5 Best keyword research tool for SEO optimization

5 Best keyword research tool for SEO optimization

Keyword research tool is software that is very useful in finding keywords with the best potential. Choosing the right keywords is one of the basic steps for search engine optimization (SEO).

By choosing the right keywords, you can increase the possibility of your content to be able to enter the top rankings on search engines.

Best keyword research tool

There are several keyword research tools available that can help you find relevant keywords for your website or content. Here are 5 Best keyword research tool:

1. Google Keyword Planner

This is a free tool provided by Google Ads that allows you to find keywords related to your business or industry. It provides search volume data, keyword ideas, and competition level.

Google Keyword Planner is a part of Google Ads that is useful for doing keyword research before launching ads on Google.

Therefore, the use of Google Keyword Planner will be maximized if you intend to advertise on Google. Basically, you can use Keyword Planner to find out:

  • Keyword search volume
  • The level of competition for advertising
  • The cost to advertise on that keyword

In Google Keyword Planner, you can choose between two keyword research options, namely Discover New Keywords or Get Search Volumes and Forecast.

2. SEMrush

SEMrush is a popular keyword research tool used by digital marketers and SEO professionals. It offers a wide range of features and functionalities to help users find profitable keywords and optimize their website's visibility in search engine results. Here are some key features of SEMrush's keyword research tool:

  • Keyword Analysis: SEMrush provides comprehensive keyword analysis, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and competitive density. It also offers related keywords and long-tail keyword suggestions to help users expand their keyword list.
  • Competitor Analysis: With SEMrush, you can analyze your competitors' organic and paid keywords. This allows you to identify keywords that your competitors are ranking for and gain insights into their SEO and advertising strategies.
  • Keyword Difficulty: SEMrush's keyword research tool provides a keyword difficulty score, which indicates how challenging it is to rank for a particular keyword. This helps you prioritize keywords based on their difficulty level and choose the ones that are more achievable.
  • SERP Features: SEMrush shows you the search engine results page (SERP) features for each keyword, such as featured snippets, knowledge graphs, and local packs. This information helps you understand the search intent behind a keyword and optimize your content accordingly.
  • Keyword Tracking: SEMrush allows you to track the rankings of your target keywords over time. You can monitor your keyword performance, track your competitors' rankings, and identify opportunities for improvement.
  • Keyword Gap Analysis: SEMrush's keyword research tool enables you to compare your website


3. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is another powerful SEO tool that provides a wide range of features, including keyword research, competitive analysis, and backlink analysis. 

Here are some key features of Ahrefs' keyword research tool:

  • Keyword Analysis: Ahrefs provides comprehensive keyword analysis, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and click-through rate (CTR) estimates. It also offers related keywords and keyword suggestions to help users expand their keyword list.
  • Competitor Analysis: With Ahrefs, you can analyze your competitors' organic and paid keywords. This allows you to identify keywords that your competitors are ranking for and gain insights into their SEO and advertising strategies.
  • Keyword Difficulty: Ahrefs' keyword research tool provides a keyword difficulty score, which indicates how challenging it is to rank for a particular keyword. This helps you prioritize keywords based on their difficulty level and choose the ones that are more achievable.
  • SERP Analysis: Ahrefs shows you the search engine results page (SERP) features for each keyword, such as featured snippets, knowledge graphs, and top-ranking pages. This information helps you understand the search intent behind a keyword and optimize your content accordingly.
  • Content Gap Analysis: Ahrefs' keyword research tool enables you to compare your website's keywords with your competitors' keywords. This helps you identify keyword opportunities that your competitors are ranking for but you are not.


Here's how you can conduct keyword research using Ahrefs:

  1. Visit the Ahrefs website (ahrefs.com) and sign in to your account. They offer various subscription plans to access their features.
  2. Once you're logged in, navigate to the "Keywords Explorer" tool from the dashboard.
  3. Enter a seed keyword or phrase related to your business or niche in the search bar and select the country or region you want to target (optional).
  4. Click on the "Search" button, and Ahrefs will display a wealth of information, including search volume, keyword difficulty, clicks per search, and more.
  5. Explore the different keyword suggestions provided by Ahrefs based on your initial search. You can find related keywords, questions, and even keywords that competitors are ranking for.
  6. Utilize the "Keyword Difficulty" metric to assess the competition level for each keyword. A higher difficulty score indicates a more challenging ranking environment.

Ahrefs also offers a comprehensive SERP (Search Engine Results Page) analysis, which shows the top-ranking pages for each keyword, their backlink profile, and other metrics. This gives you valuable insights into the competition and allows you to understand what it takes to rank for a specific keyword.

Apart from keyword research, Ahrefs offers other SEO features such as site auditing, content exploration, and backlink analysis tools that can help you further optimize your website and improve your search engine rankings.

4. Moz Keyword Explorer

Moz Keyword Explorer is a keyword research tool developed by Moz, a well-known SEO software company. It offers a range of features to help users find and analyze keywords for their SEO and content marketing strategies. Here are some key features of Moz Keyword Explorer:

  • Keyword Analysis: Moz Keyword Explorer provides detailed keyword analysis, including search volume, keyword difficulty, organic CTR, and priority score. It also offers keyword suggestions and related keywords to help users expand their keyword list.
  • SERP Analysis: The tool provides insights into the search engine results page (SERP) for each keyword, including organic results, paid ads, and SERP features like featured snippets and knowledge graphs. This helps users understand the competition and search intent behind a keyword.
  • Keyword Difficulty: Moz Keyword Explorer calculates a keyword difficulty score, which indicates how challenging it is to rank for a particular keyword. This helps users prioritize keywords based on their difficulty level and choose the ones that are more achievable.
  • Competitor Analysis: Users can analyze their competitors' organic and paid keywords to gain insights into their SEO and advertising strategies. This helps identify keyword opportunities and understand the competitive landscape.
  • Content Suggestions: Moz Keyword Explorer provides content suggestions based on the keyword entered. It offers related topics and questions that users can target in their content to improve their search visibility and provide valuable information to their audience.
  • Keyword Tracking: Users can track their keyword rankings over time and monitor their progress. This helps users understand the impact

5. Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is a popular keyword research tool that provides valuable insights for optimizing your website content. It helps identify relevant keywords to target, analyze their search volume, competition level, and provides suggestions for related keywords.

To start using Ubersuggest for keyword research, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Ubersuggest website (neilpatel.com/ubersuggest) and enter a keyword or phrase related to your business or niche.
  2. Select the country you're targeting or leave it on "All" to get global results.
  3. Click on the "Search" button, and Ubersuggest will generate a list of keyword ideas, along with various metrics.


Here are some key features of Ubersuggest for keyword research that you might find useful:

  • Search Volume: This metric shows the number of average monthly searches for a specific keyword.
  • SEO Difficulty: This score estimates the level of competition for ranking on the first page of Google search results based on backlinks, domain authority, and content quality.
  • Cost Per Click (CPC): It gives an idea of how much advertisers are willing to pay for a click on ads using that keyword.
  • Keyword Suggestions: Ubersuggest generates related keyword ideas, which can help you discover new keywords to target.


By leveraging Ubersuggest, you can select relevant keywords that have high search volume, manageable competition, and align with your content strategy. This can enhance your website's visibility, attract organic traffic, and ultimately improve your search engine rankings.

Read Also: Keyword Research Tool Using Chrome Extension

These are just a few examples of keyword research tools available. Each tool has its own unique features and pricing plans, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs and budget.

How To Use Keyword Research Tool

To effectively use a keyword research tool for SEO, follow these steps:

  1. Identify your target audience and goals: Determine who your target audience is and what your goals are for your SEO campaign. This will help you understand the type of keywords you should be targeting.
  2. Choose a keyword research tool: Select a keyword research tool that suits your needs and budget. Consider factors like search volume data, keyword suggestions, competition analysis, and additional features.
  3. Enter seed keywords: Start by entering a few seed keywords related to your business or industry into the tool. These are broad terms that are relevant to your website or content.
  4. Generate keyword ideas: The tool will generate a list of keyword ideas based on your seed keywords. Review the list and select keywords that are relevant to your target audience and goals.
  5. Analyze search volume and competition: Look at the search volume data provided by the tool to understand how popular each keyword is. Consider the level of competition for each keyword as well. Aim for keywords with a good balance of search volume and manageable competition.
  6. Refine your keyword list: Narrow down your keyword list by selecting the most relevant and valuable keywords. Consider long-tail keywords, which are more specific and have less competition.
  7. Analyze competitor keywords: Use the tool to analyze the keywords your competitors are targeting. This can help you identify additional keyword opportunities and understand the competitive landscape.
  8. Prioritize keywords: Prioritize your keywords based on their relevance, keyword prioritization is not a one-time task. Continuously monitor and adjust your keyword strategy based on performance, changes in search trends, and new keyword opportunities that arise.


Those are the 5 Best keyword research tool recommendations from Hadehana for you. Regardless of what tool you use, choosing the right keywords has a big role in determining the performance of content on search engines.

So, make sure you choose keywords that have high search volume, but with a fairly low level of competition.