UtilitySEO

Research keywords free.
Rank smarter.

Start with free keyword research, then track and rank for the terms that matter, all in one tool.

30-day free trial · No credit card · Cancel anytime

★★★★★Matt S.
Cheaper than what I was using and far easier to get around. I had never seen keyword data laid out so visually before, the topic clusters especially, which made the whole thing easy to understand.
Rank tracker
seo tools · UK · desktop
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Why teams choose UtilitySEO
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Everything unlocked, per month
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To your first ranked fix list
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Free trial, no credit card
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AI engines tracked

What free keyword research can and cannot do

Free is genuinely enough for most keyword research

Keyword research is one of the few areas of SEO where the free options are close to the paid ones, because the underlying volume data mostly originates from the same place: Google. Paid tools add convenience, larger exports and difficulty modelling. They rarely add better volume numbers.

The three free sources worth using

Google Search Console is the most underrated keyword tool in existence and the only one reporting what Google actually served your site. Every query in it is proven winnable for your domain, which no volume estimate can tell you. Sort by impressions, filter to positions 8 to 30, and you have a research shortlist that took no guessing.

Google Keyword Planner gives volume ranges straight from the Ads API. The ranges are broad without an active campaign, but the relative scale is sound.

The results page itself. Autocomplete, People Also Ask and related searches are Google telling you what people type, at no cost. For question-shaped queries this is often better than any tool.

What paid tools genuinely add

Bulk export at scale, keyword difficulty modelling, and competitor gap data. If you are researching thirty keywords, free covers you. If you are researching three thousand across five competitors, the convenience becomes worth paying for.

The trap in every keyword tool

Volume is not opportunity. A query with 10,000 monthly searches where the results page is topped by an AI Overview, four ads and three household-name brands is worth less to a small site than a 200-search query where an unknown blog ranks third. Free or paid, no tool decides this for you. Reading the actual results page does.

What UtilitySEO offers free

Keyword ideas with search volume come from the Google Ads API at no cost, alongside a keyword difficulty estimate. The more useful surface is untracked keyword discovery, which surfaces queries your site already earns impressions for but is not tracking, with one-click tracking from that list. There is also a free site scan with no signup if you want the technical picture alongside the keyword one.

Free 30-second scan.
No signup. No credit card.

Real Google scores for performance, SEO and accessibility, plus a ranked list of exactly what to fix first, in under a minute.

Runs a full SEO + performance audit (mobile + desktop) · takes ~30 seconds · no signup required

Loved by teams that rank

Matt S.

Cheaper than what I was using and far easier to get around.

I had never seen keyword data laid out so visually before, the topic clusters especially, which made the whole thing easy to understand.

Reece M.

UtilitySEO doesn't overwhelm you with useless data.

Easy to use and makes tracking my info so much better.

Jamie P.

I moved over from a much pricier suite and I have not missed a feature yet.

The audit tells me what to do next instead of handing me a list and wishing me luck.

Fay S.

The briefs and drafts save me a serious amount of time.

I still edit everything, but I am starting from something real rather than a blank page.

Abby R.

Every site I look after is in one place now.

I can see what moved, what I changed and which pages are slipping, without keeping spreadsheets to hold it together.

Simple pricing

Every tool unlocked on every plan. You only pay for scale, seats, projects and usage.

Start here

Free Trial

Full Enterprise-level access for 30 days. No card required.

£0for 30 days
  • Everything in Enterprise, unlocked
  • Unlimited projects, keywords & scans
  • All multi-model AI audits
  • Brand tracking across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity & Grok
  • No credit card needed
  • Upgrade any time
Start my 30-day trial

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Most popular

Entrepreneur

For solo founders and consultants running a handful of sites.

£48/mo
  • 1 seat (solo)
  • 3 projects
  • Track up to 250 keywords
  • 5 competitors tracked
  • 50 site scans per day (up to 2,000 pages each)
  • Brand tracking: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Grok
  • Multi-model AI audits
  • 5 content-score AI checks per month
  • AI blog & full-post generator
Start my Entrepreneur trial

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For agencies

Enterprise

Unlimited everything, unlimited seats, and white-label. Built for agencies.

£149/mo
  • Unlimited seats, members & projects
  • Unlimited keyword & competitor tracking
  • Unlimited site scans
  • AI brand tracking
  • Multi-model AI audits
  • AI content scoring
  • Blog generator & growth engine
Start my Enterprise trial

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Frequently asked questions

For most sites, yes. Search Console, Keyword Planner and the results page itself cover the research needs of anyone working on a few dozen keywords. Paid tools mainly add bulk export, difficulty modelling and competitor gap data.
Usually the Google Ads API, which is the same origin most paid tools use. Without an active ad campaign the ranges are broad, but the relative scale between keywords is reliable.
Google Search Console, because it reports queries your site has actually appeared for. Every one is proven winnable on your domain, which no volume estimate anywhere can tell you.
Search Console's performance report, filtered to positions 8 to 30 and sorted by impressions. Those are the queries closest to earning clicks and the fastest wins available to most sites.
No. A high-volume query topped by an AI Overview, ads and major brands can be worth less than a low-volume one where small sites rank. Volume is a starting filter, not a decision.

Stop guessing. Start fixing.

Know what is broken and what to fix first, in plain English. Full access free for 30 days, or 90 days with a promo code. No credit card.

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