When you’re working in digital content marketing, keyword research is a must. But not every team can afford $200+ a month for tools like Semrush or Ahrefs. The good news! You don’t have to. 

There are plenty of affordable, even free, keyword research tools that give you what you need to find opportunities, validate search volume, and plan smart content strategies. 

At Stamats, we lean on the expertise of two of our digital marketing leaders, Stu Eddins, Chief Digital Strategy Officer, and Joshua Schneiderman, Digital Marketing Director, to share their go-to tools and strategies.  

Their answers highlight which tools are worth your time and how to think about keyword research in 2025 and beyond.  

This blend of tool knowledge and high-level strategy is the foundation of our work. We partner with organizations to go beyond the data and build a complete content marketing roadmap.  

Start with Free Tools

Google Search Console

Stu is a big fan of pairing Search Console with other tools. He recommends looking at which non-branded terms are already getting impressions for your site, then building from there. 

“Find out the non-branded search terms that get you served most often. Then search those terms in Google, see who is ranking on page one, visit their pages, and use a tool like Keywords Everywhere to see what they’re being found for. You’ve just done free keyword research.”  

For teams that need a deeper dive into their existing content health, a professional Content Audit from Stamats can turn this initial research into a prioritized plan for updates, repurposing, and new creation. Contact us today to get started. 

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is one of the best free starting points. It gives you keyword suggestions, search volume ranges, and competition data directly from Google Ads. 

It’s not perfect, since it’s built for advertisers, not SEO specialists, but it’s a reliable way to check demand for a keyword before you go deeper. 

Looker Studio Dashboard

Gathering keyword data is one thing; making sense of it is another. That’s where Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) shines as a fantastic free resource. It lets you blend data from tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics into a single, visual dashboard. This helps you move beyond basic reporting to see the big picture: spotting opportunities, tracking how your topical authority is developing, and quickly identifying the real ROI of your content. Think of it as your free, custom command center for SEO insights. Email Stu for pro tips on setting up your dashboard. 

Affordable Paid Tools

SE Ranking (~$52/month)

Joshua recently switched from Semrush to SE Ranking to get robust keyword data. 

“I use it for finding keyword ideas, getting volume, and getting an idea of competitiveness. I bought it to replace Semrush in my personal toolkit.”  

It’s just over the $50 mark, but still far less expensive than enterprise tools and offers keyword research, rank tracking, and site audits in one platform. 

Keywords Everywhere (Freemium, ~$5 for 100K credits)

Stu points to Keywords Everywhere, a browser extension that starts at $5/month, as one of his favorites: 

“The best thing I have found is Keywords Everywhere. It lets you find out what other people are using for keywords on their websites.” – Stu Eddins 

It overlays keyword volume, CPC, and competition data right into Google, YouTube, Amazon, and more. For just a few dollars, you can get more than enough credits to fuel months of research.

AnswerThePublic (Free limited / Lifetime $119)

When brainstorming content, Joshua often uses AnswerThePublic. 

“Being able to see the questions people ask, and what angles they’re approaching searches from, is hugely helpful.”  

AnswerThePublic generates visual maps of questions and phrases related to your seed keyword. It’s especially useful when you’re planning blog posts, FAQs, or pillar pages. 

Other Budget Options

• Ubersuggest ($29/month): An all-in-one suite with keyword research, content ideas, and rank tracking.
• KeySearch ($24/month): Great entry-level tool with keyword difficulty scoring and SERP analysis.
• LowFruits ($21/month): Specializes in uncovering low-competition long-tail keywords.

Joshua’s Smart Hack: Broad Match Campaigns

Joshua also recommends a less obvious method: using a low-budget broad match paid campaign to surface keyword ideas. 

By running ads on a broad match keyword with low bid caps, you can discover the real search terms people type in. The best-performing terms can then be promoted into your main campaigns or used to guide organic content. 

It’s not technically free (since you’re paying for ads), but it’s a creative way to get high-quality keyword ideas without an expensive tool. 

Beyond Keywords: Themes and Context

Here’s where Stu’s perspective is worth pausing on. He believes marketers can get too stuck chasing individual keywords when the real shift has already happened. 

“Google does not consider keywords. It considers context. When it reads a page, it understands the page. Keywords are thumbnails, abbreviations of what context is.”  

This means Google is less interested in exact keyword matches and more focused on whether your content matches the theme and intent behind the search. Discover why niche content is key to SEO success.  

For example, say your seed keyword is “cheap keyword research tool.” The variations might include: 

• Budget keyword planner
• Affordable SEO tools
• Low-cost keyword tracker

But the bigger theme is about helping marketers with limited budgets compete effectively in SEO. 

That theme should guide your strategy:

• Build a pillar page focused on affordable SEO tools.
• Use supporting blog posts to answer related questions like “What’s the best free keyword tool?” or “Are cheap SEO tools accurate?”
• Organize your internal links so the theme is clear to both users and search engines.

Tools like AnswerThePublic are especially useful here because they don’t just spit out keywords, they surface the connected thoughts people have around your topic. That’s gold for building context-rich content clusters. 

The transition from a keyword list to a fully structured content ecosystem can be challenging.  

Stamats’ team of digital strategists and professional writers are experts at building conversion-centered content strategies and creating high-quality content—from pillar pages to supporting posts—that drives real results. 

Schedule a free consultation today.  

Putting It All Together

• For free validation: Google Keyword Planner and Search Console
• For content brainstorming: AnswerThePublic
• For quick insights while browsing: Keywords Everywhere
• For a budget-friendly all-in-one suite: SE Ranking, Ubersuggest, or KeySearch

But as both Stu and Joshua highlight, tools are only part of the picture. Your success comes from how you use them, whether that’s Joshua’s creative broad match campaigns or Stu’s reminder to focus on themes, not just keywords. 

Go Beyond the Keyword List

You have the tools, now get the strategy. 

Affordable keyword research tools give you the data, but turning that data into a cohesive, high-performing content ecosystem requires a human touch. That’s where Stamats steps in. 

We don’t just hand you a list of keywords; we partner with you to build a content strategy based on themes, context, and true audience intent, creating the conversion-centered content that drives traffic and, more importantly, revenue. 

Stop chasing keywords and start building authority. 

Let’s build your complete content roadmap together. Schedule your free strategy consultation today. 

Please Note: All prices and subscription costs for the tools mentioned in this article are based on the latest publicly available market data as of October 2025. These prices are subject to change by the respective service providers. Stamats is providing an independent analysis and has no sponsorship agreement or commercial relationship with any of the software or tool providers mentioned.