As Google gets better at interpreting language and search intent, can we finally take it easy on #keywords?
Not really. #Keywords remain important indicators of how people use search. Even though we no longer need to go after the exact keywords, an analysis of keywords offers ideas for content that’s relevant to searchers and shows gaps that your content could fill.
1. #Keyword Surfer
If you want a fully immersive keyword research experience, then consider adding the #Keyword Surfer Chrome extension. It hijacks each of your Google searches by displaying #keyword statistics in the search bar. It also adds a side panel to the search result page, providing the top 10 keywords similar to the current query.

2. Google Keyword Planner
#Keyword Planner is a perfect balance of sophistication and simplicity. On the one hand, it’s a Google #SEO tool so it accesses one of the biggest and the most reliable keyword databases. On the other hand, it doesn’t allow for much research customization and discloses only the most basic of keyword quality metrics.
Enter a few seed keywords and get a list of semantically similar #keyword suggestions, complete with metrics like monthly search volume, competition, and bid ranges. There are likely to be thousands of results. You can use the sorting and filtering options to narrow them down. Most notably, you can exclude negative #keywords – you won’t see the results for searches that include those words.
3. QuestionDB
Another question-oriented #keyword finder, QuestionDB pulls a #keyword list from a database of over 48 million questions asked on Reddit.
When people post to Reddit, they ask questions that are not readily answered by Google. That’s your opening to create a unique piece of expert content. You can even add it to the topic’s Reddit thread once it’s ready.Sometimes this tool returns nothing useful, but other times it can be fascinating.
4. Rank Tracker
Unlike most other #SEO tools on this list, Rank Tracker is a collection of nine research methods. Those approaches can be broadly sorted into two distinct categories – spying on your competitors and playing with keyword semantics.
Rank Tracker finds the highest-ranking keywords for a competitor and exposes the #keyword gaps on your site. As for semantic research, enter a keyword and get a list of related searches, related questions, and autocomplete suggestions. #Keywords collected this way are a gold mine for content makers because many of them already sound like article titles. In addition, Rank Tracker integrates with Google’s #SEO tools, including analytics, #keyword planner, and search console, so you can see detailed quality metrics, like organic search volume and keyword difficulty.
5. Google Trends
Using Google Trends is not as much about discovering the best keywords as it is about prioritizing your content ideas. It shows keyword popularity over time and across geographic locations. You can plot and compare several keywords on the same graph.
6. Google Search Console
Google Search Console lets you discover opportunities for those #keywords already used on your website.
Google Search Сonsole provides a list of #keywords that your site ranks for, including SERP positions and click-through rates. The trick is that each SERP position has a widely accepted CTR benchmark. For example, a keyword in the first position should expect to have a CTR of about 30%. Each consecutive position drops an average of 5%, and the last four positions on the first page of SERP get a CTR of about 3%.
7. Answer The Public
Searchers are increasingly confident in using natural language when forming queries because search engines are getting smarter and delivering the results searchers seek. More highly specific, question-like searches are being asked and Google is delivering more featured Q&A snippets at the top of results.


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