When it comes to advertising your business, keywords are a cornerstone of how to reach your consumers. One of the main ways you can get your brand out there is by appearing through search engines and this is done through keywords. In this article, I will showcase some of the best keyword services you can be using to have the best possible SEO for your website or advertisements.

1. Semrush

This is my personal favorite SEO website. I was introduced to this service during my time working for AAA – The Auto Club Group. For this job I was assigned to run a Google ads campaign for one of AAA’s startups for a new app. The application was called “JustGotDucked”, and it was a geocaching app for Jeep drivers that collected rubber ducks on their dashboard. It was very niche and it was difficult to come up with keywords on my own. However, AAA referred me to Semrush which made my job a lot easier. 

In Semrush, they have their own personal keyword appendix builder which makes keyword generation incredibly easier. All it takes is the user to list off a few (or many) keywords, and the AI embedded in Semrush will generate hundreds of keywords based on your list. All generated keywords are organized into clusters with a common theme for each which helps you find specific topics related to your submitted keywords.

Semrush is free to start, however I recommend you try the paid version of the software. Without paying the app can feel super limited and you won’t have access to useful tools like their AI keyword appendix builder.

https://www.semrush.com

2. AppFollow

This is another service that I used during my time at AAA – The Auto Club Group. It’s important to note that this service is specifically for Apple/IOS apps. JustGotDucked had an app store variant so this software was a major help for finding effective keywords. 

One thing that’s difficult about IOS keywords is that Apple tends to keep a lot of their information like SEO data hidden. However, AppFollow has plenty of data you can view based on Apple users.

Similar to Semrush, AppFollow has a similar keyword builder that works the same way with the user only needing to enter a few keywords to flesh out a full appendix. Once you generate an appendix it will give you plenty of statistics like how competitive each keyword is, the search volume, and the cost per click if you were to use it.

I think this software is essential if you plan on releasing an IOS version of your business. Just like Semrush, AppFollow does have a fee, so you will be limiting yourself if you choose to only use the free version.

https://appfollow.io

3. Google Keyword Planner

This is one of the most intuitive options when it comes to keywords. Not only is Google Keyword Planner free, but it is super easy to implement into Google ad campaigns. I have been familiar with this software for a while, as I first started using Google ads years ago for my YouTube channel in high school. However, this past semester at my school it opened my eyes on how useful this tool is. 

While it doesn’t have the exact type of keyword appendix builder like Semrush or AppFollow, Google’s Keyword Planner is incredibly useful for finding the best keywords on Google searches. One huge advantage that Google has over other search tools is the sheer amount of data they have, being the most popular search engine. The planner allows you to enter any type of keyword or phrase and based off your input you will get hundreds of keywords ranked by volume, competitiveness and cost per click.

I will say there are a few limitations I am not the biggest fan of, such as the competitiveness not having a numerical value. Instead, keywords are classified as high, medium, or low competitiveness which can make things a little vague. Despite this I really think the tool is incredibly useful and a great place to start if you plan on making your business stand out on Google.

https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7337243?hl=en

4. Ahrefs

While I have less experience on Ahrefs compared to the other services on this list, I highly recommend checking out this software. Ahrefs is like Semrush with super accurate metrics, but it’s much more data-first, with a high emphasis on its accuracy on competitive keywords.

There is a decent amount of tools you can use for free, but it is 29/month if you want the full experience. I recommend starting out on a free plan and if you like the results you can upgrade to the full version.

https://ahrefs.com

Let Me Know What You Think!

So those are the four main keyword services I recommend to optimize your business’s SEO online. Let me know if you have used any of these services before or if any of them sound interesting to you. Was there a service I left out of this list that you felt I should’ve mentioned? Let me know in the comments below!