5+ 100% Free Keyword Research Tool: How to Use in 2021

If you believe keyword research is the foundation, you definitely know keyword research tools have a huge demand as well. In the market, there are various keyword research tools available. Both free keyword research tools are available along with many premium tools. Today I shall discuss free keyword research tools and extensions. 

Never compare a premium keyword research tool with a free one. The premium tools have more features. But don’t be frustrated. There are lots of features that you’ll get from your free keyword research tools. 

Keyword research free tools will help you out with various leverage data that you need to develop your business growth. If you have a small budget and know keyword research well, you can bring the same benefit of a premium tool (that’s proved). 

Not only free keyword research tools, some quality keyword research extensions are available. 

Extensions?

Yes. 

Not only free keyword research tools, but keyword research extensions are also essentials as well. If you know how to find the best keyword within your business, you can generate tons of potential keywords with free keyword research tools and extensions. 

So, stay energetic.

Extensions?

Yes. I’m not joking. 

Even your web browser will assist you to find the best keyword better than any premium keyword research tool. 

If you’ve knowledge about digital marketing, you know it. It is actually a goldmine. If you’re a newbie, don’t worry! Keep reading. 

I know you definitely use any of the following web browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Opera
• Mozilla firefox
• Safari
• Microsoft Edge
• Others. 

Browser extensions will help you a lot to find a keyword. 

How?

(Wait!) 

But before that, I have a question.

What is your favorite web browser? Please comment below. 

I love to share mine. It seems to be funny! Doesn’t it?

As per my personal preference, I use the following browsers.

• Google chrome (60% time)
• Safari (30% time)
• Microsoft Edge (8% time)
• Others (2% time)

I don’t provoke people to follow me blindly. Simply, I shared my secret with you.

Let’s come to the treasure. 

Today various extensions are available. If you want to develop your business growth, you can use them smartly. Most of the extensions are free and enough for research. 

Today I’ll only discuss the free keyword research tools and extensions (as I promised). 

Disclaimer: Never trust any keyword research tool blindly. Every tool has different algorithms. So the matrices may be different. Even if you use any premium or free keyword research tool, the matrices may vary.

Here are 100% Free Keyword Research Tool: How to Use in 2021.

Even if you have premium tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, etc, the free keyword research tool sometime wins the battle.

Don’t worry, all techniques are completely updated. Stay tuned. 

Top Free Keyword Research Tools for Game Changing

1. Google Trends
2. Google Ads Keyword Planner
3. Google Autocomplete
4. Quora
5. Ubersuggest Browser Extension
6. Answer The Public

Google Trends, The Best Free Keyword Tool for Popularity

As per my personal opinion, Google Trends is simply a superb tool always. In my digital marketing journey, Google Trends has been supporting me a lot for a long. 

Google Trends is a tool that Google introduced in 2006. To provide search trends, Google introduced another leverage tool that provides more data on search trends to the users’ named Google Insights for search. Later in 2012 Google insights for search merged with Google Trends. 

Now come to the features of Google Trends. But before that… 

Google Trends is a free keyword research tool that allows the relative search between/among two/more keywords or searches terms. 

Even marketers don’t need to worry about the quota limit of search in Google Trends. 

Google Trends tells the real-time search by the people. Along with it, this tool helps you to measure the search interest in a particular topic, a particular time, and a particular place. 

How do Google Trends work actually?

Look at the list below:

• Search a topic or a keyword
• Understand the interest over time graph.
• Realize the matrics well. 
• Customize your search with location, time range, categories. 
• Focus on top/rising searches including related search or topic. 

The preference comes if you understand the interest over time graph of a particular search term, then this free keyword research tool is a goldmine. 

For matrics, the percentage of search interest or a query helps you to realize the proportion of all searches at that time and location. 

The most lucrative benefit of Google trends comes as a free keyword research tool if you utilize the location along with top and rising searches properly. 

Google Trends has a paradox. This free tool analyses data based on the search popularity. So some data may have no trending graphs (if the data has low search volume) or even 0. Otherwise, the removal of duplicate search along with the emission of special characters in search terms gives you more oxygenate in business growth.

Now I shall come with some advanced features of Google Trends. 

A Google Trends expert shows you the prowess of getting success in keyword research even better with this free keyword research tool. 

Here are the important advanced Google Trends features that you need to focus on as well. 

• To get precise data the searcher needs to focus:
  • Use punctuation with keywords (eg. “digital marketing”, digital+marketing, etc.)
  • Customize time range to understand detail. The best practice is to narrow down your time range to get better matrices. Even when you hover on a region, you’ll see a highlighted number, you can click to know the exact trends of that regional data. 
  • Properly use the categories to recognize the search context. For example, suppose you’re interested in the ‘business and industrial’ category of digital marketing, this lets you know what queries and topics are there to focus on. 
  • Additionally, the search type helps you in many ways. Mainly for those who are running an eCommerce store, it definitely helps them a lot. 
  • Lastly, the detailed comparison among the group of terms brings another important benefit for marketers. 

Let’s conclude. 

Google Trends is one of the most important free keyword research tools with a galaxy of premium features. 

Google Ads Keyword Planner, best for Paid keyword

Not surprisingly I’ve started my digital marketing career with the Google Ads Keyword Planner tool. It is also a free tool that is mainly designed to encourage PPC experts. 

For paid traffic and ranking Google Ads Keyword Planner has no substitute. Even almost 99% of marketers use Google Keyword Planner (or Google Ads keyword planner) for ranking in SERPs of a targeted keyword faster than organic. 

Only for paid traffic or any other requirement?

As per my opinion, you can use Google keyword planner, the free keyword research tool to make a solid list of potential keywords that you can use in your business. 

In every keyword research journey, making a solid list of keywords are always important. 

Now I’ll discuss some important features of this free keyword research tool, Google Keyword planner. 

Here are the two most significant features of Google keyword planner.

• Discover new keywords
• Get search volume and forecasts

Discover new keywords

The keyword research journey is incomplete if you can’t get keyword ideas from the searchers. 

Generally, Google ads keyword planner, a completely free keyword research tool, helps you to reach the right audience with their interest. 

Here are some advanced features of the Google ads keyword planner. Before that, you must know how to use this free keyword research tool to discover tons of potential keywords. 

• You can start keyword research by entering the seed/specific keyword. (try to use a specific keyword to get faster and accurate result)
• Otherwise, you can start entering your competitor’s domain/website to find the best-performing keywords. 
• Finally, click the ‘Get Result’ button to collect tons of keywords. 

Through the competitor’s domain, you can easily target the same audience which your competitor is already targeting.

Google Ads Keyword Planner Dashboard

Google ads keyword planner dashboard finally helps you out in many ways. If you understand the Google ads keyword planner dashboard well, you can generate more potential keywords with this free keyword research tool.

Here are 5 sections in this dashboard to assist your keyword research journey. 

1. Keyword ideas
2. Forecast
3. Keyword plan
4. Saved keyword and 
5. Negative keywords 

Keyword ideas

In Google keyword planner, the keyword ideas help you to make a solid list of popular keywords. 

But before that, focus on the followings

Targeted location

Targeted location strategically helps you to target keyword popularity over a location. The best practice is to make a funnel from large to small. 

What’s that?

Your keyword research journey with free keyword research tools must be strategic. Funnel is one of the most essential strategies. Let’s come to how to make funnels from large to small. 

1. First enter the country (or any large location eg, India). When you type a location, you’ll see a predictable and potential reach. 
2. Note Down the potential reach and then save it. 
3. Select the keywords you prefer. 
4. Copy all of them and paste them to Google Sheet or MS Excel. 
5. Again click on the location and choose a small or narrow one (or any state eg. West Bengal)
6. Follow points 2,3,4 again. 
7. Once more click the location and choose the smallest one (eg. Kolkata)
8. Follow the points 2,3,4 again
9. Keep the process if you want a more narrow result. 

Have you noticed one thing?

When you target a city, a small location (eg. Kolkata), you might see the potential reach from Country, Province, and City. In a funnel. 

Now highlight the keywords you want to work on. 

This is time taking but 100% working methodology. Now add some additional features into your funnel. 

If you target regional traffic to your website, choose the language you want to target. 

You can choose the date range of your search. 

If you target organic traffic, choose a data range within 3 to 12 months. For paid traffic make it more narrow. The best practice is to pick within 90 days for paid traffic. 

It entirely depends on you. Your target audience, industry, niche, location encourage your funnel of keyword research. 

Next, come to the forecast section. 

This forecast section definitely helps you if you understand few things like:

• Search volume
• Impression
• CTR (Click Through Rate)
• CPC (Cost Per Click)
• The predictable forecast over next year.
• Device comparison (best for paid traffic)
• Location wise cost percentage

Now put your keyword in the forecast with creating a new ad group (choose the existing ad group if you’ve created it already) and finally click on save.

Here is a trick. 

If you use this keyword for paid traffic, that’s great. The whole matrics definitely help you. But if you target organic traffic for this potential keyword, have an eye on click mostly. 

Why?

For any traffic campaign whatever it’s for paid or organic search the click-through rate is essential. 

So, always focus on the keyword’s click volume for both paid and organic traffic. 

The other three sections like 

• Keyword plan
• Saved keyword 
• Negative keyword 

Are related to Google PPC or pay per click campaign setup. 

So, if you target paid traffic, focus on all three above. 

Get Search Volume and Forecasts

This is another awesome feature of the Google ads keyword planner. Here you can check all your selected keywords’ search volume, forecast altogether. 

For checking the bulk search volume and forecast, upload the keyword list you’ve created before. 

Caution: There is no hard and fast rule to follow the process I’ve mentioned here. You can follow them if you want to get success in keyword research with this free keyword research tool. 

Google Autocomplete, The True Game Changer

Google, the tech giant, is also very famous for its search engine. Through Google’s search engine, tons of searches are produced almost every hour. 

Google search is another gold mine of keyword research. If you target organic traffic, this free keyword research tool has no alternatives. 

Google search gives your various suggestions. These come from Google’s autocomplete feature. 

There are three beautiful features of Google that truly encourage your search journey. These are:

1. Google autocomplete 
2. Google related search
3. People also ask by Google

Though, Google autocomplete is not regarded as a free keyword research tool by the professional. Yet, it is better than any best premium keyword research tool if you use it properly. 

Now let me explain how to use the Google autocomplete feature to find the potential keywords. 

Before that, you need Google Sheet or MS Excel to collect the keywords. 

Steps to use Google Autocomplete Feature

Follow the steps below to use Google Autocomplete features to collect tons of popular keywords for your niche or business. 

1. First, type a keyword or search term. (eg. Keyword research) and hit enter.
2. Go to the bottom of the result page (SERPs)
3. Collect all potential keywords from there and put them in your Google Sheet or MS Excel.
4. Now again come to the search section and type alphabets like a, b, c just after the keyword you’ve put there. But don’t hit enter. You’ll see more keywords with suffixes. 

Here is an example for you. Follow this step by step to make a solid keyword list. 

• First, type or put “KEYWORD RESEARCH” in the Google search and collect all related searches from the bottom. 
• Then put any alphabet (better to use all alphabets) after the term “KEYWORD RESEARCH” and just check the list of keywords that appear as a search suggestion. 
• Now make a list in Google Sheet with those collected keywords. 
• Next, come to the beginning part of your main keyword i.e. KEYWORD RESEARCH. 
• Put alphabets there and collect potentials keywords to your Google Sheet (or MS Excel)
• Keep this practice again and again. 

Here are some tips. 

Try using head keywords first. Then dig more and more. 

Here is another tip for you that definitely helps you to get tons of specific keywords. 

Use special characters with your main keywords. 

Look at the example below. 

• “Keyword research”+ tool
• “Keyword research”+ free
• “Keyword research”+ blog

Even the autocomplete suggestion will encourage you with more keywords. 

In this way, you can generate more potential keywords for your niche or business with this free keyword research tool. 

Using Google Autocomplete you can generate tons of keywords. Now I’ll discuss another treasure of Google search and that is – People Also Ask

People Also Ask, Goldmine for free Longtail Keywords

When you search in Google, you’ll definitely see the section named People also ask. 

Do you know how important it is!

If you’re looking for keyword intent or search intent this section is the best one. 

You can directly get tons of search queries for your keyword. 

Now list them in your existing Google Sheet or MS Excel software. 

When you click any of the ‘People Also Ask’ questions, the list will automatically be expanded. 

If you want to benefit from Google search using Google autocomplete, Related search or People also ask section, you need to spend more time only. 

I’m sure if you use the above strategies all together and obviously in the right way, you’ll get the best result with this free keyword research tool. 

Here is an additional and probably the most important tip for you. 

Check your targeted keyword’s allintitle score. 

For that use the following search term.

Allintitle:keyword research

In this process, you can generate the competition of your targeted keyword. 

Never take it lightly if you want to get the real benefit of keyword research with this free keyword research tool. 

Disclaimer: It’s your turn. I don’t compel you to use the above, rather I’ll prefer to use the above to get benefited. The choice is yours.  

Quora, Best Free Keyword Tool for Content Marketing

Quora is becoming popular day by day. As a result, it is becoming one of the most effective tools in digital marketing. 

Quora is mainly a question-answer forum. But for your keyword research journey, it will give you a ton of benefits. If you want to use a free keyword research tool for your keyword research journey, Quora will definitely be there at the top. 

• First login in Quora. 
• Go to the search section and search a term (eg. Keyword research)
• Wait for the autocomplete section of Quora as well to get more suggestion (if any)
• Using the search section you’ll see the results come with your targeted search term or keyword. Now note all of them to your existing Google Sheet or MS Excel. 

Do you know the other two important features of Quora, the free keyword research tool?

If you understand the difference between Space and Topic, that’s great. If you don’t know, simply use the search. 

Two important sections are:

1. Topic
2. Space

If you’re a content marketer, the above two are the goldmine. 

Let’s come with details. 

Topic (a subject mainly) lets you discover the discussion about this subject. If you go through them, you can start planning for your content marketing journey around the same keyword. 

Space is mainly the community platform where searchers use their queries to get answers. This will help you to collect potential questions around your targeted keywords. 

My suggestion is for those who want to use Quora for their keyword research journey, must spend at least 2 hours a day. (But it entirely depends on you.)

Now conclude the benefit of using Quora. 

• Easy to find longtail keywords
• Best platform for getting ideas about content marketing. 
• Leverage platform to bring organic traffic to your business. 
• The most proficient platform for Branding. 

Ubersuggest Google Chrome Extension, Free Tool Premium Feature

Ubersuggest is one of the leading and popular keyword research tools. Ubersuggest is not a free tool, but its extension is free to (till) date. 

I’ll share how to use Ubersuggest’s free keyword extension to find the keywords for your business. 

Ubersuggest extension brings features like:

• Targeted country 
• List of keywords
• Search volume
• Related keywords
  • Suggestions 
  • Questions
  • Comparisons (if any)
• SEO Metrics
  • Traffic
  • Backlinks

Though for related keywords, SEO metrics, you need to navigate to the Ubersuggest. Those sections are free. So copy or export all-important keywords to your existing keyword list, you’ve already created. 

Let’s conclude. Ubersuggest extension is best for the following parameters:

1. Get an instant search volume (you can predict the popularity)
2. Collect what people also search for (as related search)
3. Understand SEO metrics including traffic and backlink. 

Answer The Public, Best for Questionable Keywords

If you are looking for the best free tool for finding questions or identifying the important search query, ‘Answer The Public’ is simply the best one. Though this is not a completely free tool and as per my promise, I’ll only help you out with great features of this tool. 

Throughout my journey, I always prefer the ‘Answer The Public’ free features that really inspire you a lot. 

Here are three important features for you. 

• Able to collect many search terms. Mostly questions. 
• Explore more keyword ideas with alphabets. 
• Finally collect related keywords for your business. 

Don’t skip. Here is the hidden treasure. 

How to collect many questionable keywords with Answer The Public?

Getting questionable keywords are really game changers. So people have a trend to choose questionable keywords. 

Now, here is the secret. 

Use the steps first. Before that download the keyword suggestions from this free keyword research tool. 

1. First, filter with ‘WH’ questions (WH Question modifiers) first. (Eg, what is keyword research?)
2. Secondly, filter with Be (am, is, are), Have (have, has) and Modal verb (can, would, may, might etc.) (Eg. Is keyword research essential?)
3. Third, filter the rest on the basis of comparison. Here you must focus on the logical operators like And, Or, Not/No. (Eg. Keyword research and SEO)
4. After that, in stage four, group your keywords alphabetically. (Eg. Keyword research checklist)
5. In stage five, collect all related keywords. (Eg. Keyword research tool)
6. Finally, you can filter your keyword list according to the prepositions tactically. (Eg. Keyword research for beginners).

If you are able to use Answer The Public, the free keyword research tool with my suggestion (above mentioned), this free keyword research tool will give you more value. 

I can collect more data strategically for my content marketing strategy using Answer The Public tool. The free feature will definitely solve your primary need. 

I have my own theory, don’t look at the metrics more, rather focus more on the title that can produce a great piece of content. 

As content marketing is the winning formula, a free keyword research tool helps you a lot if you know how to use that tool well. 

There are lots of free keyword tools available, however, here in this article I only use those free tools that I generally use almost every day. Believe me, I run a small business, so, due to less budget, I can’t use so many premium tools. But to generate business growth, I’ve to depend more on free tools. 

Conclusion 

In search of good results, we always think that premium tools are the best. However many newbies don’t even try to use free tools. Keyword research tools are always on the top list. But, if you know how to use a free keyword research tool to generate tons of keywords, you’ll generate the same (and even better) result that you could generate through paid tools. Thus any free keyword research tool insists you do better if you understand how to use it properly. 

Disclaimer: Definitely the premium keyword research tools have some lucrative features. I don’t ask anyone not to use premium keyword tools. Rather I create this content for those who don’t have enough budget to use a premium tool. I don’t even ask anyone to follow my strategy blindly. I’ve shared some strategies that you can use. If my article helps you 1%, I’ll be grateful to you.