Mastering the art of keyword research is the cornerstone of a successful SEO strategy. Keywords are the compass guiding you through the vast terrain of the internet, helping you reach your target audience effectively. To excel in this endeavour, you need the right tools at your disposal. This guide will explore the 15 best keyword research tools for SEO in 2023.

Semrush: Uncover Your Competitors' Secrets

Semrush has a unique approach to keyword research. Instead of the traditional method of entering a seed keyword and getting a list of suggestions, Semrush reveals the keywords your competitors are ranking for. This feature provides valuable insights into out-of-the-box keywords you might not discover with other tools. By entering a competitor's domain, you can access their organic search data, including estimated monthly organic visitors, traffic, and traffic cost.

One of the standout features of Semrush is the "Organic Keywords" data. It displays the top keywords your competitors are ranking for, allowing you to identify lucrative opportunities quickly. If you need more ideas, Semrush's "Organic Research" overview also offers insights into your competitor's competition, showing the exact search queries they're ranking for.

To further expand your keyword research, you can begin with a keyword instead of a competitor's site. Semrush provides a "Phrase match report," which lists long-tail keywords related to your query. This feature is invaluable for discovering variations of head and body keywords that are less competitive and easier to rank for.

Our take: Semrush is a must-have for serious SEO professionals despite its premium price tag.

Soovle: Scrape Suggestions from Everywhere

Soovle is a versatile keyword research tool that scrapes keyword suggestions from multiple sources, including Google, YouTube, Bing, Yahoo, Amazon, and more. By aggregating suggestions from various platforms, Soovle helps you uncover untapped keywords that your competitors might miss.

One standout feature of Soovle is its "Saved Suggestions" feature. It allows you to save your favourite keyword ideas with a simple drag-and-drop action, making it easy to organize your keyword research. Plus, you can download your selected keywords to a CSV file for future reference.

Our take: Soovle is an excellent free keyword research tool that provides many keyword ideas from multiple sources.

TopicRanker: Find Keywords Based on Problems and Weaknesses

TopicRanker is ideal for those looking to dive into keyword research without needing advanced SEO features. It simplifies the process by analyzing your website URL and suggesting seed topics relevant to your niche. These seed topics can be further broken down into related keywords.

What sets TopicRanker apart is its ability to pinpoint keywords with issues on the search engine results page (SERP). It identifies specific problems, such as title mismatches, thin content, outdated articles, and more, providing actionable insights for improving your content.

The tool's unique prioritization metrics make it efficient and relevant for keyword research, and it will soon introduce AI Writing Tools, making it even more indispensable for SEO enthusiasts.

Our take: TopicRanker combines efficiency and relevance in keyword research by identifying problems and weaknesses in the SERP, making it a must-have tool for SEO.

Jaaxy - Thousands of Keyword Ideas at Your Fingertips

Jaaxy is a straightforward yet powerful keyword research tool that offers a wide array of keyword ideas. What sets Jaaxy apart is its ability to provide keyword suggestions and valuable data for each keyword, including competition, search volume, and potential traffic.

One of Jaaxy's standout features is "QSR" (Quoted Search Result), which tells you how many websites are competing to rank for a specific keyword. This metric helps you gauge the competition level effectively.

Our take: Jaaxy is a decent freemium keyword research tool suitable for those looking for a simple, user-friendly interface.

Google Search Console - Discover Opportunity Keywords

Google Search Console differs from your typical keyword research tool but offers a valuable feature called the Performance Report. This report lists the pages on your website that receive the most clicks from Google and reveals the keywords that led visitors to your site.

The real gem here is identifying "Opportunity Keywords," where your site ranks between positions 8 and 20 on the SERP. With some on-page SEO optimization, you can boost your rankings significantly for these keywords.

Combining Google Search Console with Google Analytics allows you to access in-depth keyword data that enhances your keyword research.

Our take: Google Search Console is an underrated keyword research tool that excels at finding Opportunity Keywords to improve your rankings.

Ahrefs Keywords Explorer - Make Smarter Keyword Decisions

Ahrefs, known for its backlink analysis capabilities, offers a powerful Keywords Explorer tool. It provides extensive information about each keyword, including search volume, competition, and click-through rates. What sets Ahrefs apart is its precision in detailing the number of backlinks required to rank on the first page of Google for a specific keyword.

Our Take: Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer is a versatile tool that offers comprehensive keyword data, making it an excellent choice for keyword research.

SECockpit - Keyword Research for SEO Pros

SECockpit is a Swiss Army Knife of keyword research tools designed for SEO professionals who require in-depth insights. It offers features to delve into search trends, organic competition, and traffic estimates, making it a valuable asset for those deeply involved in SEO.

This tool's wealth of features might be overwhelming for newcomers to SEO, but for seasoned professionals, it provides an extensive toolkit for keyword research.

Our Take: SECockpit is a feature-rich keyword research tool for SEO professionals seeking in-depth data and analysis.

Google Keyword Planner - Tap into Google's Massive Database

While not as feature-rich as some other tools, the Google Keyword Planner offers reliable data straight from Google. It's a valuable tool for keyword research, particularly if you're looking for PPC data, as it's primarily designed for Google Ads users.

One of its standout features is the "Top of page bid," which reveals how much advertisers bid for a keyword. This information can help you gauge the commercial intent of a keyword.

Our Take: Google Keyword Planner provides trustworthy data directly from Google, making it a valuable tool for keyword research.

KeywordTool.io - Get Boatloads of Targeted Keyword Ideas

KeywordTool.io, similar to UberSuggest and Soovle, scrapes keyword suggestions from Google Suggest. It offers an extensive list of keyword suggestions, allowing you to filter, drill down, or expand the results to find the right keywords for your content.

A unique feature is the ability to analyze competitors. Enter a competitor's website, and the tool generates keyword ideas based on their content. This helps you discover related keywords that you might have yet to consider.

Our Take: KeywordTool.io is an excellent keyword research tool that provides many keyword ideas and competitor insights.

Moz Keyword Explorer - Find Keywords That Generate Traffic

Moz's Keyword Explorer is known for uncovering "lateral" keyword ideas. It goes beyond traditional suggestions to provide out-of-the-box keyword ideas you might not discover elsewhere. Moz's keyword difficulty score helps you gauge the competitiveness of your chosen keywords.

Additionally, Moz provides valuable metrics such as organic click-through rate (CTR) and priority. These metrics help you focus on keywords that are likely to generate more traffic.

Our Take: Moz Keyword Explorer is an innovative tool for finding unique and potentially high-traffic keywords.

Ubersuggest - Discover New Keywords and Content Ideas

Ubersuggest, developed by Neil Patel, offers keyword suggestions, content ideas, and competitive insights. It provides keyword data, such as search volume, CPC (Cost Per Click), and competition level.

Ubersuggest also reveals the top-ranking pages for a keyword, giving you insights into the type of content that performs well in search results. This feature is beneficial when planning your content strategy.

Our Take: Ubersuggest is a comprehensive keyword research tool that offers a wide range of keyword data and content insights.

AnswerThePublic - Understand User Intent

AnswerThePublic focuses on understanding user intent by visualizing search queries in the form of questions, prepositions, and other categories. It helps you uncover what people are searching for with your target keywords.

The tool's visualizations make it easy to identify the most common questions and topics associated with your keyword. This information is valuable for creating content that addresses user intent effectively.

Our Take: AnswerThePublic is a unique keyword research tool that helps you understand user intent and generate content ideas.

Keyword Surfer - Instant Keyword Insights

Keyword Surfer is a free Chrome extension that provides instant keyword insights while you browse Google search results. It displays search volume data, related keywords, and estimated traffic directly within the search results page.

This extension is perfect for on-the-fly keyword research and lets you quickly assess the keyword landscape for any query.

Our Take: Keyword Surfer is a handy Chrome extension for quick keyword insights directly from Google search results.

LongTailPro - Uncover Profitable Long-Tail Keywords

LongTailPro specializes in long-tail keyword research, helping you find low-competition keywords that are easier to rank. It provides a "Keyword Competitiveness" score, indicating the difficulty of ranking for a specific keyword.

The tool's ability to uncover profitable long-tail keywords makes it a favourite among niche website owners and bloggers.

Our Take: LongTailPro is a reliable choice for discovering profitable long-tail keywords.

Serpstat - All-in-One SEO Toolkit

Serpstat is an all-in-one SEO toolkit that includes keyword research as one of its many features. It offers comprehensive keyword data, including search volume, keyword difficulty, competition analysis, and more.

Serpstat's "Cluster Research" feature helps you find groups of related keywords, making it easier to create content that targets multiple relevant keywords.

Our Take: Serpstat is an all-encompassing SEO toolkit that provides a wide range of keyword research features.

These 15 keyword research tools cater to various needs and budgets. Your choice ultimately depends on your specific requirements, but having one or more of these tools in your SEO arsenal is essential for effective keyword research and content optimization.

Note: Prices and features of these tools may change over time, so it's advisable to visit the respective websites for the most up-to-date information.