Keyword Research: Find Low-Competition Keywords

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Keyword Research: Find Low-Competition Keywords

Slug: keyword-research-find-low-competition-keywords
Meta Description: Learn how to find low-competition keywords that drive targeted traffic. Master keyword research techniques and tools to dominate your SEO strategy.

Introduction

Keyword research is the bedrock of successful SEO. While high-volume keywords are tempting, the real growth often comes from low-competition keywords. These keywords are less saturated, easier to rank for, and typically convert better because they reflect more specific user intent.

Whether you’re optimizing blog posts, product pages, or service landing pages, finding and targeting low-competition keywords can put you on the path to ranking on Google faster—especially if your site is newer or less authoritative.

This guide will show you exactly how to uncover, evaluate, and use low-competition keywords to generate more organic traffic and outrank your competitors in 2025.

What Are Low-Competition Keywords?

Low-competition keywords are search terms that have:

• Lower keyword difficulty (KD) or SEO competition,
• Reasonable search volume, and
• High intent relevance to your audience.

These keywords are often overlooked by larger websites but are golden opportunities for niche blogs, startups, and newer sites.

Key characteristics:

• Long-tail in structure (e.g., “best SEO plugin for WordPress 2025”)
• Less than 30 in keyword difficulty (varies by tool)
• Often under 1,000 monthly searches, but high intent
• Easier to rank in the top 10 on Google with solid content and structure

🔗 Also Read: SEO for Beginners: How to Rank #1 on Google – A great starting point for understanding ranking mechanics.

Why Focus on Low-Competition Keywords in 2025?

The SEO landscape is evolving. With Google’s algorithm updates becoming smarter and competition increasing, low-competition keywords allow you to:

• Rank faster with fewer backlinks,
• Build topical authority in your niche,
• Generate qualified leads from highly targeted traffic,
• Improve ROI by focusing on content gaps your competitors ignore.

This strategy is especially effective for blogs and e-commerce businesses looking to get traction without massive budgets.

🔗 Next Up: E-Commerce SEO Tips to Boost Sales in 2025 – See how low-competition keywords drive conversions for online stores.

Step 1: Understand Your Niche & Search Intent

Before diving into tools, define your target audience and content goals. Ask:

• What problems are they solving?
• What words or phrases do they use to describe those problems?
• Are they looking to buy, learn, or compare?

Use the 4 types of search intent to guide you:

• Informational: “How to speed up a WordPress site”
• Navigational: “Rank Math SEO settings”
• Transactional: “Buy SEO plugin for WooCommerce”
• Comparative: “Rank Math vs Yoast 2025”

Structure your content to match intent. For example, blog posts often target informational keywords, while product pages focus on transactional ones.

🔗 Recommended: SEO Content Writing: Create Posts Google Loves – Learn how to align keyword targeting with content strategy.

Step 2: Use Keyword Research Tools Effectively

While your brain and intuition help generate seed keywords, tools take things to the next level.

Best Tools to Find Low-Competition Keywords:

1. Google Search Autocomplete & People Also Ask
2. Ubersuggest
3. Ahrefs / SEMrush – Use Keyword Difficulty (KD) filters
4. Google Search Console – Find low-impression, high-CTR queries
5. AnswerThePublic – Discover long-tail questions
6. Rank Math SEO Plugin (for WordPress users) – Easily optimize content once keywords are chosen

Pro Tip:

Use filters to display keywords with:

• Search volume: 100–1000
• KD: under 30
• Word count: 4+
• CPC: $0.10+ (signals commercial intent)

Step 3: Look for Keyword Gaps in Your Niche

Use competitor analysis to find keywords they’re not targeting well. You can:

• Enter a competitor’s domain into Ahrefs or SEMrush.
• Navigate to “Content Gap” or “Top Pages” reports.
• Identify underperforming keywords where your content can shine.

This is a goldmine for discovering:

• Untapped long-tail keywords
• Specific location-based terms
• Underserved questions

🔗 Explore More: Local SEO Tips to Rank #1 in Your Area – Perfect for discovering local keyword gaps.

Step 4: Identify Long-Tail Keyword Variations

Long-tail keywords are 4+ word phrases that are highly specific. They often represent late-stage intent (ready to act), making them perfect for converting traffic.

For example:

• Broad: “SEO plugin”
• Long-tail: “best free SEO plugin for beginners 2025”

How to find them:

• Google Autocomplete + alphabet soup method (type your keyword followed by a, b, c…)
• Use AnswerThePublic to find questions
• Scan forums and Reddit for natural phrasing
• Use “related searches” at the bottom of Google results

Include long-tail keywords naturally within your headings and subheadings to boost semantic relevance.

🔗 Need More Help? Voice Search SEO: 9 Ways to Stay Ahead in 2025 – Long-tail strategy aligns perfectly with voice search trends.

Step 5: Evaluate Keyword Difficulty & Competition

Low search volume isn’t enough. You also need to assess how hard it is to rank.

Here’s how:

• Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to check Keyword Difficulty scores.
• Manually inspect the top 10 search results.
• Look for:
  • Weak domains with low authority (DA/DR)
  • Forums, Quora answers, or outdated pages
  • Poorly optimized titles and meta descriptions
  • Content under 1000 words

These are signs you can outrank them with well-optimized, fresh content.

Step 6: Map Keywords to Content Types

Once you’ve selected your low-competition keywords, you need to map them to content types:

• Blog articles – Informational keywords
• Landing pages – Transactional or commercial keywords
• Pillar content – Medium-difficulty keywords with subtopics
• FAQs and how-tos – Questions and long-tail variants

This prevents keyword cannibalization and helps Rank Math organize your SEO structure effectively within WordPress.

🔗 See Related: Top 10 SEO Mistakes to Avoid in 2025 – Keyword duplication is one of them!

Step 7: Optimize Your Content Strategically

Now that you’ve identified the keyword, it’s time to place it smartly.

On-Page Placement Best Practices:

• Title Tag: Include the keyword at the beginning
• Meta Description: Use both primary and secondary keywords naturally
• H1 Tag: Should include the primary keyword
• First 200 Words: Introduce a secondary keyword (not in the first sentence)
• H2s and H3s: Use long-tail and LSI variants
• URL Slug: Keep it short and keyword-rich
• Last Paragraph: Repeat the primary keyword to signal topic closure

All of these can be managed using Rank Math’s SEO Scorecard in your WordPress editor.

🔗 Helpful Resource: 15 On-Page SEO Tips to Boost Rankings in 2025 – For full optimization techniques.

Step 8: Monitor Keyword Performance

Once your post is published, it’s crucial to track how your low-competition keywords are performing.

Tools to Use:

• Rank Math Analytics – Directly within WordPress
• Google Search Console – Monitor impressions, CTR, and average position
• Ahrefs/SEMrush – Track specific keyword rankings and backlinks

Focus on improving content that is:

• Stuck on page 2 (optimize more aggressively)
• Getting high impressions but low clicks (tweak title/meta)
• Ranking for unintentional keywords (adjust content scope)

🔗 Dig Deeper: Track SEO Performance With Top Tools & Metrics

Conclusion

Low-competition keyword research isn’t about going after scraps—it’s about finding strategic openings your competitors missed. When you consistently publish optimized content targeting these opportunities, you build topical authority, attract better traffic, and rank faster.

Armed with the right tools, intent alignment, and optimization practices, your content can perform well even in competitive niches. Combine keyword research with a strong internal linking strategy and clean technical SEO, and you’re well on your way to ranking #1 on Google.

🔗 Next Read: Off-Page SEO Mastery: How to Build Authority & Backlinks That Last – Boost keyword performance with trusted backlinks.