“Best” keywords are searches that ask for the top options in a category, often narrowed by audience, budget or use case: “best project management software for agencies”, “best free invoicing app”. Searchers want a shortlist they can trust. The results are mostly roundup articles and directory pages, which makes these keywords valuable but difficult for vendors, who are judging their own category.
Why they matter
A “best” search is often the first step of an active evaluation. Being included in the pages that rank, or ranking with your own roundup, can put your product on the buyer's shortlist. These keywords are also frequent sources for AI assistants answering “which tool should I use” questions, though how each assistant picks its sources is not fully documented.
Two ways to compete
The first is to publish your own roundup. Vendor roundups can rank, particularly for narrow modifiers where few publishers bother, but they need to be genuinely useful: clear criteria, honest strengths and weaknesses, and real reasons a reader might choose another product.
The second is to earn inclusion in the roundups that already rank. That means outreach to the publishers, keeping your listings on review sites current, and giving writers accurate information. For many broad “best” terms, this route is more realistic than outranking established publishers.
Picking the right modifiers
Broad “best [category]” terms are fiercely contested. Narrower modifiers, such as industry, team size, integration or budget, are often easier to rank for and closer to the product's real strengths. Choose modifiers where you can credibly argue the product belongs near the top.
- best [category] for [industry]
- best [category] for small teams
- best free or open source [category]
- best [category] for [platform] users
Example
A narrow roundup
Imagine Gullhaven, a fictional booking platform for yoga studios, gives up on “best booking software”, where large publishers dominate. It targets “best booking software for yoga studios” instead.
The page compares six tools on criteria studios care about, including class pass handling and waitlists, and states where Gullhaven is weaker than others.
Common mistakes
Ranking yourself first with no reasoning
Readers expect a vendor to favor itself. Without transparent criteria, the page loses credibility quickly.
Ignoring third-party roundups
If you cannot outrank the publishers, being absent from their lists means being absent from the search.
Questions
Yes, as long as it is honest and useful. Disclose that you make one of the products, and give readers enough information to choose something else if it suits them better.
