Nearly one-third of internet users discover new brands through search engines. That's a massive opportunity for your marketing team—if you can crack the code on what your audience is actually searching for.

But here's the reality most marketing teams face: You need reliable keyword data to drive your content strategy, but your budget is stretched thin across multiple channels. Premium SEO tools with their $100-$300 monthly subscriptions aren't always feasible, especially for small marketing departments.

Our team tested dozens of free keyword research tools and discovered something surprising: You don't need to pay for accurate, actionable keyword data. The right combination of free tools can give your team 80% of what paid platforms offer—more than enough to build a high-performing SEO strategy.

Here are the five best free keyword research tools our team found, along with the exact workflow your marketing team can use to maximize their value.

WordStream's free keyword tool generates hundreds of keyword ideas per seed term without requiring a login. For marketing teams juggling multiple projects, this immediate access is invaluable.

Our team found that WordStream provides three critical data points that make it worth your time:

The competition metric is particularly useful for small marketing teams who need to identify low-hanging fruit—keywords with decent volume but manageable competition.

Have your content specialist start with 5-10 core product terms, then expand each one using WordStream's suggestions. The tool organizes results by relevance, making it easy to identify related terms your audience is searching for.

While Semrush is known for its premium plans, its free tier gives marketing teams access to powerful competitive data that's hard to find elsewhere.

Without creating an account, your team can access:

What makes this particularly valuable for small teams is the ability to see exactly what your competitors are ranking for. Enter a competitor's domain, and Semrush will show you their top-performing keywords—essentially letting you reverse-engineer their SEO strategy.

Assign one team member to conduct monthly competitor keyword research using Semrush's free tier. Have them identify 5-10 high-performing keywords from each of your top three competitors.

Ahrefs' free tool returns up to 20 keyword ideas per search with two critical metrics: search volume and keyword difficulty. What sets this tool apart is the accuracy of its difficulty score, which our team found to be remarkably aligned with actual ranking challenges.

Use Ahrefs' free tool to validate the difficulty of keywords you've already identified through WordStream or Semrush. This cross-validation process ensures your team isn't chasing keywords that are too competitive.

For small marketing teams, we recommend focusing on keywords with difficulty scores under 30. These represent your best opportunities to rank without extensive link building campaigns.

Wordtracker's free version displays up to 100 keyword results with search volume, competition metrics, and a unique Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI) that helps identify underserved opportunities.

What makes Wordtracker particularly valuable for small marketing teams is its focus on long-tail keywords—longer, conversational phrases that are easier to rank for and often convert better.

"Long-tail phrases are more likely to be cited in AI search results compared to shorter terms of three or four words." — Charlie Graham, founder of RivalSee

Have your content creator use Wordtracker specifically for blog topic ideation. The tool excels at identifying question-based keywords that align perfectly with FAQ sections, blog posts, and support content.

This 100% free tool with no sign-up required generates keyword suggestions directly from Google Autocomplete—showing you exactly what users are typing into the search box.

What makes this tool unique is its focus on real user queries rather than historical search data. This helps your team identify emerging trends and questions that other tools might miss.

Use this tool at the beginning of your content planning process to understand how real people phrase their queries. Have your junior team members start here before diving into more complex tools.

Our marketing team developed a systematic approach that leverages the strengths of each free tool while compensating for their limitations. Here's the workflow your team can implement:

Begin with 25-50 high-impact keywords that align directly with your products or audience segments. These become your "seed" terms for deeper research.

"I use this approach because it gives me confidence that the data I'm seeing is directionally accurate, not just an outlier. When multiple sources point to the same trend, I know it's worth my time to pursue." — Cassie Wilson Clark, Marketing Specialist

Have one team member run each seed keyword through multiple tools and record the results in a shared spreadsheet. Look for consistency in search volume and competition metrics—when three tools show similar data, you can trust it.

Google's "People Also Ask" feature generates more related queries each time users click a question, creating an endless stream of long-tail keyword ideas. Assign a junior team member to capture these questions weekly.

Most free tools don't store historical data, making it difficult to track changes over time. Create a simple spreadsheet with tabs for each month. Track your top 50 keywords consistently, noting changes in volume, difficulty, and your own rankings.

The final step is turning research into action. Use a content calendar that explicitly links each piece to target keywords and their metrics. This ensures your team's content efforts align directly with SEO opportunities.

For small marketing teams with limited budgets, these five free tools provide more than enough data to build an effective SEO strategy. The key is implementing a consistent workflow that combines their strengths and compensates for their limitations.

Our team found that the most successful small marketing departments don't rely on a single premium tool, but rather on a systematic process that turns keyword insights into actionable content plans. The free tools listed here provide the raw materials—your team's process transforms them into ranking content.

The bottom line: Until your team is ready for premium tools, these five free resources—combined with the workflow we've outlined—will give you everything you need to compete effectively in organic search.

by ES
for the AdAI Ed. Team