Starting a new blog can feel frustrating when you discover that the topics you want to write about are already covered by huge websites.
You search for a topic, look at the first page of Google, and see established companies, major publications, and websites that have been publishing content for years. At that point, it is easy to think that there are no good keywords left for a small blog.
There are.
The trick is to stop looking only for keywords with huge search volumes and start looking for specific searches where you can genuinely provide a better answer.
A low-competition keyword is not simply a keyword that an SEO tool labels as “easy.” You need to look at the actual search results, understand what people want, and decide whether your website can create something more useful than what is already available.
This guide explains how to find those opportunities using free or easily accessible methods.
What Is a Low-Competition Keyword?
A low-competition keyword is a search phrase where a relatively small or newer website has a realistic opportunity to compete for visibility in search results.
That does not mean the keyword has no competition.
Almost every useful keyword has some competition.
The real question is:
Can I create a genuinely useful page that has a realistic chance of competing with the pages currently ranking for this search?
For example, consider the difference between these two searches:
“blogging”
and:
“how to choose a blog niche for beginners”
The first search is extremely broad. Someone searching for it could want information about starting a blog, making money from blogging, SEO, writing, platforms, or almost anything else.
The second search gives you much more information about what the person wants.
That specific intent makes the second type of keyword much more useful for a smaller website.
Google recommends creating helpful, reliable, people-first content and using the language people would actually use when searching for information.
So, instead of asking:
“How do I find a keyword with the lowest possible difficulty?”
ask:
“What specific problem can I solve better than the current search results?”
That change in thinking makes keyword research much more practical.
Why New Blogs Shouldn’t Chase Huge Keywords
If you’re still setting up your website, our step-by-step guide to starting a blog covers the process from choosing your topic to publishing your first article.
When you’re starting out, it is tempting to search for keywords with thousands or millions of monthly searches.
The problem is that search volume tells you how many searches may exist, not how difficult it will be for your particular website to earn visibility.
A keyword with 50,000 searches may attract enormous competition.
Meanwhile, a specific keyword with a much smaller audience may have:
- clearer search intent
- fewer strong competitors
- better relevance to your blog
- a higher chance of attracting the right reader
- more potential to become part of a larger topic cluster
Bing’s Keyword Research tool, for example, provides search-volume and trend information, but Bing also recommends focusing on high-quality, relevant content around your area of expertise rather than simply chasing popular topics.
For a new blog, relevance and realistic competition matter more than impressive-looking search-volume numbers.
How to Find Low-Competition Keywords
Start With a Broad Topic
Before looking for individual keywords, start with a subject you genuinely want your website to cover.
This is often called a seed keyword.
For example, if your blog focuses on blogging and online business, your seed topics might include:
- blogging
- SEO
- affiliate marketing
- AI tools
- content creation
- Pinterest marketing
- online business
- freelancing
Don’t try to turn the seed keyword directly into an article.
Instead, use it as the starting point for finding more specific questions.
For example:
Seed topic: blogging
Possible directions:
- how to start a blog
- how to choose a blog niche
- how to find blog topics
- how to find keywords
- how to get blog traffic
- how to write blog posts
- how to update old blog posts
You can then make those ideas even more specific.
The goal is to move from a large subject toward a specific problem.
Before researching individual keywords, make sure you have a clear subject for your website. If you’re still deciding what to focus on, this guide explains how to choose a blog niche.
Use Google Autocomplete for Keyword Ideas
One of the simplest free keyword research methods is also one of the easiest to overlook.
Start typing your topic into Google.
For example: how to find keywords
Google may suggest variations such as:
- how to find keywords for a blog
- how to find keywords for SEO
- how to find keywords for a new website
- how to find low competition keywords
These suggestions can give you ideas about how people phrase their searches.
Try adding different words to your seed keyword.
For example:
blog keywords +
- for beginners
- for a new blog
- without paid tools
- for SEO
- for affiliate marketing
- with Google
- with free tools
You don’t have to target every suggestion.
Instead, collect the ones that are:
- Relevant to your website
- Specific enough to understand
- Useful to your audience
- Different enough to deserve an article
Google’s own SEO guidance recommends thinking about the words different users might search for while also noting that Google’s language systems can understand related variations without requiring you to repeat an exact phrase everywhere.
Look at “People Also Ask”
Search for your main topic and look at the questions that appear in Google’s People Also Ask section.
These questions can reveal what people want to know next.
For example, if your topic is keyword research, you might find questions related to:
- What is a good keyword for a new blog?
- How do I know if a keyword is competitive?
- How many keywords should I target?
- What are long-tail keywords?
- Can I rank without backlinks?
You don’t necessarily need to create a separate article for every question.
Some questions belong naturally inside the same article.
Others might be large enough to become their own article.
That’s an important distinction.
Don’t create five thin articles when one genuinely useful guide can answer all five questions.
Google’s current guidance specifically warns against creating lots of pages primarily to capture variations of searches rather than providing satisfying, useful content.
Explore Related Searches
Google’s related-search suggestions can also help you discover variations of a topic.
Suppose you’re researching: low competition keywords
You might find related searches involving:
- low competition keywords for blogs
- low competition keywords for beginners
- long-tail keywords
- keyword research tools
- easy keywords to rank for
- keyword difficulty
These aren’t automatically keywords you should target.
Treat them as research clues.
Open the most relevant ones and look at what Google is actually showing.
You may discover that two phrases have almost identical search results.
If they do, they may belong in the same article rather than becoming two separate pages.
Look for Questions in Communities
Forums and online communities can be useful for finding language that people naturally use when describing their problems.
Look at discussions related to your niche and pay attention to questions that repeatedly appear.
For example, a new blogger might ask:
“I’ve written 20 posts but nobody is visiting my site. What am I doing wrong?”
That could lead to several useful content ideas:
- why a new blog gets no traffic
- how long it takes for blog traffic to grow
- how to find keywords for a new blog
- what to do when blog posts aren’t getting impressions
The important thing is not to copy someone’s question and turn it into an article word-for-word.
Use the discussion to understand the problem.
Then do your own research and create a genuinely useful answer.
Use Google Trends to Check Direction
A keyword can look attractive today but have very little long-term value.
Google Trends can help you understand whether interest in a topic is:
- growing
- declining
- seasonal
- relatively stable
For example, imagine you find two potential topics.
Topic A: consistently searched throughout the year
Topic B: receives most of its attention for a few weeks every year
Neither is automatically better.
It depends on your website and audience.
For an evergreen blog, stable topics can provide a stronger foundation.
For a seasonal website, seasonal topics may make perfect sense.
You can also compare several related terms and examine how interest changes across different locations.
This matters for your audience because search behavior can differ between countries.
If you’re targeting readers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, don’t automatically assume that a keyword’s global interest tells you everything about its value in those markets.
Understand Search Intent Before Choosing a Keyword
Search intent means what the person actually wants when they perform a search.
A simple way to understand it is to ask:
“If I were the person typing this into Google, what answer would I expect to see?”
Informational intent
The person wants to learn something.
Examples:
- how does affiliate marketing work
- what is keyword research
- how to start a blog
Commercial investigation
The person is researching before making a decision.
Examples:
- best AI writing tools for bloggers
- best hosting for beginners
- Rank Math vs Yoast
Transactional intent
The person is closer to taking an action or buying something.
Examples:
- buy SEO software
- AI writing tool pricing
- WordPress hosting plans
Navigational intent
The person is looking for a particular website or brand.
Examples:
- Google Search Console
- Pinterest login
- Rank Math
The same keyword research process can be used for all of these, but your content format should match the intent.
Bing’s current documentation also uses intent categories to help understand the context behind searches, including informational, commercial, comparison, research, and other intents
Common Keyword Research Mistakes to Avoid
Choosing keywords only because they have high volume
High volume doesn’t automatically mean high opportunity.
Always consider competition, relevance and intent.
Trusting a single SEO tool
Different tools can produce different estimates.
Use tools as research aids, then inspect the actual search results.
Targeting extremely broad keywords
Terms like “SEO,” “blogging” or “marketing” are usually too broad for a new website to build an entire strategy around.
Get more specific.
Creating multiple articles for almost identical searches
If the search intent is essentially the same, one strong article may be better than several thin ones.
Ignoring search intent
A beautifully written article can still struggle if it doesn’t answer what the searcher actually wanted.
Forcing keywords into every paragraph
Write naturally.
Use the main phrase where it makes sense, then use related language naturally throughout the article.
Final Thoughts
Finding low-competition keywords isn’t about discovering a secret list of keywords that nobody else knows about.
It’s about finding specific problems that matter to your audience and determining whether the current search results are genuinely satisfying those problems.
Start with a broad topic, turn it into specific questions, explore Google’s search suggestions and related results, check trends, use Search Console and Bing when you have enough data, and most importantly, inspect the actual search results before deciding what to write.
Don’t be discouraged when a broad keyword looks impossible.
You don’t need to compete for every large search.
A new blog can build momentum by answering smaller, more specific questions well. Over time, those individual articles can build topical depth and give you more opportunities to appear for related searches.
Choosing realistic keywords is only one part of growing a new website. Once you have useful content published, you can use additional strategies to get your first 1,000 blog visitors.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a low-competition keyword?
A low-competition keyword is a search phrase where the existing results may provide a realistic opportunity for a smaller or newer website to compete. Competition should be evaluated by examining the actual search results, not only a keyword tool’s difficulty score.
Are long-tail keywords easier to rank for?
Long-tail keywords often have more specific search intent and may have fewer competing pages than broad keywords. However, being longer does not automatically make a keyword easy. You still need to examine the search results and understand the topic.
Can a new blog rank for competitive keywords?
Yes, but the difficulty varies considerably between keywords and search results. A new blog may find it more practical to build initial visibility around specific, relevant topics before attempting extremely broad searches.
Do I need a paid keyword research tool?
No. You can start with free methods such as Google search suggestions, People Also Ask, Google Trends, Google Search Console, and Bing Webmaster Tools. Paid tools can provide additional data, but they are not a requirement for learning keyword research.
How many keywords should I target in one blog post?
There is no fixed number you need to follow. Start with one primary topic and cover the related questions and concepts that genuinely help the reader. Avoid forcing multiple unrelated keywords into the same article.
Should I choose keywords with high search volume?
Not necessarily. Search volume is only one part of the decision. A more specific keyword with lower search volume can be useful if it has clear intent, fits your website and has a realistic competitive landscape.