Sells in this field
Tools
Tools for keyword research and rank tracking
Keyword research starts with the words people type into a search box. The tools on this page estimate how often a search happens, show whether interest is rising or falling, and report where a site appears. Rank tracking means checking, on a schedule, where a page shows up for a chosen search.
This work is the practical side of Keyword research and Search intent, where the aim is to understand what searchers want. It also feeds SEO strategy, which decides what to work on first.
Every figure in these tools is an estimate or a sample. Treat it as a guide to compare searches with each other, not as a count.
Free tools
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Google Search Console Performance report
Shows how a verified site appears in Google Search. It reports clicks, impressions, click-through rate and average position, and can group them by search query, page, country or device.
It shows only your own site, and only for searches where your pages appeared. It cannot show keywords you have not yet reached.
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Google Trends
Shows what people are searching for and how interest in a topic changes over time and by region. It suits checking whether a subject is growing, fading or seasonal.
Its figures are relative interest on a scale, not numbers of searches.
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Google Keyword Planner
Google's keyword tool for advertisers. It suggests related keywords, estimates how many searches a keyword gets each month and forecasts clicks for an ad budget.
Google describes it as free, but it sits inside Google Ads, and Google's help pages say the account setup, including billing information, must be finished before keyword ideas are available. Its figures are built for planning ads.
Paid tools
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Semrush
A large SEO toolset. Its Keyword Magic Tool finds keyword ideas from a topic, a competitor or a niche, and Position Tracking checks how a site ranks daily across devices and locations.
Semrush has a short free trial. The maker does not describe a free plan for these tools.
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SE Ranking
A toolset whose rank tracker checks keyword rankings daily on Google, Bing, Yahoo and YouTube, for desktop and mobile, and compares a site with competitors. Keyword research is a separate tool in the same platform.
The maker offers a free trial with no card needed. A separate free rank checker allows a few one-off Google checks a day, without daily tracking.
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Mangools (KWFinder)
A keyword research tool. It suggests long-tail keywords, shows keyword difficulty, search volumes and trends over time, and lists what competitors rank for. It also covers local keywords and search result analysis.
The free plan allows only a few lookups a day and shows fewer suggestions per lookup.
How to choose
Search Console tells you which searches already bring people to your site. Google Trends tells you whether a topic is gaining or losing interest. Keyword Planner adds new ideas and rough search estimates, once a Google Ads account is set up.
The paid tools mainly add competitor data and rank tracking over time, which matter more to people doing this work every week. Working with the free tools first makes it clearer which of those gaps, if any, a paid tool needs to fill.
Videos to watch first
Sells in this field
The Complete SEO Keyword Research Masterclass for 2026
Sells in this field
Making a Hypothesis About Search Intent: Nigel Stevens (Organic Growth Marketing)
Older: check current guidance
Facts checked 11 November 2026