I recommend Ahrefs for keyword research because it offers much more than just search volume. Its Keyword Explorer helps you understand keyword intent, competition levels, and related terms. It also provides insights into content gaps and SERP overviews, so you can see what’s already ranking and craft strategies to outperform competitors. Ahrefs is great for both beginners and advanced SEOs, offering data-driven insights in a user-friendly format, making it easy to align your content with search engines and user needs, not just focus on keywords.
Honestly, the best SEO tool I use for keyword research is Google itself. When you start typing a keyword into the search bar, you get instant suggestions, related searches, and that "People Also Ask" section. It's like Google is giving you a direct window into what real people are searching for and how they’re asking questions. This helps you understand not just the keywords, but the actual intent behind them—what problems people are trying to solve. No other tool can replicate that kind of real-time insight, straight from the source. Plus, when you look at the search results, you get a clear idea of what content works best for that keyword. You can see if Google is favoring videos, blog posts, or even those little snippets at the top (featured snippets). It’s a great way to understand how you need to structure your own content to rank well. Using Google in this way keeps you in sync with real-world trends and what’s currently performing, and that's something I love about it.
One of my go-to SEO tools for keyword research is Moz Pro. It provides invaluable insights into search volume, difficulty, and related terms for keywords—allowing me to identify high-potential keywords for clients. Through Moz Pro, I gained the data to determine “affordable landscaping Heber City” had 2,800 local monthly searches but only a keyword difficulty of 28. We optimized a local landscaping client's content and social media for this phrase. Their organic traffic grew over 30% in 6 months. Moz’s keyword gap analysis tool reveals terms your competitors rank for that you don’t, representing an opportunity to capture their traffic. For an HVAC client, the gap analysis found they weren’t targeting “emergency furnace repair Park City”. We optimized their site for this phrase, and it now accounts for 15% of their overall traffic. With the right keyword data, I’ve helped many small businesses in my area achieve and maintain high search rankings. For any local business, thorough keyword research is the foundation for an effective SEO strategy.
At ShipTheDeal, we swear by the KeywordMagic Tool for our keyword research. It's been instrumental in uncovering diverse keywords that reflect actual shopper trends, which is crucial for our deal comparison platform. The tool's intuitive interface and comprehensive database have helped us optimize our SEO strategy, resulting in a 30% increase in organic traffic last quarter. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with our other SEO tools, making our workflow smoother and more efficient.
I use Screaming Frog SEO Spider as a keyword research tool. While it’s mainly known for crawling, its keyword extraction and analysis features are incredibly useful. When I crawl a website, I get a detailed list of keywords used on the pages, showing their frequency and placement. This helps me understand the current keyword strategy and spot areas that need improvement. I also like its integration with Google Analytics and Search Console. This lets me combine keyword data with real search performance metrics, giving me a clearer view of how users engage with the website. It might not have the extensive keyword suggestions that some other tools do, but the depth of analysis it offers is unmatched. It consistently helps me make informed decisions about keyword targeting and optimization, leading to better results for my projects.
Ubersuggest is a great choice for a couple of reasons. For starters, it's got once-off lifetime plans, and costs significantly less than competitors. It also suggests keywords your site is realistically likely to rank for, and allows global searches (as opposed to searching within a specific country) Lastly, it only pulls through organic traffic for keywords, which gives you a much more realistic idea of how many people are searching for something, and what you can expect in terms of purely organic traffic.
I break down keyword strategy into two key components: high-volume, high-intent keywords and low-volume, low-intent keywords. For high-volume, high-intent keywords, I utilize tools like Reddit and Google Trends to identify customer queries and trending topics. This allows me to find relevant questions and group them into a single, comprehensive blog post to capture broader interest. For low-volume, low-intent keywords, I rely on Ahrefs to uncover niche opportunities that may drive more targeted traffic. In addition, I perform a keyword gap analysis to identify keywords where competitors aren't ranking well, providing opportunities to capture untapped market share. This approach ensures a well-rounded strategy that targets both high visibility and niche audiences.
To be honest, the best keyword research SEO tool I have found so far is AlsoAsked. It’s really useful, because it allows you to go straight to the "People Also Ask" question that pop up around your headline keyword. It’s really important because you’ll be able to see exactly what people are interested in and then you can create a post or a page about it or even have a FAQ section where you expand on your content. AlsoAsked is sort of a freemium service which is cool. You receive a few free searches per day, which is good for small use and just starting out. But if you want to do more extensive research, you can always buy more credits. I definitely recommend trying if you are interested in broadening your scope and getting straight to the heart of what your audience needs.
One of the best SEO tools for keyword research is Google Keyword Planner. I recommend it because it offers reliable data directly from Google, allowing users to discover relevant keywords, search volumes, and competition levels. This tool is particularly useful for planning PPC campaigns and optimising content for organic search. Another powerful tool is SEMRUSH. I recommend SEMRUSH for its comprehensive features that go beyond keyword research. It provides insights into competitor keywords, backlink analysis, and site audits, making it an all-in-one SEO solution. The Keyword Magic Tool within SEMrush helps users find long-tail keywords and related phrases, offering valuable suggestions based on search intent. Together, Google Keyword Planner and SEMRUSH provide a well-rounded approach to keyword research, enabling users to optimise their SEO strategies effectively.
Ahrefs is a top choice for keyword research. It stands out because of its comprehensive data and intuitive interface. Here's why I recommend it: 1. Accurate search volume and keyword difficulty scores – You get a realistic idea of how tough it’ll be to rank for a keyword. 2. Extensive backlink data – Ahrefs is unmatched in backlink analysis, which ties into keyword strategy since links impact rankings. 3. Content gap analysis – It helps identify keyword opportunities your competitors are ranking for, but you’re missing. 4. SERP overview – You can see exactly who’s ranking and why, which helps shape your content strategy. It's user-friendly, but packed with pro-level features. Definitely a solid choice for keyword research.
As the founder of Magnetik, a digital marketing agency, I highly recommend SEMrush for keyword research. It provides data on search volume, difficulty, and trends for any keyword, allowing me to identify high-potential terms for clients. For example, one ecommerce client wanted to increase traffic for their camping gear. SEMrush showed "camping equipment" received 18K searches/month but had a high difficulty score. The related term "camping supplies", however, got 12K searches and a lower difficulty. We optimized for "camping supplies" and traffic increased 35%. SEMrush also offers content gap analyses to reveal missing keywords competitors rank for. A healthcare client wanted to outrank competitors for service lines. The gap analysis found they lacked content for "physical therapy for back pain" and "occupational therapy for children". We created pages targeting these keywords, and their rankings improved significantly. For any business, thorough keyword research is key. By leveraging SEMrush's data and focusing on keywords with high potential and low difficulty, I've helped many clients achieve and maintain high organic rankings. Its insights shape strategies that connect companies to their audience.
Our entire agency uses Ahrefs for keyword research. One terrific new feature is the ability to look at any competitor's page in Ahrefs and see what exact changes were made to the page's content, and when. This is a powerful way to quickly diagnose how a page climbed or dropped in the rankings and identify potential enhancements to make to your own page to rank higher.
As the founder of Refresh Digital Strategy, I use SEMrush for thorough keyword research. It provides valuable insights into search volume, competition, and related keywords—allowing me to identify high-potential terms for my clients. SEMrush also offers keyword difficulty scores to determine how hard it will be to rank for a given keyword. I focus on terms with decent search volume and low-to-medium difficulty, as these often yield the best results. For example, one client wanted to rank for "custom web design Phoenix". SEMrush showed this phrase received over 1,000 searches per month but had a difficulty score of only 43, so we incorporated it into their content and metadata. Another useful feature is SEMrush's keyword gap analysis. This reveals keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t, representing an opportunity to capture some of their traffic. For a consultant client, the gap analysis found they weren’t targeting “digital marketing agency Phoenix”. We optimized their site for this phrase, and it now drives 15% of their organic traffic. SEMrush provides a wealth of data to shape an effective SEO strategy. By leveraging its insights and focusing on keywords with high potential and low difficulty, I’ve helped many clients achieve and maintain high search rankings. For any business, thorough keyword research is the foundation of a successful SEO campaign.
At Globemonitor, Ahrefs is the go-to tool for keyword research. Its comprehensive data and deep insights into keyword performance are unmatched, especially when analyzing competitive landscapes and uncovering keyword opportunities that truly matter. One key reason I rely on Ahrefs is its accuracy in reporting search volume, keyword difficulty, and click-through rates, allowing us to target high-value keywords that drive traffic and conversions. Ahrefs also provides valuable insights into backlink profiles and content gaps, which enhances our overall SEO strategy. I recommend Ahrefs for its robust features, intuitive interface, and its ability to uncover actionable data that improves search visibility and content relevance across industries.
The best SEO tool I use for keyword research is SEMrush. I recommend it for its comprehensive data and versatile features. SEMrush provides in-depth keyword analysis, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and SERP features. Its Keyword Magic Tool has been particularly effective in uncovering long-tail keywords with high potential but low competition. For instance, when working on an e-commerce client's content strategy, SEMrush helped us identify niche product-related keywords that competitors had overlooked. This led to a big increase in organic traffic within three months. The tool's ability to analyze competitor keywords and backlinks also gives us valuable insights for developing competitive strategies.
As the founder of an AI-driven hotel marketing company, I rely heavily on keyword research to determine the best terms to target in campaigns for my clients. Personally, I recommend SEMrush for in-depth keyword analysis. SEMrush provides data on search volume, difficulty, and related keywords for any phrase. I leverage this to uncover high-potential keywords with decent search volume but low difficulty, as these often generate the best results for hotels. For a beachfront resort, SEMrush found the phrase "romantic oceanfront getaways" received over 2,000 monthly searches but had a low difficulty score. We incorporated this into their marketing, and it now drives 15% of their direct bookings. SEMrush also identifies related long-tail keywords, which can represent an opportunity to capture additional qualified traffic. For a ski lodge, related keywords included "cozy mountain cabins for couples" and "secluded winter weekend escapes." Optimizing for these phrases boosted their organic traffic by 14% in just 2 months. SEMrush arms me with the insights to develop data-driven marketing strategies that consistently boost clients’ direct bookings and revenues. For any hotel, in-depth keyword research is essential to connect with potential guests searching online. SEMrush is my tool of choice for gaining a competitive advantage in this area.
The best SEO tool for keyword research is Semrush, hands down. In my experience Semrush provides the most powerful yet user-friendly toolkit for discovering new keyword opportunities and analyzing the keyword landscape. One of the aspects of Semrush I love is how many robust keyword research tools it offers in one platform. For instance, the Keyword Magic Tool enables you to quickly build out comprehensive, targeted keyword lists by exploring related long-tail keywords and subtopics. You can apply advanced filters to fine-tune the results, like search volume, difficulty, CPC, and more. This helps you identify viable focus keywords to pursue as well as useful related keywords to optimize for. Pair the Keyword Magic output with the Topic Research tool. It provides helpful headline and question suggestions that you can use to create content that really resonates with searchers. I'd be lost without this tool when it comes to content planning and ideation. Semrush also makes competitor keyword research simple. You can easily analyze competitors' organic and paid keywords to find opportunities they may be missing. The data is extremely detailed, down to monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, and so much more. Or you could simply find pages on competitors' sites that are missing the mark with matching intent of the searcher in Google. Overall Semrush offers the most powerful and flexible keyword research capabilities to fit any need. The amount of data available combined with newly integrated smart AI-powered tools like Copilot make it my go-to recommendation for both new and advanced keyword researchers. The platform is quite intuitive too - so even if you're new to SEO, you can get the hang of it quickly and they have quite an extensive and easy-to-understand knowledge base.
At our agency, we create content for clients in a wide range of industries. In the past, we've used Ahrefs, Semrush, Surfer SEO, SE Ranking, and Search Atlas. Ultimately, for my work, I've always found myself returning to Ahrefs. We're in a smaller town, which means that our clients generally don't have high-authority domains. To get them ranking, we start by identifying high-value, low-difficulty topics. So, the first thing I do is brainstorm a general concept. For example, 'dental implants.' I then do a Google search to discover common questions about that concept. In this case, 'What are dental implants?' 'Are dental implants safe?' and 'How long do dental implants last?' I then plug all of those into Ahrefs' Keyword Explorer tool. Next, I click on 'Related terms' and restrict the output to keywords with a difficulty rating less than 10. I then sort by search volume, highest to lowest, and select a long-tail keyword that seems achievable. But, at that stage, I'm not quite done yet, as I want to identify keyword clusters to add variety to my content. Let's say that I selected 'reasons not to get dental implants,' which has a difficulty of 0 and a monthly volume of 1,400. I then click to see more details on that specific keyword. By scrolling down, I can see the SERP overview, which lists all of the results in the top ten. Looking at the top result, '9 Reasons Not To Get Dental Implants And Why' by Chesterfield Dentistry, I see that their post ranks for 131 keywords. So, lastly, by expanding that post's details, I can discover another 10-20 keyword variations that need to be included in my content, which gives me a really good starting point and, in many cases, a solid map to guide my content creation.
In my experience, one of the best tools for keyword research is Ahrefs. It's an incredibly robust platform that offers detailed insights into keywords, backlinks, and general SEO health. Ahrefs provides a vast database of keywords with detailed metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, and click-through rates, which helps in identifying not only popular keywords but also those that have a realistic chance of ranking for. One of Ahrefs' standout features is its ability to analyze competitors, allowing you to see which keywords are driving traffic to competing sites and find opportunities where you can compete or fill gaps. Additionally, Ahrefs offers content suggestions based on the keywords you’re researching, which helps in brainstorming topics that are likely to perform well in search results. Although primarily used for keywords, Ahrefs also offers excellent backlink analysis. Understanding where competitors are getting their backlinks can guide your own link-building strategy. Despite its depth, Ahrefs is relatively easy to use, with intuitive dashboards and clear visualizations that make data analysis straightforward. In short, Ahrefs is a tool I find invaluable for its depth and reliability. Whether you’re an SEO veteran or just starting, its comprehensive features make it a go-to resource for building a solid keyword strategy.
When it comes to keyword research, my go-to tool is Semrush. I recommend it because it offers a comprehensive suite of features that are incredibly user-friendly. With its Keyword Magic Tool, I can easily identify high-volume keywords, analyze their difficulty, and explore related terms. The accuracy of its search volume data is impressive, which is crucial for crafting effective content strategies. What I love most about Semrush is its ability to provide insights into competitors' keywords, allowing me to see what’s working for them and identify gaps in my own strategy. This competitive analysis helps me stay ahead in the game. Overall, Semrush is a powerhouse for anyone serious about SEO, making it my top recommendation for keyword research!