December 2025

7 Best Free Keyword Research Tools in 2026 Keyword research plays a major role in how content performs online. Even well-written content may not feature in search results without knowing what people are searching for. This makes search analysis one of the initial and crucial steps in the process of SEO planning. However, it is not true that search analysis always involves the use of paid tools. Today, several free platforms offer enough data to plan content, find search opportunities, and improve visibility. Using a free content research tool correctly can support strong SEO decisions over time. 1. Google Keyword Planner Google Keyword Planner assists users in finding keyword ideas using actual Google search information. It offers keyword ranges, competition analysis, and trend insights, which can be used in planning content. As a free Google content research tool, it is best used for understanding demand rather than exact numbers. It works well when planning blogs, landing pages, and informational content. Tips: Use keyword trends to understand long-term interest, not exact numbers Group similar search term ideas to plan a strong content topic Case Study A content brand in California was posting blogs every week, but traffic was not improving. The team was selecting topics by guessing and focusing on what they thought people liked to talk about. After using Google Keyword Planner, they started checking what people were actually searching for. By selecting keywords with steady interest, their blogs slowly began to attract more visitors. 2. Ubersuggest Ubersuggest is a beginner-friendly SEO content research tool that provides search term ideas, competition level, and basic traffic estimates. It assists users to learn easily which search term might be simpler to target. The free version has daily limits, but it still offers enough insight for planning content. It is especially useful for blogs and small websites starting SEO. Tips: Focus on target term with low competition for better ranking chances Use keyword ideas to find related blog topics Case Study A blogging website in Texas was publishing content regularly, but most pages did not appear on Google. The target terms used by them were very competitive and hard to rank high. By using Ubersuggest, the team identified some target terms that were less competitive and intentional. Over time, more pages started ranking, and search visibility improved. 3. AnswerThePublic AnswerThePublic focuses on questions users ask online. It presents target term ideas in question-based formats, making search intent easier to understand. This content research tool is useful for informational content, FAQs, and blog posts. It helps writers create content that directly answers user queries. Tips: Use question-based keywords to improve informational content Turn common questions into blog headings or FAQs Case Study An education website in New York noticed that users were leaving blog pages quickly. The information presented was informative, but failed to provide direct answers to difficult questions. After using AnswerThePublic, the team rewrote articles based on real user questions. Readers got answers quicker and spent more time on the site. 4. Keyword Tool (Free Version) The Keywords Tool relies on autocomplete results provided by search engines to generate target term ideas. This implies that it shows phrases that people are literally typing when searching on the internet, and thus, the suggestion is more realistic and practical. This is a useful tool to identify long-tail search term ideas with definite search intent. Although the free version does not show search volume, it still supports strong topic research when combined with another SEO content research tool. Tips: Use long-tail keywords to target specific search intent Combine search term ideas with another tool for volume check Case Study A niche content brand in Florida was targeting general search term ideas that attracted mixed audiences. Many visitors left the site without engaging with the content. With the help of Keyword Tool, they found out long-tail search term ideas that have a clearer meaning. Content became more focused, and visitors began to interact more with the pages. 5. Moz Keyword Explorer Moz Keyword Explorer offers opportunity and difficulty scores in addition to target terms ideas suggestions. Before generating content, these scores assist users in understanding how difficult it could be to rank for a particular target term. It may be regarded as one of the best free keyword research tools to check the level of competition. Although it has few free searches, it still saves time on target terms that are too competitive. Tips: Check keyword difficulty before finalising a topic Choose search term ideas that balance relevance and competition Case Study A digital services brand in Washington struggled to rank new pages despite publishing quality content. The key problem was to pick the target terms, which was too challenging. After using Moz Keyword Explorer, the team chose target terms with lower difficulty. This contributed to a more stable ranking of pages and a better performance. 6. Keyword Surfer Keyword Surfer is a web browser extension that shows keyword data on the Google search results pages. It enables users to have an idea of the estimated search volume and the related research term ideas as they search normally. It is a useful tool to validate a target term quickly during research. It is time-saving as users do not have to use a lot of different platforms when planning the content. Tips: Use Keyword Surfer for quick search term ideas checks during Google searches Focus on target terms with steady interest, not sudden spikes Case Study A freelance writer in Arizona spent too much time checking target terms across different tools. This made the research process slow and affected publishing speed. After using Keyword Surfer, keyword checks were done directly in Google searches. It also made the process of planning quicker and enabled the writer to post content on a more frequent basis. 7. Google Trends Google Trends indicates the way a keyword is gaining or losing popularity over time. It helps identify whether a topic is growing, stable, or losing popularity. Being a free search

10 Best AI SEO Tools You Need in 2026 Modern search engine optimization places more importance on user intent and content quality than on keywords alone. The search engines are now concerned with what a user really wants, the level of usefulness of your information and the ability of your website to provide clear answers. This is where AI-based SEO solutions play an important role. They help reduce guesswork and make Search optimization more practical and data-driven. In this blog, we will explore the 10 best AI-powered tools you need in 2026, how each tool works, and how businesses across the United States are using them to improve visibility and rankings. 1. Surfer SEO Surfer SEO is an AI-based SEO content optimisation platform that assists in improving content according to what already exists in Google. It examines best-performing pages and indicates what your content lacks. This includes structure, topic coverage, and keyword placement. It guides you while optimising so your content stays aligned with user search intent instead of relying on guesswork. Tips: Always optimise the existing content prior to creating new pages Follow Surfer’s suggestions naturally Case Study A software company in New York was publishing blogs every week, but most articles were stuck on the second page. The content was useful but lacked proper topic coverage and a clear structure. After using Surfer SEO, the team updated older blogs by improving headings, adding missing subtopics, and aligning content length with top-ranking pages. Over two months, a large number of articles shifted to the first page. Readers also spent more time on the pages, showing that the content matched their user search intent better. 2. Semrush Semrush is considered to be one of the most popular AI-driven SEO platforms as it integrates keyword search, competitor analysis, website audits, and content planning. It assists you in knowing what is working in your industry and what your competitors are doing better. With this clarity, it is easier to plan search performance strategies with direction and not assumptions. Tips: Plan content topics using competitive keyword gaps. Track keyword movement monthly, not daily Case Study A digital consulting firm in Chicago was creating content without a clear focus. Traffic was coming in, but leads were inconsistent. With the help of Semrush, they determined competitor keywords and content opportunities. The team reorganised the content strategy with high-intent search terms. In four months, organic traffic increased by approximately 25%, and branded searches also began to rise. 3. Ahrefs Ahrefs is a popular AI-powered SEO platform that is used to analyse backlinks, yet it is also an effective keyword research and content gap analysis tool. It also gives you an idea as to why your competitors are doing better, and your website is lagging behind. Ahrefs is particularly effective in enhancing authority and long-term ranking stability. Tips: Focus on backlink quality, not quantity Use content gap reports to improve existing pages Case Study A technology services brand in San Francisco was creating quality content but could not maintain stable rankings. Some pages ranked briefly and then dropped. After analysing backlinks using Ahrefs, the team realised competitors had stronger content references. They focused on improving content depth and earning natural mentions. Over time, rankings became more stable, and overall search visibility improved. 4. Jasper Jasper helps writers by generating content drafts, outlines, and ideas quickly. When guided properly, it works as an AI-assisted content optimisation tool instead of replacing human writing. It saves time in the early writing stage and helps teams maintain consistency while scaling content. Tips: Never accept AI-generated drafts as final. Use Jasper for structure, not final copy Case Study A content agency in Austin was handling multiple websites and struggled with publishing consistency. Writers spent too much time creating first drafts. Using Jasper for outlines and drafts saved time. Writers focused more on editing and content refinement. Publishing frequency improved, and websites began ranking for additional keyword variations. 5. Clearscope Clearscope pays attention to content relevance and search intent. It assists writers in knowing what users want to know when they search a topic. Clearscope does not promote keyword stuffing but promotes meaningful content, which explains the topics in detail and is comprehensible. Tips: Use Clearscope mainly for content updates Focus on clarity, not keyword repetition Case Study An online education brand in Boston noticed that several older articles were losing traffic. The content was accurate, but no longer matched what users expected to read. Using Clearscope, the team updated those articles by adding missing context and improving content clarity. Gradually, rankings recovered, and users spent more time reading the updated pages. 6. RankMath AI RankMath is an effective AI-based WordPress optimisation tool. It also offers real-time recommendations on titles, meta descriptions, internal links, and internal structure. This simplifies on-page optimisation, even among users who have little knowledge of search engine optimisation. Tips: Keep the meta descriptions concise and understandable. Use internal links suggested by RankMath Case Study A professional services brand in Dallas had service pages appearing in search results, but received very few clicks. The page titles and descriptions were unclear. RankMath AI was used to optimise meta titles and descriptions. With optimisation, search listings became more appealing and visible. The click-through rate went up because most users understood the page value better. 7. MarketMuse MarketMuse is a sophisticated AI-powered content strategy tool that pays attention to topic authority. It can also be used to determine weak points in your content and indicate where more detail is needed. Tips: Create topic clusters rather than individual posts. Improve depth before increasing content volume Case Study A content-driven brand in San Jose was publishing articles regularly but lacked strong topic coverage. Content felt scattered, and rankings were inconsistent. MarketMuse helped identify weak topic areas and suggested deeper content expansion. After improving depth and linking related articles, the brand started ranking for broader topic searches instead of single keywords. 8. Frase Frase helps structure content based on real user questions and search intent.

Voice Search SEO: 7 Practical Tips to Get Voice Search Traffic to Your Website Voice search has become an important part of the search processes among people. Users can now talk to their phones, smart speakers and even cars, instead of typing. Questions like “Where is the nearest shop?” or “How do I bake a cake?” are asked daily via voice assistants.  Because of this change, your website needs to be prepared to provide direct answers to these voiced queries. Voice search SEO helps your website appear in these results. It targets easy language, natural questions, fast-loading pages and structured information in order to make the search engine understand what you write without any effort. Below are seven practical tips that can help you improve your voice search optimization and attract more voice search traffic. Each point also includes a detailed example showing how businesses improved their visibility through voice search SEO. 1. Use Conversational Keywords People speak in the way they naturally talk. They speak sentences using the full and natural sentences as they speak in real life. A person would ask, What are the best phone plans at the moment? Instead of entering a few words, such as deals on the best phones. When your content is written in natural and question-based language, voice assistants will be able to understand it and present it to users more easily. Important points: Use full questions that people actually speak. Avoid short, robotic keyword fragments. Match natural conversation style. Case Study A Mumbai-based electronics store had realised an issue with voice searches. When individuals asked questions, their competitors appeared, but they did not. Their webpage contained brief words like headphones Mumbai, which did not correspond to the speech of the customers. Due to this disparity, their pages failed to appear when a voice search was done. We assisted them in rewriting their blog posts and product descriptions. Within six weeks, their pages started appearing for more voice search results. The store saw a significant rise in the number of inquiries from customers utilising their phones’ voice assistants. Customers said they simply asked their phones for nearby electronic stores and discovered the shop because its content matched conversational searches. 2. Give Short and Direct Answers First Voice assistants read only the first 2-3 lines of your content. If your main answer is hidden inside a paragraph, your page will not be selected. The best method is to give a short answer immediately under each heading, then provide the detailed explanation below it. This method helps because: Voice assistants can quickly detect the answer. Users get information faster. It improves chances of being selected. Users looking for fast information will also appreciate this structure. Case Study A health website published long informational articles, but their pages rarely appeared as voice answers. Individuals who search for “How many calories should I eat each day?” would never hear their article. When we checked their page, the answer was hidden in the middle of a long explanation. We rewrote the article so that the short answer appeared immediately at the top. Following this modification, their content began to show up in voice search results for a number of health-related queries. Their traffic increased by over 25% in two months because people using smart speakers and phones began receiving their short answer directly. The simple structure made the content voice-friendly and easy to read aloud. 3. Add Clear Local Information A large number of voice searches are local. People often say “near me,” “closest,” or “nearby.” Voice assistants use location data, Google Business Profile details and website content to show results. If your website does not clearly show your address, working hours and service areas, you may lose local traffic. Adding simple location sentences helps your website appear for local voice queries. Case Study The same problem was also faced by a home cleaning firm in Bengaluru. They hardly showed up when people searched for house cleaning services near me. Their website failed to specify the areas they served, and their phone number had not been updated. Their Google Business Profile was not fully complete, and thus, voice assistants had difficulties showing their business to the local customers. Their visibility rose after they corrected their Google listing, added “We serve areas like HSR Layout and Indiranagar,” and updated their location lines. After one month, many customers found them through voice search on mobile phones. People searched phrases like “cleaning service near me,” and the company appeared because their updated local information matched the spoken searches. The company experienced higher bookings and more calls directly from voice searches. 4. Enhance Mobile Experience and Website Speed Voice search normally occurs on mobiles. If your website loads slowly on a phone, voice assistants avoid recommending it. Speed of the site is an important criterion to include in ranking because voice users are interested in instant processing. By speeding up your website and making it mobile accessible, you have more chances of appearing as a voice answer. A clean layout and fast-loading pages help improve your SEO for voice search and give users a better experience. Case Study A recipe website faced high bounce rates on mobile. Their pages loaded slowly due to large images and heavy design elements. Voice search users began leaving the website within seconds. To optimize the website, we reduced scripts and images, optimised mobile layout, and compressed images. The speed of the website was improved to less than 3 seconds, as compared to 10 seconds. Consequently, additional users have found the website by voice search, such as “How to make a chocolate cake at home?” With time, some of their recipe pages began to show up in voice search results, and the traffic of mobile visitors increased considerably. 5. Use Structured Data The structured data, FAQ schema and How-To schema assist search engines in understanding your content in a clear way. This data informs Google about what is on your page. When search engines can