When it comes to SEO and ranking your website on the first page of the search results, keyword research is vital. You need to identify the right words and phrases that your target audience is searching for and make sure they are relevant to the content you are creating. However, finding the perfect keywords is only half the battle. You also need to find ones that have low competition, so you have a chance of ranking high on Google.
While it may seem tempting to ignore keywords with zero or low search volume, doing so can be a big mistake. Such keywords may not have any traffic right now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t be valuable in the future. These keywords can provide insight into new and emerging trends in your industry, and they can also be an opportunity for you to achieve higher topical authority and establish yourself as a thought leader by creating content around niche or unique topics.
There are various tools available that can help you find low competition keywords. By using these tools, you can narrow down your keyword search and find terms that aren’t frequently used by your competitors. In this article, we’ll highlight free tools that help with finding low
competition keywords. Some top free tools include Google Search Console/Keyword Planner/Trends, Answer the Public, Semrush, and ChatGPT. With help of these tools, you can gain insight into search volume, relevancy, and competition level for specific keywords and hence optimize your content to get ahead of the competition. So, what should you do?
1. Identify the topic
Start by identifying the topic you want to target. This could be a general topic related to your business or a specific product or service you offer. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or Semrush to research the popularity of the topic and identify potential keywords. Here, it is important to pay attention to any overlapping category and primary-level content subjects found on external websites that are not included in your own content.
2. See a full picture to get high topical authority
Once you have a list of potential keywords, it’s time to create a comprehensive plan to cover the content needs of both the user and search. A valuable next step is understanding the desires, needs, and challenges of your target audience in relation to the topic area. To achieve this, you can enter the main topic/product/service term(s) into a free tool like AnswerThePublic. By exporting all the questions and related data, you can gain a thorough understanding of the common questions that your new content will address.
It is expected that individual terms and questions will have low competition and search volumes. On the other hand, the broader topic will include numerous semantically relevant terms, presenting a greater opportunity for measurable improvements. By organizing the data into topics and sub-topics, you can begin to create a content map that identifies what is missing from your site compared to the competition, including potential easy wins and relevant low-competition keywords.
3. Check the results using AI
Before you finalize your list of low competition keywords, it’s a good idea to use AI to double-check your analysis. Consider using tools like MarketMuse or ChatGPT to identify any related topics or phrases you may have missed. With the help of AI, you can analyze the content of the top-ranking pages and identify any gaps or opportunities for improvement based on the overall topic.
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4. Prioritize focus key terms by overlapping metrics data
Now that you have a list of low competition keywords, prioritize them based on their potential traffic. This can be done simply by copying and pasting the main terms into Google Keyword Planner. This tool will provide you with relevant metric information such as cost per click,
competition, and search volume. You can export this data to effectively prioritize target terms into shorter, mid-term, and longer-term goals. Here, you’ll want to consider various factors, including the competitiveness of the terms, the cost per click, and the potential opportunity.
At this point, you will have valuable data for the creation of new content based on the presence of your top competitors, identifying gaps in your own site, and understanding the broader ranking content related to specific terms, topics, and sub-topics. With all the necessary metrics available, you can now prioritize and develop the appropriate content to target these topics. Remember to be careful with AI-created content and use such tools wisely since according to Google’s Helpful Content Update, the search engine will reward only high quality content.
5. Remember to monitor emerging trends
Identifying and responding to emerging search demands before they become highly competitive is a valuable strategy. Using Google Trends allows for quick recognition of changes in interest levels and new trends. When interest and competition are low, optimizing content assets during these times positions you well for future demand. This concept applies to both new and developing trends. By capitalizing on lower interest periods, you can reap the benefits when seasonal or industry trends gain momentum.
6. Recap
The key to success with low competition keywords lies in taking full advantage of the potential opportunities they offer. Investing a bit of time into understanding their capabilities is worth it if you’re looking to improve your SEO performance and search ranking. If you’re not sure how to identify the most relevant keywords for your specific niche and start creating content around those topics, feel free to contact us today to help you with the research.
