Cracking the Code: Finding the Best Keyword Research Tools for SEO and PPC

As a business owner, you might have the best product/service in your niche, but if it’s not visible to your target audience, your returns might not be in tandem with your trade projections. This is where the importance of investing in your site’s technical SEO and paid advertising or pay-per-click comes into play. 

The core of every solid SEO and PPC campaign is a veritable, reliable, and unmatched keyword research strategy. Let’s begin with delving into the definition of the term keyword followed by keyword tools, both free and paid, that can help you take your SEO PPC game to the next level. 

To quote the Oxford University Press, a keyword can be defined as “a word or concept of great significance, a word that acts as the key to a cypher or code, or an informative word used in an information retrieval system to indicate the content of a document.”

Simply said, keywords are words or phrases that reflect the content of a web page or an online advertisement. They are important for SEO and PPC because they help search engines and users find and match the most relevant information to their queries. Keywords also affect the ranking, visibility, traffic, and conversion rate of a web page or an ad.

A good keyword tool is a software or a service that helps you to research, analyze, and select the best keywords for your SEO and PPC campaigns. Some of the criteria for choosing a good keyword tool are:

• It should provide accurate and up-to-date data on keyword search volume, competition level, cost per click, and other metrics.
• It should offer suggestions for related keywords, long-tail keywords, negative keywords, and keyword variations.
• It should allow you to filter, sort, group, and organize your keywords based on different criteria and goals.
• It should integrate with your SEO and PPC platforms and tools, such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, Moz, etc.
• It should have a user-friendly interface and a reasonable pricing plan.

Keeping the above criteria in mind, let’s check out some of our coolest finds that will make keyword research a cinch!

An Insight Into the Pros & Cons Of The Top 6 Keyword Research Tools

Google Keyword Planner

Pros: 

• Channelizes data straight from Google’s ginormous keyword database, so you can be sure that it’s legitimate.
• Its “Top of the page” feature makes for a great addition for PPC experts because they can zero in on the keywords with maximum commercial search intent and how much advertisers are paying for them per click. 
• Offers keyword suggestions based on a topic or URL.
• Seamlessly integrates with the Google Ads platform and comes with an easy-to-use interface.
• Free of cost

Cons: 

• Though great for PPC, it can be a tad bit tricky to use for SEO purposes.
• Requires a Google Ads account.
• Limited to Google search engine
• Does not come up with a keyword difficulty score.

Moz Keyword Explorer

Pros: 

• Renders out-of-the-box keyword suggestions based on a topic or URL
• Shows monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, organic CTR, and priority score for keywords.
• One can filter and group keywords by multiple criteria.
•  Integrates with the Moz Pro platform
• Huge keyword database
• Works well for planning SEO campaigns as it provides SERP analysis for keywords

Cons:

• It may be a pricey tool for small businesses ($99-$599 per month)
• No cost-per-click data
• Limited to Google search 

SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool

Pros:

• Offers monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, cost per click, and competitive density for keywords.
• Comes with a huge database replete with over twenty million keywords spread across 120 geographical locations.
• Supports multiple search engines (Google, YouTube, Amazon).
• Offers keyword gap analysis and keyword manager tools along with SERP analysis and historical data for keywords.

Cons:

• No organic CTR data.
• Does not offer a priority score for keywords.
• The free version offers only ten searches a day, while the paid version | $119-$449 per month | may not seem viable for small businesses.

Ahrefs Keywords Explorer

Pros:

• Proffers in-depth keyword suggestions based on a topic or URL.
• Depicts monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, cost per click, and organic CTR for keywords.
• Gives you the exact number of backlinks you will need to rank on top of SERPs.
• Integrates with the Ahrefs platform.
• Supports multiple search engines (Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, etc.)
• Offers keyword ranking history and SERP overview for keywords.
• Provides advanced metrics like clicks per search and return rate for keywords.

Cons:

• No competitive density data.
•  Requires an Ahrefs subscription ($99-$999 per month)

SECockpit

Pros: 

• Perfect for SEO pros, it is a comprehensive keyword research tool that offers in-depth knowledge of organic competition, search trends, and estimates of traffic.
• Empowers data-driven insights for better decision-making in SEO strategies, such as keyword difficulty, search volume, cost per click, organic CTR, and priority score.
• Offers excellent customer support and knowledge resources, such as tutorials, videos, webinars, and FAQs.
• Engenders fast and effective keyword research from multiple sources, including Google, YouTube, Amazon, and more.
• Generates content ideas based on target keywords to improve website relevance and ranking.
• Undergoes regular updates to keep the tool current with SEO best practices and algorithm changes.

Cons:

• It does not have a free trial or a money-back guarantee, which may deter potential customers.
• It is expensive for small businesses and requires a monthly or yearly subscription to access all the features.
• It does not provide backlink analysis, which is an important factor for SEO.

KeywordTool.io

Pros: 

• It can generate a large number of long-tail keywords from multiple sources, such as Google, YouTube, Amazon, and more.
• It can help you find new content ideas and optimize your SEO and PPC campaigns.
• Offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for a risk-free trial.
• Easy to use and has a simple and user-friendly interface.

Cons: 

• It is relatively expensive for the features offered and requires a monthly or yearly subscription to access all the features.
• It does not provide backlink analysis, which is an important factor for SEO.
• It does not have a free trial or a money-back guarantee, which may deter potential customers.
• It has limited support options with no direct phone or live chat support.

Summary

In the above discussion, it is evident that every tool has its own strengths and weaknesses. It is up to you to match your budget and bespoke needs with the offerings in the market. Sometimes, it makes sense to delegate your SEO & PPC requirements to professionals who can steer the ship for you under their astute command. In the House of Mavlers, we offer a whole range of professional SEO services and PPC resources that can and will make a marked difference in your brand’s paid and organic strategies.