Keyword research in 2026 feels quieter than it used to. Fewer big keyword lists, fewer debates about exact volumes. Instead, most teams are trying to answer simpler questions: what are people really trying to do, how do they phrase it, and where does our content fall short?
The tools haven’t disappeared. They’ve just shifted role. Today, keyword platforms are less about “finding keywords” and more about helping teams understand intent, language, and coverage. Below are the platforms we see used most often, and what they’re actually good for.
Tools grounded in real search behaviour
If you want to know what people are genuinely searching for, first-party search data is still the most reliable place to look.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console is still where most useful insights start. It doesn’t give you neat keyword lists, but it does show the real queries that triggered impressions for your pages.
In practice, teams use it to spot patterns rather than chase individual terms. Things like recurring phrasing, new question types, or topics where impressions grow but clicks quietly fade.
Google Ads Keyword Planner
The Google Ads Keyword Planner is still around, but it’s usually treated as a sense check rather than a source of truth. It helps confirm commercial intent and relative demand, not exact numbers.
All-in-one SEO platforms
These tools are less about perfect data and more about context. They help answer questions like “who already covers this?” and “what does good look like in this space?”
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is often used to reverse-engineer competitor coverage. Teams look at which pages attract links, which topics are repeated across strong sites, and where their own content is thin or missing entirely.
Semrush
Semrush tends to be used when keyword research needs to connect directly to content planning. Its strength is turning broad datasets into topic clusters that writers and editors can actually work with.
Moz
Moz still appeals to teams that want clarity over complexity. It’s often used early on to prioritise topics and sanity-check difficulty, rather than to run deep competitive analysis.
Tools that focus on questions and language
As search becomes more conversational, many teams supplement classic SEO tools with platforms that surface how people actually ask things.
AnswerThePublic
AnswerThePublic is mainly used to explore how questions are framed. It’s helpful when you’re trying to understand the language people use around a topic, especially for guides, FAQs, and educational content.
AlsoAsked
AlsoAsked maps how questions connect to each other. Teams use it to see which follow-up questions tend to appear together and how topics naturally branch.
AI-led research tools
A newer habit is using AI tools as a research lens. Not for volume or forecasting, but to understand how topics are summarised and which sources keep showing up.
Perplexity
Perplexity is often used to explore category-level questions. Teams look at which sites are cited repeatedly and which concepts are consistently included in answers.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is commonly used for exploratory work: testing how prompts are interpreted, uncovering related subtopics, or pressure-testing content outlines. It’s treated as qualitative input, not demand data.
How teams usually put this together
Most teams don’t rely on a single platform anymore. A typical setup looks something like this:
- Search Console for real queries and performance signals
- An all-in-one SEO tool for competitive context
- A question-based or AI tool to understand phrasing and gaps
The goal isn’t to find the perfect keyword. It’s to build a clear picture of what matters, how people talk about it, and where your content needs to improve.
How we approach this at Tweep House
We see keyword research work best when it stays close to reality. That means tying tools back to actual performance, real pages, and real decisions.
If you’re curious how this fits into a broader, practical SEO approach, we outline our thinking here: SEO services.
Pick a few tools that complement each other, review them regularly, and focus on clarity over coverage. That usually holds up better than chasing every new metric as search keeps evolving.
