15 Best Free Keyword Research Tool Every Marketer Should Know In 2023

Trying to rank a content piece without the right keywords is like driving to a destination with your eyes closed. You will never be sure if you will get there or not. 

In-depth keyword research helps content marketers and SEO strategists use the right keywords to guide their content creation efforts in the right direction. 

In this blog, we will help you find the best keyword research tools that every marketer should know in 2023. 

What makes the best keyword research tool?

The best keyword research tools have one thing in common: they are all easy to use. In our search for the best ones, we have combed through the numerous keyword research tools out there and created a list of the easiest-to-use keyword research tools out there. 

The list below is a result of weeks of trial and testing of different tools to understand the quality of results they offer. During our search, we have focused on the following aspects of these tools to evaluate them:

• Ease of use
  The learning curve users have to go through in getting the most out of a tool. We use tools to save time and effort. Therefore, it is important that a keyword research tool is easy to use and takes less time to learn its features. 

• Quality of results
  The trustworthiness of the information provided by the keyword research tools. It is crucial that the tool we use provide accurate information that produces reliable results. This was one of the most important factors while evaluating the tools mentioned below. 

• Source of data for keyword results
  The credibility of the sources of data that tools use to come up with results. Most of the tools mentioned below use information from Google search algorithms, Reddit forums, and other dependable sources of the latest information.
• Cost-effectiveness
  While many of the tools are free, the ones with a subscription model are chosen based on the price-to-utility ratio of the tools. We tried our best to keep this a free tool list, but it turns out that use cases require a paid subscription for the best results. 

So without further ado, let’s get started. 

Keyword generator for blog ideas

Blogs are the building blocks of a top-ranked website. To do that, you must target the most sought-after topics by targeting the most commonly used search terms. Keyword research tools are a great way of identifying blog ideas based on search trends. 

Here are a few keyword generators for blog ideas that you can use: 

Topic cluster generator by Scalenut 

The Topic Cluster Generator by Scalenut is a marketer's best friend for all the right reasons. In just a few seconds, the tool gives users multiple lists of keyword clusters with their search volume. You just have to enter a seed keyword and select a target location to find the most searched keyword groups by your target audience. 

The Scalenut Topic Cluster Generator is a great tool for coming up with blog topics and planning content marketing campaigns. You can also use this tool to find keywords for individual blogs by repeating the process. 

Pricing:

• Growth: $79/month
• Pro: $149/month

Google search console 

The Google Search Console is a great way to keep track of how well your website is doing and look at the content you already have to find ranking opportunities. Users simply have to connect their website with Google Search Console, and it will start tracking various metrics of your website, such as indexed pages, the position of web pages on SERPs, and the search queries that show your web pages.

You can use Google Search Console’s ‘Performance’ tab to find the keywords you are ranking for and the ones you can rank for with just a little effort. 

You can finalize blog ideas for your content marketing campaign by looking at the information on this tab. 

Pricing: 

• Free

Keyword Surfer 

Keyword Surfer is another great tool for in-line keyword ideas when you're searching on Google. The tool is a Chrome extension that integrates itself with Google search and displays the best keywords for every Google search in a separate panel on the right side. 

The tool is a great resource for monthly search volumes. 

It shows the monthly search volume for your keyword and also some key SERP metrics for every result website, such as the estimated monthly search traffic, number of words, and number of keywords in the content. 

This tool can be used at almost any stage, from coming up with ideas for competitive blogging to looking at the most-visited content and identifying your competitors.

Pricing: 

• Free
• Basic: $49/month
• Pro: $99/month
• Business: $19/month 

Google Trends 

Another useful tool from Google is Google Trends. This nifty tool helps marketers and SEO strategists find what’s trending and where it is trending, along with search queries that people use to find content on that topic. 

Simply enter your seed keyword and search. 

The tool will give you a detailed look at the keyword's search trends, search traffic regions, related topics, and related queries. 

Google Trends is an ideal tool for validating your blog ideas and verifying whether people are searching for them. If your seed keyword shows an uptrend, you are right on the money; if it indicates a downtrend, it is time to find some more ideas. 

Pricing:

• Free

Keyword sheeter 

The Keyword Sheeter is a no-sign-up keyword research tool that helps marketers find the most relevant keyword ideas for a target primary keyword. The tool supports 14 languages and many countries. It even lets you find keywords based on specific locations inside your target country.  

Simply enter your primary keyword and click on ‘Sheet Keywords’. The tool will start pulling the most relevant keywords for you. 

You can also filter your keywords by using the position and negative filters. If you want to include a word, use the position filter, and if you want to exclude a word, use the negative filter. 

With the Keyword Sheeter tool, you can find keywords related to your main topic. It can help you create keyword clusters for blog topics. 

Searching for keywords is free,  and you can copy and paste the results. However, if you are looking for more than that, like search volumes or emailing your keyword lists, you will have to opt for a paid plan. 

Pricing:

• Free Keyword Search
• Basic Storage (Email Your List): $9/month
• Starter Search Volume: $49/month
• Scale Search Volume: $90/month

Best free keyword research tool to find question based keywords 

Questions are an engaging way of sharing information. They hook the reader and nudge them towards reading your content. If you are looking to find the best keyword-loaded question for your content piece, here are some great tools to help you find the best ones:

People Also Ask by Scalenut 

The ‘Questions’ section in the Scalenut SEO docs is a comprehensive source for finding the most popular questions people are asking for the target keyword. You can filter the results based on the source of questions like Google, Quora, Reddit, or AI-generated. 

All you have to do is create an SEO doc by entering your target keyword and the target location and go to the questions tabs by clicking on ‘Create Brief.’

You will see a comprehensive list of all the questions people ask related to your target keyword. 

Now that you have the most popular questions, next up is to answer them. Scalenut has a feature for that too. Use the Scalenut AI Copywriter’s Q&A content templates to answer questions with the best possible information. 

You can use this tool to find the most popular questions for your target keyword and also answer those questions with the best information. 

Pricing:

• Free

Answer the Public

Answer the Public is one of the easiest keyword research tools to use. It searches the internet for questions, keyword prepositions, comparisons, and alphabetical related to your main keyword.

Users just need to type in the seed keyword, choose a location and language, and search.  

The tool will come back with an in-depth analysis of the keyword divided into questions people ask, prepositions that people use, comparisons that people make, and alphabetical searches related to the main keyword. 

You can use this tool to identify the most traffic-worthy questions related to your topic. It will help you find the who, what, where, when, why, and other questions that users ask about your primary keyword. The tool offers basic searches for free, with paid plans that come with advanced features such as social listening alerts and data comparison.  

Pricing:

• Free Basic Searches
• Monthly: $99/month
• Annual: $79/month
• Expert: $199/month

Question DB 

QuestionDB is another good source for finding the best questions related to your keyword. 

Simply enter your target keyword, and the tool will present a list of questions you can use in your content. 

The tool will show 50 questions for free, and you can download the questions too. But to see more than 50, users have to upgrade to a paid subscription. There is no limit to the number of searches. 

Pricing:

• Free 50 Questions
• Pro: $15/month
• Agency: $50/month

Best free keyword research tool for paid ad campaign 

Paid promotion might seem like a black hole in marketing budgets. But that is not the case. If you have the right tools, you can easily drive business results with your paid ad campaigns. And the best keyword research tool for this task is Google Ads Keyword Planner. 

Google ads keyword planner 

Google Ads Keyword Planner is a free tool that helps marketers find the best keywords and look at forecasts for publishing ads on the Google search and display network. You simply have to create a Google My Business account and log in  to the Google Ads Keyword Planner. 

Once you log in, select the ‘Discover New Keywords’ option and enter your primary keyword in the search box of the next page and click on ‘Get Results.’

The tool will present a list of related keywords that people are using on Google. It will show you the average monthly search volume, along with the competition, bid range, and changes in search trends. 

You can use the information from this tool to find the most budget-friendly keywords for your paid promotion campaigns. 

Pricing:

• Free

Best free keyword research tool for e-commerce 

The most successful e-commerce brands have one thing in common: they target the best keywords related to their products. The trick is to include the most searched keywords in your product title, meta descriptions, image alt texts, and other structured data. 

Here are a few tools that can help you find the best keywords for your e-commerce products:

Keyword Tool Dominator

Keyword Tool Dominator is the most popular keyword research tool for e-commerce content. Whether you are writing a product description or a meta title, this tool will help you find the best keywords.

The tool has separate sub-categories for finding keywords on Amazon, Bing, eBay, Etsy, Google Shopping, Home Depot, Walmart, YouTube, and Google Search. 

Keyword Wizard for Amazon tool 

The Keyword Wizard for Amazon is a SemRush App available to people with a SemRush account. The tool produces a list of the most relevant e-commerce keywords from its database of over 200 million keywords. 

The free version of the tool gives users three searches that provide a list of broad match, phrase match, and exact match keywords with the individual search volume and the number of competitors using the term for each keyword. 

This tool is great for Amazon sellers, particularly as it actively maintains a database of keywords buyers use to find products. 

Pricing:

• App Price: $14.99/month

Keyword.Guru

Keyword Guru is a real-time keyword research tool that gives users the most searched keywords on Google, Yahoo, Bing, Amazon, eBay, and other popular websites. 

For any term you search, the tool gives a list of popular keywords segregated by the platform. The tool does not give additional statistics, such as search volume or competition. 

You can use this tool to kickstart your keyword research and combine it with the other tools mentioned above for more specific stats about those keywords. 

Pricing:

• Free

Best keyword research tools for lightweight keyword research 

Not everybody needs an in-depth keyword analysis tool; some can do with a simple tool that just produces good results. The following are some of the best keyword research tools for lightweight keyword research. 

Keyword surfer 

As mentioned above, Keyword Surfer is a nifty Chrome extension that works right inside your Google search results. It is a simple, easy-to-use keyword research tool that you can use to find relevant keywords while searching on Google. 

You can use the keyword ideas panel on the right side to get a list of relevant search terms that you can use in any type of content. 

Keywords Everywhere

Keywords Everywhere is the most commonly used keyword research tool. It works in the same way as Keyword Surfer, i.e., by integrating with the Google SERPs.  

For any Google search, the tool will give you a list of related keywords, ‘people also ask for’ keywords, trending keywords, and long-tail keywords. 

You can use this tool to find blog ideas, keyword clusters, FAQs, and title keywords for your content. 

The Chrome extension is free to use, but to get additional keyword searches and more keyword data, users must buy credits (1 credit = 1 keyword).

Pricing:

• 100,000 credits = $10
• 500,000 credits = $50
• 1,000,000 credits = $100
• 2,000,000 credits = $200
• 5 million credits = $500
• 10 million credits = $1000

Soovle 

Soovle is a multi-search engine keyword research tool that presents real-time keyword suggestions on any topic. The tool extracts data from Google, Amazon, Yahoo, Bing, Overstock, Answers, YouTube, eBay, and buy.com

You can use this tool to get a general idea of the keywords relevant to your topic. It can help you in the initial stages of content marketing plans. Users can download the results for further analysis using other in-depth tools. 

Pricing:

• Free

Let’s wrap it up 

Keywords play an important role in the success of your content efforts. We hope the above mentioned tools guide you through the initial stages of planning and creating a content marketing strategy for your products and services. 

For a deep dive into the entire process of keyword research, you may want to refer to this ultimate guide on how to do keyword research for SEO and PPC (step-by-step).

And if you need more help, you can always explore an all-in-one content marketing and SEO tool like Scalenut. It offers a full suite of keyword research, content creation, and SEO optimization features. 

About Scalenut 

Scalenut is an all-in-one AI-powered SEO and content marketing platform that helps marketers worldwide create high-quality and competitive content at scale. From research, planning, and outlines to ensuring quality, Scalenut helps you do your best at everything. 

Empower your content marketing campaigns with AI. Sign up on Scalenut and start creating content today.