6 Free Keyword Research Tools That Will Blow Your Mind (And Not Your Budget)!

Written by Dr. Bob Clarke on May 18, 2009 10:05 pm

KEYWORD RESEARCH

Keyword research allows one to find niches, determine competition, and define the demand of the consumer. There are people that make a living by doing keyword research for others. There are those that are SO good at it (Howie Schwartz, among others) that they can basically name the price for their services.

I’m not going to talk about HOW to do keyword research in this post. There are volumes already published on the subject.

Simply go to Google and type in “keyword research” and you’ll get over 47 MILLION hits. There’s not much more that I can add.

But what about the TOOLS to perform keyword research?

Again this is a huge market, and there are a multitude of tools to choose from. Some cost very little. Some are rather expensive. All have their attributes and their shortcomings. And some…. are FREE.

Free keyword research tools are my favorite, as they are what I used when I first started out. And, truth be told, the average network marketer will do just fine by JUST using the free tools.

Below, I have listed my 6 Favorite Keyword Research Tools… and they are all FREE.

Enjoy.

TOOL #1: Google Suggest

Google Suggest is a Google search feature that automatically suggests search phrases as you are typing your query. The green number next to each suggested query represents the approximate number of results that would return if you select the query. I use this tool when first starting the keyword research process, as it gives me some ideas about various search phrases and the relative popularity (i.e. volume) and competition.

TOOL #2: Google Adwords Free Keyword Tool

The Google Adwords Free Keyword Tool should be a staple in every networkers toolbox. Designed to give advertisers more keyword ideas for their Google Adwords campaigns, this tool can be used by any marketer, whether or not they advertise on Google. Simply put in your main keyword or phrase (hint: start broad and narrow your focus in later searches) and hit “Get Keyword Ideas” button, and you’re off and running.

When your results are posted (within a few seconds), you will find listed your main keyword or phrase, followed by a typically long list of variations. For each keyword or phrase on the list, the Google Adwords Free Keyword Tool provides information on Global Monthly Search Volume, Local Search Volume for the Prior Month, and Advertiser Competition. You can also find the Estimated Cost-per-Click (CPC) needed to attain a certain ad position, Search Volume Trends for the past year (in graphic form), and the month of the year in which the highest search volume was hit (HINT: To see these later columns, go to the drop down menu under Choose Columns to Display and select “ALL”).

And it gets better. This tool allows you to click an “ADD” button to add the keyword or keyword phrase to a list, which can then be exported in a .csv file to Microsoft Excel or your favorite spreadsheet, or a text file to download to a text editor.

Want more? You can also choose to search for your keyword term as a Broad match, Phrase Match, or Exact Match. And it you want to develop a Negative List for your keyword, you can simply select this feature, as well.

I think you’ll agree that this is one POWERFUL tool, and it’s one of my favorites.

TOOL #3: Google Insights for Search

Another terrific free keyword tool offered by Google, Google Insights for Search allows you to compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties. Simply type in your search term, filter by time (years) or location (Worldwide, US, specific region, etc.), and hit Search.

Google Insights provides you with the most often searched terms or phrases during the time you have designated. For example, if I wanted to know the search volume of the keyword phrase “Home Business” during the years 2004-present in the US, the results would look like this:

Rising searches

1.
windows vista business
Breakout

2.
vista business
+3100%

3.
google home business
+250%

4.
home business reviews
+140%

5.
home business idea
+120%

6.
online home business
+50%

7.
legitimate home business
+50%

8.
best home business
+50%

9.
online business
+40%

10.
home business scams
+40%

Very cool. Not only do I see the Top Searches for this keyword phrase, but Google Insights also provide the Rising Searches, those phrases that have been “breaking out” in terms of volume from one month previous to the current month.

This is especially powerful if you are looking to drive more traffic.

TOOL #4: NicheBot Classic

This keyword tool, powered by Wordtracker, allows you to type in a keyword phrase and obtain the top 50 most popular keyword listings. I use this tool to supplement the free Google tools, as many of these tools pull their listings from different sources and yield slightly different results. This is another way to supplement your keyword list and make it more complete.

This tool is also very useful in that in provides information across the various search engines. When I type in “home business”, I get a list of keyword phrases, and their relative search volume in Google, Yahoo, and MSN. I can also check out the competition by clicking on the link to these search engines provided in the table, which will show me the top PPC and organic listings for that particular phrase.

These features make the NicheBot Classic Free Keyword tool very powerful.

Tool #5: Wordpot Keyword Finder

There is a paid and free version of this site, but I’ve found the free version to be more than enough in terms of relevant keyword information. Simply sign up for a free account and you’re good to go.

Once you’ve entered your keyword phrase, the Free Wordpot Keyword tool will provide you with a list of the 50 top results, giving the total number of times any variation of the keyword phrase was searched, and the number of times your keyword phrase was searched EXACTLY. This is useful information when determining whether or not to include a keyword phrase in your list.

TOOL #6: Keyword Spy PRO

Again, there is a free and paid version of this tool, and I have used both. The Free Version of KW SpyPRO provides you with a ton of relevant information about the competition for a specific keyword or phrase. When I type in “Home Business”, I am provided basic information regarding average cost per click, daily volume, and the number of advertisers using this keyword phrase (i.e. your competitors):

Keyword Statistics

Cost/Click:
$3.07

Clicks/Day:
1,904

Cost/Day:
$5,905

#Advertisers:
149

Search Results:
2,147,483,647

In addition, KWSpyPRO provides the Top 5 Paid Competitors and Top 5 Organic Listing Competitors for this keyword, their URL, number of keywords used, daily budget estimation, and their actual ads they use to drive traffic.

And all of this for FREE.

Although you can get even more information using the paid versions of some of these sites, and their are some excellent PAY KEYWORD TOOLS that I use and strongly recommend, network marketers on a tight budget can perform their keyword research just as easily and almost as completely with these FREE KEYWORD TOOLS.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly.

To your success!