The Free Keyword Tool FAQ

Free Keyword Tool FAQ Topics

Below is a list of frequently asked questions regarding The Free Keyword Tool. To skip ahead, please make use of the handy table of contents to the right. If you have a question not listed here, shoot us a note and we’ll be sure to answer it and add it to the list.

Q:  What are people saying about the Free Keyword Tool?

A:  Here are some testimonials from industry experts who have used The Free Keyword Tool:

“If you find that commercial keyword research tools like WordTracker and Keyword Discovery can’t deliver on each of your needs, try WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool. It is simple enough that anyone can get started in seconds, yet more advanced options like filtering and exporting keep our team members coming back for more. Any dedicated SEM/SEO understands the need for real, actionable keyword research. In a time where most willingly pay for multiple commercial tools, it’s refreshing to see one free tool deliver great results that render the others useless.”

– Eric D. Lander, Search Engine Marketing Consultant

“This generous gift from WordStream provides a nifty interface that is a fast and easy way to identify long-tail keywords and to filter out negative terms across all keyword segments. That’s pretty impressive for a free keyword research tool!”

– Greg Meyers, PPC Expert and Author of SemGeek.com

Q:  Is the Free Keyword Tool really completely free?

A:  Yes, the Free Keyword Tool is free to use 10 times up front; then you can use it once a day for free going forward. If you want unlimited use of the tool, we offer a paid Keyword Research Suite with virtually unlimited access to our trillion-keyword database.

Q:  Where does the Free Keyword Tool get its data?

A:  WordStream purchases volumes of U.S.-based keyword search data through industry partnerships with:

• Internet Service Providers
• Browser Toolbars
• Search Engines

Then we apply sophisticated statistical models to aggregate the different keyword data sets, applying different weightings so the keyword suggestions aren’t overly biased toward one particular source, and apply powerful semantic algorithms to compute related terms.

Since our keyword data is U.S.-based (searches done by Internet users physically located in the U.S.), we do not have filters for the UK, Australia, or other English-speaking countries/regions.

Unfortunately, due to Non-Disclosure Agreements that we have entered into with our partners, we are unable to provide more details.

Q:  Do you have foreign language keywords?

WordStream’s keyword database is U.S.-based. This means that our keyword suggestions are based on searches done within the United States and therefore, the majority of our keywords are in English. However, we do have foreign language keywords in our database since some international searchers will search in their native language. To see whether or not WordStream has the foreign language keywords you are looking for, do some test searches using the Free Keyword Suggestion Tool.

Q:  What is the CAPTCHA and why do I have to fill it out?

A:  We use the CAPTCHA to verify that you’re human and to prevent abuse from bots. This frees up computing resources so the tool can run faster.

Q:  If I use WordStream’s premium software solutions, will my private keyword data be used for the Free Keyword Tool?

A:  Absolutely not. If you’re familiar with WordStream, you may know that we also provide a PPC management platform. The private keyword data provided by WordStream users is in no way shared or integrated with the Free Keyword Tool. For more information, see section 4 of our Master Subscription Agreement.

Q:  What is relative volume?

A:  Relative volume is our estimate of how often a particular keyword is searched on. A higher relative volume means that the keyword is searched on more frequently.

Q:  How accurate are the keyword suggestions and relative volume data?

A;  We believe that our keyword suggestions and relative volume estimates are the most comprehensive and accurate of any keyword suggestion tool.

Q:  How did you make it so accurate?

A:  The WordStream Free Keyword Tool was designed to generate more accurate keyword suggestions than the Google keyword tool and other keyword tools by aggregating over 1 billion unique keywords, representing over a trillion search queries, and hundreds of millions of related terms from diverse keyword sources. By doing so, we’re able to provide a more comprehensive and less biased mix of both head and long-tail terms for you to use in PPC and SEO activities.

Q:  How Does the Free Keyword Tool compare to other Keyword Suggestion Tools?

• More: Leverage the most comprehensive search query database ever.
• Better: Get relevant keywords faster with our advanced tools.
• Free: Enough said!

Keyword tools in general are well known for providing highly dubious keyword suggestions and search estimates. In designing the Free Keyword Tool, our goal was to devise a means to overcome known problems with existing keyword tools. For example, we’ve found that:

• Google’s keyword suggestion tool has a tendency to favor the most popular keyword suggestions (so called “head terms”) while greatly overestimating keyword search volume. We’ve also noticed that the tool is a bit slow in returning results.
• Wordtracker and other keyword tools that draw from unpopular search engines like Metacrawler and Dogpile tend to favor less popular keyword searches (so called “long-tail” terms), and the results aren’t particularly accurate or actionable, either.

Here’s a quick visual of why we think the Free Keyword Tool adds more value than traditional keyword research tools:

Q:  How does WordStream make any money by providing a Free Keyword Tool?

A:  WordStream also sells PPC management software – an innovative next-generation tool for creating and managing AdWords campaigns as well as discovering, analyzing, grouping and organizing large numbers of keywords, for optimized search marketing campaigns.