The 5 Best Google Keyword Planner Alternatives
If you’re searching for a dependable alternative to Google Keyword Planner, you’re in good company. While Google Keyword Planner is a free and valuable tool, especially for those running Google Ads campaigns, it does have its drawbacks.
For example, it often emphasizes bottom-of-the-funnel search terms and might not offer the extensive keyword data that SEO experts and content creators typically need. This is where other keyword research tools can be beneficial.
When looking for the best Google Keyword Planner alternatives, you want tools that provide large keyword databases, accurate search volume data, and features that help you analyze and improve your keyword strategy. Whether you’re an experienced SEO professional or just starting, having the right tools can greatly affect your content’s ranking and overall SEO performance.
In this article, I’ll explore the top 5 alternatives to Google Keyword Planner that can boost your keyword search strategies. From tools that offer detailed keyword suggestions and search volume data to those that provide advanced SEO analysis, competitor insights, and keyword clustering software, I’ll cover everything you need to make a well-informed choice.
1. Ahrefs
Overview
Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO tool widely used by many professionals. It offers a broad range of features that extend beyond basic keyword research, making it a great alternative to Google Keyword Planner.
Ahrefs is renowned for its extensive database of over 29 billion keywords, giving users a wealth of data to shape their SEO strategies.
Key Features
Ahrefs’ Keyword Explorer is one of its standout tools, allowing users to create detailed reports on any keyword. You can find metrics like global search volume, keyword difficulty, traffic potential, and cost per click (CPC). The tool also offers filters to refine keyword suggestions based on factors like difficulty and search volume, making it easier to find viable keywords for your content.
Additionally, Ahrefs includes features like Site Audit, which helps identify and fix SEO issues on your website, and Rank Tracker, which lets you monitor your Google rankings over time. The Content Explorer feature helps discover content gaps and link-building opportunities, while Alerts provide automatic notifications for keyword and link-building chances.
Why is it a good alternative to Google Keyword Planner?
Ahrefs stands out as a superior alternative to Google Keyword Planner thanks to its vast database and detailed metrics. Unlike Google Keyword Planner, which is more tailored for Google Ads users, Ahrefs offers a wider range of tools designed for SEO professionals.
It provides more precise and comprehensive data on search volumes, keyword difficulty, and traffic potential, which are essential for optimizing your content and boosting your search engine rankings.
Furthermore, Ahrefs allows you to analyze your competitors’ websites, generate keyword ideas from related and matching terms, and even use AI prompts to brainstorm niche-specific keywords. These features make Ahrefs a more versatile and powerful tool for anyone serious about SEO.
Pricing
Ahrefs offers several pricing plans to fit different needs and budgets. The latest addition is the $29/month Starter plan, ideal for SEO beginners, which includes 100 credits per month for accessing reports and tools like Keywords Explorer and Site Audit.
For more advanced users, there are Lite, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise plans, ranging from $99 to $999 per month, depending on the features and credits needed.
Each plan is designed to provide a specific level of access to Ahrefs’ tools, ensuring that users only pay for what they need. This flexibility makes Ahrefs accessible to a wide range of users, from small businesses and individuals to large enterprises and agencies.
2. SEMRush
Overview
SEMRush is a full-featured digital marketing tool that goes beyond simple keyword research, making it a strong alternative to Google Keyword Planner. It is designed to meet the needs of SEO professionals, marketers, and businesses aiming to enhance their online presence.
With SEMRush, you gain access to a complete marketing suite, including tools for SEO, content marketing, market research, and advertising.
Key Features
One of SEMRush’s standout features is the Keyword Magic Tool, which offers an extensive list of keyword suggestions along with detailed metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, and CPC. The tool also includes Organic Research, helping you analyze your competitors’ organic search strategies and spot market gaps.
Additionally, SEMRush provides Position Tracking to monitor your rankings over time, Backlink Analytics to analyze and build backlinks, and Site Audit to identify and fix technical SEO issues on your website.
Other notable features include the Keyword Gap tool, which compares your keyword profile with competitors’, and the Topic Research tool, which helps you find trending topics and generate content ideas. SEMRush also offers tools for PPC keyword research, social media management, and content optimization through its SEO Writing Assistant and Content Template features.
Why is it a good alternative to Google Keyword Planner?
SEMRush is a great alternative to Google Keyword Planner due to its comprehensive range of features. Unlike Google Keyword Planner, which is mainly for Google Ads users, SEMRush offers a broader suite of tools tailored for SEO professionals.
It provides more in-depth keyword research capabilities, including competitive data and detailed metrics essential for optimizing your SEO strategy. The tool also offers insights into backlinks, organic traffic, and competitor analysis, which are vital for a well-rounded SEO approach.
Moreover, SEMRush’s user-friendly interface and the availability of free tutorials for subscribers make it easier to navigate and fully utilize its features, even for those new to SEO. This makes SEMRush a powerful tool for anyone aiming to improve their website’s visibility and performance in search engines.
Pricing
SEMRush offers various pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets. The Pro plan, the most affordable option, starts at $139.95 per month (or $117.33 per month with annual billing) and is suitable for small businesses and individuals managing up to five projects.
The Guru plan, priced at $249.95 per month (or $208.33 per month with annual billing), adds features like historical data and advanced reporting. The Business plan, at $499.95 per month (or $416.66 per month with annual billing), is designed for larger businesses and agencies, offering more extensive features and higher limits on projects and reports.
SEMRush also provides a 14-day free trial for the Pro and Guru plans, allowing you to test its features before committing to a subscription.
3. Keyword Tool
Overview
Keyword Tool is a powerful and user-friendly online tool designed to help businesses and individuals find the right keywords for their SEO and content marketing strategies. It excels in generating a wide array of keyword suggestions, including long-tail keywords, related terms, and questions, sourced from various search engines like Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, and more.
Key Features
One of Keyword Tool’s key features is its ability to generate up to 750 long-tail keyword suggestions per search term, making it a valuable resource for content creators and SEO professionals. The tool also provides accurate search volume data localized to 192 countries, 68,000+ individual locations, and 46 languages, which is especially useful for targeting specific geographic areas.
It includes a ‘keyword basket’ feature that lets users add and manage keywords in bulk, simplifying the process of copying, exporting, or further analyzing selected keywords. Additionally, Keyword Tool offers a ‘check search volume’ option, enabling users to bulk-check search volumes, trends, CPC, and competition for multiple keywords simultaneously.
Other notable features include the ability to filter keywords, use negative keywords, and access additional data such as CPC and competition levels on Google Ads. The tool also integrates with various platforms, providing insights into search behavior on YouTube, Amazon, eBay, and other sites.
Why is it a good alternative to Google Keyword Planner?
Keyword Tool is a great alternative to Google Keyword Planner because of its extensive and accurate keyword data. Unlike Google Keyword Planner, which focuses more on Google Ads, Keyword Tool offers a wider range of keyword suggestions from multiple search engines.
This makes it particularly useful for SEO professionals and content creators who need to optimize their content for various platforms.
The tool’s user-friendly interface and features like the keyword basket and bulk search volume analysis make keyword research easier and faster. Additionally, the ability to save user preferences for location and language, as well as the predictive typing feature, enhances the overall user experience and efficiency of the tool.
Pricing
Keyword Tool offers both free and paid versions. The free version provides limited but useful features, while the paid versions, known as Keyword Tool Pro, offer more extensive capabilities. The Pro Basic plan starts at $89 per month (or $69 if billed annually) and includes features like search volume data, more keywords, and bulk search volume analysis for one user account.
The Pro Plus plan, priced at $99 per month (or $79 if billed annually), adds features such as CPC data and competition data, along with support for five user accounts. The Pro Business plan, at $199 per month (or $159 if billed annually), includes all the Pro Plus features plus 50 API requests per day and support for ten user accounts. All plans come with a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
4. Cocolyze
Overview
Cocolyze is a comprehensive SEO tool designed to simplify and enhance your SEO strategies. It is tailored for individuals, businesses, agencies, and web developers, aiming to make SEO accessible and easy to manage.
With over 70 features, Cocolyze provides a holistic approach to SEO, covering rank tracking, website optimization, competitor analysis, and backlink monitoring, among other functionalities.
Key Features
Cocolyze offers a range of powerful features that make it an excellent tool for SEO professionals. One key feature is the keyword research tool, which generates extensive keyword suggestions along with important metrics like average monthly searches, competition levels, and CPC. This allows users to target high-value keywords and optimize their content effectively.
The platform also includes a robust rank tracking feature that monitors your website’s performance across major search engines, providing daily updates on keyword rankings for both desktop and mobile. Additionally, Cocolyze offers a backlink analysis tool to monitor and manage backlinks, a site audit tool to identify and fix technical SEO issues, and a competitor analysis feature to track competitors’ rankings and strategies.
Cocolyze also provides content optimization recommendations, helping users improve their on-page SEO with suggestions on keyword usage, meta descriptions, and content length. The tool’s ability to provide actionable insights and simplify complex SEO data into understandable suggestions is a significant advantage.
Why is it a good alternative to Google Keyword Planner?
Cocolyze stands out as a strong alternative to Google Keyword Planner due to its comprehensive and user-friendly approach to SEO. Unlike Google Keyword Planner, which requires a Google Ads account and offers limited keyword suggestions, Cocolyze provides unlimited keyword suggestions without needing an account or ad setup. This makes it more accessible and flexible for users not running Google Ads campaigns.
Cocolyze’s ability to analyze keywords in over 65 languages across 45,000 different locations on Google and Google Mobile offers a broader scope of data, which is essential for targeting specific geographic regions and languages. The tool’s focus on providing actionable insights and simplifying SEO processes makes it an excellent choice for both beginners and advanced users.
Pricing
Cocolyze offers various pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets. The platform includes a free plan with limited features, allowing users to test the tool without committing to a subscription. The paid plans start with the Freelance plan at $69.99 per month (or $49.99 per month when billed annually), which includes features like rank tracking for 500 keywords, backlink monitoring, and competitor analysis for up to 5 competitors per project.
The Ecommerce, Business, and various Agency plans (Agency75, Agency100, Agency125) offer increasingly more features and higher limits on keywords, competitors, and reports, with prices ranging from $119.99 to $699.99 per month, depending on the plan and billing cycle. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and users can try the service for free without needing a credit card.
5. Ubersuggest
Overview
Ubersuggest is a versatile and powerful SEO tool created by Neil Patel, designed to help users improve their online visibility through comprehensive keyword research, competitor analysis, site audits, and more. This tool is particularly useful for individuals, businesses, and agencies looking to streamline their SEO strategies and boost their website’s traffic and rankings.
Key Features
Ubersuggest offers a range of features that make it an invaluable tool for SEO professionals. One standout feature is its ability to generate hundreds of long-tail keyword suggestions based on a root keyword or URL.
These suggestions include important metrics like search volume, SEO difficulty, and cost-per-click (CPC), helping users make informed decisions about which keywords to target.
The tool also includes advanced competitor analysis features, allowing users to reverse-engineer their competitors’ SEO, content marketing, and social media strategies. This includes insights into top-performing pages, backlink profiles, and content gaining the most social shares.
The site audit feature helps identify and fix technical SEO issues, providing improvement recommendations.
Additionally, Ubersuggest offers content suggestions based on what works best in your industry, including keywords that answer common questions and related keywords to expand your reach. The tool also has a backlink analysis section, where users can see the exact content people are linking to and develop a strategy to enhance their link profile.
Why is it a good alternative to Google Keyword Planner?
Ubersuggest is a great alternative to Google Keyword Planner for several reasons. Firstly, it offers a wider range of keyword ideas, generating hundreds of long-tail keyword variations, which is particularly useful for early-stage keyword research.
Unlike Google Keyword Planner, which requires a Google Ads account and is more focused on PPC campaigns, Ubersuggest is accessible without any additional accounts and is geared more towards SEO-focused keyword research.
Ubersuggest also provides international keyword data for over 100 countries, making it an excellent choice for businesses targeting global audiences. The tool’s ease of use, with no complex setup required, and its ability to provide actionable insights and content suggestions, make it a valuable resource for both beginners and advanced SEO professionals.
Pricing
Ubersuggest offers several pricing plans designed to be budget-friendly. The Individual plan starts at $12 per month, the Business plan at $20 per month, and the Enterprise plan at $40 per month.
These plans provide varying levels of access to features like keyword research, competitor analysis, site audits, and backlink data. Ubersuggest also offers lifetime plans, where users can pay a one-time fee of $290 for the Individual plan, $490 for the Business plan, or $990 for the Enterprise plan, granting access to all features and future updates for life.
Additionally, Ubersuggest offers a free version with limited features, allowing users to test the tool before committing to a subscription. This makes it an attractive option for those seeking an affordable yet powerful SEO tool.
Conclusion
In summary, finding the right alternative to Google Keyword Planner can greatly enhance your SEO and content marketing strategies. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush, Keyword Tool, Cocolyze, and Ubersuggest offer comprehensive keyword research capabilities, competitor analysis, and detailed metrics that go beyond what Google Keyword Planner provides.
Each of these tools has its unique strengths, whether it’s Ahrefs’ extensive keyword database, SEMRush’s integrated digital marketing suite, or Ubersuggest’s user-friendly interface and affordable pricing.
When choosing an alternative, consider your specific needs: whether you require advanced SEO features, competitor insights, or simple and free keyword suggestions. Remember, investing in the right tool can lead to better keyword targeting, improved search engine rankings, and increased organic traffic.
Don’t hesitate to explore these alternatives and find the one that best fits your strategy and budget. By doing so, you’ll be well on your way to optimizing your content and driving more traffic to your website.
