I’m trying to improve my website’s SEO on a very tight budget and I’m overwhelmed by all the keyword research tools out there. Most of the highly recommended ones are paid, and the free versions seem really limited or confusing. Can anyone suggest the best truly free keyword research tool for 2017, and explain why it works well for finding low-competition keywords and long-tail search terms?
For 2017 on a tight budget, I’d stack a few free tools instead of hunting for one “best” one.
- Google Keyword Planner
Still solid if you have an AdWords account.
Use it to:
- Get base keyword ideas from your main topic
- See relative search volume ranges
- Export lists to CSV
Downside: Google groups similar terms and hides exact volume unless you run ads, so treat the numbers as rough, not precise.
- Google Suggest + Related Searches
Type your main keyword in Google and look at:
- Autocomplete suggestions
- “People also ask” questions
- “Searches related to” at the bottom
These give you long tail ideas with real user phrasing. Plug these phrases back into Keyword Planner.
- Ubersuggest (2017 version was still free-ish)
- Good for expanding long tail lists from a seed term
- Scrapes suggestions similar to Google autocomplete
- Export and filter in Excel or Google Sheets
Check for patterns: questions, “how to”, “best”, “for [niche]”.
- Keywordtool.io (free tier)
- Use for more autocomplete ideas from Google, YouTube, maybe Bing
- Free tier hides volume, but the phrases alone are useful
Again, dump into a spreadsheet to organize.
- Google Trends
- Compare interest between 2 to 5 keywords
- Filter by country, time range
Use it to choose between similar terms, like “buy widgets online” vs “online widget store”.
Simple workflow you can use today:
- List 5 to 10 main topics from your site.
- For each topic, grab ideas from Keyword Planner.
- Expand each main term with Ubersuggest or Keywordtool.io.
- Pull extra long tail ideas from Google autocomplete and “People also ask”.
- Use Google Trends to pick the better version when two keywords look similar.
- Prioritize long tail phrases where:
- Intent matches your content
- Competition in the SERP looks weaker, fewer big brands, more small sites.
For on-page work, focus one main keyword per page plus 2 to 4 close variations. Put the main term in:
- Title tag
- H1
- First paragraph
- One subheading
- URL if you can edit it
Do not obsess over exact match. Write natural language around the topic.
No single free tool does everything, but this combo will take you far without paying anything.
Honestly, “best free keyword tool” in 2017 is kind of a trick question. On a tight budget, the best tool is usually your brain plus whatever scraps of data you can get for free.
@himmelsjager covered the classic Google stack pretty well. I’d lean a bit differently on a few things:
-
I wouldn’t rely too much on Keyword Planner if you’re not actually running ads. In 2017 those volume ranges are already super vague. Use it more like a directional compass, not a map.
-
Don’t sleep on Search Console
If your site already gets any traffic, Search Console is arguably more valuable than most keyword tools:
- Performance → Search Results
- Filter by pages
- Check Queries tab
You’ll see real phrases people already use to find you.
Tactic: - Sort by impressions, find queries where you rank 8–20.
- Add/expand those phrases on the relevant page (subheading, short FAQ, better internal links).
That alone can move the needle without chasing totally new keywords.
- Use competitor pages as “tools”
Pick 3–5 pages that rank for the main keyword you want.
- Look at their H1/H2s
- Scan intro paragraphs and FAQs
- Note repeating phrases and questions
You can plug a competitor URL into tools like: - Moz Keyword Explorer free tier (limited queries per day, but still usable in 2017)
- Serpstat free tier (also limited, but nice for seeing related keywords & top pages)
Don’t copy; use these as “topic maps” to see what Google expects around that subject.
- For actual free volume & difficulty numbers
In 2017, you can squeeze some value from:
- KWFinder free trial / limited use
- SEMrush free account: a few searches per day, but helpful for seeing:
- Related keywords
- Phrase match
- SERP overview (who you’re up against)
I’d use these sparingly to validate your best ideas, not as your starting point.
- Look at the SERP like it is a tool
Type your target keyword in Google and analyze:
- How many big brands on page 1?
- Are you seeing forums, small blogs, Q&A? That usually means easier competition.
- Are results super transactional (shop pages) or informational (guides, how-tos)?
Match your content type to what’s winning. If your page type doesn’t fit the intent, no tool will save that keyword.
- Tight-budget prioritization trick
Given limited data, I’d prioritize keywords where:
- Long tail, 3–6 words
- Clear intent (you can picture the page that would answer it)
- SERP includes at least 2–3 weaker sites
Even without exact search volume, those are your best low-hanging fruit.
So, instead of hunting for that magical one free tool, build a tiny stack like:
- Search Console for what you already almost rank for
- Keyword Planner only for rough volume direction
- One “freemium” tool like SEMrush/Moz/Serpstat to sanity-check a handful of terms
- Manual SERP analysis to judge difficulty
If you have to pick a single “best” free source for 2017 that actually moves results, my vote is Search Console + smart on-page tweaks, not another shiny keyword tool.
Short version: there is no single “best free keyword tool” for 2017, but if I had to pick a mindset, it would be: use free data sources that are closest to the user instead of obsessing over volume numbers.
@himmelsjager already covered the Google stack and some freemium tools very solidly. I’ll come at it from slightly different angles and a bit more on the “how to think” side.
1. The “tool” almost nobody treats as a keyword tool: your own site search
If your site has internal search (WordPress search, store search, a search widget, etc.), those logs are gold:
- You see exactly what visitors type after landing.
- These are often “pain point” phrases you can turn into long‑tail keywords.
If you are on WordPress and can add a search analytics plugin, you effectively get a private keyword tool that is 100 percent relevant to your audience. No other free tool is that tailored.
Pros of using internal search as a keyword source
- Hyper relevant: phrases come from real users on your site
- Great long‑tail ideas you’d never see in public tools
- Perfect for FAQ sections and blog topics
Cons
- Needs enough traffic to be useful
- You have to set up logging or analytics properly
- No search volume or difficulty score, so you must judge manually
I actually disagree a bit with leaning too hard on external tools before squeezing this internal data. Most people skip it completely.
2. “People also ask” and autocomplete as your structured brainstorm
No fancy tools, just SERP features:
- Start with a seed keyword in Google.
- Note autocomplete variations carefully.
- Check “People also ask” boxes and open a bunch.
- Scroll to the bottom for “related searches.”
You are not getting volume, but you are getting validated semantic neighbors of your main idea. These suggest subtopics and H2/H3s that help pages rank for more variations.
Turn that into structure:
- Main keyword in title and H1
- PAA questions as H2/H3 with concise answer paragraphs
- Related searches sprinkled naturally in copy
This complements what @himmelsjager said about reading the SERP like a tool, but it goes deeper into using Google’s own hints as a topical outline generator.
3. Mining communities instead of tool databases
Tools are often behind the curve on very specific or emerging topics. If your niche is at all community driven, do this:
- Search your main topic + “forum,” “community,” or “discussion.”
- Scan thread titles and recurring phrases.
- Note problem statements: “how to…,” “why does…,” “best way to…”
You get:
- Natural language queries
- Real objections and sub‑questions
- Long tails that are less competitive by default
You can later sanity‑check a handful of these in whatever freemium keyword tool you prefer, similar to what @himmelsjager suggested with SEMrush or Moz, but the idea generation does not depend on any limited free quota.
4. A quick framework for “is this keyword worth chasing” without tools
If you are not buying a full tool, here is a simple 3‑question filter you can apply to potential keywords:
-
Intent clarity
Can you describe the searcher’s problem in one sentence? If not, skip it. -
SERP mix
When you Google it, do you see only huge brands and government sites, or are there smaller blogs, niche sites, or Q&A?- Only giants: probably not worth it at your stage.
- Mixed field: possible.
-
Content gap
Read 2–3 of the top pages. Ask: “Can I create something clearly more useful or more focused on a specific segment?” If the answer is no, move on.
This filter is free, fast, and, in 2017, still more reliable than obsessing over fuzzy volume numbers from partial tools.
5. About “best free keyword research tool for 2017”
If we treat “best tool” literally:
- Most free tiers are loss leaders with tight limits.
- The real win on a tight budget is a tiny toolbox + good judgment, not chasing one magic app.
The closest thing to a single best source for you will depend on your current asset:
- If you already have traffic: internal search + Search Console.
- If you are starting from scratch: SERP analysis + communities + occasional use of a freemium keyword tool to check that your main targets are not completely dead.
@himmelsjager focused more on Google’s official products and competitor URL analysis. That is solid, but if your bandwidth is limited, start with the simplest “closest to the user” inputs first, then layer the tools, instead of starting with tools and trying to reverse‑engineer user intent after the fact.