Want to know if Mangools KWFinder is the best keyword research tool for you?
I know, choosing the right tool is daunting.
You might be asking questions like:
- Should I pay for a keyword tool, or can I rely on free tools like Google Keyword Planner and Answer the Public?
- Which keyword tool will fit my needs? (This depends on whether you’re a beginner blogger or advanced webmaster.)
- What are the pros and cons of using one keyword research tool over another?
On the one hand, you want a tool that will give you sufficient data that’ll allow you to strategically plan your way to the top of Google’s SERPs.
On the other hand, you don’t want an overly complicated tool with a ton of features you’ll never use.
If this is you, read on.
In this blog, I’ll give my honest review of KWFinder, a tool I actually use for my 9 websites.
I’ll show you the good, the bad, and the ugly about the tool…
…plus show you examples of how you can use it to get great keyword ideas for your blog.
Ready?
Let’s dive in!
Do You Really Need a Paid Keyword Research Tool? (Hint: That Depends!)
Ok, first things first.
Before choosing which keyword research tool to purchase, you’ll want to know if you actually need to invest in one.
Because the truth is, not everyone needs a keyword research tool.
For example, let’s say you’re a hobbyist and you view your blog more as an online journal than a money-making machine.
In that case, you can probably wing it and skip the keyword research.
Now, another thing you might be wondering is if you need to pay for a premium tool, or if you can gain success with free tools like Answer the Public.
My reply: a paid tool is the fastest, easiest way to success.
Let me illustrate.
Imagine you want to search for a long-tail keyword to target.
On a platform like Answer the Public, you get long-tail keywords actual people are using on Google.
For instance, let’s say you type “dog food” into the platform’s search field.
Here’s what you’ll get:
Source: answerthepublic.com
As you can see, there’s a huge bunch of keywords you can target in your blog. Because actual people are searching using these terms, you could say they’re profitable keywords.
But here’s where the problem comes in.
Let’s say you choose one of the most interesting keywords from the group. For example, “Which dog food is best?”
You then go ahead and write a blog targeting this keyword. You wait six months and then a year for it to rank…but it doesn’t.
What went wrong?
You don’t know.
That’s the trouble you’ll get into if you don’t invest in a keyword research tool.
You can spend months or even years working extra hard on your blog, and yes, sometimes a blog or two will rank.
But most of the time, it’ll be guesswork.
You’ll publish blogs that may or may not rank. You’ll have disappointed expectations. You’ll never know why your best pieces of content never showed up on Google.
With a paid keyword research tool like KWFinder, you don’t have to worry about any of that.
That’s because it’ll give you all the data you need on the keywords you want to target.
Let’s go back to our example, where you chose the keyword “which dog food is best?”
Here’s the data on that keyword from KWFinder.
Source: KWFinder
The keyword has a KD score of 59, which is considered “hard.” You should only go for this keyword if you’ve had your site for many years and have hundreds of quality backlinks.
Also, if you target this keyword, you’ll be going up against strong websites like Dog Food Advisor and NBC News. Some of them have a domain authority (DA) of up to 90+, which means you’ll likely be tailing them forever.
In simpler terms, YES, you can use free tools to find profitable keywords.
However, without real data on these keywords, you need to be prepared for a ton of guessing games, frustration, and wasted time.
Do you really need a paid keyword research tool?
If you’re blogging for fun, no.
If you’re blogging to make money, yes.
Period.
Now that you know you need a keyword research tool, let’s dive into whether or not KWFinder is the right one for you.
TL;DR: KWFinder Is a Great Tool for Beginners
Here’s a quick version of my honest KWFinder review:
This simple tool is excellent if you’re looking for basic keyword data.
If you’re a beginner or you want to stick with simple keyword research instead of diving into deep site audits and marketing insights…
…I recommend it 100%.
Who it’s not for?
Expert webmasters who need a complete, all-in-one SEO marketing tool.
Now, let’s go more into the details.
Or if this super short version of my review was good enough for you, you can test KWFinder for free for seven days.
The Pros and Cons of Using KWFinder: My Honest Review
First, I’ll show you six things I absolutely love about KWFinder. Then, I’ll let you in on two things I don’t.
Let’s go!
The Pros of Using KWFinder
Is KWFinder the best tool for everyone?
No.
Still, it has some awesome features, especially for beginners.
Let’s look at what makes it great.
1.All the Data You Need in One Glance
Need to do quick research on a certain keyword?
Easy.
Simply type the keyword you have in mind into KWFinder’s search field.
For instance, let’s say you chose “best food for golden retriever puppy.”
Here’s what you get:
Source: KWFinder
In just a glance, you can already tell that this is a great keyword.
That’s because you get all the data you need in one simple format across your screen.
You can see the KD difficulty, which is 19. Beside it, you can see the search volume (3,300). Then, right under, there’s a list of the websites ranking for this keyword.
If you look to the left of the screen, you can scroll down through a list of keyword variations. This means if your keyword turned out to be hard, you can easily choose another one from the list.
Simple, right?
With one glance at the KWFinder dashboard, you can instantly tell whether you should target a keyword…
…or leave it well off alone.
2.Simple, User-Friendly Interface
You’d think that as an advanced affiliate marketer, I go for the complex.
Nope.
No matter how many years I’ve been doing keyword research, I still go for the easy and simple first.
That’s exactly why I love KWFinder.
It’s just super simple.
From the way the platform is set up to the cute color codes, everything just screams, “you can do this!”
To be honest, it’s quite different when using more advanced keyword research tools like Ahrefs. This tool is awesome as well, but may require some time to study and get used to.)
With KWFinder, you can be an ultra-beginner and still get it.
Let me show you the stuff that makes it particularly user-friendly.
No Need to Scroll to Find what the Data You’re Looking For
As I mentioned earlier, you can get all the data you need on a certain keyword in one glance.
No need to click on links.
No need to scroll down.
You type in a keyword and everything is laid out in front of your eyes.
Like this:
Source: KWFinder
Aesthetic Color Coding
KWFinder uses a color coding system that ranges from dark red to green.
It works like this:
- Dark reds and oranges – hard keywords
- Medium to light oranges – medium keywords
- Pale to dark greens – easy keywords
The same coding goes for competitor sites and pages, with dark reds and oranges for sites that are hard to beat, and greens for sites you can easily overtake.
Why this is great?
Well, honestly, it’s cute and pleasing to the eye.
But it also works well if you’re in a hurry and want to scan keyword difficulty and SERP overview in a glance. The colors save you the effort and headache of going through a long list of numbers that all look the same.
3.Pricing
Here’s something all beginners love about KWFinder:
It’s downright cheap.
I mean, just take a look at their pricing options.
Source: KWFinder
For comparison, check out the price list of SEMrush, another popular keyword research tool.
Source: SEMrush
Yup! KWFinder’s most expensive plan is more affordable than SEMrush’s cheapest one.
If you’re on a tight budget but don’t want to wing it guessing which keywords to target…
…KWFinder will cost you less than $1 a day. (Less than your favorite Starbucks frappe. Plus, those aren’t healthy.)
4.Accurate Data
Right now, maybe you’re asking “Is KWFinder accurate?”
If so, I totally get it.
I mean, money = value, right?
It makes sense that if a tool is cheap, it won’t be as great or as accurate as pricier tools.
To answer your question:
KWFinder may be inferior to other tools, but not in the accuracy department.
In fact, according to research done by Authority Website Income, KWFinder is the most accurate keyword difficulty tool.
Source: KWFinder
Now, there’s a caveat to this.
Other reports show that although KWFinder is the most accurate in KD score, it falls behind other keyword research tools in other aspects such as backlink analysis.
Still, if you’re just starting out and looking for a super accurate tool to check out the keyword difficulty and search volume of a certain keyword, you’ll love KWFinder.
5.Multiple Options for Finidng Keyword Ideas
Know what I love about KWFinder?
It keeps things superbly simple, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be limited in your keyword research.
On the platform, there are multiple ways to find great keyword ideas.
Of course, you can do the easiest one, which is to type your seed keyword into the search field.
Like this.
Source: KWFinder
When you click the “Find keywords” button, you’ll get a ton of keyword ideas.
Source: KWFinder
Another thing you can do is select the “autocomplete” option above your results.
You can find it here:
Source: KWFinder
Click that button, and you’ll get a ton of keyword results and ideas based on what real people are searching on Google.
Here’s an example:
Source: KWFinder
Then, you can click the “questions” button next to “autocomplete.”
Source: KWFinder
This will give you a bunch of keyword ideas in the form of questions.
Source: KWFinder
These three options alone are enough to give you a long list of great keyword ideas.
But there’s more.
You can actually use KWFinder to spy on your competitors.
You can check out what keywords they’re ranking for, plus the data on each individual keyword.
All you have to do is click the “search by domain” button at the far left of your dashboard.
Here:
Source: KWFinder
Then, type in the URL of one of your competitors and click enter.
What you’ll get is a list of the keywords this particular site is ranking for.
Source: KWFinder
6.Keyword Rank Tracker
Want to know something cool that a ton of people don’t about KWFinder?
You can track your keyword ranking.
This is an exciting bonus, especially if you plan on sticking with a budget-friendly keyword research tool.
Now, to get to the rank tracker, you’ll need to leave the keyword research tool and go to Mangools’ SERPWatcher tool.
The funny thing about Mangools tools is that you access them separately, but you can’t buy any one of them a la carte. Get one tool, and you’ll get the whole set at no extra charge.
Here’s how to access the SERPWatcher tool.
Source: KWFinder
Click this option, and another tab opens up on your screen.
Now, select “New Tracking” and fill in the search fields with your site’s URL and keywords you’d like to track.
With that, you’ll be able to track keywords you’re trying to rank for, with data such as your current position in the SERPs and how many visitors your page is getting per month.
Like this:
Source: KWFinder
My verdict on the pros of KWFinder: they’re awesome.
Sure, it’s not the perfect tool (as we’ll find out in the next section).
But if you’re a newbie and need a super affordable tool to get accurate data on keywords you’re trying to rank for…
…I recommend it 100%.
Plus, you get to try it without paying a cent.
KWFinder offers a 7-day free trial, giving you the chance to play around with it and see if it suits you without the commitment.
You can cancel any time if you feel it’s not for you.
Sign up for the FREE TRIAL here.
And here’s another great bonus.
Once you sign up for the free trial, you have an hour to snag a lifetime 10% discount. (Pssst…this is a secret to most people. But, I messaged KWFinder and asked if it was OK to share it with my readers. Their answer: BIG YES! So, this tip is only for you guys.)
The Cons of Using KWFinder
Here’s something you should know about keyword research tools:
None of them are perfect.
That is, none of them are perfect for everyone.
While one tool may fit your needs to a T, it’ll be awful and frustrating to the person next to you.
So, to rule out the chance that you’ll pick KWFinder and hate it, let me dive into two big cons of using the tool.
1.Keyword Caps
When researching keyword ideas or spying on your competitors, you’d expect to see all the data available.
Right?
The downside to KWFinder is that you can’t do that.
KWFinder limits the data you have access to, and how much you can see depends on your plan.
Here’s a look at the data you can access with each plan:
Source: KWFinder
So, if you chose the $29.90 plan, you can only look up 100 keywords per day.
Also, the keyword suggestions you get will be limited to 200 per keyword.
And so on.
The pricier the plan, the more data you get access to.
Now, is this a big problem?
It depends.
If you’re an advanced SEO and need a ton of data, this could be a reason you should skip KWFinder and go for a more comprehensive tool like Ahrefs.
But if you’re only blogging for yourself or a small handful of clients, 100 searches per day and 200 keyword ideas per search should be enough.
As I said, there’s no perfect keyword research tool.
What matters is if it’s perfect for you.
2.Less Comprehensive SEO Tool
Here’s a great rule of thumb to stick to if you choose KWFinder: manage your expectations.
That’s not because the tool is awful.
It’s simply because KWFinder was made for a certain type of person.
This person isn’t an advanced webmaster or a content strategist for a huge brand.
Why?
KWFinder is a keyword research tool, not a comprehensive SEO tool.
Which means, it’s all you need for keyword research. It’ll help you pick which keywords to target and which to leave alone. It’ll help you spy on your competitors’ keywords. Then, it’ll guide you as you track your rankings on the SERPs.
But basically, that’s all.
It’s not good for advanced stuff such as deep site audits, marketing insights, and ad research.
Now, that’s not to say everyone should start with KWFinder, then “upgrade” to other tools once they get good at what they do.
Honestly, there are people who’ll never need anything more than KWFinder.
It only depends on what you do and what your goals are.
So, if you’re an affiliate marketer who wants to rank on Google by targeting the right keywords…I recommend KWFinder for you.
If you want to get super competitive and do deep site audits, PPC ads, and top-notch backlink analysis…go for another tool such as Ahrefs.
The great news is, you can try them both without spending a ton of money.
KWFinder offers a 7-day FREE TRIAL with zero commitment. Sign up here.
As for Ahrefs, you can test the waters of this tool for 10 days at the low price of $7.
Conclusion: Is KWFinder a Good Keyword Research Tool?
So, we’ve gone through the pros and cons of KWFinder.
We’ve looked into what it can do, and what it can’t.
We’ve also discovered ways in which it’s great, and ways in which it could be better.
The conclusion?
KWFinder is great, but it’s not for everyone.
It’s got:
- All the basic tools you need for super accurate keyword research
- A keyword rank tracker, which helps you stay updated on how your keywords are doing on the SERPs
- A user-friendly and simple interface that allows you to get all the data you need in a single glance
What it’s not:
- A tool that gives you access to unlimited keywords and data
- A comprehensive all-in-one SEO tool
Of course, reading a KWFinder review will only get you so far.
The best thing you can do is go hands-on and really try it for yourself.
You can do this by signing up for the 7-day FREE TRIAL here.
And don’t worry.
You can cancel your subscription before the seven days are up and you won’t pay a cent.
It’s a win-win.
