SEMrush lets you search based on broad keyword matches, phrase matches, and exact matches. We also like the related tab, which is a good tool for finding keywords that aren’t exactly like what you typed in.
For instance, I typed in “best Shopify apps,” and the related keywords included “top Shopify apps” and “best apps for Shopify store” – two options that I may not have thought of in the first place.
Other than that, each keyword result delivers metrics like search volume, trends, keyword difficulty, and cost per click. With all of this information you should have a decent time trying to figure out the right keywords to use.
Ahrefs
When in the Ahrefs dashboard you can go to the Keywords Explorer tab to get thousands of relevant keyword ideas with metrics included.
You can also target based on search engines. So, if you only wanted to see results for Google or Amazon, that’s entirely possible.
It’s also nice that you can type in multiple keywords at one time to analyze them together.
For our test I’ll type in a few keywords for a travel blog. I’ll go with “Wisconsin camping,” “Wisconsin travel,” and “Wisconsin car rentals.”
The first result tells us the basics, like which keywords are worthless and which keywords have good search volume and clicks.
Then, the user is able to click on the keywords that have potential. For instance, the only one that looks appealing is the “Wisconsin camping” keyword.
Results like keyword difficulty and search volume are shown as usual, but the true strength of this area shows up towards the bottom of the page. Here, you can see all sorts of keyword suggestions related to that initial search. These are great for instantly seeing what other options you may have that you never thought about.
For example, “camping in Wisconsin” has the same keyword difficulty, but the search volume is actually higher than “Wisconsin camping,” making me think that I have a better chance of getting more people to my site if I do end up ranking for the keyword.
Winner: Ahrefs
Again, Ahrefs wins because of its simplicity and ability to break down some complicated tasks into something appealing to beginners and advanced users alike.
To be fair, SEMrush seems to suggest far more keyword alternatives than Ahrefs. So, if you’re interested in the number of keyword suggestions, SEMrush may have what you’re looking for. But SEMrush seems to leave more work for the user when it comes to the final keyword decision.
