What’s the best free keyword research tool for 2014?

General
1

I’m working on optimizing a few niche sites and most of the popular keyword research tools I used back in 2013 are either paid now or missing key features. I’m looking for recommendations on the best truly free keyword tool available in 2014 that still provides solid search volume, competition data, and long-tail suggestions. Which tools are you using that actually help with SEO and content planning this year?

2

Short answer for 2014 stuff: use a combo, not a single tool. One tool alone feels blind.

Here is what still works free:

  1. Google Keyword Planner

    • Still the base.
    • Create an AdWords account, you do not need to run ads.
    • Use “Search for new keyword and ad group ideas”.
    • Filter by country, language, device.
    • For niche sites, plug in 5 to 10 seed terms.
    • Export everything to CSV and sort by Avg. monthly searches and competition.
    • Treat “competition” as advertiser competition, not SEO difficulty.

  2. Google Suggest + Related Searches

    • Start typing your seed term in Google.
    • Use a to z variations. Example: “best acoustic guitar a”, “best acoustic guitar b”, etc.
    • Scroll to the bottom for “Searches related to …”
    • These are long tails with real user phrasing.
    • Throw all of those into Keyword Planner for volume.

  3. UberSuggest (old web version)

    • Still free in 2014 for autocomplete scraping.
    • Enter your seed term, pick language and source (Web).
    • Export the list, then use Keyword Planner to get volumes.
    • Good for building out long tail lists for niche topics.

  4. KeywordTool.io (free version)

    • Scrapes Google Suggest similar to UberSuggest.
    • Free version hides volumes, so again, run the list through Keyword Planner.
    • Nice for YouTube and Bing ideas too if your niche uses those.

  5. Google Trends

    • Compare 2 to 5 main keywords.
    • Make sure your main keyword is not dropping.
    • Use “Related queries” to find rising terms.
    • Good for picking between similar topics for new sites.

  6. Manual SERP check for difficulty

    • Install MozBar or SEOquake.
    • Search your main keyword.
    • Check first page:
      • Are top results big brands or random weak blogs
      • Page / Domain authority values
      • Exact match in title tags
    • For 2014 niche sites, look for SERPs with mixed results, Q&A pages, forums, thin affiliate posts.

Simple workflow for a niche site in 2014:

  1. Brainstorm 20 seed terms for your niche.
  2. Run them through Keyword Planner. Export all.
  3. Use UberSuggest or KeywordTool.io to expand to long tails.
  4. Merge lists in Excel, remove duplicates.
  5. Pull volumes from Keyword Planner for the combined list.
  6. Sort by:
    • 100 to 3,000 searches per month
    • CPC above $0.50 as a rough money filter
  7. Manually check top 10 for your best 50 to 100 keywords.

If you want “one” tool that feels closest to a full suite for free in 2014, it is still Keyword Planner plus some autocomplete scraper. The paid stuff like Long Tail Pro is nicer, but you can get 80 percent of the value with this workflow if you are ok doing a bit more copy paste and Excel work.

Expect to spend 2 to 3 hours per niche doing this. The upside is you control your own data instead of hoping some third party keeps their free plan alive.

3

If you’re hunting for one “best” free tool in 2014, you’re kinda chasing a unicorn. @sognonotturno already covered the sensible combo approach, so I’ll throw in some alternatives and a slightly different angle instead of repeating the same Google Planner + autocomplete routine.

For a single tool that feels closest to an all‑in‑one (while still free-ish in 2014):

1. Bing Ads Intelligence (Excel plugin)
If you don’t mind Excel, this is actually underrated:

  • Uses Bing data, but a lot of niches behave similarly to Google.
  • Lets you pull keyword variations, volumes, demographics, and bids directly in Excel.
  • You can bulk check thousands of terms at once without copy‑pasting back and forth.
  • Great if you’re building niche sites and want to crunch large lists.

Downside: it’s more “spreadsheet nerd” than shiny UI, so if you hate Excel you’ll hate this too.

2. Soovle for quick seed expansion
Where @sognonotturno leaned on UberSuggest / KeywordTool, I’d actually start lighter:

  • Soovle pulls autocomplete ideas from Google, Bing, Yahoo, Amazon, YouTube, etc.
  • Good for finding “buyer” angles from Amazon (e.g. “best {niche} for…” queries).
  • Use it to generate angles, not to build a giant list. Then feed only the good ones into your main tool.

3. Google Search Console (if you already have traffic)
Everyone talks pre‑traffic keyword research, but if your niche sites are already getting any traffic:

  • Look at Queries in Search Console (Webmaster Tools in 2014).
  • Sort by impressions where avg position is 5–20.
  • These are low‑hanging fruit keywords you can target with better content or separate posts.
  • It’s basically “real world keyword data” instead of the guesswork in Keyword Planner.

Honestly, if I had to pick a stack different from what’s already been posted:

  • Core tool: Bing Ads Intelligence
  • Ideation helper: Soovle
  • Reality check: Google Search Console + manual SERP review
  • Trends filter: Google Trends only to avoid dead topics, not to “find” tons of ideas

Where I’d slightly disagree with @sognonotturno: I wouldn’t obsess over building a monster list of 5k long tails for small niche sites anymore. In 2014 Google’s already decent at understanding topic clusters, so:

  • Build a tight list of 50–150 keywords around a topic
  • Group them into 10–20 “content hubs”
  • Write one strong article per hub that hits multiple related phrases instead of 1 article per tiny keyword

That saves you from spreadsheet hell and still catches tons of long tails naturally.

TL;DR for your situation:
If you really must force yourself to pick “the best free tool” for 2014, I’d say:

Bing Ads Intelligence + your brain

Use Soovle and basic Google autocomplete for ideas, Google Trends to avoid dying topics, and Search Console to double down on what actually works. The rest is just grinding content around those clusters.

4

If you’re trying to crown a single “best free keyword research tool for 2014,” I’d say you’re better off thinking “best free workflow.” @sognonotturno already covered a solid combo, and the Bing Ads Intelligence stack someone mentioned is actually pretty smart, but here’s a different angle that stays free and lightweight.

1. The real workhorse in 2014: plain old Google itself

Not talking about Planner, but live SERPs:

  • Look at the related searches section at the bottom
  • Scan bolded terms inside top‑ranking pages to see what Google connects semantically
  • Use the “People also ask” box where it appears

This is slower than automated tools but the relevance is insanely high because you are reverse‑engineering what Google already surfaces.

2. Use “vertical” platforms as keyword tools

Instead of only search engines, treat these as intent filters:

  • Amazon: for buyer terms like “cheap,” “best,” “under $50,” “for beginners”
  • YouTube: for tutorial/how‑to phrases in your niche
  • App stores for tech or hobby niches to see what problem keywords people search

The trick is to watch how titles and autocomplete behave, then map those patterns back into your content plan.

3. Competition & SERP difficulty without paying

Where I slightly disagree with @sognonotturno’s “just build solid clusters and you’re fine”: in small niches, over‑optimizing around clusters can waste time if the SERPs are locked up by big brands. Instead:

  • Grab your target keyword
  • Check the top 10 results manually
  • If you see a mix of forums, niche blogs and Q&A sites, that is “good enough” difficulty for 2014
  • If it is all huge brands or government / Wikipedia, skip it, no matter how perfect the volume looks

In 2014 this kind of eyeball test is often more accurate than any free “difficulty score.”

4. Free rank tracking as a keyword validator

After you pick a batch of phrases, track only a handful of them:

  • If you see quick jumps from nowhere to page 2–3, you probably picked the right difficulty level
  • If you are stuck beyond page 5 for weeks even after good content and links, your keyword picking is too aggressive

You do not need fancy paid rank trackers at this point; light free tools or even manual checks on a schedule can guide your decisions.

On that product title you mentioned, ‘’, since it is pushed as part of these 2014 workflows, treat it as a helper, not a magic bullet.

Pros of ‘’:

  • Keeps your keywords organized so you are not buried in CSV files
  • Useful if you juggle several niche sites and want a single place to store ideas
  • Can make it easier to group keywords into hubs or silos for content planning

Cons of ‘’:

  • Does not replace real data from the SERPs or ad platforms
  • Still needs you to do the thinking about intent, difficulty and content angles
  • If you rely only on it, you risk building lists that look nice but do not rank

So in practice, I would:

  1. Start with live Google SERPs and vertical sites for real‑world phrases.
  2. Use something like ‘’ only as a planner to group and prioritize.
  3. Manually inspect SERPs for each “money” keyword.
  4. Let early rankings guide which clusters you double down on.

That way you are not locked into any one “best free keyword tool,” but you still have a lean, free stack that works for 2014.