Want people to find your website or content? Then you need to know what words they’re typing into search engines like Google. That's what keyword research is all about – it's a basic building block for good SEO. But what if your wallet’s feeling a bit light? No worries! There are some fantastic free keyword research tools out there that can help you strike SEO gold.
You don't need super expensive software anymore to understand what keywords to use. Today, plenty of free options can give you great ideas, help you write stuff people care about, and get you noticed by search engines. Let's check out some of the best free keyword research tools for 2025 that’ll help you get started.
1. Google Search Itself
What it does:
Acts as an underutilized keyword finder tool by revealing real user searches.
How to use it:
Type a keyword into the search bar and observe auto-suggestions. Scroll to the bottom for "Related Searches." Explore the "People Also Ask" section in search results for question-based keywords.
Why it’s great:
Provides direct insight into what real people are searching for, which is highly valuable for content creation.
2. Google Trends
What it does:
Google Trends shows the popularity of keywords over time, allows for comparison between different terms, and helps identify regional interest and related trending topics.
How to use it:
Analyze keyword trends (e.g., "cold brew coffee" in summer vs. "pumpkin spice latte" in fall) to plan content and promotions. Compare keyword popularity to choose the most effective terms. Explore "related queries" to find rising and breakout keywords.
Why it’s great:
Helps in timing content strategically, identifying emerging hot keywords, and understanding seasonal or event-based shifts in search interest.
3. Ahrefs (Free Version)
What it does:
A free tool from Ahrefs that provides a list of keyword ideas based on a seed keyword, along with search volumes and a Keyword Difficulty (KD) score for the top few keywords.
How to use it:
Enter a seed keyword into the tool. It will generate a list of related keywords for Google, Bing, YouTube, or Amazon.
Why it’s great:
Provides a quick way to get keyword ideas and an indication of ranking difficulty from a reputable SEO tool provider, even if features are limited compared to the full suite.
4. Semrush (Free Account)
What it does:
With a free account, Semrush allows a limited number of daily queries in its Keyword Magic Tool and other features, offering keyword ideas, search volume, keyword difficulty, and some competitor analysis.
How to use it:
Sign up for a free Semrush account. Use tools like "Keyword Overview" or "Keyword Magic Tool" for your limited daily searches.
Why it’s great:
Provides access to high-quality data and a powerful suite of tools, even with the limitations of a free account, making it useful for focused research.
5. Google Keyword Planner
What it does:
Primarily for Google Ads users, but offers valuable SEO insights even without active campaigns by providing related keywords, search volume estimates (often broad ranges for non-advertisers), competition levels (primarily for ads, but indicative for SEO), and trends.
How to use it:
Enter a starting keyword (e.g., "organic pest control") to find related terms (e.g., "DIY aphid spray," "natural plant fungicide"). Use the "Discover new keywords" option with a seed keyword or a competitor's website.
Why it’s great:
Google Keyword Planner helps discover a wide range of keyword ideas and understand their search landscape, even with approximate data for non-advertisers.
6. Whatsmyserp (Chrome Extension)
What it does:
A free Chrome extension that displays keyword search volume, cost-per-click (CPC), and competition data directly within the Google search results page.
How to use it:
Install Whatsmyserp extension from the Chrome Web Store. When you search for any keyword in Google, the extension will show the relevant metrics below each search result or in a sidebar.
Why it’s great:
Saves time by providing instant keyword data directly on the SERP, eliminating the need to switch between different tools.
7. AnswerThePublic (Free Version)
What it does:
Visually organizes keyword suggestions into categories like questions (who, what, why, etc.), prepositions, comparisons, and alphabeticals, based on Google's auto-suggest features. Besides keyword research for Google, it also allows you to find possible keywords for Bing, YouTube, etc.
How to use it:
Enter a seed keyword in the AnswerThePublic. The tool generates a visual "search cloud" or lists of phrases. The free version offers a limited number of searches per day.
Why it’s great:
Excellent for understanding the nuances of user intent and discovering a wide array of question-based and long-tail keywords for content brainstorming.
8. Google Search Console
What it does:
While not a traditional keyword discovery tool for new keywords, it shows you the actual queries your website is already ranking for, their impressions, clicks, average position, and CTR.
How to use it:
If you have a website, verify it with Google Search Console. Navigate to the "Performance" report to see the queries driving traffic to your site.
Why it’s great:
Provides invaluable data on keywords you are already getting visibility for, helping to identify content to optimize, find "striking distance" keywords to improve, and understand user search behavior related to your existing content.
9. Gemini AI (Google)
What it does:
A conversational AI that can be prompted to generate keyword ideas, identify related topics, create content outlines, suggest long-tail keywords, and help understand user intent. Its "Deep Research" feature (in Gemini Advanced, which may have free trial periods or be part of paid subscriptions, but the base Gemini is often free) can conduct more extensive web analysis.
How to use it:
Use specific prompts like: "Generate a list of primary keywords for a blog about sustainable fashion." "What are some long-tail keywords related to 'beginner yoga poses'?" "Cluster these keywords based on topic: [list keywords]." "Suggest question-based keywords for 'budget travel in Southeast Asia'."
Why it’s great:
Offers a conversational and flexible way to brainstorm keywords, explore subtopics, understand search intent, and generate content ideas quickly. Can provide insights from Google Search data.
10. Keywords Everywhere (Freemium Chrome Extension)
What it does:
A Chrome extension that shows related keywords, "People Also Ask For" questions, and long-tail phrases directly on Google and other websites. Paid credits are required for search volume, CPC, and competition data.
How to use it:
Install Keywords Everywhere extension. The free version will automatically display suggestion widgets on search result pages.
Why it’s great:
Even the free version is useful for discovering related keyword ideas and questions without needing to navigate to a separate tool.
11. ChatGPT (Free Plan with GPT-3.5)
What it does:
ChatGPT is a versatile AI chatbot that can generate keyword ideas, content themes, long-tail variations, LSI keywords, and content outlines based on user prompts.
How to use it:
Provide specific prompts like: "Suggest 15 long-tail keywords for an article about 'sustainable living tips'." or "Create a list of related topics for 'digital marketing for small businesses'."
Why it’s great:
Excellent for brainstorming a large volume of creative keyword ideas, exploring different angles for content, and generating initial drafts or outlines.
12. Ubersuggest (Free Version)
What it does:
Provides keyword suggestions, SEO difficulty scores, estimated search volume, content ideas based on top-ranking pages, and some competitor analysis features.
How to use it:
Sign in with a Ubersuggest free account to access a limited number of daily searches. Enter a main keyword or a competitor's domain. Explore the "Keyword Ideas" tab for related terms (filterable by questions, comparisons, and prepositions) and "Content Ideas" to see top-ranking articles.
Why it’s great:
Offers a good all-around overview of keyword data, content strategies, and competitor insights within its free daily limits.
13. Moz Keyword Explorer (Free Account)
What it does:
Offers a limited number of free keyword queries per month (typically around 10), providing metrics like monthly search volume, difficulty, organic click-through rate (CTR), and keyword suggestions.
How to use it:
Create a free Moz account. Enter a keyword into the Keyword Explorer to get analysis and suggestions.
Why it’s great:
Delivers reliable data and useful metrics like "Opportunity" score from a well-respected SEO authority, ideal for in-depth analysis of a few key terms.
14. Keyword Surfer (Chrome Extension)
What it does:
A free Chrome extension that displays estimated global and country-specific monthly search volumes for keywords directly in Google search results. It also provides related keyword ideas in a sidebar.
How to use it:
Install the extension. As you search on Google, search volume data and related keywords will appear on the results page.
Why it’s great:
Offers convenient, at-a-glance search volume estimates and keyword ideas without leaving the Google SERP.
15. Keyword Tool
What it does:
Generates long-tail keyword suggestions using autocomplete data from Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, eBay, Instagram, and X.
How to use:
Enter a seed keyword on the Keyword Tool website, select the platform, and country/language. The free version shows keywords.
Why it’s great:
Excellent for finding many long-tail keywords and understanding search queries across various platforms for content brainstorming.
16. Keyworddit (Reddit Keyword Research Tool)
What it does:
Extracts keywords and phrases from specific Reddit subreddits, providing insights into the topics and language used by niche communities.
How to use it:
Enter a subreddit name (e.g., r/gardening) in Keyworddit. The tool pulls common keywords and provides context with links to the original threads.
Why it’s great:
Useful for understanding audience language, identifying pain points, and finding content ideas directly from community discussions, rather than just search volumes.
17. SEO Minion (Chrome Extension)
What it does:
Helpful for on-page SEO and scraping “People Also Ask” boxes.
How to use it:
Search “how to invest money” and use SEO Minion to export dozens of PAA questions to build content around.
Why it’s great:
It’s great for checking broken links, SERP previews, and other quick SEO tasks.
18. QuestionDB (Free Version)
What it does:
Find questions people are asking on forums like Reddit and Quora related to your keyword.
How to use it:
Enter a broad keyword in QuestionDB. The tool will show a list of questions sourced from various online communities. The free version has limitations on the number of results.
Why it’s great:
Directly uncovers user pain points and questions, which are excellent for generating blog post ideas, FAQ sections, and other user-focused content.
19. Soovle (Free Version)
What it does:
A simple tool that pulls auto-suggestions for a given keyword from multiple search engines and platforms (like Google, Bing, YouTube, Amazon, Wikipedia) onto a single page.
How to use it:
Type your keyword into the Soovle search bar, and it will populate suggestions from various sources.
Why it’s great:
Offers a quick way to see keyword variations across different platforms, useful for initial brainstorming and understanding how a term is searched in different contexts.
20. WordStream
What it does:
Provides keyword suggestions based on a seed keyword or website URL, along with estimated search volume (often for Google US) and competition levels.
How to use it:
Enter a keyword or URL and optionally select an industry and country in WordStream.
Why it’s great:
A straightforward tool for getting a quick list of keyword ideas and some basic metrics, especially helpful for PPC advertisers but also useful for SEO.
Tips to Make the Most of Free Keyword Research Tools
The best results often come from using these tools as a team:
- Start Wide: Use Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to get a big list of initial keyword ideas.
- Know the 'Why': Put your best keywords into AnswerThePublic to find out what questions people are asking.
- Look at Trends: Use Google Trends to see when keywords are popular and if they have seasonal spikes.
- Check Difficulty (Roughly): Use the free Ahrefs or Semrush tools (or Keyword Surfer) to get a feel for how hard keywords might be to rank for.
- Search Like a User: Always type your main keywords into Google. Look at the "People Also Ask" section and "Related searches" at the bottom for more ideas.
Limitations to Keep in Mind
While these free tools are great, keep a few things in mind:
- Numbers Might Not Be Exact: Search volumes and difficulty scores are often estimates.
- You'll Hit Limits: Most free tools limit how many searches you can do each day or which features you can use.
- Less Detail Than Paid Tools: Paid tools usually offer more in-depth information on competitors and other advanced details.
But for many people, startups, and small businesses, these free tools give plenty to build a strong SEO start.
Get Going: Your Free SEO Adventure Awaits!
You don't need a big budget to get started with SEO. The free keyword tools available in 2025 give you powerful ways to understand your audience, create content they'll love, and boost your search engine rankings.
By using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, AnswerThePublic, and the free versions from Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, and Semrush, you can find valuable keywords and build a content plan that connects. So, get started, try them out, and find those winning keywords! People are searching – make sure they find you.
Have a favorite free keyword tool? Drop it in the comments or share how you use it. The best part of SEO is that we’re all learning as we go.