Keyword Generator: Free Ways to Get Keyword Ideas
A keyword generator takes a seed topic, like “invoice reminders”, and returns the related searches people type, usually with monthly search volume next to each. Free keyword generators that work are Google Keyword Planner’s “Discover new keywords”, Google’s autocomplete, “People also ask” and related searches, Bing Webmaster Tools and the Search Console queries you already show up for.
The ideas are the easy half. The hard half is knowing which ones are real searches with real volume, and which of them deserve a post. This guide covers both.
What does a keyword generator do?
It expands one word or phrase into many. Most generators pull from one of three sources:
- Search engine suggestions. What autocomplete and related searches offer for the seed. Real phrasing, no numbers.
- Ad data. Google Ads keeps volumes and related keywords for advertisers. Keyword Planner and most paid tools read it.
- A model’s guess. AI tools brainstorm phrases that sound like searches. Useful for range, but the volumes they show are only real if a data source measured them.
A good keyword idea list has the phrase, the monthly volume, a competition value and the source of each, so you can tell measured ideas from guessed ones.
Which free keyword generators actually work?
| Free keyword generator | What it gives you | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Google Keyword Planner | Related keywords from a seed or a URL, with volume and competition | Needs a Google Ads account; volumes often show as ranges |
| Google autocomplete | The phrases people type after your seed | No volume; one phrase at a time |
| “People also ask” and related searches | Questions and follow-ups in the searcher’s words | No volume; varies by country and day |
| Google Trends related queries | Rising and top queries around a topic | Relative interest, not volume |
| Bing Webmaster Tools | Keyword research with Bing impressions | Bing’s audience, not Google’s |
| Google Search Console | The queries your pages already appear for | Only queries you already rank on |
A free setup that holds up: autocomplete and “People also ask” for phrasing, Keyword Planner for volume, and Search Console to see what you already half-own. The keyword research guide shows the full method from there.
Can ChatGPT or Claude be your keyword generator?
For ideas, yes. Give your assistant the product and the buyer, and ask for 100 queries: “how to” questions, tools, comparisons, templates, alternatives. It writes them faster than you can, and often in better buyer language than a seed-based tool.
For numbers, no. A model can’t see search data, so when you ask for volume it produces plausible figures nobody measured. Use the AI for the list and a data source for the numbers. The keyword search volume guide covers where to measure them.
How do you turn keyword ideas into posts?
- Start from 3 to 5 seeds. Your product category and the problems it solves.
- Generate 100 to 300 ideas. Mix the tool’s suggestions with your assistant’s list.
- Measure them in one place. Same country, same source, same day.
- Group the variants. “keyword generator”, “free keyword generator” and “keyword generator tool” are one post, not three. Splitting them starts keyword cannibalization.
- Drop what doesn’t fit. Off-topic ideas and searches your buyers would never type. Check the search intent on the results page.
- Rank what’s left. Volume first, then competition, then how well you can answer it.
Small, specific ideas are often the best first posts. The long tail keywords guide explains when a low-volume idea is still worth a whole page.
Where does a keyword generator fall short?
It can’t tell you whether you can rank. Volume says how many people search; it doesn’t say who ranks today or how hard they are to beat. Competition values in generators usually measure advertisers bidding, not SEO difficulty. Our keyword difficulty guide explains the difference.
It also can’t judge fit. A 20,000-search idea from people who will never buy from you is a vanity post, and a generator ranks it at the top anyway.
How does Copix generate keyword ideas?
Copix runs inside your own AI (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Claude Code), so the keyword ideas and the drafts stay in one conversation. On Copix Complete, the SEO Engine’s ideas mode takes up to 5 seed topics and grows each into up to 20 related and 20 “people also search for” keywords, adds any keywords you give it, and measures the first 100 with Google Ads data: monthly volume, competition, CPC and a 12-month trend, each marked with where it came from. It costs 25 credits.
The plan mode (30 credits) goes one step further: it groups the ideas with volume by intent into posts, each with a primary keyword, secondaries and a suggested format, and moves the ones your existing titles already cover to a refresh list. Every run states its price and asks before it spends. What Copix doesn’t do is score keyword difficulty or track rankings; a full SEO suite is the better pick for those.
What does it cost?
Copix Complete is $29 a month or $290 a year, with 1,500 credits every month that roll over up to three months. Copix Basic ($9 a month) has write, review and your saved brief, without the engines. Your first plan starts with a 14-day free trial: card at checkout, nothing charged for 14 days, then $29 a month unless you cancel from your account. Complete gets its full 1,500 credits on day one.
Start your 14-day free trial of Copix Complete, or compare the plans first.
FAQ
What is the best free keyword generator?
Google Keyword Planner, because it gives related keywords and volume from Google’s own ad data. Pair it with autocomplete and “People also ask” for the questions in your reader’s words.
Is a keyword generator the same as a keyword research tool?
A generator is one part of keyword research: the ideas. Research also covers measuring, grouping, checking intent and competition, and assigning one keyword per page.
How many keyword ideas do I need?
For a batch of posts, 100 to 300 ideas usually group down to 10 to 30 posts. More ideas mostly add variants of the same searches.
Are AI keyword generators accurate?
The ideas can be good. The volumes are only accurate when a data source measured them; a number a model wrote on its own is a guess.
Should I use keywords with zero volume?
Sometimes. A specific query with buying intent can show zero and still bring customers. Keep it if your buyers ask that question in those words.