Table Of Contents
Introduction
If you have ever tried to rank a new website on Google, you already know how competitive it can be. Big brands and established websites dominate the top results for popular, short keywords. That leaves beginners and small business owners struggling to get noticed – unless they know the secret weapon: long tail keywords.
Long tail keywords are longer, more specific search phrases that people type into search engines. Unlike single-word or two-word keywords that attract thousands of competitors, long tail keywords have lower search volume but also much lower competition. That means it is far easier for a new website to rank on the first page of Google using long tail keywords.
The best part? You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on expensive keyword research software. There are several powerful free long tail keyword generator tools available right now that can help you discover exactly what your audience is searching for.
In this guide, we will explore what long tail keywords are, why they matter, and take a deep dive into five of the best free long tail keyword generator tools: Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic, Keyword Tool, and Soovle. By the end, you will know exactly which tools to use and how to use them to find low competition keywords that can drive real traffic to your website.
What Are Long Tail Keywords?
Before we dive into the tools, let us make sure we fully understand what long tail keywords are and why they are so valuable.
Short Keywords vs. Long Tail Keywords
A short keyword (also called a head keyword) is typically one to two words long. Examples include “shoes,” “digital marketing,” or “weight loss.” These keywords get millions of searches every month, but they are incredibly difficult to rank for because massive companies with huge budgets are competing for the same spots.
A long tail keyword, on the other hand, is three to six words or even longer. Examples include “best running shoes for flat feet,” “digital marketing tips for small business owners,” or “how to lose weight without going to the gym.” These are much more specific, and while fewer people search for them, the people who do search for them usually have a very clear intention – which means they are more likely to click, engage, and even buy.
Why Low Competition Keywords Matter
Think of it this way: imagine trying to open a small coffee shop on the busiest street in New York City, competing directly against Starbucks. Your chances of survival are slim. But if you open that same coffee shop in a smaller town where there is no competition, you will quickly become the go-to choice.
Low competition keywords work the same way. They give your content a real chance to rank in search engines, attract visitors, and build your online presence – even if your website is brand new.
The Power of Long Tail Keywords in SEO
Research consistently shows that long tail keywords account for the majority of all internet searches. Here is why smart SEO professionals love them:
- Higher conversion rates: Specific searches come from people who know exactly what they want.
- Easier to rank: Less competition means faster results for newer websites.
- Cost-effective for paid ads: If you run Google Ads, long tail keywords usually cost far less per click.
- Better content ideas: Long tail keywords often reveal exactly what questions your audience is asking.
How to Choose the Right Long Tail Keywords
Finding a long tail keyword is just step one. You also need to evaluate whether it is worth targeting. Here are the key factors to consider:
- Search Intent: Does the keyword match what your content offers? Someone searching “how to bake chocolate cake” wants a recipe – not a product page.
- Search Volume: Aim for keywords with at least some monthly searches (even 100–500 per month can be very valuable for a new site).
- Competition Level: Look at what websites currently rank for the keyword. If they are all giant brands, it may be too competitive.
- Relevance: Every keyword you target should be genuinely relevant to your website’s niche and audience.
Now that we understand long tail keywords and why they matter, let us explore the five best free tools to find them.
1. Google Keyword Planner – The Official Starting Point
What Is Google Keyword Planner?
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool provided directly by Google as part of its Google Ads platform. Originally designed to help advertisers plan pay-per-click campaigns, it has become one of the most widely used keyword research tools in the world – even by people who never run a single ad.
Because the data comes straight from Google – the world’s largest search engine – you can trust the numbers you see. It shows you how many times a keyword is searched every month, how competitive it is, and even suggests related keyword ideas.
How to Access Google Keyword Planner for Free
To use Google Keyword Planner, you need a free Google Ads account. You do not need to run any paid campaigns – simply create the account, skip the campaign setup when prompted, and navigate to the Keyword Planner inside the Tools section of the dashboard.
Key Features for Long Tail Keyword Research
- Discover New Keywords: Enter a seed keyword or your website URL and Google will generate hundreds of related keyword ideas.
- Search Volume Data: See the average monthly searches for any keyword, giving you a clear picture of demand.
- Competition Rating: Keywords are rated Low, Medium, or High competition – perfect for spotting easy wins.
- Location Filtering: You can filter results by country, region, or even city – ideal for local SEO.
- Language Filtering: Target keywords in any language, which is great for multilingual websites.
How to Use It to Find Low Competition Long Tail Keywords
Start by typing a broad topic into the search bar. For example, if you run a fitness blog, enter “workout tips.” Google Keyword Planner will then show you dozens of related keyword ideas. Sort the results by “Competition: Low” and look for longer phrases that have a decent search volume. You might discover gems like “at-home workout tips for seniors” or “workout tips for beginners without equipment” – phrases that are specific, have real search demand, and face very little competition.
Pros and Cons
- Pro: Data comes directly from Google, so it is the most reliable source available.
- Pro: Excellent for local and international keyword research.
- Con: Without an active ad campaign, search volumes are shown as broad ranges (e.g., 1K–10K) rather than exact numbers.
- Con: The interface can feel a bit complex for complete beginners at first.
Overall, Google Keyword Planner is the foundational tool every SEO beginner should start with. It is the most trustworthy source of keyword data and is completely free to use.
2. Ubersuggest – The All-in-One Free Keyword Tool
What Is Ubersuggest?
Ubersuggest was originally a simple free tool that expanded Google’s autocomplete suggestions into a long list of keyword ideas. It was later acquired by well-known digital marketer Neil Patel, who transformed it into a comprehensive SEO platform that includes keyword research, competitor analysis, site audits, and more.
The free version of Ubersuggest offers a generous set of features that are more than enough for most beginners and small website owners. It is one of the most beginner-friendly tools available because of its clean, simple design and easy-to-understand data presentation.
Key Features for Long Tail Keyword Research
- Keyword Overview: Enter any keyword and instantly see its monthly search volume, SEO difficulty score, paid difficulty score, and cost-per-click data.
- Keyword Ideas Tab: This is where the magic happens. Ubersuggest generates hundreds of related keywords, questions, prepositions, and comparisons based on your seed keyword.
- SEO Difficulty Score: Each keyword is given a score from 0–100. Lower scores mean easier ranking opportunities.
- SERP Analysis: See which pages currently rank for your target keyword, along with their domain authority and backlink data.
- Content Ideas: Discover popular articles and blog posts related to your keyword, helping you understand what type of content performs best.
How to Use Ubersuggest to Find Long Tail Keywords
Go to Ubersuggest and type in your main topic or keyword. Select your target country and click Search. Once the overview loads, click on Keyword Ideas in the left menu. You will see a list of related keywords – use the filters to show only keywords with an SEO difficulty below 30 (easy to rank) and a monthly volume of at least 100. Sort through the results and look for phrases that are three or more words long – these are your long tail keyword opportunities.
For example, searching for “email marketing” might reveal long tail suggestions like “email marketing for beginners step by step,” “email marketing tips for small businesses,” or “how to start email marketing for free” – all of which are highly specific, easier to rank for, and attract very motivated readers.
Pros and Cons
- Pro: Clean, easy-to-use interface perfect for beginners.
- Pro: SEO difficulty scores make it easy to spot low-competition keywords at a glance.
- Pro: Competitor and content analysis features add extra value beyond just keyword research.
- Con: The free plan limits the number of daily searches.
- Con: Some advanced features require a paid subscription.
Ubersuggest is arguably the most complete free keyword tool available. If you are just starting out and want one tool that does it all, this is a fantastic choice.
3. AnswerThePublic – Discover What People Are Actually Asking
What Is AnswerThePublic?
AnswerThePublic is one of the most unique and visually fascinating keyword research tools available. Rather than just showing you a list of keywords, it maps out all the questions, prepositions, comparisons, and related phrases that people use when searching for a topic. It pulls its data from Google and Bing autocomplete suggestions.
The tool is especially powerful for content creators and bloggers because it does not just help you find keywords – it helps you understand the exact questions your audience is asking. This is gold for creating blog posts, FAQ pages, YouTube videos, and any other form of content that answers real questions.
Key Features for Long Tail Keyword Research
- Question-Based Keywords: Generates keywords that begin with who, what, when, where, why, how, are, can, and will – perfect for FAQ-style content.
- Preposition Keywords: Shows phrases using words like “for,” “with,” “without,” “near,” and “to” – revealing very specific use-case searches.
- Comparison Keywords: Finds phrases using words like “vs,” “versus,” “or,” and “and” – useful for review and comparison articles.
- Alphabetical Searches: Generates keyword suggestions for your topic followed by each letter of the alphabet.
- Visual Sunburst Chart: All results are displayed in a beautiful circular visualization that makes it easy to spot patterns and clusters of related topics.
How to Use AnswerThePublic for Long Tail Keywords
Visit AnswerThePublic and type in a simple seed keyword – something broad like “yoga” or “personal finance.” Select your country and language, then click Search. Within seconds, the tool generates an impressive visual map of questions and phrases.
Click on “Data” view to switch from the visual chart to a simple list – this makes it much easier to browse and select keywords. Download the full list as a CSV file and sort through it for the most relevant and specific long tail keywords for your content strategy.
For instance, entering “personal finance” might reveal questions like “how to manage personal finance as a student,” “what is the best personal finance app for beginners,” or “why is personal finance important for young adults” – all excellent long tail keywords that could inspire highly valuable blog posts.
Pros and Cons
- Pro: Unbeatable for discovering question-based and conversational long tail keywords.
- Pro: Excellent for understanding search intent and content planning.
- Pro: The visual interface is eye-catching and makes patterns easy to identify.
- Con: The free plan limits you to a small number of searches per day.
- Con: Does not show search volume data in the free version.
If your primary goal is creating content that directly answers your audience’s questions, AnswerThePublic is an essential tool in your SEO toolkit.
4. Keyword Tool – Unlimited Autocomplete Suggestions Across Platforms
What Is Keyword Tool?
Keyword Tool (available at keywordtool.io) is a powerful free keyword research tool that uses autocomplete data from multiple search engines and platforms to generate long tail keyword ideas. What makes it stand out from other tools is its multi-platform support – it pulls keyword suggestions from Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, eBay, Instagram, Twitter, and the App Store.
This makes it especially valuable if you are doing SEO not just for a website, but also for YouTube videos, Amazon product listings, or app store optimization. It is also one of the most generous free tools available – the free version gives you access to over 750 keyword suggestions per search without requiring any account registration.
Key Features for Long Tail Keyword Research
- Multi-Platform Keywords: Switch between Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, and more with a single click to see platform-specific keyword suggestions.
- Autocomplete-Based Results: The tool uses the same autocomplete technology as search engines, which means every suggestion is a real phrase that real people type.
- Question-Based Filter: Easily filter to see only question-based keywords (how, what, why, where, when, who), making it easy to find informational long tail keywords.
- Preposition and Hashtag Filters: Find keywords with prepositions or social media hashtags depending on your platform.
- Language and Country Settings: Filter results by country and language for highly targeted local keyword research.
How to Use Keyword Tool to Find Long Tail Keywords
Navigate to keywordtool.io and select your target platform from the tabs at the top – Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, and others. Type in your seed keyword, select your country and language, and press Enter. The tool will generate a long list of autocomplete-based keyword suggestions.
Use the “Questions” tab to see all question-based long tail keywords. These are especially useful for blog posts and how-to guides. For example, entering “home gardening” might reveal questions like “how to start a home garden for beginners,” “what vegetables grow best in small home gardens,” or “when to plant tomatoes in a home garden.”
If you are a YouTuber or run a channel, switching to the YouTube tab is particularly valuable – it shows you exactly how people search for videos on your topic, helping you create video titles and descriptions that rank well.
Pros and Cons
- Pro: Supports more platforms than any other free tool, making it ideal for multi-channel content strategies.
- Pro: Very generous free plan – no account needed and hundreds of keyword ideas per search.
- Pro: Extremely easy to use with a clean, fast interface.
- Con: Search volume, competition data, and CPC metrics are locked behind the paid version.
- Con: Free plan does not allow keyword list export.
For content creators operating across multiple channels – a website, a YouTube channel, and possibly an Amazon store – Keyword Tool is an incredibly versatile free long tail keyword generator tool.
5. Soovle – Fast Keyword Brainstorming Across Multiple Search Engines
What Is Soovle?
Soovle is a lesser-known but remarkably useful free keyword research tool that displays autocomplete suggestions from multiple search engines and platforms simultaneously on a single screen. It is one of the fastest brainstorming tools available, showing you real-time keyword suggestions as you type.
The platforms Soovle pulls data from include Google, Bing, Yahoo, YouTube, Amazon, Wikipedia, and Answers.com. Because it shows results from all these sources at the same time, you get a very broad picture of how people search for a topic across the entire internet – not just on one platform.
Key Features for Long Tail Keyword Research
- Real-Time Multi-Engine Display: See keyword suggestions from seven major platforms all at once as you type.
- Instant Results: Unlike other tools that require you to press Enter, Soovle updates its suggestions dynamically as you type each character.
- Customizable Engines: You can add or remove the search engines shown on screen to focus on the ones most relevant to your needs.
- Save Suggestions: Click on any keyword suggestion to save it to your keywords list, which you can then download as a CSV file.
- No Registration Required: Soovle is completely free and requires no account creation – just go to the website and start searching.
How to Use Soovle to Find Long Tail Keywords
Open your browser and go to soovle.com. You will see a large search bar in the center of the page, surrounded by the logos of different search engines. Start typing your seed keyword and watch as suggestions immediately populate around each engine’s logo.
Pay close attention to the differences between platforms. The suggestions from Amazon will be more product-focused (great for e-commerce), while YouTube suggestions will be more video-friendly, and Wikipedia suggestions point toward informational content needs.
Hover over any keyword suggestion and click the small arrow that appears to save it to your list. Once you have collected your favorite suggestions, click the download icon to export them as a CSV file for further analysis in Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest.
Pros and Cons
- Pro: Completely free with no account needed – the most accessible tool on this list.
- Pro: Provides a unique cross-platform view of keyword demand in seconds.
- Pro: Real-time suggestions make it ideal for fast, creative brainstorming.
- Con: No search volume, competition data, or SEO metrics available.
- Con: Limited to autocomplete suggestions only – no deep keyword analysis features.
Soovle is best used at the very beginning of your keyword research process as a brainstorming tool. Once you have a list of ideas, take your best picks into Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to validate them with real data.
Comparing the Five Tools: Which One Should You Use?
Each of these free long tail keyword generator tools has its own strengths. Here is a quick summary to help you choose the right one for your needs:
- Use Google Keyword Planner when you want the most reliable, Google-sourced data and need to do geographic or language-targeted research.
- Use Ubersuggest when you want an all-in-one tool with SEO difficulty scores, competitor analysis, and content ideas all in one place.
- Use AnswerThePublic when your primary goal is creating content that answers the questions your audience is actually asking.
- Use Keyword Tool when you are targeting multiple platforms like YouTube, Amazon, or app stores in addition to Google.
- Use Soovle when you want to quickly brainstorm keyword ideas from multiple search engines simultaneously at no cost and without signing up.
The truth is that the best approach is to combine these tools. Start with Soovle or AnswerThePublic to generate raw ideas, expand on those ideas with Keyword Tool or Ubersuggest, and then validate the best candidates with Google Keyword Planner.
A Step-by-Step Strategy for Using These Tools Together
Here is a practical workflow you can follow to build a solid list of long tail keywords using these five free tools:
Step 1: Brainstorm with Soovle
Start at Soovle. Type your broad topic and collect 20–30 keyword ideas that appear across different search engines. These will serve as the foundation for your research. Save the best-looking ones to your list.
Step 2: Discover Questions with AnswerThePublic
Take your top 3–5 ideas from Soovle and run them through AnswerThePublic. Download the keyword lists and highlight any question-based phrases that feel relevant to your content goals. These question keywords are pure content goldmines.
Step 3: Expand with Keyword Tool
Run your best keyword ideas through Keyword Tool for your primary platform. If you run a blog, focus on Google. If you make videos, use the YouTube tab. Collect another batch of keyword variations and add them to your master list.
Step 4: Analyze and Score with Ubersuggest
Take your combined list into Ubersuggest and check each keyword’s SEO difficulty and search volume. Prioritize keywords with a difficulty under 30 and a monthly volume between 100 and 1,000. These are your sweet-spot long tail keywords – easy enough to rank for, but with enough searches to drive real traffic.
Step 5: Validate with Google Keyword Planner
Finally, take your shortlisted keywords into Google Keyword Planner to verify the data. Check competition level, confirm search volumes, and look for any additional related keywords that Google suggests. This is your final quality check before you start creating content.
Practical Tips for Long Tail Keyword Success
Finding the keywords is only part of the job. Here are some practical tips to make sure your long tail keyword strategy actually works:
- Write one piece of content per keyword. Avoid cramming multiple unrelated keywords into a single article. Create focused, in-depth content for each individual long tail keyword.
- Match your content to search intent. If someone searches “how to make cold brew coffee,” they want a step-by-step tutorial – not a history lesson about coffee. Always align your content format with what the searcher actually needs.
- Include the keyword naturally. Place your long tail keyword in the page title, the first paragraph, at least one subheading, and a few times throughout the content. But never force it – write for humans first, search engines second.
- Target multiple long tail keywords over time. Do not expect one piece of content to transform your website. Build a library of content pieces, each targeting a different low-competition long tail keyword.
- Track your rankings. Use free tools like Google Search Console to monitor how your content performs for your target keywords. Adjust and improve as needed.
Conclusion
Long tail keywords are one of the most powerful and underutilized weapons in any SEO strategy. They allow new websites, small businesses, and individual content creators to compete and win in search engines – without spending a fortune on tools or advertising.
The five free long tail keyword generator tools covered in this guide – Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic, Keyword Tool, and Soovle – each bring something unique to the table. Used individually, they are already valuable. Used together as part of a structured research strategy, they become a formidable toolkit for finding low-competition keywords that can genuinely move the needle for your website.
The key takeaway is this: stop competing on the same big keywords as everyone else. Go narrow, go specific, and go deep. Find the niche questions your audience is asking and create the best possible answer for them. That is the heart of a smart, sustainable long tail keyword strategy – and with the free tools in this guide, you have everything you need to get started today.
Happy researching, and may your rankings grow steadily with every piece of content you create.
About the Author
Jay Patel is the Founder of XSquareSEO, a full-service SEO agency with experience in on-page SEO, eCommerce SEO, link building, technical SEO, SaaS SEO, and local SEO. For more information, feel free to contact us.
Explore More Guides
PPC Keyword Research Guide
Find Trending SEO Keywords
Place SEO Keywords on Website
Niche Keyword Research
Keyword Generator vs Planner
What is Keyword Gap Analysis
After Keyword Research Steps
Competitor Backlink Analysis
Guest Posting Strategies
How Many Backlinks Needed
