How to Find Low Competition Keywords: A 7-Step Method, the Free Toolkit, and Examples by Niche

To find low competition keywords, start from specific customer problems, pull candidates from a keyword tool, and keep the ones with real search volume and a low keyword difficulty (KD under 20 is a safe start for a young site). Then open Google and confirm the first page is beatable: forum threads, thin or outdated posts, or pages with fewer backlinks than yours. Group the survivors into clusters and write one strong page per cluster.

The tool score gets you a shortlist. The 5-minute look at the actual results decides, and that part has always been free. This guide gives you the full method, the free tools that cover each step, the 10 patterns most easy keywords follow (with examples for 12 niches), a checklist you can tick off for every keyword, and data from 183,540 keywords Outrank targeted for customer sites.

#What are low competition keywords?

A low competition keyword is a search term where the pages on Google's first page are weak enough that your site can realistically outrank them. Weak can mean few backlinks, thin or outdated content, or a poor match for what the searcher wants. In practice they're almost always specific: "invoicing software for freelance photographers," not "invoicing software."

That makes "low competition" relative. The same keyword can be easy for a site with 200 articles on the topic and hopeless for a domain registered last week. Semrush built a separate Personal Keyword Difficulty score for exactly this reason: it estimates how hard a keyword is for your domain, not for an average one.

#Keyword difficulty vs "competition" in Keyword Planner

Two different metrics share the word "competition":

• Keyword difficulty (KD) is an SEO score from 0 to 100 that estimates how hard it is to reach Google's top 10 organically. Ahrefs calculates it from how many websites link to the current top 10 pages.
• Competition in Google Keyword Planner (low, medium, high) describes how many advertisers bid on the keyword. It says nothing about organic rankings. A keyword can be "high" competition for ads and easy to rank for in SEO.

When people search for "competitive keywords," they usually mean the first kind. For keywords your competitors rank for and you don't, see our keyword gap analysis guide.

#What counts as a low KD in each tool

Every tool calculates difficulty its own way, so a KD of 15 in Ahrefs and 15 in Semrush are not the same thing. More on the metric itself in what is keyword difficulty.

Our rule of thumb for a first filter: KD under 20 for a new site, under 30 once you have a few dozen indexed articles and some referring domains, and higher only when the SERP check says yes. It is a starting point, not a law.

That is also roughly where Outrank lands when it picks keywords automatically for customer sites:

#The 7-step method

#Step 1: Start from customer problems, not topics

Low competition lives in specifics. "CRM" is a battlefield. "CRM for roofing sales reps", "HubSpot alternative for a two-person agency" and "how to follow up stale leads without a CRM" are not.

Before opening a tool, write down the problems, comparisons, integrations and edge cases your customers bring up in sales calls, support tickets and reviews. Then multiply each seed with modifiers:

#Step 2: Expand the list from four sources

1. A keyword tool. Put each seed into a keyword database to get hundreds of variations with volume and KD. Outrank's free keyword research tool needs no signup; Ahrefs Keywords Explorer and Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool go deeper on paid plans.
2. Competitors. Look at the keywords sites like yours already rank for. Pick competitors with similar authority, not the category leader. Our competitive keyword analysis guide shows how to pull and filter their list.
3. Your Search Console. Go to Performance → Search results → Queries, add a Position filter greater than 8, and sort by impressions. Queries where you sit in positions 8–30 are ones Google already associates with you, which makes them the fastest wins.
4. Google's own suggestions and real conversations. Type your seed followed by a space and each letter of the alphabet ("invoice template a", "invoice template b"), then by question words ("how", "can", "which"). Expand two or three "People also ask" questions and more appear. Read the "Related searches" at the bottom of the page and the thread titles on Reddit, Quora and niche forums.

Source 4 matters more than it looks. Ahrefs reports that almost 93% of the keywords in its US database get fewer than 10 searches a month, and many real questions don't appear in any database at all. Our guide on why your content plan should be questions, not keywords explains why these matter even more for AI search.

#Step 3: Filter by difficulty, volume and fit

Cut the list down before you look at a single SERP:

• Difficulty: apply the KD ceiling that matches your site (see above).
• Volume: keep anything with real demand, even 20–50 searches a month. Volume tools under-report the long tail; a keyword showing "0" can still bring visitors.
• Relevance: if you couldn't link the page to something you sell or stand for, cut it.
• Intent fit: if the results are product pages and you'd write a blog post (or the reverse), cut it for now.

For keywords under 250 searches a month, the free Keyword Golden Ratio test below is a quick way to sort what's left.

#Step 4: Run the 5-minute SERP check

This is the step that turns a low KD into a real opportunity, and the one most people skip. Search the keyword in a private window, set to the country you target, and look at the top 10 with these questions:

• Who ranks? Reddit, Quora or niche forums in the top 5 mean Google lacks a good dedicated page. That is the strongest green flag.
• How old are the pages? Posts from three or four years ago with outdated screenshots, prices or tools are beatable.
• Do they answer the query? Pages that rank for a broader topic and only mention your keyword in passing are weak competition.
• Is there a pattern of small sites? If sites with similar or lower authority than yours are on page one, Google is open to newcomers on this query. Check any ranking URL's referring domains with the free backlink checker.
• What format wins? Listicles, how-tos, tools, product pages: match the dominant format or skip the keyword.

The red flags are just as quick to spot: big brands or category leaders whose pages match the query exactly, fresh in-depth guides updated this year, a format you can't produce (interactive tools, product pages, video), and ads, a map pack and an AI Overview stacked above the first organic result. The same domain appearing twice on page one is a green flag, because it means Google has few good options.

One or two green flags make a keyword worth a closer look. Three or more with no red flags is a strong target, even with a KD in the 20s. A keyword with KD 25 and two forum threads on page one is often a better bet than a KD 10 keyword where every result is a big brand that matches the intent perfectly.

#Step 5: Check the click potential

A winnable keyword is only worth it if winning brings clicks. Note what sits above the organic results: ads, a map pack, a featured snippet, or an AI Overview. Ahrefs found the top result's click-through rate is 58% lower when an AI Overview appears (December 2025 data). That doesn't rule a keyword out, but it lowers what it's worth. Our search volume guide has a calculator for turning volume into expected clicks.

#Step 6: Cluster before you write

Keywords that return the same top results belong on the same page. A practical test: if three or more of the top 10 URLs are shared between two keywords, target both with one page. "Best invoicing software for freelancers", "freelancer invoicing software" and "invoicing tool for freelancers" are one page, not three. Writing separate pages splits your signals and can leave them competing with each other.

Pick the variation with the clearest intent as the primary keyword and use the rest in headings, FAQs and internal link anchors. More on the method in what is keyword clustering.

#Step 7: Publish, then watch positions 8–20

New pages usually earn impressions before clicks. After 4–6 weeks, open Search Console, filter by the page, and look at queries in positions 8–20. Those are one update away from page one: add a section that answers them, tighten the title, and add internal links from related posts.

Expect a slow start. In Outrank's study of 2,119 sites, the median site's Google clicks were up 7% after the first 28 days, 27% after 84 days, and 2.0× by month 7. Low competition keywords are how that curve starts.

#The free low competition keyword toolkit

You can run every step above without paying for Ahrefs or Semrush. Free tools give you fewer rows and less history than paid suites; they don't change the SERP check, which is the part that decides.

Use one KD source for all your comparisons. If you later want a paid tool, our list of cheaper Semrush alternatives compares the options.

#The Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR) test

The Keyword Golden Ratio is a free, manual test created by Doug Cunnington in 2015. It compares how many pages put the exact phrase in their title with how many people search for it:

KGR = number of allintitle: results ÷ monthly search volume

To get the first number, search allintitle: followed by your keyword (for example allintitle:invoice template for photographers) and note the approximate result count Google reports. On desktop it may be hidden under Tools below the search bar.

Read KGR as a quick filter with known weaknesses. Google's result counts are rough estimates, allintitle: isn't an officially documented operator, and a title match says nothing about how good the page is. A KGR of 0.1 with a Wikipedia page in position 1 is still a hard keyword. Use it to sort a long list, then run the SERP check.

#The 10 patterns behind low competition keywords

Most easy keywords follow one of these patterns. Learn them and you can generate a list for any niche.

#Low competition keyword examples by niche

These examples follow the patterns above. We haven't attached volumes or KD scores on purpose: both shift month to month, and how hard a keyword is depends on your own site. Swap in your city, product or audience, then run each one through steps 3 and 4.

For deeper lists in three of these niches, see our guides to SEO keywords for software companies, ecommerce keyword research and SEO for plumbers.

The patterns hold in every niche; what changes is how crowded the specific results are. Sites on Outrank publish articles that mostly target low-difficulty keywords, and in our AI SEO agents study, no niche with at least 25 sites had fewer than 70% of its sites growing their Google clicks:

SaaS and e-commerce sit at the bottom for a reason: both niches are crowded with review sites and marketplaces, so the patterns need to be narrower there (specific audiences, integrations, small-brand comparisons).

#The low competition keyword checklist

Use it for each keyword on your shortlist. Your progress saves in your browser.

#A worked example: scheduling software

Say you sell scheduling software for home-service businesses. The seed "scheduling software" is broad and dominated by review sites and big vendors. Modifiers turn it into a ladder:

The "likely competition" column is a hypothesis until you run the SERP check from Step 4 on each one. A sensible plan starts with the informational cluster (recurring maintenance visits, reminders, no-show reduction), which builds topical relevance, and adds one commercial page like the Jobber alternative if its SERP passes the checklist.

#How to keep the list profitable

Easy keywords are only worth it if the visitors are worth something to you:

• Use CPC as a value signal. What advertisers pay per click (shown in Keyword Planner and in Outrank's free tool) is a decent proxy for commercial value. Higher CPC usually means buyers.
• Add commercial modifiers. "Best X for Y", "X alternative", "X vs Y", "X pricing" and "X template" attract people closer to a decision than "what is X".
• Look for comparisons between small products. "Tool A vs Tool B" where neither is a household name often has a weak SERP and buyers ready to choose.
• Mix in informational clusters. Not every page needs to sell. Pages that answer early questions build the topical relevance that helps your commercial pages rank.

#Low competition and high traffic: does it exist?

Rarely, and usually not for long. A keyword with thousands of searches and a weak first page attracts competitors fast, and any list of them published online is read by your competitors too. Here is the search volume of the main keyword behind the articles Outrank wrote for customer sites, where keyword selection favors terms each site can realistically win:

Only 3.3% of those keywords had more than 1,000 searches a month. The realistic ways to get "high traffic, low competition" are:

• Clusters, not single keywords. Twenty long-tail keywords at 100 searches each add up to more traffic than one 2,000-search head term you'll never rank for, and a good page ranks for many of them at once. See long-tail keyword research.
• Rising topics. New products, features, regulations and tools create search demand before the big sites cover them. Google Trends with a 12-month window shows what's climbing.
• Format gaps. If every result is a long article and the query wants a quick answer, a template or a calculator, the right format can outrank higher-authority pages.

#Mistakes that waste low competition keywords

• Trusting KD alone. It counts backlinks to ranking pages. It can't see that the top result is a two-paragraph post from 2019.
• Comparing KD across tools. Pick one tool and use it consistently.
• One page per variation. Thin, overlapping pages cannibalize each other. Cluster first.
• Ignoring format. If the SERP shows calculators, a blog post loses no matter how good it is.
• Giving up at 8 weeks. Most pages need months, and the first rankings usually come from long-tail variations you never targeted.

If you'd rather not run this method by hand, Outrank does the keyword selection for you: it researches your niche and competitors, picks keywords your site can rank for (the KD chart above is what that looks like across 4,348 sites), and writes and publishes one article a day.

#FAQ

#What are low competition keywords?

Low competition keywords are search terms where the pages ranking on Google's first page are weak enough for your site to outrank: few backlinks, thin or outdated content, or a poor match for the searcher's intent. They usually have a low keyword difficulty score, but the live results are what confirm it.

#What does KD mean in SEO?

KD stands for keyword difficulty, a 0–100 score that estimates how hard it is to rank in Google's top 10 for a keyword. Most tools calculate it from the backlinks pointing to the pages that currently rank, so it doesn't account for content quality or intent match.

#What is a good keyword difficulty for a new website?

Start under KD 20 in Ahrefs or under 30 in Semrush (its "very easy" and "easy" bands), then confirm each keyword with a SERP check. Once you have a few dozen indexed articles and some referring domains, you can move into the 20–40 range. The median KD of the keywords Outrank targets for customer sites is 14.

#Can I find low competition keywords for free?

Yes. Use Google autocomplete and People also ask for ideas, Search Console for queries you already rank for, Outrank's free keyword research tool or Semrush's free plan for KD, and the Keyword Golden Ratio to sort long lists. The SERP check itself costs nothing, and it decides most keywords.

#How do I find low competition keywords with high traffic?

Look for clusters rather than single keywords: a group of related long-tail terms can add up to thousands of searches even when each has under 200. Also watch rising topics in Google Trends and queries where the SERP shows the wrong format. Single keywords with high volume and a weak first page are rare.

#Where can I find a list of low competition keywords?

Use the examples by niche above as templates, then generate your own: put a seed keyword in a free tool, filter for a low KD, and check the results on Google. A list built for your niche and your site's authority beats any generic list, because competition is relative to your site.

#What are the lowest competition keywords?

Usually very specific questions, problems and comparisons that no dedicated page answers yet, such as a troubleshooting question answered only by a Reddit thread. Many show zero volume in keyword tools, because almost 93% of the keywords in Ahrefs' US database get fewer than 10 searches a month.

#What is a good Keyword Golden Ratio score?

Under 0.25 is the target, meaning few pages put the exact phrase in their title compared with how many people search for it. Scores from 0.25 to 1 can still work if the SERP is weak; above 1, many pages already target the phrase. The method is designed for keywords with 250 or fewer monthly searches, and because Google's allintitle counts are approximate, treat it as a first filter rather than a ranking predictor.

#Are low competition keywords worth it if the volume is low?

Usually, yes. A page that ranks for a low-volume keyword tends to rank for many related variations, and specific searches bring visitors closer to a decision. The median keyword Outrank targets for its customers gets 170 searches a month.

#How long does it take to rank for low competition keywords?

Weeks to months, depending on your site's authority and how weak the SERP is. Across 2,119 sites in Outrank's study, the median site's clicks were up 7% after 28 days, 27% after 84 days and 2.0× by month 7. Plan for a slow first quarter.

#What's the difference between keyword difficulty and Keyword Planner competition?

Keyword difficulty estimates how hard it is to rank organically, mostly from backlinks to the current top 10 pages. Keyword Planner's competition column measures how many advertisers bid on the keyword. A keyword can be high competition for ads and still easy to rank for organically.