Top Free and Low-Cost SEO and Keyword Research Tools to Boost Your Search Engine Ranking

Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving organic traffic to your website, but for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs, the cost of SEO tools can be prohibitive. Fortunately, there are plenty of free and affordable SEO and keyword research tools that offer powerful features to help you improve your website’s search engine ranking without breaking the bank.

In this post, we’ll explore some of the best free and low-cost SEO tools you can use to enhance your website’s visibility, conduct keyword research, and track your performance.

SEO Tools (On-page Optimization, Site Performance, and Monitoring)

These tools help with optimizing your website’s SEO by providing site audits, on-page recommendations, backlink analysis, and overall SEO performance monitoring.

1. Google Search Console (Free)

Google Search Console is a must-have tool for anyone serious about SEO. This free tool from Google allows you to monitor your website’s performance in search results and provides insights into how Google sees your site.

Key Features:

• View search analytics to track keyword rankings.
• Submit your website’s sitemap for indexing.
• Identify and fix crawl errors and mobile usability issues.
• Monitor backlinks and keyword performance.

Best For: Monitoring site health, keyword performance, and identifying SEO issues.

2. SEO Framework (Free & Paid)

The SEO Framework is a lightweight and efficient SEO plugin for WordPress. It automates many aspects of on-page SEO, making it easy for users to optimize their websites without complicated configurations.

Key Features:

• Automatic generation of meta tags and descriptions for pages and posts.
• SEO optimization for social media with Open Graph and Twitter Card metadata.
• Local SEO options to optimize for location-based searches.
• Focuses on performance and speed, with no ads or unnecessary features.

Pricing: Free for basic features; paid extensions start at $7/month.

Best For: WordPress users who want an SEO plugin that focuses on automation and simplicity without sacrificing performance.

3. SEMrush (Paid, Free Trial)

SEMrush is a comprehensive digital marketing toolkit that includes SEO, PPC, content, and competitive analysis features. It’s widely used for in-depth SEO audits and tracking website performance in search engines.

Key Features:

• In-depth site audit and SEO recommendations.
• Track keyword rankings and analyze competitor performance.
• On-page SEO checker to improve your content’s chances of ranking higher.
• Backlink analysis and tracking to help you build a strong link profile.
• Analyze organic search traffic, keyword positions, and visibility trends.

Pricing: Starts at $119.95/month with various plans for different business sizes.

Best For: Businesses and marketers looking for an all-in-one SEO tool with detailed keyword tracking, competitive analysis, and content marketing features.

4. Ahrefs (Paid, Free Trial)

Ahrefs is a powerful SEO toolset focused on backlink analysis and keyword research. It’s ideal for users who need detailed insights into how to improve their website’s SEO performance, including competitor analysis.

Key Features:

• Extensive backlink database for analyzing both your site’s and competitors’ backlinks.
• Keyword Explorer helps find high-traffic, low-competition keywords.
• Site audit tools to discover technical SEO issues and improve your site’s structure.
• Detailed rank tracking for keywords and search positions.
• Competitor analysis with insights into what keywords they rank for and their backlink profiles.

Pricing: Starts at $99/month with higher tiers for more advanced features.

Best For: Marketers and SEO professionals who need comprehensive tools for keyword research, backlink analysis, and competitor tracking.

5. Moz Pro (Paid, Free Trial)

Moz Pro is a robust SEO tool that provides users with detailed insights into keyword rankings, site audits, and backlink analysis. Its user-friendly interface makes it a good option for both beginners and advanced users.

Key Features:

• Keyword research with difficulty scores, search volume, and click-through rate estimates.
• On-page optimization suggestions to improve SEO performance.
• Track rankings over time with detailed keyword ranking reports.
• Backlink analysis with domain authority and page authority metrics.
• Customizable reports to track SEO performance and share with clients or teams.

Pricing: Starts at $99/month with different tiers based on usage.

Best For: Businesses and SEO specialists looking for an easy-to-use tool with powerful keyword tracking and site audit features.

6. Rank Math (Free & Paid)

Rank Math is an all-in-one SEO plugin for WordPress, designed to optimize your site for search engines with minimal effort. Its user-friendly interface and robust feature set make it a popular choice among WordPress users.

Key Features:

• Automated on-page SEO optimization with support for schema markup.
• SEO analysis tool that gives detailed optimization suggestions.
• Built-in keyword ranking and tracking for individual pages and posts.
• Local SEO optimization and social media integrations.
• Supports rich snippets and advanced SEO analytics.

Pricing: Free version available with paid plans starting at $59/year.

Best For: WordPress users who want a feature-rich, easy-to-use SEO plugin with built-in optimization tools for content, schema, and local SEO.

7. Yoast SEO (Free & Paid)

Yoast SEO is one of the most popular SEO plugins for WordPress. It provides comprehensive on-page SEO optimization tools, including keyword management, readability analysis, and social media previews.

Key Features:

• Focus keyword analysis, with suggestions to optimize your content for SEO.
• Readability checker to improve content engagement and clarity.
• Meta description and title optimization for improved click-through rates.
• Built-in social media previews for Facebook and Twitter.
• XML sitemap generation to help search engines index your site.

Pricing: Free version available; premium starts at $99/year.

Best For: WordPress users who need a reliable SEO plugin with a strong emphasis on content optimization and social media integration.

Keyword Research Tools (Finding and Analyzing Keywords)

These tools focus on discovering new keywords, analyzing their search volume, and assessing competition, helping you target the right terms for SEO.

1. Google Keyword Planner (Free)

Originally designed for Google Ads, Google Keyword Planner is an excellent tool for discovering new keywords and estimating their search volume and competition. It’s perfect for small businesses looking for data directly from Google.

Key Features:

• Discover keyword ideas based on topics related to your business.
• Get search volume data and historical trends for keywords.
• Identify keyword trends over time.
• Organize keywords into campaigns and ad groups for Google Ads.

Best For: Small businesses looking for reliable keyword discovery and search volume analysis, directly from Google.

2. Ubersuggest (Free & Paid)

Ubersuggest, developed by Neil Patel, is a versatile tool offering SEO insights, keyword suggestions, and competitor analysis. It’s an easy-to-use platform for both beginners and more advanced SEO users.

Key Features:

• Keyword research with search volume, difficulty scores, and competition data.
• SEO audit to identify issues and opportunities for site improvement.
• Competitor analysis, tracking top-performing content and backlink profiles.
• Content ideas based on popular keywords and user queries.

Pricing: Free plan available with limited daily searches; paid plans start at $12/month.

Best For: Beginners and small businesses looking for a user-friendly interface with basic SEO and keyword research features.

3. Keysearch (Paid, Free Trial)

Keysearch is a budget-friendly SEO tool offering advanced keyword research, competitive analysis, and rank tracking. It’s perfect for small businesses and bloggers who want comprehensive keyword data at an affordable price.

Key Features:

• Keyword research with difficulty scores, search volume, and competition analysis.
• Competitor keyword gap analysis to uncover untapped keyword opportunities.
• Rank tracking to monitor how your website ranks for specific keywords over time.
• Backlink analysis to evaluate your site’s link-building efforts.

Pricing: Free trial available; paid plans start at $17/month.

Best For: Small businesses and bloggers who need comprehensive keyword research at a reasonable price.

4. Answer The Public (Free & Paid)

Answer The Public is a unique tool that helps users discover what questions and topics people are searching for. It’s excellent for uncovering long-tail keywords and generating content ideas that resonate with your audience.

Key Features:

• Visual representation of popular searches and questions based on your keywords.
• Discover long-tail keywords that can be targeted for content creation.
• Generate content ideas for blog posts, product pages, and FAQs.

Pricing: Free version available with limited searches; paid plans start at $9/month.

Best For: Content creators and SEO professionals looking to generate keyword ideas based on actual user queries.

5. SEMrush (Paid, Free Trial)

SEMrush is a comprehensive digital marketing toolkit with a powerful keyword research tool. Although it’s primarily a paid tool, the free plan still offers valuable keyword and competitive data.

Key Features:

• Perform keyword research and track keyword rankings.
• Discover keyword variations and related searches.
• Analyze competitors’ keywords and top-performing content.
• Site audit tools to fix SEO issues and improve site structure.

Pricing: Free trial available; paid plans start at $119/month.

Best For: SEO professionals and advanced users looking for comprehensive keyword research, competitor analysis, and performance tracking.

6. Moz Keyword Explorer (Free & Paid)

Moz’s Keyword Explorer offers valuable insights into keyword difficulty and search opportunities. It’s an excellent tool for users who want to dive deep into keyword rankings and predictions.

Key Features:

• Discover keyword suggestions with difficulty and opportunity scores.
• Track how difficult it will be to rank for specific keywords.
• Analyze search volume, click-through rates, and ranking opportunities.
• Integration with Moz Pro for more advanced SEO insights.

Pricing: Free plan available with limited searches; paid plans start at $99/month.

Best For: Users looking for keyword difficulty analysis, search volume, and SERP insights.

7. Ahrefs (Paid, Free Trial)

Ahrefs is a powerful all-in-one SEO tool that excels in keyword research, backlink analysis, and competitor tracking. Its Keyword Explorer tool allows users to find valuable keywords, analyze search volume, and assess keyword difficulty.

Key Features:

• Discover high-traffic keywords with search volume, keyword difficulty, and clicks per search.
• Detailed competitor analysis, showing keywords and backlinks.
• Rank tracking for your keywords over time.
• Comprehensive backlink database for analyzing link-building efforts.

Pricing: Starts at $99/month with various tiers based on usage.

Best For: Advanced users looking for in-depth keyword research, competitive analysis, and backlink tracking.

8. KWFinder (Paid, Free Trial)

KWFinder is a beginner-friendly keyword research tool designed to help users find low-competition, long-tail keywords. It’s ideal for beginners and businesses that want quick insights into keyword potential.

Key Features:

• Discover long-tail keywords with low SEO difficulty and high ranking potential.
• Analyze search volume, keyword difficulty, and trends over time.
• Location-specific keyword suggestions and SERP analysis for local SEO.
• Simple and intuitive interface, perfect for users who are new to SEO.

Pricing: Free trial available; paid plans start at $29.90/month.

Best For: Beginners and small businesses looking for easy-to-use keyword research with a focus on long-tail keywords and local SEO.

Conclusion: Find the Right SEO Tools for Your Business

For SEO optimization and site performance monitoring, tools like SEO Framework, SEMrush, and Ahrefs provide comprehensive solutions. For those using WordPress, plugins like Yoast SEO and Rank Math are great for on-page SEO automation.

For keyword research, tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, and Keysearch offer free and low-cost ways to discover new keywords and analyze their potential. If you need more advanced data, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz are excellent for both keyword research and overall SEO.

Remember, consistency and tracking your SEO efforts are key to success. By using these tools, you can refine your SEO strategy, target the right keywords, and watch your rankings improve.