How to Find Low-Competition Keywords for a New Blog (Free Method)

To find low competition keywords for a new blog, collect real queries from Google autocomplete and People Also Ask, then open the current top results and look for weak spots: forum threads, old posts, thin pages and sites no bigger than yours. That check of the actual results page tells you more than any free 'difficulty' score. This guide walks through the whole free method, with a spreadsheet template you can copy today.

Published: 2026-10-16 · 7 min read · Satelo

Why "volume" and "difficulty" from free tools mislead new blogs

Most keyword tools show two numbers: monthly search volume and a difficulty score. Both are estimates built by the tool vendor from their own data, and free tiers often show rounded or sampled values. Even Google's own figures are estimates: the Keyword Planner help page describes its monthly numbers as search estimates and notes that very low-volume keywords may not show up at all.

That last point matters for a new blog. The long, specific questions a young site can actually win often sit below the reporting threshold of every tool. If you only chase keywords that show a number, you skip the exact queries where you have a chance.

Difficulty scores have another problem: most are based mainly on the backlinks of ranking pages. They do not see that the third result is a 2016 forum thread or that the top page never answers the question. You see that in ten seconds by opening the results.

Step 1: start from topics you can genuinely cover

Low competition is useless if the topic does not fit your blog. Google's guidance on creating helpful content lists warning signs such as writing about things simply because they seem trending, or producing lots of content on many topics in the hope some of it performs. So begin with a short list of 5–10 seed topics you know first-hand: things you do, test, cook, fix or teach.

Write each seed as a two- or three-word phrase, for example "sourdough starter", "budget bikepacking", "wordpress backup".

Step 2: mine Google autocomplete

Type each seed into Google and write down the suggestions. Google says autocomplete predictions reflect real searches done on Google, shaped by language, location and trending interest. The same page warns that autocomplete is not a popularity ranking and should not be compared with Google Trends. Use it as proof that people ask a question, not as a measure of how many.

To widen the list quickly:

• Add question words: "how to [seed]", "why does [seed]", "can you [seed]".
• Add modifiers: "for beginners", "without [tool]", "vs", "best … for [situation]".
• Type the seed followed by each letter, a, b, c…, and note new suggestions.
• Use a private window so your own history does not skew the predictions.

Longer, more specific suggestions are usually the low-competition ones: "sourdough starter not rising in cold kitchen" rather than "sourdough".

Step 3: harvest People Also Ask and related searches

Search the most promising suggestions and look at the People Also Ask box and the related searches at the bottom. Clicking a question in People Also Ask usually loads more questions. Copy the ones that match your topic. These are often perfect H2 sections or even whole posts.

Also check where your readers talk: forum threads, Reddit, Q&A sites, YouTube comments. Repeated questions with poor answers are strong candidates.

Step 4: read the results page (the real competition check)

This is the step that replaces the difficulty score. For each candidate query, open the first page of results and note what you see.

To judge "sites like yours", look at a few signals you can check for free: domain age, whether the site appears in the Tranco top-sites list, and how many of its pages are known to open crawls. Our explainers on Tranco rank and website age and SEO show how to read them. You can also paste a competitor's domain into the free Satelo check, which collects such signals into one Quality Score built mostly from open data.

A simple scoring scale is enough. Rate each query's competition L (forums, old or thin pages, small sites in the top 5), M (a mix of niche blogs and one or two strong sites) or H (dominated by big brands). As a new blog, write mostly L, some M, and park H for later.

Step 5: confirm interest with Google Trends and Keyword Planner

Two free Google tools help you avoid dead topics, as long as you know their limits:

• Google Trends shows relative interest over time, not search counts. Google explains that values are scaled from 0 to 100 based on a topic's share of all searches, and very low-volume terms may show as zero. Use it to compare two phrasings and spot seasonality (for example, "bikepacking" content is best published before the season starts).
• Keyword Planner inside Google Ads gives search estimates and related ideas. Google's help says you need to complete account setup, including billing information, to use it. Treat its numbers as a rough order of magnitude. It is an advertising tool, so it says nothing about how hard the organic results are.

If a query appears in autocomplete, has a People Also Ask box, and shows weak results, it is worth writing even if Trends and Keyword Planner show almost nothing.

Step 6: once you have traffic, use Search Console

After a few months, your best keyword tool is your own Search Console. The Performance report shows the queries your site appeared for, with clicks, impressions, CTR and average position.

• Filter to queries with impressions but few clicks and an average position between about 8 and 30. These are topics Google already associates with you.
• If a query belongs to a page that only touches it in passing, add a section or write a dedicated post.
• If impressions are high and clicks are low, read our guide to impressions but no clicks before writing anything new.

The spreadsheet template

One row per query. Here is a filled example (illustrative, not real data):

Group related rows: several low-competition questions on the same subtopic often belong in one strong post, with the others linking to it. That is how a new blog builds topical depth without dozens of thin pages.

Common mistakes

• Chasing zero-volume tools blindly. A keyword that "has no volume" in a tool may still bring steady visits; check autocomplete and the results instead.
• Picking queries you can't answer well. Low competition does not help if your page is no better than the thin one already ranking.
• One post per tiny variation. "How to clean X" and "how do I clean X" belong on one page.
• Ignoring intent. If the top results are all product pages, a 2,000-word guide is the wrong format.
• Paying for a tool too early. Free tiers cover a new blog for months; see our list of free Ahrefs alternatives when you outgrow the manual method.

What to do next

1. Write down five seed topics you know first-hand.
2. Spend 30 minutes collecting autocomplete and People Also Ask questions into the template.
3. Open the results for your top 15 queries and rate each L, M or H.
4. Pick three L queries and write the best answer on the page for each.
5. For more on picking a niche and growing a small blog, read SEO for niche blogs.

When a competitor in the results looks "about your size", check it: the free Satelo check shows any site's Quality Score in about 30 seconds, with the open-data evidence behind each number, so you can compare yourself with the pages you want to outrank.

FAQ

How do I find low competition keywords for free?

Collect real queries from Google autocomplete, People Also Ask and related searches, then open the top results for each and look for forums, outdated or thin pages and small sites. Confirm interest with Google Trends, and later use Search Console's Performance report.

What is considered a low competition keyword?

One where the current top results are weak: forum threads, old or thin pages, or sites similar in size to yours, especially for a specific long-tail question. Difficulty scores from tools are estimates based mainly on backlinks.

Are zero-volume keywords worth targeting?

Often yes for a new blog. Keyword tools may not report very low-volume queries at all. If a question appears in autocomplete or People Also Ask and the results are weak, it can still bring steady visitors.

Is Google Keyword Planner free?

It is part of Google Ads. Google's help says you need to complete account setup, including billing information, to get keyword ideas. It is built for advertisers, so it does not measure organic ranking difficulty.

Does Google Trends show search volume?

No. Google Trends shows relative interest scaled from 0 to 100 based on a term's share of all searches, and very low-volume terms may show as zero.

How many keywords should a new blog target per post?

One main query plus closely related questions with the same intent. Put variations of the same question on one page rather than writing separate posts for each wording.

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