global search volume

SERP analysis with all the essential metrics

Search engines available for keyword research

Google

Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, Baidu, Yahoo, Daum, Naver, Seznam

Google

Google, Youtube, eBay, and Amazon

Google

Bulk keyword analysis

Keyword gap analysis

Automated keyword intent identification

Additional SEO features available

Rank tracking
Competitive analysis
Website audit
Backlink monitoring
On-page analysis
Local SEO
SEO reporting

Rank tracking
Site audit
SERP comparison
Competitors’ backlinks and keywords analysis

Competitor analysis
Website audit
Backlink analysis
Advertising tools

Competitive analysis

–

Rank tracking
Competitive analysis
Backlink monitoring
On-page analysis
Reporting

Rank tracking
SERP analysis
Backlink monitoring
Website audit

–

Free Trial

✅ 14 days

⛔

✅ 7 days

☑️ free version

✅ 7 days

✅ 30 days

☑️ free version

☑️ free tool

Visit website

1. SE Ranking

SE Ranking is a powerful platform designed for agency and in-house professionals. It offers a variety of features that allow users to quickly and effectively conduct advanced keyword research. Users can evaluate keyword competition, identify untapped keyword opportunities, and evaluate any given keyword under a comprehensive set of SEO metrics.

SE Ranking’s main keyword research features

With its Keyword Search Tool, you can conduct research in different languages and regions. This makes it possible to create content that speaks to diverse audiences.

Here is a look at database sizes for some of the countries SE Ranking serves:

USA: 659 million keywords
United Kingdom: 652 million keywords
Germany: 590 million keywords
Canada: 89 million keywords
Philippines: 36 million keywords
UAE: 26 million keywords

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! SE Ranking also provides global data and data for wider regions like Europe, Asia, and more. This makes it possible to adjust your keyword strategy based on the regions you’re most interested in.

By the way, this database is expandable. Just add your own keyword lists and request their addition to the dataset. This will give you access to all the keywords relevant to your niche.

For each term processed by the system, you’ll receive a wealth of valuable keyword data, including:

Difficulty Score: Quickly assess how challenging it is to rank for a specific keyword.
Search Volume: Stay informed about the present popularity of keywords and analyze their performance over time.
CPC and Paid Competition: Gauge each keyword’s cost per click and level of competition for paid advertising.
Global Volume: Gain insights into the global market by analyzing worldwide search volumes for chosen keywords.
Search Intent: Uncover the intent behind user queries to tailor your content to your target audience’s needs.
SERP Features: Discover the SERP features for specific keywords.

SE Ranking is constantly polishing its data processing algorithms to provide accurate keyword data that users can rely on. For example, it applies ungrouping techniques to better estimate search volume. Also, SE Ranking recently upgraded its traffic estimation algorithm, which now relies on an AI formula to deliver traffic data that better aligns with GSC metrics.

You can also leverage the tool’s Keyword Ideas section to find new keyword targetting opportunities. This section offers thousands of suggestions, all pulled from SE Ranking’s extensive database. It divides potential keyword opportunities into four main categories:

Similar keywords
Related keywords
Low search volume keywords
Question-based keywords

In this section, you can organize and save search queries in unique lists for later use. The tool’s keyword management feature allows you to save keywords for different regions in one spot. You can seamlessly add them to either the Content Editor (to generate new content) or the Rank Track (to keep an eye on your site’s positions).

To analyze dozens or even hundreds of keywords at once, you can use the tool’s bulk keyword analysis feature. Enter your keywords one by one or copy-paste them from a text editor and wait a few seconds for the system to analyze them. After the analysis, you’ll receive an in-depth report with detailed data on all your search queries.

To refine your keyword list, the tool offers various filters, including inclusion/exclusion criteria, and filters for search volume, word count, difficulty, search intent, competition, and so on.

The tool also provides insights on:

Which pages rank for your chosen keyword, including their traffic estimates, backlink count, and other crucial metrics.
Whether the rankings of the URL/domain have gone up or down during the selected period.
Historical performance of the most popular ads for the analyzed keyword.

SE Ranking's keyword research data overview

Other features that enhance keyword research and analysis

In addition to the main keyword research functionalities, SE Ranking offers more tools to help with keyword research. These include:

Keyword Grouper: This tool helps you create keyword clusters by identifying similar SERP results, saving time and eliminating possible mistakes. Its algorithm is super straightforward: when multiple search queries bring up the same pages in the SERPs, they’re added to the same cluster.
Competitor Research Tool: By equipping yourself with one of the best competitor analysis tools on the market, you can identify the keywords your competitors target in both organic and paid search. This might be useful for uncovering keyword opportunities you might have missed.
Position Tracking Tool: It is considered one of the best SEO rank tracker tools and is essential for monitoring your targeted keywords’ performance in SERPs. Rankings are updated daily.

Pros and cons

+ Robust keyword research capabilities: The tool stands out for its comprehensive range of vital SEO metrics, diverse keyword suggestions, SERP analysis, extensive database, and bulk analysis functionality.

+ All-in-one SEO solution: Regardless of your chosen pricing plan, you get access to a complete suite of SEO tools.

+ Great SEO agency software: The Agency Pack add-on offers white label reports containing a list of target keywords carefully selected by users for new client projects. It also offers manager seats to help team members use the tools simultaneously.

+ Cost-effective SEO tool: The tool offers an advanced set of SEO services while still being budget-friendly and accessible to most users.

– Cluttered UI: Most reports contain large amounts of data, which can be difficult to navigate at first.

– Lack of keyword data for Bing, Yahoo and Amazon: This tool only lets you perform keyword research for Google.

Pricing

The Keyword Research Tool is included in all SE Ranking subscription plans. The Essential plan suits freelancers and SEO newbies, while the Pro and Business plans (offering an unlimited number of analyzed projects and three or five manager seats) are better for in-house SEO teams and agencies with more complex needs.

Essential ($55/month) — Get 100 daily keyword reports and 60 lists in Keyword Manager per account.
Pro ($109/month) — Get 5,000 daily keyword reports, unlimited lists in Keyword Manager, and historical data for the past three months.
Business ($239/month) — Get 10,000 daily keyword reports, unlimited lists in Keyword Manager, and historical data for any available month.

If you opt for any of SE Ranking’s yearly subscription plans, you’ll get 20% off.

Verdict

SE Ranking provides some of the best SEO services, ranging from keyword research and competitive analysis to backlink monitoring and website audits.

For keyword research, SE Ranking helps you analyze keywords with essential SEO metrics, suggests unique keyword ideas, conducts bulk analysis, and provides convenient keyword management features. This tool delivers reliable data insights, continually polishing its data processing algorithms and updating databases to maximize each insight’s relevance.

Since each one of SE Ranking’s subscriptions offers a complete set of SEO tools, it’s possible to combine insights gained from the Keyword Research Tool with insights from other tools, including the Competitive Research Tool, On-Page SEO Checker, Website Audit, Backlink Monitoring Tool, and more.

2. Ahrefs Keywords Explorer

Ahrefs is a top-notch SEO software suite with over 13 years of experience in the industry. It has a wide range of tools to help you build high-quality links, perform comprehensive keyword research, analyze competitors, track rankings, and audit sites.

But for now, let’s focus on its keyword research capabilities.

Ahrefs Keywords Explorer’s main keyword research features

With a database of almost 20 billion keywords, Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer is a true top SEO keyword research tool. Today, it provides data for 216 countries and nine different search engines, including Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, Baidu, and more. This makes it a perfect option for online businesses across the whole world.

By entering your seed keyword into the tool, you’ll receive three different reports with keyword ideas. These are:

Matching terms: Keywords containing your target keyword or phrase.
Related terms: Keywords related to your seed keywords or phrases.
Search suggestions: “Autocomplete” suggestions for your target query.

For each keyword suggestion, the tool provides insights on estimated search volume, keyword difficulty, traffic potential, cost per click (CPC), and more.

The system also identifies the parent topic for each search term, which represents an entire branch of previously untapped seed keywords. This is especially useful for semantic SEO.

Here, you can apply custom filters to refine your results. For instance, you can filter out low-competition keywords with high search volume, creating a list of promising keywords for bringing new visitors to your website. Note that each time you apply a filter, a report will be deducted from your monthly allowance.

In the SERP Overview report, you’ll find top-performing webpages for a selected keyword, along with key SEO data like backlinks, organic traffic, and organic keywords—all in one place.

After collecting your desired search terms, you can organize them into separate lists for future use.