In a new video tutorial, Google Search Advocates Daniel Waisberg and Cherry Prommawin explain how to leverage Google Search Console’s reports for managing and optimizing news websites.

The video provides comprehensive information about using Search Console data to achieve greater success on Google’s platforms.

Performance Report: The Key To Analyzing Search Presence

Waisberg begins by discussing the importance of Search Console Performance Reports, highlighting three key reports: Search, Discover, and News.

Each report offers distinct data sets to review your site’s performance.

“The best way to analyze your search presence is through the Search Console Performance Reports,” Wasiberg explains.

Search Console allows you to view data for the News tab and the main Google Search results. You can filter data to check the performance on various tabs in Google Search, including Web, Image, Video, and News.

Unlocking The Potential Of Data Analysis

Prommawin shares a few techniques for evaluating data from Search Console performance reports.

Notably, if you don’t see critical pages on a performance report, they aren’t receiving traffic from Google Search.

Use the URL Inspection tool to determine whether individual pages are indexed and can be crawled properly.

Further, Prommawin explains how to identify opportunities by analyzing search patterns:

“If you find out that the people searching for sports news always attach your brand name to their queries, it could be a sign that this content brings a loyal audience to your site.”

Another crucial metric in performance reports is the click-through rate (CTR).

If a page has a high number of impressions but a low number of clicks, it may indicate search snippets aren’t attracting attention.

Improving titles and descriptions can help make the snippets more appealing.

Insights Into Google News & Google Search

The Google News report is separate from the Search Performance report, offering data from news.google.com and the Google News app on Android and iOS.

This data doesn’t cover information from the News tab in Google Search results.

Despite the difference in data, the types of analyses performed with the Google News report are similar to those executed with the Search Performance report.

Prommawin suggests:

“One interesting analysis is to export both reports’ data and try to compare what is working on Google Search with what is working on Google News.”

Addressing the Variability of Time

Both advocates emphasized the significance of analyzing performance data over various time frames.

A more extended analysis period could highlight a site’s evergreen long-term content and main news categories, while a shorter period might show more information about currently trending news stories.

“Looking at a longer period of time should highlight your site’s more evergreen long-term content and the main news categories of your sites. Looking at a shorter period should show you more information about bigger news stories currently being searched,” Waisberg explained.

Taking Advantage of the Search Console

The tutorial concludes by urging news organizations to use Search Console, which offers many ways to optimize a site’s presence on Google Search and Google News.

Following the advice shared in the video, news sites can better optimize their performance, attract more traffic, and succeed on Google’s platforms.

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Source: YouTube

Featured Image: Screenshot from YouTube.com/GoogleSearchCentral, May 2023. 

Ask any SEO pro and they will tell you that trying to do keyword research without a keyword research tool is a thankless task – and it’s pretty much impossible to build a comprehensive list of keywords with monthly search volumes.

As keyword research is one the most important parts of any search engine optimization strategy, the right keyword research tools are an essential part of your SEO tool stack.

If you’re new to SEO or just looking for new tools to try, we have the list for you.

We’re going to take a look at 16 of the best keyword research tools used by SEO professionals and help you choose the right one for your needs.

The Best Tools For Keyword Research

1. Semrush

One of the most popular keyword research tools on the market, Semrush offers a comprehensive suite of SEO tools.

Specifically for keyword research, it includes:

• Keyword Overview: Just like its name suggests, this provides an overview of keywords, including search volume, difficulty, CPC, and variations.
• Keyword Magic Tool: This tool gives you keywords by broad match, exact match, phrase match, and related words, alongside relevant metrics about search volume, intent, and competitiveness.
• Keyword Manager: Only available to paid Semrush users, this tool supports deep analysis and data export.
• Position Tracking: This feature allows you to monitor how your site is ranking alongside the competition on a daily basis.
• Organic Traffic Insights: Combining Google Analytics and Search Console with its own data, this helps you identify the keywords that are actually driving organic traffic to your site.

Price: $99.95-449.95/month

2. Ahrefs Keywords Explorer

Another all-in-one SEO toolkit, Ahrefs includes a Keyword Explorer that provides incredibly in-depth information on keywords.

Using data from 10 different search engines, it provides more than keyword suggestions; it also provides information about search volume, ranking difficulty, and keyword movement.

Particularly useful is the insight it provides into your competition, helping you identify which keywords they’re ranking for that you’re not.

This information can then be used to create new content to target and capture that traffic.

Price: $83-999/month

3. Google Keyword Planner

It’s only logical that the world’s most dominant search engine would provide a tool to help you identify useful keywords.

Google Keyword Planner doesn’t offer as much functionality as some of the other tools out there, but it does have something they don’t: direct data from Google.

Primarily intended for digital marketers who are advertising on Google, it’s a free-to-use tool for anyone with a Google Ads account.

Using it is simple – just type in a keyword and it will give you data on approximate monthly searches, related keywords, and bidding information.

Price: Free with a Google Ads account.

4. Serpstat

Another full-service SEO suite, Serpstat includes tools for link building, PPC campaign management, and local search optimization, as well as keyword research.

Claiming to use the biggest database, it can help you identify keywords, analyze volume, popularity, and competition, and track your competition.

What’s really cool about Serpstat is that its results include the site in the featured snipped as the first result, to help you claim that spot for your own.

It also includes tools for monitoring trending keywords, including searches by region, rank tracking, and content analysis.

Price: $59-499/month

5. KeywordTool.io

The most useful part of KeywordTool.io is the sheer volume of keyword suggestions it provides.

A search for [pharmacy], for example, returned 669 total keywords.

These words are provided with all the relevant data an SEO professional could want, including competition (both average and by specific keyword), search volume, and trend information.

KeywordTool.io also allows you to filter results based on your needs. You can specify region, language, platform, and even type.

Like most of the other keyword research tools listed here, it allows you to analyze your competitors and identify words and phrases that they’re ranking for, but you are not.

Price: $69-129/month

6. Moz Keyword Explorer

In the world of SEO tools, Moz is one of the biggest players. It’s no surprise, therefore, that it includes a keyword research tool.

Offering both a paid and free version (limited to 10 queries per month), Moz Keyword Explorer has comprehensive analysis tools, robust keyword suggestions, and predictive metrics.

It also gives you detailed information on SERPs, tools for identifying long-tail keywords and search questions, and suggestions to help you rank internationally.

Price: $79-599/month

7. Google Trends

Another tool from the biggest name in search, Google Trends is a free-to-use keyword research tool that lets you search by specific words and phrases, or related queries.

It breaks down results in a variety of useful ways, including interest by region, interest over time, and related topics and queries.

You can also compare two keywords to determine if one is trending more than another.

Price: Free

8. AnswerThePublic

Billing itself as a “search listening tool,” AnswerThePublic taps into autocomplete data from search engines and uses this to determine useful search questions and phrases.

This information is then presented in a visual format that makes it easy to identify search volume divided by questions, prepositions, comparisons, and related searches.

It also provides an alphabetical list of keywords.

It has a free version, which is useful if you’re only doing a small amount of research.

The Pro plan is better if you’re regularly performing SEO, as it gives you unlimited daily searches, priority customer support, and customization options.

Price: $9-199/month

9. QuestionDB

QuestionDB is a great way to discover relevant keywords that other keyword research tools may not suggest.

You enter a broad keyword, and it returns a list of highly specific questions related to it.

With this in mind, you can create content to target low-competition, high-potential words, and phrases, as well as establish authority within your niche.

It has both a free and paid version, with free accounts being limited to a maximum of 50 results per search.

Price: $0-50/month

10. Jaaxy

Claiming to be the “world’s most advanced keyword tool,” Jaaxy is an easy-to-use tool that gives you a lot of keyword ideas.

Developed for affiliate marketers, it provides a huge list of related words and phrases, as well as useful data on search volume, traffic, and competitor performance.

It also includes information about how your website is ranking under tracked keywords.

Price: Free (limited to 30 keyword searches per month)-$99/month

11. Long Tail Pro

Designed specifically to help SEO professionals identify long-tail keywords, Long Tail Pro includes five tools to cover all things SEO:

• Keywords.
• Rankings.
• Backlinks.
• SERP Analysis.
• Site Audit.

Its keyword research tool offers a lot of functionality marketers may find useful, including keyword grouping, campaign metrics, and competition analysis.

But its true strength lies in its ability to uncover long-tail keywords from a broad seed, returning as many as 400 highly specific words and phrases in seconds.

Price: $24.75-

13. Majestic

Majestic has three keyword tools included in its suite of SEO tools:

• Keyword Generator, which can be used to discover new keywords for content ideas and targeted advertising.
• Keyword Checker, which provides an extensive index that tracks words and phrases.
• Search Explore, which explores competition for keywords and provides a more granular view of ranking difficulty. This is only available in Pro-level plans.

Price: $41.67-399.99/month

14. Soovle

Combing sites like Google, Amazon, Bing, Wikipedia, and YouTube, Soovle suggests keywords that you may otherwise have overlooked.

Results are displayed by website, allowing you to optimize your content for each one specifically.

It lets you save suggestions for future reference, or download them in a .CSV file.

It also provides an alphabetical list of the top internet keywords, with the platform each one ranks highly on indicated by an icon.

Price: Free

15. Keyword Surfer

This tool is a bit different from the others listed here, in that it’s not a standalone platform, but rather a Chrome plugin.

Keyword Surfer gives you an intuitive way to collect and analyze search data, as well as separate your keywords into collections.

This plugin makes it easy to monitor search intent, uncover topic clusters and evaluate search volume at a glance.

Price: Starting at $49/month

16. Google Search Console

No list of keyword research tools would be complete without a mention of Google Search Console – even though it’s not technically one.

It’s included on this list for one primary reason: the performance report.

By breaking down your website’s performance, it tells you where your traffic is coming from, which queries are driving people to your site, and which pages are your best-performing.

This data can then be mined for new keyword opportunities and to optimize your existing content.

Even better, it lets you custom configure your reports, so you can include the data that’s most important to you.

Price: Free

Choosing The Right Keyword Research Tool

The tools listed here are just a few of your many options.

So, how do you choose the right platform for your needs, especially when many of them have the same, or similar functionality?

To help you decide, you should consider:

• Your budget – Obviously, you need something that will give you the functionality you need at an affordable price. Free options can be useful, but they tend to be less robust than paid tools.
• Your overall SEO strategy – What is the primary focus of your search engine optimization efforts? Are you seeking to establish yourself as an authority? Or do you want to attract new customers? Are you targeting people locally or internationally? Each keyword research platform has different strengths and weaknesses. Select one that’s well-matched to your goals.

Be sure to carefully evaluate your options. If you work as part of a team, invite everyone’s opinions.

They may have platforms they have used in the past that did or did not work. Understanding why can help you pick the best one for your needs.

And once you find the perfect one for you, you can start going after and landing traffic from more queries and generating more conversions.

More Resources:

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Featured Image: Aysezgicmeli/Shutterstock

Most speech recognition apps have no trouble transcribing a native speaker being recorded with a pro microphone in a quiet room. This isn’t a challenge.

So to test them more thoroughly, I created a “nightmare” recording of two non-native speakers with loud city background noise.

How did they fare?

Let’s find out.

Otter was one of the most frequently mentioned solutions when we asked for suggestions on Twitter and in the Ahrefs community. And for good reason. It is easy to set up, has an intuitive interface, and offers clear pricing.

Unique features

What stands out from the rest is the app’s ability to record online meetings and transcribe them—simply by pasting the meeting URL. But you can also import a video/audio file or record audio right in the app.

Besides, you can connect your calendar to never miss a meeting.

Transcript quality

I got decent results, but there was a lot to edit too.

It didn’t get some names right. But I can’t blame any tool for not picking up “Ahrefs” or “Tim Soulo” 100% of the time.

One thing I found is that after it notified the transcriptions were ready, it might still do something in the background (adjust time stamps, tag speakers, etc.). Like a student still scribbling on a test paper while passing it to the teacher.

Pricing

You can start for free and upgrade to a paid plan later. You can import up to three files and record 290 minutes of meetings before you need to upgrade (as of April 2023).

Setting up an account was a no-brainer. I found the interface easy to navigate as well. One personal remark is that it felt a little too “cold” to use since I saw things like “Place Order,” “Billing,” and “Invoice” way too often. 

You might get an impression that it was designed by an accounting team (as opposed to Descript that comes next in this roundup).

Unique features

Besides auto-generated transcripts, Rev offers live captions for Zoom meetings. You also have the option to place an order for human transcriptions.

Transcript quality

Poor audio with city noise was a bit too much for Rev. Some words were missing, while others were misrecognized. As a result, some paragraphs didn’t make much sense, while others were fine.

Pricing

You can transcribe the first audio file (up to 45 minutes) for free. I got a bill for $1.25 with a discount that resulted in a total of $0.00. Thanks, accounting team. 😉

Rev also has a 14-day trial of its paid plan. But that was tricky to find. To locate it, you need to go to the footer of the homepage and look for it under “Services.”

Descript welcomed me by name (which was a nice coincidence). The main thing you have to know is that it is a standalone software rather than a web service. It is much more than a speech-to-text converter. It’s basically a video editing tool. And there’s definitely a learning curve. But thankfully, onboarding is extremely funny and engaging.

Unique features

As I mentioned, Descript is more of a video editing tool that is good with transcribing. I’d call it “Canva for video/captions.” You can add B-rolls, effects, animations, and more.

You can easily drag and drop and basically produce a complete video with its help. But if you just need a transcript or captions of a video or audio, you can do that too.

Transcript quality

My sample audio had quite muddy results. At times, it had difficulty recognizing abbreviations (e.g., SEO). I also had a problem with removing filler words like “uh” and “um.”

I found that if I didn’t choose an option to remove them, they, um, just stayed there even though I didn’t need them most of the time. But if I did choose to remove them, it occasionally ate up parts of other words, causing even more trouble.

Also, it couldn’t recognize parts that a human being would have no problem understanding just from context, e.g., “Jack of all trades” became ‘“jackal, trades.”

On the bright side, I believe you can still understand what the text is about.

Pricing

You can start with basic functions for free and upgrade if needed.

MacWhisper is a transcription tool powered by Whisper. It’s an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system developed by OpenAI, the same company that brought us ChatGPT.

As OpenAI states on its website:

Whisper is trained on 680,000 hours of multilingual and multitask supervised data collected from the web.

Whisper is not something you can simply “run” as is. What’s more, it is pretty complicated to set up if you do want to run it yourself. Github, Python—you get the gist.

Luckily, there are tools like MacWhisper that take this off your shoulders and let you use the power of AI in a simple user interface.

Unique features

Just plain speech-to-text recognition with time stamps. Unfortunately, it doesn’t auto-tag the speakers.

Transcript quality

When you run the tool, you have to choose a “model” to work with. Basically, the lighter the model, the quicker it will run. But larger models will produce better results. Also, in MacWhisper, those larger (better but slower) models are only available in the paid version.

I decided to start with the free “small” model, which was stated to have “normal speed with good accuracy.”

It was OK, but no better than the competitors. I assumed it would work fine with high-quality audio, but not with the horrible examples I fed to it.

“AI is overrated,” I thought. But before closing the Mac and switching back to my dear Windows PC, I decided to give the “large” model a try.

And you know what, AI is not overrated. I found the results to be much better than anything else.

The transcript was really, really good. It even got things like “Ahrefs” and “SaaS” right! Though still not 100% of the time.

Pricing

You can run smaller models for free. For a large model, you’ll need to purchase a license.

This tool is the easiest to use. Simply drag and drop your file—then it’s ready. It takes some time to process, though.

Unique features

Nothing besides downloading a transcription.

Transcript quality

My first impression was that the results were perfect because, visually, it delivered a confident-looking text:

But after proofreading, I realized that it simply did not include the parts it failed to recognize—sometimes several words in a row.

Pricing

It’s free to use.

Premiere Pro is not exactly a “transcription tool” but rather a video editing software. I’m including it because I assume that some companies may already have it in their arsenal (like we do).

To get to the transcription feature in Premiere Pro, just go to the “Captions and graphics” workspace and click “Create transcription.”

Unique features

If we take only speech recognition into account here, what it does well is creating precise time stamps, auto-tagging the speakers and, if needed, automatically adding an editable captions track to a video project.

Transcript quality

Let’s be straightforward: I found the noisy audio transcript to be a failure. I couldn’t comprehend what people were talking about in the first place.

Still, I think this feature can be really helpful if you are creating captions from high-quality audio. I used it myself several times and had nothing to complain about when the recording quality was good.

Pricing

You need an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription to use Premiere Pro.

While signing up and uploading files is rather straightforward, you have to spend some time answering questions about you and your company before you can finally get to the tool itself. And no, you can’t skip typing in your company name, your role, and your company size.

But once you get through this, the interface is clean and intuitive.

Unique features

You can generate a transcript or captions for video or audio. There is also an option to request a manual review of the transcript. Alternatively, you can generate subtitles in a different language, so you have transcription and translation in one click.

Transcript quality

Happy Scribe did a really good job transcribing the audio. It had no problem with words like “SEO” and “SaaS” (obviously the weakest point for many tools). It could also auto-tag the speakers, which might be helpful in certain situations.

Pricing

I could test one file for free. After that, I would need to buy credits to be used for each minute of video or audio transcribed.

Sonix is a tool for automatic transcriptions, translations, and integration with meeting apps.

Unique features

Besides meetings integration, which is almost a given for most tools, AI summary generation is an interesting feature (in beta as of April 2023.) But I already got impressive results from it.

You also get some extra tools to work with video captions—a timeline view and an option to split captions into several lines. You can also import an existing transcript, and Sonix will sync it with the audio.

Transcript quality

Sonix has a custom vocabulary feature. I found that helped a bit with names like “Tim Soulo” and “Ahrefs,” but it didn’t work 100% of the time. It mostly did well. But at times, it mistook SEO for CEO and returned the word “Excel” seemingly out of nowhere.

The transcript made sense in general but required quite a lot of edits if it needed to be perfect.

Pricing

Sonix has a free trial for 25 minutes of transcriptions. After that, you need to purchase pay-as-you-go credits or get a subscription.

Notta is yet another transcription service that works for both real-time meetings and existing recordings.

Unique features

Besides transcription, Notta focuses on streamlining certain workflows and offers features such as calendar sync and scheduler (in beta as of April 2023).

Transcript quality

Background noise and poor audio quality were not deal breakers for Notta. The transcription results turned out mostly OK but still had some problems.

Sentence structure was sometimes a bit weird, certain words went missing, and my favorite “Jack of all trades” part wasn’t that neat this time.

Another thing worth noting is that, for some reason, it failed to recognize two speakers, and the whole interview was tagged as “Speaker 1.”

Pricing

You can start with a free basic subscription and try a three-day trial of the paid plan, Notta Pro.

Final thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of tools to choose from. Still, it seems that OpenAI stirred things up a bit by releasing a free ASR (automatic speech recognition) system, which I found to be considerably more capable than others.

But pure speech recognition quality is just one factor. Maybe you do need to record your Zoom meetings (Otter), work with captions in a large video project (Premiere Pro), or quickly create a Canva-style video (Descript).

Also, I need to stress that I was trying to push these tools to the edge by giving them the worst-case scenario recording. For more natural uses, the differences in the outcome might be much less noticeable.

It’s great to see that there are so many options out there, and I hope this review will help a bit in finding the one that is perfect for you.

Got questions? Ping me on Twitter.