10 Best Keyword Surfer Tools to Grow Your Business

In the world of SEO, finding a keyword research tool is no easy feat. There are so many options out there, and they all claim to help your website rank higher on Google. However, if you choose the wrong tool, you could waste time and money due to inaccurate data or limited features. Therefore, it’s crucial to know which tools are truly useful for keyword research.

To help you avoid confusion, below are ten of the best keyword tools you can use. All of these tools have different functions, but their purpose is the same: to help you find the right keywords, understand the level of competition, and create content that’s easy for people to find.

What Is a Keyword Surfer Tool?

The Keyword Surfer Tool is a free tool you can install on Google Chrome to view keyword data directly on the Google search page. So, for example, if you search for “web hosting,” you’ll immediately see how many people search for that keyword each month, how difficult it is to rank, and even the average word count of articles appearing on the first page. All of this data appears automatically without having to open another website.

Tools like this are incredibly helpful because they can give you a quick overview of which keywords are good for you to use in your articles or content. This saves you time and makes it easier to determine the right topic. Typically, keyword tools help you see search volume, difficulty level, and even a list of similar keywords.

Read More: What Are SEO Keywords and How to Find Them for Better Results

Additionally, tools like Keyword Surfer also provide new article ideas. For example, if you type in a word, you’ll get dozens of related keywords that could be the topic of your next piece of content. This feature is especially useful for those who often run out of ideas or don’t know what to write about.

Simply put, this tool helps you understand “what people are searching for on Google” and “how to create content that will appear in those searches.” So even if you’re a beginner, you can still create a neat and easy-to-follow SEO strategy.

Why the Keyword Surfer Tool Matters

Using Keyword Surfer is important because you need data before you start creating content. Without data, you’re just guessing which keywords are good, and the results can be disastrous. With Keyword Surfer, you know which keywords are popular, which ones have heavy competition, and which ones you should avoid for now.

Furthermore, this tool helps you research keywords without paying a penny. Many other keyword tools are paid and expensive, but Keyword Surfer is comprehensive enough for beginners. This makes keyword research much easier for students, startups, or small businesses.

Finally, Keyword Surfer helps you create relevant content. Because you can see trending keywords, you can choose topics that people are currently searching for. The right content will make your website appear more easily on Google.

10 Best Keyword Surfer Tools to Grow Your Business

There are many keyword research tools you can use alongside Keyword Surfer to get more comprehensive results. Keyword Surfer provides a quick overview, while other tools can provide additional data such as trends, competition, and more detailed content ideas.

Read More: What Is Keyword Surfer? Beginner’s Guide to Free Keyword Research

Here are ten of the best tools to use alongside Keyword Surfer. Each tool has its own strengths and weaknesses, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

1. Surfer SEO

Surfer SEO is an advanced keyword research tool that focuses on establishing topical authority rather than simply providing a list of keywords. It assists you in generating topic ideas and automatically grouping them into content hubs, making it easier to plan pillar pages, supporting articles, and internal links. This makes your SEO strategy more structured and actionable, even if you lack extensive technical knowledge.

Unlike basic keyword tools, Surfer allows you to select from a variety of research modes, including Keyword mode, GSC Domain mode (based on Google Search Console data), and Competitor mode. It then clusters keywords and displays relevant metrics such as potential traffic, keyword difficulty, and content coverage. This allows you to see clearly which topics to prioritize and how to connect your pages to improve rankings.

Pros:

• Automatically creates topic clusters and content hubs

• Helps build topical authority with structured internal linking

• Multiple research modes (Keyword, GSC, Competitors)
• Actionable data like traffic potential and keyword difficulty

Cons:

• Not free (requires a paid subscription)

• Can be overwhelming for complete beginners

• Takes time to fully understand all the features

2. Google Trends

Google Trends helps you see whether a keyword is growing, stable, or declining in popularity. You can view graphs over a specific time period, from a few hours to years. This is important to avoid creating content that has declined in popularity and is no longer searched for.

Google Trends also shows interest based on location, so you can see which areas are searching the most for a particular keyword. You can also see trending keywords using the “rising queries” feature.

Pros:

• 100% free
• See long-term trends
• See trending keywords
• Data directly from Google

Cons:

• Limited number of related keywords
• No keyword difficulty data
• No definitive search volume figures

3. Google Search Console

Google Search Console helps you see which keywords are bringing visitors to your website. You can see the number of clicks, impressions (views), average position in Google, and which pages are the strongest.

Additionally, you can see which keywords are seeing declining traffic. This way, you can quickly fix content that’s starting to decline and boost its performance. This tool is a must-have for all website owners.

Pros:

• Completely free
• Accurate data from Google
• See keywords you’re ranking for
• Check for traffic drops

Cons:

• Only shows keywords you’re already ranking for
• Can’t find new keywords
• The interface can be a bit confusing for beginners

4. Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool from Google that’s often used for keyword research, especially for Google Ads. You can see the most searched keywords and get additional keyword suggestions based on a single keyword.

Although free, the search volume data is still in ranges, such as “10k–100k,” so it’s a bit lacking in detail. However, for beginners, it’s more than enough to get started learning keyword research.

Pros:

• Free with a Google Ads account
• Official data from Google
• Lots of keyword suggestions
• Suitable for beginners

Cons:

• Search volume lacks detail
• Full features only for Ads users
• Takes a bit of getting used to when first using it

5. Semrush

Semrush is one of the most comprehensive SEO tools in the world. You can check keywords, analyze competitors, audit websites, and even find backlinks. For keyword research, Semrush provides highly accurate data on volume, trends, difficulty, and keyword suggestions.

Because of its comprehensive features, many SEO professionals use Semrush for their daily work. However, for students or beginners, the price is quite expensive.

Pros:

• Super comprehensive features
• Accurate and detailed data
• Very powerful competitor analysis
• Many additional tools besides keywords

Cons:

• Expensive
• Too complex for beginners
• Takes time to learn all the features

6. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is known as a powerful SEO tool for keyword and competitor analysis. You can see keyword difficulty, volume, backlinks, and even the most shared content online. Ahrefs data is also considered highly accurate by professionals.

In addition to keywords, you can view competitors’ websites and find out which keywords they use to rank. This is very helpful for developing a content strategy.

Pros:

• Very comprehensive keyword data
• Best competitor analysis features
• Lots of content ideas
• Very stable and fast SEO tool

Cons:

• Expensive
• No free version
• Can be too advanced for beginners

7. Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is suitable for beginners because of its simple interface and easy-to-read data. This tool can help you see search volume, difficulty, trends, and a list of new keywords. You can also see content ideas based on high-ranking articles.

The free version is quite good, but it’s limited to three searches per day. If you frequently research keywords, you might want to upgrade to the more comprehensive paid version.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Free version available
• Lots of long-tail keyword suggestions
• Content ideas available

Cons:

• Free searches are limited
• Some data is inaccurate
• Full features require payment

8. AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic displays keywords in the form of frequently searched questions, such as “what,” “how,” “why,” and others. It’s perfect for finding ideas for educational or how-to articles.

Its strength lies in its unique and engaging keyword visualization. However, the free version only allows three searches per day, and you have to pay to get the full data.

Pros:

• Displays keywords in the form of questions
• Cool and easy-to-understand visualization
• Great for getting ideas for educational content

Cons:

• Free searches are very limited
• Many features are locked
• Additional data, such as volume, requires payment

9. WordStream

WordStream offers marketers a streamlined way to optimize their paid ads across Google, Bing, and social platforms, giving users the tools they need to manage, refine, and improve campaigns without getting lost in complicated dashboards. It helps simplify keyword discovery, audience targeting, and bid adjustments so that users can focus on what actually drives conversions.

Beyond optimization, WordStream also delivers guidance and insights tailored to each campaign, allowing users to identify gaps and opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed. Its reports are designed to be digestible even for beginners, while still offering depth for experienced marketers. 

Pros:

• Easy to use: Simple dashboard, beginner-friendly.
• Time-saving: 20-Minute Work Week helps prioritize tasks.
• Clear insights: Gives automatic, easy-to-follow tips.
• Great for small businesses: Budget-friendly for growing teams.
• Cross-platform: Works with Google, Bing, Facebook, and more.

Cons:

• Not pro-level: Less detailed than Ahrefs, Semrush, or Google Ads.
• Generic advice: Suggestions can be too broad for niche cases.
• Price: Feels expensive for micro businesses.
• Not for large campaigns: Limited depth and automation.

10. TopicRanker

TopicRanker takes an unusual approach to keyword research by not only displaying keyword data but also analyzing weak spots in top-ranking pages. This enables you to uncover hidden opportunities and optimize your content to outperform competitors. It delivers useful information such as domain authority, page load time, readability, and word count.

It also includes AI-powered tools for automating content outline creation, generating metadata, and assisting with blog writing. These tools are based on the GPT-4 model, which allows them to generate clear and structured content with little editing required.

Pros:

• Identifies weaknesses in top-ranking pages
• Provides detailed SEO metrics (domain authority, speed, readability, word count)
• AI tools for outlines, metadata, and content writing
• Helps uncover hidden keyword opportunities

Cons:

• No free plan available
• Can be overwhelming for beginners
• Higher pricing compared to basic tools

Why These Listings Are Considered the Best Keyword Surfer Tools

Choosing a good keyword research tool is not as easy as it appears. There are numerous platforms available, and nearly all of them claim to help you rank higher on SERPs (search engine results pages). The problem is that using the wrong tool can cost you a lot of time and money. That is why you should not pick one at random or based solely on hype.

To simplify things, we narrowed down the best keyword research tools based on a few key factors that actually matter:

Keyword metrics

The most fundamental requirement for any keyword tool is accurate keyword data. A good tool should provide clear insights into important metrics, such as:

• Volume of searches
• Keyword Difficulty
• Data on competitive SERPs

The best tools also go beyond the basics, displaying additional information such as search intent, keyword trends, and potential opportunities. This level of detail enables you to make more informed decisions rather than simply guessing.

User-friendly to Use

Keyword research tools are not only for SEO professionals. Beginners should be able to use them to learn how search engines work and begin producing SEO-friendly content.

That’s why a good tool needs to be simple, clean, and easy to navigate. It shouldn’t just show data but also help you understand what to do with that data, even if you don’t have a strong SEO background.

The Scope of Data

A good keyword tool should provide enough features in its free or starter version to allow you to assess its true value. It should, at the very least, allow you to thoroughly explore the platform before committing your money.

Some tools purposefully limit your data in order to force you to upgrade to a paid plan. It’s best to avoid those. When selecting a paid tool, look for ones that offer full-featured trials.

The Functionality

Keyword research is already difficult, so you don’t want to switch between different tools just to get things done. An ideal platform should be a comprehensive solution that provides both data and clear, actionable insights.

This is especially important when using paid tools. If you’re spending money, the tool should be powerful enough to function without the need for additional software.

Sources of Data

The primary function of a keyword tool is to provide insight into how search engines rank content. It should use reliable data sources, such as Google Search Console and Google Trends, to accomplish this effectively.

Competitive research must also accurately analyze top-ranking pages and provide current, real-time data to avoid working with outdated information.

Conclusion

Keyword research is crucial if you want your website to be easily found. With the right tools, you can find out which keywords are popular, how competitive they are, and what content you should create. All the tools on this list can help you; just choose the one that best suits your needs.

If you’re just starting out, start with free tools like Keyword Surfer, Google Trends, and GSC. If you’re more serious or have a business, you can consider paid tools like Semrush or Ahrefs. The important thing is to always choose tools that make things easier, not more confusing.