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Keywordtool.io is a great resource that not only scrapes data from Google but also YouTube, Bing, Amazon and Instagram to offer insights into search behaviour on a host of platforms. The subscription version of the tool can reveal search volumes and CPC information, but if you can do without that and are just looking for keyword inspiration, the free offering is spot on.
Keyword Tool is used by many leading SEO's to find long-tail and related keywords. Relying on Google's autocomplete feature, it gives you quick access to popular search terms.
Use Keyword Tool to find YouTube search phrases and keyword terms based on YouTube autocomplete.
What is Google Keyword Planner?
Google Keyword Planner is a keyword search and ad planner tool within Google Ads that helps advertisers find keywords for ad targeting. With Google Keyword Planner you can find keyword ideas, search volumes, Google Ads competition, and cost-per-click (CPC) data for search terms.
Google Keyword Planner is not available for free. To use Google Keyword Planner, you need to create a Google Ads account and spend money on advertising.
See What Over 1 Million Marketers Already Know
From Fortune 500 SEO team leads to solo bloggers. They all use Keyword Tool. Here is what they say:
In a world with 1 billion SEO tools, Keyword Tool Pro is the only one that I absolutely use every day. Honing in on the perfect wording when targeting the biggest keywords in entertainment is as essential to my job as my coffee mug.
For the last 3 years, I've used Keyword Tool Pro to refine my content to match relevant search intent, find long-tail keyword opportunities, and crunch search volume for large keyword lists.
Keyword Tool Pro helps us identify long-tail keyword opportunities. It gives us great insight into keyword targeting and content topic opportunities that drive qualified and high converting traffic.
How to Use Google Keyword Planner?
While Google will not directly charge you for using Keyword Planner, you will not be able to use Google Keyword Planner for free. The costs are indirect - to use the Google tool you have to spend money on Google Ads.
Before you can access Google Keyword Planner you need to complete the following steps:
- Create a Google Ads account
- Connect billing method to Google Ads (usually your credit card)
- Start a Google Ads campaign
- Keep the campaign running and make sure it spends money
If you would like to see the search volume data for keywords in Google Keyword Planner, you will need to continue running campaigns on Google Ads and likely spend the equivalent of hundreds or thousands of US dollars per month on Google Ads.
If, for some reason, Google decides that you are not spending enough money on ads, the precise search volume data in Keyword Planner will be replaced with search volume ranges.
In order to get continuous access to Google Keyword Planner with precise search volume data for keywords, you will need to maintain the Google Ads spend.
It is important to note that if you stop spending money on Google Ads, you will likely only see limited keywords data in Google Ads Keyword Planner and even risk losing access to it.
The Best Google Keyword Planner Alternatives
Even if you pay for Google Ads and have full Keyword Planner access, three free alternatives surface keywords Keyword Planner hides from view - including popular long-tail keywords that are easy to find elsewhere.
Google Trends
Google Trends is a free product from Google that shows the relative popularity of keywords. With Google Trends, you can see how interest and the relative number of searches for a keyword changes over time.
You can also see the relative popularity of a keyword in a given country or region, and compare up to 5 different keywords at the same time - for example, coffee versus tea over the last twelve months in the US.
The downside: it only shows popularity on a scale from 0 to 100, not the actual number of searches.
Google Suggest
Google Suggest is a core feature of Google search that shows different search terms as you type a keyword into the search box. It is a solid alternative to Keyword Planner for long-tail keyword research.
Google Suggest is the best way to find good long-tail keywords that people actually use. Google admits that while Google Autocomplete was not designed for marketing, it can deliver meaningful insights and help stay on top of trends.
The catch: keywords from Google Suggest are useful, but you can not easily copy, export, or analyze them in bulk.
Keyword Tool
Keyword Tool is the best alternative to Google Keyword Planner for one simple reason - it is specially made to extract thousands of keywords from Google Suggest in a split second.
Unlike Keyword Planner, Keyword Tool is free - no Google Ads account, no credit card. Simply type a word, press Enter, and get hundreds or thousands of long-tail keyword suggestions.
Because keywords come directly from Google Autocomplete, Keyword Tool surfaces the keywords that are hidden in Google Keyword Planner.
Google Keyword Planner vs Keyword Tool
Search the same query in both tools and the difference is obvious - Keyword Planner surfaces a handful of broad, high-CPC terms, while Keyword Tool returns hundreds of the long-tail queries real people are actually typing.
Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner finds only 4 keywords for "how to".
Keyword Tool Pro
Keyword Tool finds 690+ keywords for the same query.
Since Keyword Planner is designed primarily for advertisers, it tends to group similar keywords together and focus on broad, high-volume terms. Many valuable long-tail keywords - the ones real people actually type into Google - get hidden from view.
Keyword Tool takes a different approach. Instead of pulling from an advertising platform, it uses Google Autocomplete to surface the exact phrases people are searching for right now. The result is hundreds or even thousands of keyword ideas Keyword Planner simply does not display.
You get long-tail suggestions perfect for SEO, content marketing, and search intent - without needing a Google Ads account or spending a single dollar on advertising. Want to take it even further? Keyword Tool Pro adds search volume, CPC, and competition data on top of the autocomplete suggestions, giving you the full picture in one place.
Best Free Keyword Research Tool
If you are looking for the best free keyword research tool, you have come to the right place. Keyword Tool lets you generate up to 750+ keyword suggestions for any seed keyword - completely free, with no account required. Just type in a word, press Enter, and you will instantly see what people are searching for across 15 platforms including Google, YouTube, Amazon, and more.
What makes Keyword Tool stand out as a keyword generator is its reliance on real autocomplete data. Every suggestion you see comes directly from actual search behavior, which means the keywords are relevant, timely, and ready to use in your content strategy.
For marketers and SEO professionals who need search volume numbers, CPC estimates, and competitive data, Keyword Tool Pro unlocks all of that without the complexity of setting up an ads account. It is the fastest way to go from a blank page to a data-backed keyword list. Every Pro subscription also includes access to the Keyword Tool API and MCP server, so you can automate keyword research with AI agents like Claude and ChatGPT.
$ claudeYou: Research long-tail Google keywords for "cold brew coffee". Prioritize low-competition terms with 500+ monthly searches. Export to CSV.Claude: I'll pull Google autocomplete plus volume and competition data via Keyword Tool MCP.╭─ keyword_search(keyword="cold brew coffee", platform="google", country="us")╯─ Retrieved 612 keywords with 100% accurate Google volume and competition dataFiltering for low competition and growing trend slope...Claude: Top low-competition, high-intent picks: cold brew coffee recipe LOW 8.1K/mo cold brew ratio LOW 4.4K/mo cold brew vs iced coffee LOW 2.9K/mo cold brew concentrate LOW 2.4K/mo best cold brew coffee maker LOW 1.8K/mo ...14 more with similar profile Exported 19 keywords to cold-brew-keywords.csv자주 묻는 질문
KeywordTool.io has enabled us to quickly identify SEO growth opportunities, do keyword research at scale, and gather data at different geo levels. Its intuitive UX and advanced keyword filtering have played a significant role in the international expansion of our SEO program. Personally, I have used KeywordTool.io for more than 6 years, and it has proved to be an excellent software for start-ups, agencies and enterprises.
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