The 11 Best Tools to Determine What People Search For

Internet Marketing Media Services has a strong reputation when it comes to SEO. In fact, publications have referred to us as the “Kings of SEO.” Why? Because we get our clients’ websites to rank high faster than any of our competitors can. What’s our secret weapon? Our state-of-the-art SEO and marketing tools. Though we can’t give away all our secrets, here are some tools to help your company succeed.

The following online tools will help you figure out what keywords people search for. You can then apply those keywords to your website content. What’s the end result? More traffic to your site and more money in your pocket. Whether you need help with SEO or online marketing, this article is for you. Here are the eleven top-rated tools to determine what people are searching for online:

1) Buzzsumo

Buzzsumo is a staff-favorite at Internet Marketing Media Services. Why? They offer a “Content Delivery” feature. It helps people make searches based on trending topics. You can even filter by duration:

one hour
3 hours
6 hours
12 hours
24 hours

Their filter also applies to any topic you can think of. If your social media manager isn’t using Buzzsumo, he or she is missing out. But it isn’t only for SEO and social media. You can also use Buzzsumo to see what your competition is up to. (This also applies to tons of publishers.) What’s the icing on the cake? The interface is clean and simple. IMMS recommends getting your keyword researcher and content marketer on Buzzsumo ASAP. There is a free version and a paid version that’s $99 per month. The paid version sends alerts based on topics that interest you.

2) SEMRush

SEMRush is a great resource for determining what audiences search for. The search terms get divided based on certain topics. All you have to do is type in a keyword and see what pops up. This tool pulls three things:

Organic search results
Phrase-match keywords
Related keywords

3) Rank Tracker

Founded by SEO Powersuite, this is an awesome optimization resource. Rank Tracker is best for figuring out what your companion ranks for. This is crucial for any company’s SEO success. Rank Tracker’s keyword process is so simple that it’s brilliant:

Step one: input your brand’s URL
Step two: input your rival company’s URL
Step three: Observe the gaps in keywords and content

Rank Tracker allows users to focus on up to ten competing organizations. What’s one underrated feature? You can see if you have different pages that rank for the same keyword.

4) Answer The Public

This is another favorite tool amongst the IMMS staff. And it has not even been around for that long. Answer The Public observes searches on Google and Bing. It analyzes that information to predict what people will search for in the future. One of the reasons IMMS employees love ATP is due to the interface. For lack of a better word, it’s beautiful. The way it displays data will make your jaw drop. No matter what niche you need insight for, ATP will provide it. The best part about ATP? It’s free. The second-best part? Data can get exported into Excel and CVS files.

5) Bloomberry

Bloomberry is very much like Answer The Public. (No wonder the IMMS staff’s obsessed with it.) So, what’s the difference between the two? Bloomberry focuses on forums and blogs. It will show you what people are writing and/or talking about online. Also, get this- the geniuses that created Buzzsumo also created Bloomberry. (Okay, now we REALLY understand why IMMS workers love Bloomberry!) If you make content for Featured Snippets, there’s no better resource than Bloomberry. It’s also 100% free.

6) Google Trends

Google Trends allows your team to see charts and top stories. The interface ensures you can do so at a fast pace. It features a three-step process for comparing and searching for keywords:

Go to the search box and enter the keyword.
Click on “compare” and enter the next keyword.
If necessary, change the dates to how you’d like them to be.

Google Trends is great for finding unique information. For example, you can read data about specific countries. It’s a state-of-the-art tool that can influence a company’s keyword strategy. As you may know, the landscape of searches changes on a daily basis. That’s why your team may need a tool like Google Trends. Otherwise, you risk getting left in the dust to your competition. Google Trends is a marketer’s dream. Why? There are two main reasons:

It’s a great resource for sourcing similar keywords and concepts. This makes content development easy.
It offers real-time data that other tools can’t. This ensures that a marketing team is aware of specific trends for each keyword.

7) Facebook

Yes, Mark Zuckerberg’s sometimes-controversial platform is a great SEO and marketing tool. It can help your team discover topics that are the most relevant. Not to mention, many people in the world now read their news on Facebook. That’s why your company may want to take advantage of the “Trending Topics.” These topics will convey to your team what is popular right at this moment. If you have a Facebook account, you can test out Trending Topics at this very moment:

You’ll see it on the right side of your News Feed if you’re using a laptop.
Tap the search bar to see the drop-down trends list if you’re using the smartphone app.

8) Twitter

As as far as free tools go, few of them beat Twitter. This especially applies to content creators. It has a feature that’s like Facebook’s Trending Topics. In fact, Twitter refers to it as “Twitter Trends.” It uses an algorithm to find, well, trends based on two factors:

Your current location
Who you are following

One of the best features of Twitter Trends is that you can change your location at any time. This is great if you want to market to a specific demographic or you’re focusing on local SEO. Twitter offers another feature known as “Twitter Moments.” This is also great for searching for specific, relevant topics. If your team is struggling to find trends, Twitter may be their best bet.

What’s another reason Twitter is important? Hashtags. Your team can see which hashtags are getting the most traction. Next, they can apply those hashtags to your company’s marketing content. (Instagram is also great for viewing trending hashtags.) Trending hashtags are your secret weapon. For what? Creating great blog posts and conducting first-rate content marketing.

9) YouTube

Believe it or not, YouTube doesn’t have to be a time-waster at work. Why? Because of YouTube’s trending videos section. Going to it will allow your team to determine what videos and content are popular at the moment. But that’s not the only great YouTube feature. It also has a Trends blog. This is another important resource to discover what people are talking about. Remember- what they’re watching represents what they’re discussing online.

If your company doesn’t post videos on you YouTube, you could be missing out. Using YouTube’s analytics features can help your team. It can determine video content that will draw people to your website. Plus, it will give your brand the opportunity to rank high on YouTube.

10) Pinterest

November of 2016 was one of the most important months in recent years. No, not only because of the US Presidential Election. It was when Pinterest rolled out the “Explore” feature.” This allows Pinterest users to determine what’s popular on the platform. The search trends get based on an advanced algorithm. It’s simple and easy to use. In fact, your team can analyze up to 30 separate topics at the same time. Pinterest launched this feature to assist advertisers by giving them organic options. Little did they know it would become a secret weapon for discovering content ideas.

11) Google Keyword Planner

We made Google Keyword Planner last on this list for a reason. Why? It’s a go-to resource, but for keyword mapping. And it’s also a great content marketing tool. Google Keyword Planner allows marketers to dream up new possibilities. Keyword Planner is ideal for figuring out search frequency. It’s the catalyst for observing how people are using specific terms. As a result, your team can identify similar opportunities for those terms. What’s the secret to success with Google Keyword Planner? Balancing limited competition with tons of search volume.

Honorable Mention for Search Tools: Term Explorer

Term Explorer is another tool that determines what people search for. It pulls very deep research reports. Those first-rate reports make Term Explorer one of the best keyword tools on the market. So, why does it only receive honorable mention? It’s simple. The platform costs money to use.

It is $34 per month for the basic package. There is also a “pro” edition that’s $97 per month. Some companies even use the “agency” edition that’s $499 per month. Sure, this paid keyword research tool is expensive. But many critics state that the cost is worth it. One seed term can provide you with well over 10,000 variations of keywords. Term Explorer also ensures that each result is very relevant.

That’s why this tool features plenty of supporting metrics in the search framework. The metrics include the trust score and link strength. This is important when it comes to taking advantage of SERPs. Keep in mind that there is also a free version of Term Explorer. It allows the user to search for five keywords every day.

In Conclusion

These 11 tools will help your company take its SEO and marketing abilities to new heights. But don’t hesitate to contact Internet Marketing Media Services if your team stumbles. We have plenty more tricks up our sleeves when it comes to figuring out what people are searching for. The more you know, the better you can optimize and produce killer content that drives traffic. IMMS would love to give your company a free consultation. Remember- we’re always a phone call or email away.