Keywords are powerful when it comes to website optimization. With the right content, user experience, and other factors, they can bring your pages to the first places in Google SERPs. But what if you have a large website and there are thousands of them, at least several for each page?
You have to group them somehow, right? Otherwise, it’s a pain to go through the list, trying to find similar keywords for one page.
If only there was some kind of keyword grouper or something.
And the digital market has some excellent keyword clustering tools to offer that will make it much easier to navigate your database. In this article, we present the 5 best options with reviews, pricing, pros, and cons.
What Is Keyword Clustering?
Keyword clustering or grouping is a method of query organization that helps SEO specialists and content marketers navigate a large list of keywords and their data. Clustering tools offer to categorize the list based on search intent. Doing so manually would take way too much time, and digital algorithms are often better at it.
As a result, you can insert target queries with the same search intent into one or two blog posts, for example, increasing the chances for a higher ranking and driving high-quality targeted traffic to the pages.
Grouping also helps with building a content structure as you can see the number and diversity of the queries on the list, deciding how many pieces of content are needed to avoid keyword cannibalization.
Linking groups will also help you organize the internal link-building process, encouraging people to read more on your website and spend more time on it. This also helps search engines to crawl your website faster and more effectively.
Basically, you can do it yourself. Just export the lists of keywords from the SEO tool of your choice into an Excel file and categorize them by search intent, topic, etc. But imagine how much time you will waste.
It’s much better to use a tool that will do the job in much less time and without your interference.
Why Is Keyword Clustering Important?
These days, if you don’t use automation, you’re keeping your project behind. Using tools for automation of routine, repetitive processes helps you save time you can put into content writing, keyword research, competitor research, external link building, and much more.
Why not use a digital helping hand?
Besides, as machine learning becomes increasingly popular and useful, it’s only fair to trust an algorithm or AI (artificial intelligence) to do the categorization for your convenience.
More than that, SEO moves forward from the idea of focusing one page on one keyword. You can rank for hundreds and even thousands of queries with that one page. So, seeing semantically similar keywords and targeting them all at once in one blog post can increase your chances to reach a higher place in SERPs and drive the right people to the site.
The tools we present below can perform keyword clustering accurately by using either live data from related SERPs or NLP (natural language processing). They are extremely useful and can level up your SEO game a lot.
The 5 Best Keyword Grouping Tools
Here, we present the 5 best picks, in our opinion, for semantic keyword grouping. They will help you communicate with search engines and your audience better, putting in less effort. All the tools were tested to see if they are any good.
So, make your choice wisely, but ensure there’s a keyword grouper software in your arsenal.
1. SE Ranking
SE Ranking’s Keyword Grouper tool is close to perfection. It’s not overly complicated, suitable for beginners, yet it offers a great deal of data on your keywords, as well as capabilities for accurate clustering.
It allows you to plan the SEO architecture of your website if you just start building it. I can save you money on mediocre ad campaigns thanks to its PPC grouping. Not to mention it eliminates human error and highlights keywords from SERPs, helping you expand your semantic base with new high-performing queries.
You can also check search volumes of whole clusters, and choose any location and language for proper grouping for different countries. Plus, there are convenient clustering settings that allow you to choose the level of accuracy. The more accuracy you need, the fewer options there will be in one cluster.
Pros
- Intuitive UI
- Various capabilities in different plans
- Affordable all-in-one tool
- Optional accuracy for your needs
- PPC grouping available
Cons
- The amount of data may be overwhelming
- API is only available in the more expensive plan
Pricing
The provider offers a 14-day free trial for most of its tools. The main plans include:
- Essential – $55 per month
- Pro – $109 per month
- Business – $239 per month
You can save 20% if you pay annually. Plus, there’s a pricing calculator and an opportunity to build a custom plan for your needs.
Verdict
SE Ranking offers decent SEO tools with adequate accuracy. The grouping doesn’t take much time and can be optimized depending on the number of clusters you need and the number of keywords you need for one group. It’s affordable and intuitive, which we love.
2. Serpstat
Serpstat’s keyword grouping tool is equally effective for short- and long-tail keywords. The solution takes into account both search intent and semantics, as well as 30 SERP listings to analyze the keywords and group them.
You can also choose whether you need wear, medium, or hard clustering, depending on how many clusters you need and how accurately keywords will be placed into each cluster.
Another interesting feature of Serpstat is the ability to analyze the content you have already published and create query clusters similar to that content. This will help you improve the website structure, optimize posts better, and avoid keyword cannibalization.
Pros
- 30 SERP listings included into the analysis
- Customizable clustering
- Available for all plans
- Published posts analysis
Cons
- Keyword difficulty isn’t always accurate
Pricing
You can get a free trial to see if Serpstat covers your keyword grouping needs. The plans are:
- Lite – $69 per month
- Standard – $149 per month
- Advanced – $229 per month
- Enterprise – $499 per month
All the plans include the keyword clustering SEO tool.
Verdict
Serpstat keyword grouper is a great tool with interesting analysis features like the first 30 SERP listings, search intent, semantics, and your previously published posts. This combo provides accurate and effective results. There’s also a free trial and diverse plans for every business.
3. Surfer SEO
Surfer SEO has an effective keyword planner which works based on the NLP technology. You don’t even have to import keywords from any other tool since the solution comes with its own query discovery feature.
So, you can get keyword ideas and their search volume and group them in one go. The categories are pretty extensive, including Local, Customer Investigation, Informational, etc. This allows you to create content that fits the search intent of the user, which is great for both parties. You’re getting targeted traffic, and people find necessary information for them.
Moreover, Surfer SEO has its own content editor, where you can work on your pieces incorporating all the right keywords right away.
Pros
- Built-in keyword discovery feature
- Built-in content editor
- Extensive categories
Cons
- Limited keyword capacity
- No possibility to add your own keywords
Pricing
Surfer SEO offers 3 plans:
- Basic – $59 a month
- Pro – $119 a month
- Business – $239 a month
If you pay once a year, you can save 17% of the total price.
Verdict
Surfer SEO is a great choice if you don’t need too many keywords. Its database is quite limited, but the additional features are very convenient. Not to mention the UI is very intuitive and suitable for beginners. It’s a nice keyword grouping tool, but the price is quite expensive.
4. SpySERP
SpySERP keyword grouping tool will help you distribute the queries correctly throughout your website, avoiding keyword cannibalization. It also takes the competitiveness of each keyword into account to assist in building pages that will definitely rank higher.
It determines what keywords have medium to low difficulty, showing you opportunities for faster and higher rankings. According to the provider, this is one of its primary goals.
You can choose settings for different clusters, adjusting them to the volume of keywords and precision you need. The tool also has a drag & drop feature that allows you to move keywords between groups to customize them.
Pros
- Customizable clusters
- Settings available for each group
- Very affordable
- Free plan available
Cons
- Sole keyword checks may be inconclusive
- No PayPal payments
- A card required for free trials
Pricing
There’s a basic free plan if you don’t need a large number of keywords. You can also get a free trial for the Pro plan, but a credit card is needed for that.
The paid plans are:
- Pro 10K – $9 a month
- Enterprise – custom pricing upon quoting
And if you pay annually, you can save 20% of the total price.
Verdict
SpySERP has some interesting features that aid in creating customized clusters perfect for your website. There are lots of free opportunities like a whole plan and free trials. Besides, the monthly payment for the Pro plan starts at only $9.
5. Cluster AI
Cluster AI by Content Distribution is a dedicated keyword clustering tool. It uses real-time data from SERPs to determine keyword groups. The first results page is analyzed to see what keywords share the same URL. If there are 3 or more links per a certain combination of keywords, they are grouped together.
According to the provider, the tool can save you as much as 90% of the time you would usually spend on keyword research.
Keep in mind that you’ll have to import the keywords into the tool to cluster them. Your email is also needed to notify you of the results.
In the final document, you’ll see the categories, the search volume of the major keywords in each category, as well as all the other variations and queries added to the group.
Pros
- Easy-to-use solution
- Choose any country for grouping
- Effective results
Cons
- Quite expensive given the toolset
- No additional keyword data
Pricing
The range of plans is impressive:
- Hobbyist – $39 a month
- Consultant – $89 a month
- Team – $179 a month
- Team+ – $249 a month
- Agency – $389 a month
- Enterprise – $699 a month
Verdict
Cluster AI is one of the simpler keyword clustering tools that are pretty basic and effective. For the price, we expected at least additional keyword data or other features. It does the job well, though.
6. Keyword Grouper
Keyword Grouper tool is one of the simplest in its field. All you need to do is create a spreadsheet with your search requests in one column and their frequency in the second. You can use any application – Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheets, or their alternatives. After generating the list, you just need to move it to the keyword clustering tool and start the process. In a few minutes, you will receive a well-structured report.
The developers of Keyword Grouper software recommend using each cluster for a separate page on your website. The report is generated in such a way as to avoid traffic cannibalization between separate sections of the web resource.
An interesting point — if you only have a list of queries without frequency, you can contact the Keyword Grouper project manager. They will help you generate the necessary statistics for free. This service is available to all service subscription holders. However, you should understand that it can take a few business hours to get a response, so you shouldn’t rely on this feature too much.
Pros
- Convenient informative reports
- Keyword Grouper allows you to choose the region of research
- There is no mandatory subscription fee
Cons
- Limited functionality — you can only form clusters
- No proprietary research tools
- The data import system could be more intuitive
Pricing
Unlike other keyword clustering tools, this service does not have monthly subscriptions. You only buy packages with the appropriate number of requests:
- $10 — 1,000 words
- $25 — 5,000 words
- $120 — 30,000 words
New users can also leave their contact information to try the service for free. But the number of requests during the trial period is very limited — it’s more like a short demo.
Verdict
If you are already using a package SEO service and are processing thousands or tens of thousands of requests in spreadsheets, Keyword Grouper is the perfect choice for you. It’s a simple and affordable keyword grouping tool that doesn’t have any distractions.
7. TrueRanker
It is one of the best keyword grouping tools for small businesses and freelancers. It allows you to customize groups by choosing filters by region, traffic channels, device types, or even custom tags. After that, the service analyzes the obtained clusters and provides informative reports where you can see the average ranks of your site for certain requests, historical data, distribution by frequency, and other statistics.
But TrueRanker’s keyword clustering tool is also suitable for large agencies. With the top subscriptions, it allows you to generate white-label reports for automatic distribution to clients. If you are missing certain features, the developer suggests contacting them directly to get a personalized commercial offer.
TrueRanker offers other features as well. One of them is free Google search results analysis. It allows you to quickly determine the current position of your website and compare it with the position of competitors. However, you can get continuous rank monitoring only with a paid subscription.
Pros
- Advanced keyword clustering tool allows you to set up and analyze groups
- Fast processing of requests
- Very convenient informative reports
- Simple interface, easy download of necessary data
Cons
- Mobile applications are much inferior to the web version in terms of convenience
- There are some bugs that can temporarily distort data
- Not all indicators in the report have a transparent calculation scheme
Pricing policy
TrueRanker offers a classic range of subscription plans:
- Starter — $9.99 per month, 100 keywords, 2 competitors, 30 requests per day
- Business — $30 per month, white-label reports, 500 keywords, 5 competitors, 100 requests per day
- Professional — $39 per month, additional user account, 1,000 keywords, 150 requests per day
- Agency — $69 per month, 5 users, 2,000 keywords, 10 competitors, 300 requests per day
An annual subscription is available with a 25% discount. You can also take advantage of a 14-day trial period that includes all the limits of the Starter subscription. You do not need to provide a credit card to test the service’s functionality.
Verdict
TrueRanker is a great choice among keyword clustering tools for those who need a feature-rich service at an affordable price. In addition to request clustering, it offers rank tracking and detailed SERP analysis at a much lower cost than market leaders.
8. SEO PowerSuite
We’ve already discussed SEO PowerSuite many times. And yet, it’s worth reminding you that its keyword clustering tools, backlink research tools, and site audit tools are available as a classic application that you can download to your computer. It does not have a web version. On the one hand, this complicates the work to some extent, but on the other hand, it increases the level of security.
SEO PowerSuite allows you to group requests at any stage of website optimization — from preliminary research before starting a project to the final stages. Moreover, the results of its work are available in any module — you can use them to track ranks, build a link network, or compare your site with competitors.
This is one of the best keyword clustering tools. It allows you to manually edit the lists you’ve created, as well as add queries from Google Autocomplete, search suggestions, or other sources. Thanks to the user-friendly interface, you can sort groups by the number of words, custom ranks, or potential traffic volume.
Pros
- A comprehensive SEO tool that offers many features for website optimization
- An extensive knowledge base supplied with the application that allows you to study the methodology of business promotion on the Internet
- The lists generated by the keyword grouping software can be used to compare the marketing strategy with competitors in different areas
Cons
- Expensive subscription, significant limitations of the free version
- There are so many functions that beginners often get confused
- Analysis speed depends on the capacity of your PC
Pricing policy
One of the application’s important features is that you cannot subscribe to SEO PowerSuite on a monthly basis. The developer offers only two subscription plans with an annual fee:
- $596 — full functionality except for data export
- $1396 – the possibility of exporting data and setting up automatic distribution of white-label reports via PowerSuite cloud
The app’s functionality can also be evaluated in the free version. But it is important to remember that it does not allow you to automate work and save data after the end of the session.
Verdict
SEO PowerSuite is one of the best solutions in the field of keyword clustering and other SEO aspects. However, due to expensive subscription plans, it is more suitable for large businesses.
9. Keyword Insights
Keyword Insights offers a full cycle of request processing — research, clustering, search intent identification, creation of content briefs, and article generation using AI. It allows you to tailor the results to the specifics of each geographic region, which reduces the number of critical errors.
The service differs from other keyword clustering tools by providing a choice of algorithms. The centroid-based one reduces the time spent and allows you to get larger clusters suitable for optimizing common pages. The agglomerative-based one increases the level of accuracy — it is better to use it when you promote your business in a narrow niche.
The keyword grouping tool also displays the resulting clusters on a graph. It helps you see the overlapping segments that can lead to traffic cannibalization. By clicking on a particular cluster, you can see the top requests and your site’s rankings for them, as well as generate content creation briefs in a few seconds.
Pros
- One of the most comprehensive sets of tools for working with keywords
- There are free features, including AI headline generation for blog posts
- High-quality support, the possibility of getting individual consultations
Cons
- Reports are full of information — they will be inconvenient for beginners
- It is impossible to form a single group of words that do not fall into certain clusters
- There is no free trial period
Pricing policy
You can get access to the best Keyword Clustering tool by choosing the following subscription plans:
- Basic — $58 per month, 12,000 requests
- Professional — $145 per month, 36,000 requests, additional user account, access to the API
- Premium — $299 per month, 100,000 requests, 5 user accounts, team training
The annual payment gives you a 20% discount. You can also test certain features of the service, including clustering, during the trial period — $1 for 4 days. Another payment option is $7.99 for each 1,000 keywords without a mandatory subscription and additional features.
Verdict
Keyword Insights is the best tool for working with search requests only. If you have already covered all other SEO needs, feel free to choose this service with a wide range of features and flexible pricing.
Conclusions
Keyword clustering tools aren’t marketed as actively as competitor or keyword research tools, for example. However, we have found some really nice picks for you to choose from.
Make the decision based on your budget, the capacity you need, and UI. Many people neglect the importance of user interface, but when you’re short on time and want to use a tool for automating your SEO processes, the speed of navigation is important.
The affordability is also a crucial factor because paying extra for a tool that is considered additional isn’t the best idea.
Based on these arguments, we’ve chosen SE Ranking Keyword Grouper as our top pick. It’s intuitive, has additional accuracy settings for clustering, offers keyword and cluster data on the go, and it won’t take too much from your wallet.
Besides, it’s an all-in-one tool, so, for a monthly payment, you get access to major tools like Keyword Research, Competitive Research, Backlink Checker and Monitor, and more. Additional tools are also available, as well as custom plans for businesses and specialists with specific needs.
Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
The rest of the tools are also worth your attention, of course. Get free trials and see which one suits your project(s) the most!