SEO is a an important tactic to master if you want to rank highly on Google, read on to discover the best keyword research tools to improve SEO.
When it comes to SEO (search engine optimization), it’s highly recommended that all business website owners and admins place a strong focus on keyword research to better develop their strategies.
By analyzing the kind of search terms your target audience is currently entering, you’ll be able to make more informed choices when it comes to website SEO, leading to increased traffic and potentially sales.
You will of course require a keyword research tool to achieve this. And so, without further ado, let’s check out the best options out there:
1. SEMrush
One of the most popular and powerful all-in-one SEO suites around, SEMrush, which specialises in digital marketing, enables you to carry out keyword research in order to bolster website SEO.
Courtesy of the Keyword Overview tool, you can type in any keyword and receive full feedback on all there is to know, including monthly search volumes, and keyword popularity/trending status.
SEMrush also provides you with a list of similar keywords to be used, along with organic search results so you can gain further insight into how your competitors currently rank for that keyword.
Other nifty features include being able to view organic traffic metrics for your competitors (search terms, keyword data, etc), plus search engine rankings and traffic values.
Outside of SEMrush’s 7-day free trial, pricing is as follows:
- Pro (limited budget/freelancers) – from $119.95 p/m
- Guru (SEO agencies/SMBs) – from $229.95 p/m
- Business (eCommerce stores/agencies) – from $449.95 p/m
- Enterprise (extensive content strategies) – custom pricing
2. Ahrefs
A fierce rival of the aforementioned SEMrush, Ahrefs is one of the top players in the keyword research tool market, with the platform providing comprehensive reports for website owners, relying on clickstream data to offer unique click metrics.
By simply typing a keyword into Ahrefs’ search box, you’ll be presented with numerous suggestions of which can spark new ideas, making it possible to improve your SEO content strategy and pull in more traffic.
Just as with SEMrush, you’ll have access to competitive intelligence tools, enabling you to, for example, see which keywords your competitors are ranking for; if you are not ranking in those areas, you can then create purposed content to expand your reach.
Beyond Ahrefs’ 7-day trial for $7 (Lite), full plan pricing for SMBs, online marketers and freelancers, etc, is as follows:
- Standard – $179 p/m
- Advanced – $399 p/m
- Agency – $999 p/m
3. Long Tail Pro
As with many premium keyword tool platforms on the market, Long Tail Pro provides overview stats and reports detailing keyword data and metrics, with a heavy focus on competitive intelligence: how you stack up against rivals on search engine ranking pages (SERPs).
Long Tail Pro can be used to check out search engine top results for certain keywords, which can lead to a fuller understanding of where your content stands, and ranks, alongside that of your business rivals.
You can track keywords in order to monitor popular/trending queries, and also use Long Tail Pro to generate long-tail keywords – the latter can be mightily handy for websites selling niche products/services.
Beyond Long Tail Pro’s 7-day free trial (must be cancelled before week is through), model pricing is as follows:
- Starter Plan – $297 p/a
- Pro Plan – $537 p/a
- Power Plan – $694 p/a
4. Serpstat
Another recognized keyword research tool among website owners and digital marketers alike, Serpstat is one of the most affordable all-in-one SEO suites around, and enables you to easily view high-ranking Google results for keywords.
Serpstat offers many of the features you’d expect to find in a recognized premium platform, such as keyword research analysis, website analytics, SERPs analysis, rank tracking, website audit tools, plus more, making it a solid, all-round package.
Beyond Serpstat’s free 7-day trial version, pricing goes as follows:
- Lite (freelancers/SMBs) – $55 p/m
- Standard (established teams/marketers) – $119 p/m
- Advanced (big marketing agencies/teams) – $239 p/m
- Enterprise (industry leaders) – $399 p/m
5. Google Keyword Planner
While Google’s Keyword Planner tool was actually developed to be used with AdWords, the tech giant’s paid-ads scheme, you can still use the Keyword Planner to gain access to useful search query analytics and more to help bolster your website’s SEO.
This is a free platform, however, and is regarded as more of a nuts-and-bolts type, since it only offers basic features. On the plus side, the keyword data received does come directly from Google, and you don’t have to run a single active ad campaign to view that data.
In terms of pricing – as we already mentioned – you can expect to pay a grand total of nothing for this keyword research tool, with Google offering its popular platform to all users for free.
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