9 Key phrase Analysis Instruments to Attempt (Free & Paid)
On this information, we’ll stroll via the 9 finest key phrase analysis instruments price attempting proper now—each free and paid.
1. Key phrase Magic Device
Pricing: A free trial is accessible. Pricing begins at $139.95/month for the Semrush search engine optimization Toolkit.
Semrush’s Key phrase Magic Device generates probably 1000’s of key phrase concepts you should utilize to create content material that will increase your visibility—all based mostly on a common time period you enter that is associated to what you are promoting (a seed key phrase).
Merely enter a seed key phrase and your goal location to get a listing of associated key phrases.
I additionally suggest including your area to get customized insights.

You’ll then see the next metrics for every key phrase:
- Search quantity: The typical variety of month-to-month searches a time period has gotten over the past 12 months
- Intent: What customers try to attain with their search (will be informational, transactional, business, navigational, or a mixture)
- SERP Options: Whether or not the key phrase triggers particular search outcomes like AI Overviews, featured snippets, or Folks Additionally Ask containers
- Pattern: A graph exhibiting how search curiosity has modified over the past 12 months
- Private Key phrase Problem (PKD%): How laborious it could be in your particular area to rank within the prime 10 positions for that key phrase
- Potential Visitors: The estimated month-to-month visitors you possibly can get when you rank extremely for that key phrase
To slim your search to phrases you possibly can realistically rank for that may nonetheless drive an honest quantity of visitors, choose the “Private KD %” filter and set it to “Straightforward.” And use the “Quantity” filter to set “100” because the minimal search quantity.

Or use the “Questions” tab to seek out long-tail, question-based key phrases (e.g.,“what’s agile challenge administration”) that you should utilize to create content material. Significantly when you’re interested by being talked about in AI instruments like Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT.

What I Like
One helpful characteristic is the power to take away competitor-focused phrases that I don’t wish to goal.
I’ll show this utilizing the time period “journey luggage,” which could possibly be a helpful seed time period for locating particular phrases to make use of on product pages.
If Louis Vuitton is a competitor, I wouldn’t wish to embody phrases together with their model identify.

So, I exploit the “Exclude key phrases” filter to take away competitor names from the checklist.

Then, I can use the “Intent” filter to indicate solely phrases with the “Business” and “Transactional” intent to give attention to key phrases customers search after they’re actively evaluating choices and able to purchase.
This provides me a listing of high-intent key phrases I can confidently use on product pages.

2. Key phrase Overview
Pricing: A free trial is accessible. Pricing begins at $139.95/month for the Semrush search engine optimization Toolkit.
Semrush’s Key phrase Overview device offers you an entire snapshot of any particular key phrase (or a listing of key phrases) to find out whether or not it’s a good suggestion to focus on.
You possibly can break down key phrase information by nation, area, and even metropolis. So, if you wish to see whether or not a key phrase is price concentrating on particularly in New York, this device makes that straightforward.

You’ll then see key metrics like quantity and key phrase problem tailor-made to that particular location.

Or skip coming into the precise location and as a substitute enter your area to get AI-powered insights particular to your area.

You’ll additionally see ideas for associated key phrases and key phrase teams. Which is useful when you’re interested by protecting completely different angles of the identical matter to determine your self as an authority.

What I Like
This device is de facto helpful for seeing non-personalized rating outcomes throughout nations—which is nice for anybody doing worldwide search engine optimization.
So, if I have been to jot down a weblog put up concentrating on “free crm software program” that may carry out properly in each the U.S. and India, I can simply see what’s rating properly in each nations.
Listed here are the U.S. outcomes:

And I can see the identical for India by merely switching the situation within the device.

3. ChatGPT
Pricing: A free model is accessible. Paid plans begin at $20/month.
ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI that may perceive and generate human-like textual content based mostly in your prompts. It’s not a key phrase analysis device by itself.
However with the suitable prompts, it might pace up key phrase discovery and assist you to discover new angles. Particularly on the very begin of your analysis course of.
For instance:
“I’m making a touchdown web page for a challenge administration SaaS device constructed for distant advertising and marketing groups. What are some key phrases a advertising and marketing supervisor at a mid-sized firm would possibly search after they’re attempting to enhance collaboration, meet deadlines, and streamline approvals throughout a distant group? Please embody each short-tail and long-tail variations.”
Right here’s the output:

You possibly can then plug these concepts into the Key phrase Overview device inside Semrush’s search engine optimization Toolkit to grasp whether or not they’re price concentrating on.
You can too ask ChatGPT to:
- Group key phrases into matter clusters (collections of associated pages on a fundamental matter, with every web page concentrating on a number of associated phrases)
- Recommend long-tail variations (extra particular variations of a broad key phrase)
- Flip key phrase lists into weblog titles or content material concepts
Simply keep in mind that ChatGPT isn’t a devoted key phrase analysis device backed by search engine optimization information. It gained’t present you correct search volumes, problem scores, or SERP insights.
What I Like
I exploit ChatGPT to floor very particular questions my viewers is perhaps typing into serps.
To mannequin how this may work for an organization that creates challenge administration software program for finance groups, I prompted ChatGPT with this:
“Give me 30 bottom-of-the-funnel questions {that a} monetary operations supervisor at a mid-sized firm would possibly search when on the lookout for challenge administration software program. Deal with ache factors like monitoring funds approvals, managing timelines, and collaborating throughout departments.”
ChatGPT returned questions like:
- Which challenge administration software program helps multi-level funds approvals?
- Can I automate monetary approvals in challenge administration instruments?
- Which instruments assist finance approve timelines tied to funds?

These sorts of prompts are nice for brainstorming content material concepts, particularly for gross sales collateral or assist content material.
4. Google Key phrase Planner
Pricing: Free with a Google Adverts account.
Google Key phrase Planner is a free key phrase analysis device that’s primarily constructed for advertisers operating Google Adverts, however it additionally works properly for fundamental search engine optimization key phrase analysis.
You possibly can enter a key phrase or URL, and the device returns associated key phrase ideas together with:
- Month-to-month search quantity ranges (like 1K–10K)
- Competitors (how troublesome it is perhaps to bid on, which can additionally point out how troublesome it’s to rank for)
- Estimated price per click on (CPC) for adverts

You can too filter outcomes by location, language, and date vary.
What I Like
This device is nice when you’re on the lookout for a free device that permits you to uncover high-value, low-competition key phrases in a particular location.
So, let’s say I’m concentrating on small enterprise house owners in India with content material about monetary instruments.
I’d begin by coming into a seed time period like “bill software program” and set the situation as “India.”
Then, I’d kind the outcomes by “Month-to-month searches.” And choose “Add filter” > “Competitors” >“Low.”
This may uncover high-value key phrases I might realistically rank for.

5. Google Search Console
Pricing: Free.
Google Search Console is a free device from Google that reveals how your website performs in natural search, and you should utilize it to seek out key phrases you’re rating for that you simply would possibly wish to goal extra straight.
You possibly can see a listing of queries your pages rank for in search outcomes.
For every question, you’ll discover the next metrics:
- Complete impressions: What number of instances your pages have been exhibited to customers in Google Search outcomes for a particular question
- Complete clicks: What number of instances your outcomes for the question have been clicked
- Common place: The typical rating for a given question
- Click on-through price (CTR): The variety of clicks relative to the variety of impressions

These insights are based mostly on precise Google information—they’re not estimates.
Simply remember the fact that this view is query-based, not page-specific. So, the metrics right here can mirror the mixed efficiency of a number of pages rating for a similar key phrase.
If you wish to consider particular pages, use the “Pages” tab.
What I Like
Google Search Console makes it straightforward to discover a group of queries that your website is exhibiting up for however not getting a lot visitors from.
Simply head to “Search outcomes,” click on “+ Add filter,” and choose “Question.” Choose “Queries containing” from the drop-down and enter a time period that represents the group you’re interested by.

Then kind by impressions (excessive to low) and scan for key phrases with few clicks.
It’s a easy technique to spot underperforming queries the place you have already got some visibility.
6. Surfer’s Key phrase Analysis Device
Pricing: Begins at $99/month. The Chrome extension is accessible free of charge.
Surfer is an search engine optimization content material optimization platform that additionally features a devoted key phrase analysis device.
After you enter a seed time period, you’ll see outcomes displayed in key phrase clusters (teams of intently associated phrases that may be focused collectively in a single web page).
For every cluster, you’ll see:
- The principle key phrase and its variations
- Intent
- Month-to-month search quantity (MSV)
- Key phrase problem (KD)

Whenever you click on on a cluster, Surfer offers you the choice to launch the Content material Editor device. So you possibly can transfer straight from analysis to writing.
Surfer additionally affords a free Chrome extension known as Key phrase Surfer that reveals information like month-to-month search quantity and value per click on proper in Google search.

This may be particularly helpful once you wish to validate key phrase concepts on the fly.
What I Like
Surfer’s free Chrome extension is nice for validating key phrase concepts whereas searching Google.
So, if I wish to see which time period of two phrases has a better search quantity whereas conducting analysis, I can simply Google each phrases moderately than switching to a devoted key phrase analysis device.
7. Key phrase Hole
Pricing: A free trial is accessible. Pricing begins at $139.95/month for Semrush’s search engine optimization Toolkit.
Semrush’s Key phrase Hole device permits you to examine your self in opposition to your opponents to seek out key phrase alternatives.
Simply enter your area and people of as much as 4 rivals to see how your key phrase footprint stacks up in opposition to the competitors.

Scroll all the way down to see an in depth key phrase checklist together with key metrics like intent, quantity, key phrase problem, CPC, and every website’s present rating place.
You’ll see a number of tabs you possibly can swap between, relying on what you are looking for.
Pay explicit consideration to those tabs:
- Lacking: Key phrases your opponents rank for however you don’t
- Weak: Key phrases you rank for however for which your opponents rank greater
- Untapped: Key phrases you don’t rank for however a minimum of one competitor does

You can too filter this checklist by quantity, problem, and intent.
What I Like
This device helps me spot high-intent key phrases that opponents are rating for however I’m not.
Let me present how one can discover these utilizing Monday and opponents like Asana, Trello, ClickUp, and Smartsheet.
Simply choose the “Lacking” tab and use the “intent” filter to examine the containers subsequent to “Business” and “Transactional.”

The outcomes present some good concepts for pages that would work properly for weblog posts and comparability pages.
8. AnswerThePublic
Pricing: Free for restricted each day searches. Paid plans begin at $11/month.
AnswerThePublic is a key phrase discovery device that pulls autocomplete information from Google, Bing, YouTube, TikTok, Amazon, and even Instagram. After which presents outcomes which are organized into clear classes.
You begin by coming into a key phrase (like “influencer advertising and marketing”) and selecting a rustic and language.
The device then returns lots of of ideas, grouped into:
- Questions: Query-based phrases
- Prepositions: Phrases that embody prepositions
- Comparisons: Phrases that examine two objects
- Alphabeticals: Phrases that begin with a particular letter

Search quantity and CPC information is proven for each key phrase.
Whereas the device doesn’t supply superior filters or SERP information, it’s a quick and visible technique to floor long-tail key phrases you may not consider by yourself. Particularly within the early phases of content material planning.
What I Like
AnswerThePublic makes it straightforward to shortly discover dozens of question-based key phrases which are pulled from autocomplete information throughout related platforms.
That makes it good for locating question-based key phrases to focus on for quite a few content material sorts and distribution channels.
It’s a strong free device for uncovering long-tail content material concepts based mostly on what persons are truly asking.
9. Reddit Key phrase Analysis Device
Pricing: Free.
HigherVisibility’s Reddit Key phrase Analysis Device helps you discover key phrase concepts straight from Reddit by coming into a subreddit.

The device then reveals fashionable searches from the subreddit and shows them in a easy desk together with:
- The estimated month-to-month U.S. search quantity
- A “Context” hyperlink, which opens a Google search based mostly in your chosen subreddit and key phrase

That is useful for figuring out matter angles that actual persons are truly discussing. And when you’re constructing content material for a extremely area of interest viewers, this may floor choices that different instruments miss.
In order for you further metrics for these phrases, export and analyze outcomes utilizing one other device.
What I Like
This device is nice for constructing a considerable key phrase checklist based mostly on quite a few subreddits—with out having to manually sift via every part.
For instance, have a look at what subreddits present which are associated to “profession.”

Merely going via every related choice is prone to yield many beneficial phrases.
Which Key phrase Device Ought to You Use?
The precise key phrase device for you depends upon your wants.
In order for you Google-specific information straight from the supply, attempt Google Key phrase Planner and Search Console.
You probably have a minimal funds and wish some preliminary concepts, attempt AnswerThePublic or ChatGPT.
When you want a wide range of instruments with intensive options, go along with Semrush’s search engine optimization Toolkit.