10 Best Keyword Research Tools For Affiliates In 2024
by Abhigyan
Are you ready to unlock the secrets of keyword research and watch your commissions soar?
Well, you’re in the right place! In 2024, keyword research isn’t just important – it’s absolutely essential for affiliates.
Let me blow your mind with this fact: 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results.
Crazy, right?
That’s why finding the right keywords is like discovering a treasure map to affiliate riches!
In this article, we’re going to explore the best keyword research tools that’ll help you uncover those hidden gem keywords and send your affiliate earnings through the roof.
Even if you are a newbie affiliate, these tools will give you the edge you need in the competitive world of affiliate marketing.
Some of these tools offer free versions, so you don’t have to invest anything to start finding the low-competition keywords that you can easily rank for.
Let’s see why these tools are necessary, the parameters we used for choosing the tools, and finally the list of free and paid keyword research tools.
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You might be wondering, “Why should I bother with keyword research? Can’t I just write about products and hope for the best?”
Well, my friend, that’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack while blindfolded!
Keyword research is the secret sauce that can make or break your affiliate marketing success.
First off, keyword research helps you understand what your potential customers are actually searching for. It’s like having a direct line to their thoughts!
By knowing the exact words and phrases people use when looking for products or information, you can tailor your content to match their needs.
This means more targeted traffic coming to your site, and we all know that targeted traffic equals more potential sales.
But it doesn’t stop there. Proper keyword targeting can seriously boost your organic traffic.
When you use the right keywords in your content, you’re basically waving a big flag at search engines saying, “Hey, look at me! I’ve got what people are searching for!”
This can help you climb those search engine rankings, getting you closer to that coveted first page position.
And here’s where it gets really exciting: keyword research can have a massive impact on your conversion rates and commissions.
By focusing on keywords with high buyer intent (like “best review” or ” discount code”), you’re attracting people who are ready to make a purchase.
These folks are more likely to click on your affiliate links and buy products, which means more commissions in your pocket. Ka-ching!
How We Chose The Best Keyword Research Tools
First and foremost, we looked for tools that provide accurate search volume data.
This tells you how many people are actually searching for a particular keyword each month.
It’s like a popularity contest for keywords, and you want to know which ones are the cool kids on the block.
Keyword difficulty scores are a must-have feature for keyword research tools.
These scores give you an idea of how hard it’ll be to rank for a particular keyword.
Another super helpful feature that we looked for is related keyword suggestions.
The best tools will take your initial keyword idea and spit out a bunch of related terms and phrases.
This can help you uncover long-tail keywords that might be easier to rank for and more specific to what your audience is looking for.
Furthermore, we wanted tools that provide competitor analysis features.
Tools that let you peek at what keywords your competitors are ranking for can give you some serious insider info. It’s like being a keyword spy!
Lastly, we looked for tools that offer trend data.
This shows you how interest in a keyword changes over time.
You don’t want to put all your effort into ranking for a keyword that’s so last season, right?
Top 10 Keyword Research Tools For Affiliates
1. KWFinder
KWFinder is a tool that specializes in helping users find long-tail keywords with low competition.
This makes it particularly useful for affiliate marketers who are looking to target niche markets or find easier-to-rank-for keywords.
The tool’s interface is clean and intuitive, making it a great choice for beginners or those who prefer a straightforward approach to keyword research.
One of the standout features of KWFinder is its keyword difficulty score. This score gives you a quick visual indication of how hard it would be to rank for a particular keyword.
The tool uses a color-coded system, ranging from green (easy) to red (very difficult), making it easy to identify low-competition keywords at a glance.
KWFinder also provides detailed search volume data, including trends over the past 12 months.
This can be particularly useful for affiliate marketers looking to capitalize on seasonal trends or identify growing niches.
The tool also shows you the cost-per-click data, which can be helpful if you’re considering running paid campaigns alongside your organic efforts.
Another useful feature of KWFinder is its ability to find keywords in specific locations.
This is particularly valuable for affiliate marketers targeting local markets or promoting products that have regional variations.
You can narrow down your keyword research to specific countries, states, or even cities.
KWFinder also offers a SERP analysis feature. For each keyword, you can see the top 10 ranking pages along with their domain authority, page authority, and number of backlinks.
This gives you a quick overview of the competition for each keyword and can help you decide whether it’s worth targeting.
KWFinder also integrates with other tools in the Mangools suite, including SERPChecker, SERPWatcher, and LinkMiner.
This integration allows you to seamlessly move from keyword research to SERP analysis, rank tracking, and backlink research, providing a more comprehensive SEO workflow for affiliate marketers.
2. Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool provided by Google, making it an excellent starting point for affiliate marketers on a budget.
This tool is part of the Google Ads platform, but you don’t need to run ads to use it.
Google Keyword Planner taps directly into Google’s vast database of search data, providing valuable insights into what people are actually searching for.
One of the primary features of Google Keyword Planner is its ability to generate keyword ideas.
You can enter a seed keyword or even a website URL, and the tool will provide a list of related keywords.
This can help affiliate marketers discover new product ideas or content topics they might not have thought of otherwise.
Google Keyword Planner provides search volume data for keywords, showing you how many people are searching for a particular term each month.
This information can be crucial for prioritizing which keywords to target in your affiliate content.
The tool also allows you to filter search volume data by location and language, which can be particularly useful if you’re targeting specific geographic markets.
Another useful feature of Google Keyword Planner is its competition data.
While this is primarily geared towards paid advertising, it can still give affiliate marketers an idea of how competitive a keyword might be.
The tool categorizes competition as low, medium, or high, helping you identify potentially easier-to-rank-for keywords.
Google Keyword Planner also offers historical trending data for keywords.
This can help you identify seasonal trends or growing interest in certain topics.
For affiliate marketers, this information can be invaluable for timing your content or product promotions to coincide with peak interest periods.
Lastly, Google Keyword Planner allows you to create and save keyword plans.
This feature lets you organize your keyword research, group related keywords together, and even get forecasts on potential traffic.
While these forecasts are designed for paid advertising, they can still give affiliate marketers a sense of the potential reach of their chosen keywords.
3. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is renowned for its powerful backlink analysis capabilities, but it’s also a fantastic tool for keyword research.
The Ahrefs Keywords Explorer tool allows you to dive deep into keyword metrics, providing data on search volume, keyword difficulty, click-through rates, and even the number of clicks a keyword gets in search results.
One of the most useful features of Ahrefs for affiliate marketers is its ability to generate keyword ideas.
You can input a seed keyword, and Ahrefs will provide a wealth of related keywords, questions, and phrase matches.
This can help you uncover long-tail keywords that might be easier to rank for and more specific to your target audience.
Ahrefs also offers a Content Gap analysis tool.
This feature allows you to compare your website against your competitors and find keywords that they’re ranking for, but you’re not.
This can be a goldmine for discovering new affiliate product opportunities or content ideas that you might have missed.
The Site Explorer feature in Ahrefs is incredibly powerful for competitive analysis.
You can see which pages on a competitor’s site are bringing in the most organic traffic, what keywords they’re ranking for, and even how their organic traffic has changed over time.
This insight can help you refine your own affiliate marketing strategy.
Ahrefs also provides a robust Site Audit tool. This feature crawls your website and identifies SEO issues that might be holding back your rankings.
From slow-loading pages to duplicate content, Ahrefs helps you pinpoint and fix these issues to improve your overall SEO performance.
Ahrefs also offers a Rank Tracker tool that allows you to monitor your keyword rankings over time.
You can track your progress for specific keywords, see how your rankings compare to your competitors, and even set up alerts for significant ranking changes.
This feature is crucial for affiliate marketers who want to stay on top of their SEO performance.
4. Moz Keyword Explorer
Moz Keyword Explorer is a robust keyword research tool from one of the pioneers in the SEO industry.
This tool is known for its user-friendly interface and unique metrics that can help affiliate marketers make more informed decisions about their keyword targeting strategies.
One of the standout features of Moz Keyword Explorer is its Keyword Difficulty score.
This metric gives you an estimate of how hard it would be to rank on the first page of search results for a particular keyword.
The score is based on a 100-point scale, making it easy to compare the difficulty of different keywords at a glance.
Moz Keyword Explorer also provides a unique metric called Priority.
This score combines search volume, difficulty, and organic click-through rate to give you an overall sense of how worthwhile it might be to target a particular keyword.
For affiliate marketers with limited time and resources, this can be an invaluable tool for prioritizing their efforts.
Another useful feature of Moz Keyword Explorer is its SERP analysis tool.
For any given keyword, you can see a breakdown of the current top-ranking pages, including their Page Authority and Domain Authority scores.
This can give you a quick overview of the competition and help you decide whether you have a realistic chance of ranking for a particular keyword.
Moz Keyword Explorer excels at providing keyword suggestions.
When you enter a seed keyword, the tool offers various types of keyword ideas, including broadly related terms, topically related keywords, and even questions people are asking about the topic.
This can be a goldmine for affiliate marketers looking to create comprehensive content that covers all aspects of a product or niche.
Moz Keyword Explorer also offers a Keyword Lists feature that allows you to save and organize your keyword research.
You can group related keywords together, add notes, and even track your rankings over time.
This can help affiliate marketers stay organized and focused in their SEO efforts, especially when targeting multiple products or niches.
5. AnswerThePublic
AnswerThePublic is a unique keyword research tool that focuses on uncovering the questions and prepositions people use when searching.
This tool is particularly valuable for affiliate marketers looking to create content that directly addresses their audience’s queries and concerns.
The standout feature of AnswerThePublic is its visual representation of data.
When you enter a keyword, the tool generates a visual “search cloud” that organizes related queries into categories like who, what, where, when, why, and how.
This visual approach can help spark new content ideas and ensure you’re covering all aspects of a topic in your affiliate content.
AnswerThePublic also provides a list view of its results, which can be easier to analyze for some users.
The tool categorizes suggestions into questions, prepositions, comparisons, alphabeticals, and related terms.
This comprehensive breakdown can help affiliate marketers understand the full range of ways people are searching for information related to their products.
One of the strengths of AnswerThePublic is its ability to uncover long-tail keywords.
These longer, more specific phrases often have lower competition and can be easier for affiliate marketers to rank for.
By focusing on answering specific questions, you can create highly targeted content that addresses exactly what your audience is looking for.
AnswerThePublic also offers the ability to download your results in various formats, including CSV and PNG.
This makes it easy to save and share your keyword research with team members or clients.
You can also use these exports to further analyze the data or incorporate it into your content planning processes.
While AnswerThePublic doesn’t provide search volume data, it does offer a “Pro” version that includes some additional features.
These include the ability to compare data over time, receive email alerts for new content opportunities, and access to historical data.
For affiliate marketers looking to stay on top of changing search trends in their niche, these features could be particularly valuable.
6. Semrush
Semrush is a powerhouse in the world of SEO and keyword research.
This tool offers a comprehensive suite of features that can help affiliate marketers dominate their niche.
At its core, Semrush provides detailed keyword analysis, allowing you to see search volumes, keyword difficulty, and trends over time.
One of the standout features of Semrush is its ability to uncover your competitors’ strategies.
You can input a competitor’s website and see which keywords they’re ranking for, their top-performing pages, and even their backlink profile.
This competitive intelligence can be a game-changer for affiliate marketers looking to gain an edge.
Semrush also offers a powerful content optimization tool.
You can input your target keywords, and Semrush will provide recommendations on how to improve your content to rank higher in search results.
This feature can help ensure that your affiliate content is fully optimized for search engines.
For those running paid campaigns alongside their organic efforts, Semrush offers tools for PPC research and management.
You can analyze your competitors’ ad strategies, find profitable keywords for your campaigns, and even track your ad performance over time.
Semrush goes beyond just keywords and offers a site audit tool.
This feature can help you identify technical SEO issues on your website that might be holding back your rankings.
From broken links to missing meta descriptions, Semrush helps you find and fix these issues to improve your overall SEO health.
Semrush also provides robust reporting features. You can create custom reports that showcase your SEO progress, keyword rankings, and competitor comparisons.
These reports can be invaluable for tracking your affiliate marketing efforts over time and demonstrating your success to clients or partners.
7. Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest, created by digital marketing expert Neil Patel, is a user-friendly and affordable keyword research tool that offers a range of features for affiliate marketers.
This tool provides a comprehensive overview of keywords, including search volume, SEO difficulty, and paid difficulty, helping you identify opportunities for both organic and paid campaigns.
One of Ubersuggest’s standout features is its content ideas generator.
By entering a keyword, you can discover popular content topics related to your niche.
This feature provides information on the social shares, backlinks, and estimated visits for each content idea, helping you create content that resonates with your audience and has a higher chance of ranking well.
Ubersuggest also offers a site audit feature, which can be invaluable for affiliate marketers looking to optimize their websites.
The tool crawls your site and provides a detailed report on various SEO factors, including page speed, meta tags, and broken links.
This allows you to identify and fix issues that might be holding back your search engine rankings.
The tool’s keyword suggestions feature is particularly useful for uncovering long-tail keywords.
Ubersuggest provides a list of related keywords, questions, and prepositions based on your seed keyword.
This can help you discover less competitive keywords that are still relevant to your niche, potentially leading to easier ranking opportunities.
Ubersuggest also includes a backlink analysis tool.
You can use this to examine the backlink profiles of your competitors, identifying potential link-building opportunities for your own affiliate site.
The tool provides information on the domain score, number of backlinks, and referring domains for any given URL.
In addition, Ubersuggest offers a rank tracking feature. This allows you to monitor your keyword rankings over time, helping you gauge the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.
The tool also provides keyword tracking for your competitors, giving you insights into how your rankings compare to others in your niche.
8. Keysearch
Keysearch is a cost-effective keyword research tool that offers a robust set of features for affiliate marketers.
This tool provides comprehensive keyword data, including search volume, difficulty scores, and PPC data, all presented in an easy-to-understand interface.
One of Keysearch’s most useful features is its Keyword Difficulty Checker.
This tool provides a difficulty score for each keyword, along with an estimate of how many backlinks you might need to rank on the first page.
For affiliate marketers, this can be incredibly helpful in determining which keywords are realistic targets based on your site’s current authority.
Keysearch also offers a Competitor Analysis feature.
This allows you to see which keywords your competitors are ranking for, their estimated traffic, and their top-performing pages.
You can use this information to identify gaps in your own content strategy and uncover new opportunities in your niche.
The tool’s YouTube Research feature sets it apart from many other keyword tools.
This feature allows you to find popular keywords specifically for YouTube content, which can be valuable for affiliate marketers looking to expand into video content.
You can see search volume, competition, and even related video ideas.
Keysearch includes a Rank Tracking feature that allows you to monitor your keyword rankings over time.
You can track rankings for multiple websites, making it useful for affiliate marketers managing several niche sites.
The tool also provides ranking data for your competitors, giving you a clear picture of your performance in the search results.
Another helpful feature of Keysearch is its Content Assistant.
This tool analyzes the top-ranking pages for your target keyword and provides suggestions for optimizing your content.
It offers recommendations on word count, keywords to include, and even questions to answer in your content, helping you create more comprehensive and SEO-friendly articles.
9. Wordtracker
Wordtracker is a keyword research tool that offers deep insights into search behavior.
This tool prides itself on providing accurate search volume data from its own data sources, which can be a valuable alternative to Google’s data for affiliate marketers looking for a different perspective.
One of Wordtracker’s key features is its extensive keyword database.
When you enter a seed keyword, the tool provides a wealth of related terms, including long-tail variations, questions, and lateral keywords.
This can help affiliate marketers uncover niche topics and less competitive keywords that they might not have considered otherwise.
Wordtracker offers a unique feature called IAAT (In Anchor and Title), which shows how many times a keyword appears in both the anchor text and title of web pages.
This can give you an idea of how websites are optimizing for a particular keyword, which can be useful for understanding the competition and optimizing your own content.
The tool also provides a Competition score for each keyword, based on the number and strength of the websites ranking for that term.
This can help affiliate marketers identify keywords that are easier to rank for, potentially leading to quicker wins in the search results.
Wordtracker includes a Questions tool that specifically focuses on question-based searches.
This can be particularly useful for affiliate marketers looking to create FAQ content or answer specific queries related to their products.
The tool provides a list of questions related to your keyword, along with search volume data for each question.
Lastly, Wordtracker offers integration with Google Search Console. This allows you to import your own search data and see how it compares with Wordtracker’s data.
For affiliate marketers, this can provide valuable insights into how your actual search performance aligns with broader keyword trends.
10. Keyword Chef
Keyword Chef was created by a blogger who got fed up with complex, overpriced keyword tools.
He wanted something simple, affordable, and effective – and that’s exactly what Keyword Chef delivers.
It’s perfect for affiliate marketers who want to cut through the noise and find those juicy, low-competition keywords without breaking the bank.
So, what’s cooking in Keyword Chef’s kitchen? First off, it’s super easy to use. You just type in a seed keyword, and boom!
It serves up a buffet of keyword ideas, complete with search volume and competition metrics.
But here’s where it gets really tasty – Keyword Chef focuses on finding those “low-hanging fruit” keywords that are easier to rank for.
These are the keywords that bigger sites might overlook, giving you a chance to swoop in and grab that sweet, sweet organic traffic.
One of the coolest features of Keyword Chef is its “Questions” feature.
It hunts down all those juicy question-based keywords that people are actually typing into Google.
This is pure gold for affiliate marketers! You can use these questions to create FAQ sections, write blog posts, or even structure your product reviews.
Keyword Chef also dishes up some neat filters to help you refine your keyword search.
You can filter by search volume, competition, and even by the number of words in the keyword phrase.
This makes it super easy to find those long-tail keywords that convert like crazy in affiliate marketing.
Now, let’s talk price. Keyword Chef won’t burn a hole in your pocket.
They offer a pay-as-you-go model, which is fantastic for affiliate marketers who are just starting out or working on a tight budget.
You only pay for the searches you need, and there’s no monthly commitment.
Choosing The Right Keyword Research Tool
When choosing the perfect keyword research tool for your affiliate business, think about the size of your affiliate business and the complexity of your needs.
Are you just starting out, or are you managing multiple high-traffic sites? This will impact the depth and breadth of features you’ll require.
Next, consider the specific metrics that matter most to you. Do you need detailed search volume data? Are you looking for keyword difficulty scores?
Maybe you want a tool that offers competitor analysis? Make a list of your must-have features and prioritize them.
This will help you narrow down your options and focus on tools that align with your goals.
Don’t forget about user experience! Some tools have steep learning curves, while others are more intuitive.
If you’re new to keyword research, you might want to start with a user-friendly option like KWFinder or Ubersuggest.
More experienced marketers might prefer the advanced features of SEMrush or Ahrefs.
Now, let’s talk about matching tools to your skill level and budget. If you’re a beginner, free tools like Google Keyword Planner can be a great starting point.
They’ll give you a solid foundation without breaking the bank. As you grow more comfortable with keyword research and start seeing results, you can consider investing in paid tools with more advanced features.
For those on a tight budget, look for tools that offer monthly plans or even pay-per-use options. This way, you can access powerful features without committing to an annual subscription.
Some tools also offer discounts for annual payments, which can save you money in the long run if you’re certain about your choice.
Don’t be afraid to take advantage of free trials! Many premium tools offer 7-day or 14-day trials.
Use this time to really dig in and test the features. This hands-on experience will help you determine if the tool is worth the investment for your specific needs.
Also, think about combining multiple tools for comprehensive research. No single tool is perfect, and each has its strengths and weaknesses.
By using a combination of tools, you can get a more well-rounded view of your keyword landscape.
For example, you might use Google Keyword Planner for initial ideas, then run those keywords through a tool like SEMrush for more detailed metrics.
You could then use AnswerThePublic to find related questions and content ideas.
This multi-tool approach allows you to leverage the best features of each platform, giving you a competitive edge in your affiliate marketing efforts.
Final Thoughts On Best Keyword Research Tools
The world of affiliate marketing is constantly evolving, and staying on top of your keyword game is key to staying ahead of the competition.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Keyword research is both an art and a science, and it takes time to develop your skills and intuition.
Keep experimenting with different tools and techniques, and soon you’ll be uncovering profitable keywords like a pro!
As you move forward with your affiliate marketing journey, make sure to regularly revisit your keyword strategy.
What worked last year might not be as effective this year, so stay agile and be ready to adapt.
Keep an eye on emerging trends, seasonal fluctuations, and changes in user behavior to ensure your keyword research stays fresh and relevant.
With the right keywords, you’ll be able to connect with them and grow your affiliate income. Happy researching, and here’s to your affiliate success! 🥂
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Abhigyan Mahanta
Hi! I’m Abhigyan, a passionate remote web developer and writer with a love for all things digital. My journey as a remote worker has led me to explore the dynamic landscape of remote companies. Through my writing, I share insights and tips on how remote teams can thrive and stay connected, drawing from my own experiences and industry best practices. Additionally, I’m a dedicated advocate for those venturing into the world of affiliate marketing. I specialize in creating beginner-friendly guides and helping newbie affiliates navigate this exciting online realm.
