Key takeaways
- Start free: Google Search Console shows the searches you already appear for, and Keyword Planner estimates monthly volume.
- Google Trends shows interest on a 0 to 100 scale. It compares terms; it does not give search volume.
- Paid tools add competitor keywords, difficulty scores and much bigger idea lists. Their volumes are estimates too.
- The best keyword research site is the one that answers your question: your own data, demand, or what competitors rank for.
Keyword research sites are tools that show what people search for on Google, how often and how hard each search is to win. Some are free and come from Google itself; others are paid platforms built on their own data. This guide compares them honestly, so you can pick what fits your stage. If you would rather have the work done for you, that is what my keyword research service covers. If you are new to the topic, start with what keyword research is and come back here for the tools.
What are keyword research sites?
Keyword research sites are tools that collect search data and turn it into lists of keywords with metrics such as monthly searches, difficulty, intent and cost per click. Google's own tools use Google data, but cover less. Paid tools build large databases from several sources and add competitor data, so their numbers are estimates.
That last point matters more than any feature list. Two tools can show very different volumes for the same keyword, and both can be "right" by their own method. Use one main source for decisions and treat the numbers as a way to compare searches with each other, not as a promise of traffic.
Which free keyword research tools are worth using?
Four free tools cover most of what a small business needs: Google Search Console for the searches you already appear for, Keyword Planner for volume estimates, Google Trends for seasonality, and Google autocomplete for real phrasing. Ahrefs adds a free keyword generator and free Webmaster Tools for sites you verify.
| Free tool | What it shows | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Queries that brought impressions and clicks to your site, with CTR and average position | Only your own site, only searches where you already appear |
| Google Keyword Planner | Estimated monthly searches and ideas from a keyword or a website | Lives inside Google Ads; account setup asks for billing details |
| Google Trends | Interest over time and by region, scaled 0 to 100 | Relative interest from a sample, not search volume |
| Google autocomplete | Predictions based on real searches | No numbers; shaped by language and location |
| Ahrefs Keyword Generator | Keyword ideas with volume estimates, including a Questions report | Free version shows a limited list |
| Ahrefs Webmaster Tools | Keywords your verified site ranks for, plus a site audit | Only for websites you verify |
Google's help page for Keyword Planner explains the two ways to start: enter words related to your products or services, or enter a website and let Google find related keywords. It also notes that keywords with very low search volume cannot be discovered or forecast there, which is one reason specific searches are often missing from it. The Search Console Performance report is different: it shows the queries that actually produced impressions for your pages.
How do I check keyword search volume for free?
Use Google Keyword Planner for monthly search estimates, and confirm the trend in Google Trends. Trends will not give you a number, but it shows whether interest is growing, flat or seasonal. For your own site, Search Console impressions show how often you actually appeared, which is often more useful than any estimate.
The detail people miss with Trends is in Google's own FAQ about Trends data: values are scaled from 0 to 100 based on a topic's share of all searches, and only a sample of searches is used. So "100" means the peak of interest for that comparison, not 100 searches. It is excellent for seeing when demand rises, for example air conditioning repair before summer, and poor for sizing a market.
How do I check the keywords of a website?
For your own website, open Search Console, go to the Performance report and look at the Queries tab. For a competitor, you need a tool with its own index, such as Semrush or Ahrefs, which estimate the keywords a domain ranks for. Free versions show part of that data; full competitor lists require a paid plan.
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is a useful middle ground: it is free for websites you verify and shows which keywords your site ranks for, up to 1,000 at a time, along with a technical site audit. It will not show a competitor's keywords, though. That is the line where most free tools stop.
What do paid keyword tools add?
Paid tools add three things free tools lack: competitor keyword data, much larger idea lists and difficulty scores that estimate how hard a keyword is to rank for. They also group keywords by topic and intent. They are worth paying for when you publish often, compete in a crowded market or manage several sites.
Semrush documents its Keyword Magic Tool as drawing from a database of about 27 billion keywords, with search volume, keyword difficulty, search intent and cost per click for each one, plus a Questions filter. Ahrefs offers a free keyword generator with a Questions report and covers search engines beyond Google, such as YouTube and Amazon, with the full data in its paid plans. I am not listing prices here: they change often, so check each tool's pricing page the day you buy.
Competitor keywords
See which searches bring traffic to the sites that outrank you.
Difficulty scores
A rough guide to how much work a keyword needs. Useful for comparing, never exact.
Intent labels
Informational, commercial or transactional, so you match the right page type.
Topic groups
Hundreds of variations grouped so one page can cover the whole topic.
Question lists
The exact questions people ask, ready for FAQs and guides.
Countries and languages
Separate data for the US and each Latin American market.
Which is the best website for keyword research?
There is no single best website for keyword research; the best one answers your current question. Search Console is best for what you already rank for, Keyword Planner for demand, Trends for timing and a paid tool for competitors. Most small businesses can start free and only pay once they publish content every month.
| Your stage | Start with | Add later |
|---|---|---|
| New website, no data yet | Keyword Planner, autocomplete, Trends | A paid tool for one month to study competitors |
| Site live for 3+ months | Search Console Queries | Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for your verified site |
| Publishing every month | A paid tool with intent and difficulty | Search Console to check what actually worked |
| Several markets or languages | A paid tool with country databases | Trends by region for seasonality |
A free 30-minute keyword routine
- Open Search Console. Sort queries by impressions and note searches with many impressions and few clicks. Those are pages that are close.
- Type your main service into Google. Write down the autocomplete predictions, which Google says reflect real searches, and the People also ask questions.
- Paste the list into Keyword Planner. Get the estimated monthly searches and more ideas.
- Check two or three terms in Trends. See which wording is more common and when demand peaks.
- Group the list by intent. One page per group. If you are not sure what counts as a keyword or how intent works, read what a keyword is.
Specific, multi-word searches deserve their own look, because tools often show little or no volume for them. The guide to long tail keywords with examples explains how to find them.
When should I stop doing keyword research myself?
When the list grows past what you can map to pages, when two of your pages compete for the same search, or when you enter a new market or language. At that point the cost is not the tool but the time and the risk of building pages nobody searches for. A professional map avoids both.
My keyword research service starts at $350 and delivers up to about 150 keywords with intent, volume and the target page for each, using paid tools so you do not need a subscription. You can also book the free 30-minute diagnosis from the home page, and we will look at your Search Console together.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Keyword Planner free?
It sits inside Google Ads. Google's help page says you complete account setup, including billing details, to use its basic features. You do not have to run ads to look up keywords.
Why do tools show different search volumes?
Each tool estimates volume with its own data and method. Use one tool consistently and compare keywords with each other rather than trusting a single number.
Can I see a competitor's keywords for free?
Only partly. Free versions of Semrush and Ahrefs show a sample. Full competitor lists need a paid plan.
Is Google Trends search volume?
No. Trends shows relative interest on a 0 to 100 scale from a sample of searches. It is for comparing terms and seeing seasonality.
Do I need a paid tool for a small local business?
Usually not at the start. Search Console, Keyword Planner and autocomplete cover most local needs. A paid tool helps once you publish content regularly.
About the author
Juan José Giraldo is an SEO consultant in Medellín, Colombia, with 5+ years of experience. He works on technical and local SEO for 600+ US car dealerships at Reunion Marketing, an Inc. 5000 agency, and supervises the SEO of 18 US online stores with more than 3 million products at Prontomowers. Read more · LinkedIn.
Sources
- Google Ads Help, Use Keyword Planner
- Google Trends Help, FAQ about Google Trends data
- Google Search Help, How Google autocomplete predictions work
- Ahrefs, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
- Ahrefs, Free Keyword Generator
- Semrush Knowledge Base, Keyword Magic Tool
- Search Console Help, Performance report (Search results)