Most Professional & Complete Free Keyword Research Toolkit

 (Used by SEO Insiders & Google Experts)

SEO professionals don’t rely on just one tool—they use combinations of free and hidden resources to uncover high-value keywords. This exhaustive list includes every pro-level technique, used by top SEO strategists, ex-Googlers, and growth marketers.

🔹 Google’s Own Keyword & Search Data (Most Reliable Sources)

Google Keyword Planner – The closest free data to Google Ads keyword volumes.

Google Search Console – Find low-hanging fruit keywords you already rank for.

Google Autocomplete – Type partial queries to uncover trending search patterns.

Google’s “People Also Ask” – Click each question to reveal more and more related queries.

Google Related Searches – At the bottom of search results—perfect for long-tail keywords.

Google Trends – Filters by location, time, and category for niche trends.

Google News Trends – Monitors real-time breaking topics for fresh content ideas.

Google Shopping Ads Insights – Extract commercial keywords by checking Google Shopping listings.

Google Image Tags – Auto-generated labels help identify visual search-related keywords.

Google “Discussions” Tab – Finds keywords surfacing in user discussions (Reddit, forums, Quora).

Google Bard (Gemini) – Extracts keyword patterns and predictive search intent insights.

Google Dataset Search – Finds research-based keyword trends from government, university, and corporate datasets.

Google Merchant Center – Reveals high-intent product searches and shopping trends.

Google Ads Auction Insights – Uncovers hidden competitor keyword bidding strategies.

Google Cloud NLP API – Extracts entities and keyword relationships from Google’s AI perspective.

Google Tag Manager + Search Console Integration – Tracks keyword-level interactions on a site.

Google Search Operators for SEO – Use commands like "intitle:", "inurl:", and "cache:" to find hidden keyword opportunities.

Google Cloud Natural Language API (Advanced Mode) – Extracts entity relationships and sentiment from Google’s own AI.

Google Data Studio + Search Console Integration – Tracks real-time keyword trends & cannibalization.

Google Correlate (Archived, But Accessible) – Finds historical keyword trends that correlate with real-world events.

Think With Google Rising Retail Trends – Google’s hidden retail search trends for eCommerce & DTC brands.

Google API Explorer (Custom Queries) – Lets developers extract keyword trends & ranking data via Google’s API.

🔹 Chrome Extensions for Fast Keyword Research

Keyword Surfer – Displays search volume directly on Google search results.

SEO Minion – Extracts “People Also Ask” results at scale.

Keyword Everywhere (Free Mode) – Gives related keywords, trends & CPC.

Check My Links – Identifies broken link-building opportunities.

Glasp (YouTube SEO Tool) – Scrapes hidden tags from YouTube videos.

SerpWorx – Displays DA/PA, backlinks, and keyword data for every search result.

SEOStack Keyword Tool – Bulk scrapes Google Autocomplete in seconds.

Scraper (Chrome Extension) – Extracts structured data from search results for keyword research.

Link Grabber – Finds outbound links on SERP pages for niche keyword discovery.

Niche Finder by SEOPro – Reveals emerging keyword patterns based on competitors’ weak spots.

Keywords Everywhere (Paid Mode) – Unlocks CPC, trend analysis, and historical keyword data.

🔹 Bulk Keyword Scraping & Idea Generation

AnswerThePublic – Expands queries into hundreds of user-intent-driven variations.

Keyword Sheeter – Scrapes thousands of autocomplete suggestions in seconds.

AlsoAsked – Analyzes Google’s “People Also Ask” structures for deeper intent mapping.

Soovle – Pulls autocomplete keywords from multiple sources: Google, Amazon, Wikipedia, YouTube.

Keyword Tool. io – Free version scrapes Google, YouTube, Bing, and Amazon autocomplete.

Keyword Cupid – Uses AI clustering to find keyword intent relationships.

KeyClusters – Groups thousands of keywords into silos automatically.

KWFinder by Mangools (Free version still powerful) – Provides deeper analysis for long-tail keywords.

Keyword Intelligence by BiQ – Uses AI to suggest keyword variations based on user search intent.

Seed Keywords Tool – Generates unique keyword ideas based on user input.

🔹 Competitive Keyword Research (Reverse-Engineer What’s Already Working)

SEO SpyGlass – Extracts competitor backlinks and keyword rankings.

Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker – See which keywords drive links to competitors.

Ubersuggest (Free Mode) – Provides search volume, competition, and trend graphs.

SimilarWeb (Free Plan) – Identifies competitor traffic sources & most-searched queries.

Serpstat Free Plan – Offers basic but useful competitive keyword analysis.

Google Ads Transparency Center – View active paid keywords competitors are targeting.

SpyFu (Free Version) – Uncovers historical PPC & SEO keyword strategies of competitors.

Seobility – Free competitor ranking tracker with keyword analysis.

Screaming Frog (Limited Free Version) – Extracts keyword data from competitor metadata at scale.

Wayback Machine + SEO Tools – Extracts past keyword strategies competitors used before algorithm changes.

OpenLinkProfiler – Finds keywords linked to competitor sites (great for backlink-based keyword mining).

Serpstat API (Free Mode) – Pulls limited but useful competitive keyword data.

Majestic SEO (Free Backlink Checker) – Analyzes competitor anchor text for keyword patterns.

🔹 Social Media Keyword Mining (Viral & Trending Topics)

YouTube Autocomplete – Extracts trending video search terms.

Reddit Keyworddit – Extracts keyword phrases from high-ranking Reddit posts.

Pinterest Trends – Identifies rising product search terms & niche interests.

Twitter (X) Trending Topics – Captures live keyword trends for content strategy.

Facebook Ads Library – See high-performing ad copy and commercial keyword usage.

TikTok Creative Center – Tracks viral search terms & trending hashtags.

YouTube Trending API – Extracts keyword data from daily trending videos.

SparkToro Free Plan – Finds hidden audience keywords based on interest data.

Podchaser Trends – Extracts podcast episode keyword rankings for niche topics.

Trendinalia – Real-time Twitter (X) trending keyword tracker by country.

🔹 Free Forum & Community-Based Keyword Research

Quora Trending Questions – Uncover high-engagement questions in any niche.

Reddit’s Top Discussions – Find the most discussed keywords within niche communities.

Stack Exchange – Best for B2B, coding, and technical query mining.

Amazon Q&A Sections – Extract common buyer questions for product SEO.

Etsy Search Insights – Scrape eCommerce product-related keyword searches.

BoardReader – Searches keywords across thousands of niche forums.

FindAForum. net – Finds high-ranking forums where niche keywords are trending.

Terkel – AI-driven Q&A keyword research platform (similar to Quora but more business-focused).

G2 & Capterra Reviews – Extracts product-related keyword themes from software reviews.

Trustpilot & SiteJabber – Mines customer complaints and praise for keyword patterns.

🔹 AI & Machine Learning-Based Keyword Research

ChatGPT (Free Mode) – Prompt: “Generate 100 keyword variations around [topic].”

Bing Chat (Copilot AI) – Offers Bing-specific keyword opportunities.

Google Bard (Gemini) – Expands queries based on search intent.

Claude AI (Anthropic) – Excellent for generating LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords.

Hemingway Editor – Helps optimize keyword placement in readable content.

Frase .io (Free Mode) – AI-powered keyword clustering & search intent analysis.

NeuronWriter (Trial Mode) – Uses NLP and competitor analysis to suggest keyword optimizations.

SEO. ai (Free Trial) – Predicts future keyword trends based on search behavior.

Twinword Ideas – AI-powered keyword tool that categorizes by user intent.

Dashword (Free Plan) – AI-assisted content optimizer with semantic keyword insights.

🔹 Local SEO Keyword Research (Google Maps & Local Pack Ranking)

Google My Business Insights – Shows top queries bringing local visitors.

BrightLocal’s Local Search Tool – Free local SEO keyword tracker.

GMB Crush – Reveals competitors’ top Google Business Profile keywords.

PlePer Local SEO Tool – Categorizes local search keywords by industry.

Local Falcon (Free Mode) – Monitors Google Maps keyword rankings by location.

Whitespark Local Citation Finder – Finds keyword-rich citations & NAP consistency for local rankings.

GeoRanker – Free local keyword ranking checker across multiple locations.

Local SEO Checklist by Synup – Finds missing location-based keyword optimization points.

Places Scout (Free Trial) – Tracks Google My Business rankings over time.

Merkle’s Schema Markup Generator – Helps optimize local search keywords with structured data.

🔹 SERP Analysis & Competitor Tracking

SERPChecker by Mangools (Free Mode) – Shows keyword difficulty & top-ranking pages.

WhatsMySERP – Provides unlimited real-time Google SERP analysis.

SerpRobot (Free Plan) – Tracks multiple keyword rankings over time.

Google Ad Preview Tool – Lets you see Google results from different locations.

SEOQuake – Displays keyword density, backlinks, and on-page SEO metrics.

Accuranker (Free Plan) – Real-time keyword rank tracking with historical data.

SEMrush Sensor – Monitors daily SERP volatility and Google algorithm changes.

Google Search Operators + SEO Tools – Advanced search filters for hidden keyword opportunities.

Panguin Tool – Tracks keyword ranking drops due to Google algorithm updates.

RankSense – AI-powered tool that finds and fixes keyword cannibalization issues.

🔹 Hidden Keyword Research Tricks (Used by Google SEO Insiders)

Wikipedia Table of Contents Mining – Extracts structured topic clusters from Wikipedia pages.

eBay Autocomplete – Finds popular product-related search terms.

Amazon Search Trends – Extracts high-intent commercial queries.

Google Books Search – Discovers terminology & keyword variations from industry publications.

LinkedIn Hashtags & Articles – Monitors trending B2B topics and keywords.

Google Scholar Citations – Identifies niche academic & research-based keyword trends.

Google Vision AI – Analyzes images to extract keyword-related metadata for visual search.

eBay Terapeak – Provides deep keyword insights into trending eCommerce products.

Amazon Brand Analytics (Seller Account) – Shows top-clicked keywords in Amazon searches.

Google Lens Reverse Search – Extracts image-based keyword trends.

Facebook Groups Insights – Finds high-engagement discussion keywords inside niche communities. – Provides deep keyword insights into trending eCommerce products.

🔹 Video & Visual Keyword Optimization

YouTube Studio (Free Analytics) – Finds high-CTR keywords from YouTube search data.

Vidooly Free YouTube Analytics – Identifies trending YouTube video topics.

RapidTags – Extracts hidden tags from YouTube videos for keyword optimization.

TubeBuddy (Free Mode) – Finds SEO-optimized YouTube video keywords.

Pinterest Search Trends – Shows seasonally rising visual search terms.

Noxinfluencer (Free Mode) – Extracts top-performing video keywords from YouTube influencers.

Morningfame (Free Trial) – Provides keyword-based video performance predictions.

YouTube Comment Scraper – Extracts keywords from high-engagement YouTube comments.

Vidiq (Free Plan) – AI-driven YouTube keyword and competition analysis.

Pinterest Predicts – Forecasts upcoming keyword trends for seasonal and evergreen content.

🔹 AI-Powered Keyword Expansion & Clustering

OpenAI GPT-4 API for SEO – Uses prompt engineering to generate advanced keyword silos.

MonkeyLearn NLP Keyword Extractor – AI-powered semantic keyword grouping & topic modeling.

Lexalytics Text Mining API – Enterprise-level text analysis & keyword discovery.

Twinword API – SEO Mode – Identifies user intent & long-tail keyword relationships.

Keyword Clustering by ClusterAI – Groups thousands of keywords into topic-based clusters automatically.

NeuralText (Free Mode) – Uses machine learning to predict searcher intent behind keywords.

Surfer SEO’s NLP Analysis (Free Mode) – Extracts hidden on-page keyword relationships.

Semantris by Google AI – Uses semantic keyword associations for topic modeling.

IBM Watson Natural Language Understanding – High-level entity keyword extraction & ranking analysis.(Free Mode) – Extracts hidden on-page keyword relationships.

Breakdown of Hidden but Powerful SEO Tools:

• GeoRanker, Whitespark, Places Scout – High-level Local SEO tools used by agencies ranking businesses in Google Maps.

• Wayback Machine + SEO Tools – Used to analyze past SEO strategies of competitors.

• Google Vision AI, Lens Reverse Search – Extract image-based keyword trends (used in advanced visual SEO).

• SparkToro, Podchaser Trends, Trendinalia – Secret social media keyword mining sources.

• Google Search Operators + SEO Tools – Used by Google SEO insiders to uncover hidden keyword insights.

• Panguin Tool, RankSense – Specialized SERP analysis tools tracking Google algorithm penalties and cannibalization.

• eBay Terapeak, Amazon Brand Analytics – Elite eCommerce keyword research tools not in mainstream SEO lists.