How to Find Low Competition Keywords: A SERP-First Method That Goes Beyond KD

Finding low competition keywords is not as simple as filtering a keyword tool for a green difficulty score.

A useful keyword needs relevant search demand, the right search intent, realistic competition, and enough business value to justify creating the page. The final decision should come from the live search results—not one metric.

This guide shows you how to find low competition keywords, evaluate the pages already ranking, identify high-volume and long-tail opportunities, and decide whether a keyword deserves a Target, Maybe, or Skip verdict.

Quick Answer: How Do You Find Low Competition Keywords?

To find low competition keywords:

1. Start with topics relevant to your website.
2. Generate keyword ideas with Ahrefs, Semrush, Google, competitors, or community discussions.
3. Use keyword difficulty and search volume to create a shortlist.
4. Check the search intent.
5. Inspect the live top-ranking pages.
6. Compare their backlinks, page strength, content quality, and relevance with your own website.
7. Check whether SERP features may reduce organic clicks.
8. Target the keyword only if you can create a page that serves the searcher better.

Keyword Difficulty should help you shortlist opportunities. It should not make the final decision.

Google explicitly warns that third-party SEO tools do not have access to its internal ranking data and that their predictions should be evaluated critically rather than treated as guarantees. ↗

What Are Low Competition Keywords?

Low competition keywords are search queries where your website has a realistic opportunity to compete with the pages currently ranking in organic search.

The word realistic matters.

A keyword is not automatically easy because:

• its KD is 5;
• it contains six words;
• Reddit ranks;
• search volume is low;
• a tool labels it “Easy.”

Competition depends on what is already on the SERP and how your website compares.

For example, a keyword with KD 12 could still be difficult if:

• every result perfectly matches intent;
• the ranking pages are highly authoritative;
• their content is excellent;
• your website has little topical relevance.

A KD 25 keyword may sometimes be more attainable if Page 1 contains:

• weak articles;
• outdated answers;
• pages with few links;
• poor intent matches;
• community discussions filling an editorial gap.

That is why I treat difficulty metrics as screening tools, not verdicts.

Low Competition Does Not Mean Low KD

One of the most common keyword research mistakes is:

KD is low → keyword is easy → publish.

That skips most of the analysis.

Google itself now advises site owners to think critically about third-party SEO tools because their data and predictions are not Google's internal ranking data. ↗

A keyword difficulty score cannot fully measure:

• your topical authority;
• your content quality;
• your internal links;
• the exact search intent;
• page experience;
• brand strength;
• how well competing pages satisfy users;
• SERP features;
• Google's other ranking systems.

Ahrefs acknowledges this limitation directly: its KD is an absolute benchmark based primarily on links, rather than a personalized prediction for your website. ↗

Use KD like this

Good use:

“This keyword may be worth investigating.”

Bad use:

“KD is 8, so I will rank.”

A Real Example: The Keyword Used for This Article

This article itself is a useful example of why you should cross-check tools.

For:

how to find low competition keywords

my research showed:

Same query.

Different estimates.

If I blindly trusted only one tool, my conclusion could be different.

So I continued to the actual SERP.

The live results included an AI Overview, Reddit, Quora, Semrush, LinkedIn, videos, specialist SEO blogs, and other community/editorial pages.

That told me more than KD alone:

• Google accepts article/how-to content.
• Community experience matters for this query.
• The SERP is not controlled only by one content format.
• Some ranking pages have relatively few page-level backlinks.
• The user wants practical methods, not only definitions.

That is the kind of validation you should perform before choosing a keyword.

My SERP-First Method for Finding Low Competition Keywords

I use a simple rule:

Tools generate candidates. The SERP qualifies them.

The workflow below turns that principle into a repeatable process.

Step 1: Start With Topics Your Website Should Actually Cover

Do not begin with KD.

Begin with relevance.

Ask:

• Who is my audience?
• What problems do they have?
• What do I already have expertise in?
• What services or products does the site offer?
• What topics already exist on the site?
• What topic should this website become known for?

Google's people-first content guidance asks whether a site has an intended audience, a clear primary purpose, and first-hand expertise that makes the content genuinely useful. ↗

That matters because an easy keyword outside your expertise can still be a bad SEO decision.

Example

An SEO website finding:

best air fryer for dorm rooms

may discover low competition.

But it has little relationship with the site's audience or topical focus.

Skip it.

A better opportunity would be:

how to find low competition keywords

because the topic belongs naturally within SEO education and keyword research.

Step 2: Generate a Wide Keyword List

Now build candidates.

Use several sources.

Keyword tools

• Ahrefs
• Semrush
• Google Keyword Planner

Google itself

• Autocomplete
• People Also Ask
• related searches
• existing SERPs

Competitors

Look at:

• keywords they rank for;
• pages getting traffic;
• gaps where weaker pages rank;
• topics where they have not fully answered intent.

Communities

Search:

• Reddit
• Quora
• specialist forums
• LinkedIn
• YouTube comments

Communities are useful because users often describe problems differently from SEO tools.

Your goal at this stage is not:

find the winner.

It is:

build the candidate pool.

Step 3: Apply Filters, but Treat Them as Starting Points

Filtering removes obviously unrealistic candidates.

For example, while researching this article, I experimented with filters such as:

• informational intent;
• non-branded;
• non-local;
• 5+ words;
• minimum search demand;
• low/moderate KD;
• a lower-DR domain appearing near the top results.

These are useful discovery filters.

They are not universal SEO rules.

Your thresholds should change based on:

• website authority;
• niche;
• content quality;
• resources;
• business goals.

Example starting filter for a newer site

The important step comes next.

Step 4: Check Search Intent Before Competition

A keyword can have:

• KD 2;
• 1,000 searches;
• weak backlinks;

and still be a terrible blog target.

Why?

Because Google may want something completely different.

Check Page 1.

What is ranking?

Informational intent

• guides;
• tutorials;
• definitions;
• studies.

Commercial investigation

• comparisons;
• “best” lists;
• alternatives;
• reviews.

Transactional

• products;
• ecommerce categories;
• booking pages.

Tool intent

• calculators;
• generators;
• checkers;
• interactive tools.

If the SERP ranks tools and you plan to publish a generic 2,000-word blog post, low KD will not rescue the intent mismatch.

Semrush's keyword intent system similarly treats words in the query and existing SERP characteristics as core intent signals. ↗

Step 5: Inspect the Actual Page 1 Competitors

This is the step many keyword tutorials rush through.

Do not only look at domain authority.

Open the results.

For every important ranking URL, evaluate:

• page type;
• content quality;
• relevance;
• freshness;
• referring domains;
• page-level strength;
• depth;
• first-hand experience;
• examples;
• media;
• internal authority;
• whether the answer actually satisfies the query.

Weak SERP signals can include

• outdated content;
• thin answers;
• discussion threads ranking because no strong guide exists;
• low-authority independent pages;
• poorly matched intent;
• weak page-level backlinks;
• duplicate or generic articles;
• incomplete answers.

None of these individually guarantees easy rankings.

Together they can indicate opportunity.

Step 6: Do Not Confuse a Weak Page With a Weak Domain

This distinction matters.

Suppose you see:

Medium article — 0 page backlinks

That does not mean:

Medium is a weak website.

Likewise:

• Reddit;
• Quora;
• LinkedIn;
• Facebook.

These are powerful domains even when an individual page has few links.

So inspect both:

Domain-level strength

How authoritative is the overall website?

Page-level strength

How strong is the actual ranking URL?

A SERP containing several high-authority platforms with weak individual pages can still be interesting.

But:

Reddit ranking is not automatically proof of low competition.

Why Reddit and Quora Rankings Are Useful Signals—but Not Guarantees

For this article's target query, Reddit and Quora appear prominently in current search results.

That tells us something about intent.

Users may value:

• personal opinions;
• real workflows;
• practical experiences;
• different viewpoints.

However, Reddit could rank because Google believes the query benefits from community discussion.

That does not mean a standard blog will automatically replace it.

Ask:

Why is the community result ranking?

If the answer is:

“No strong editorial page answers the question well,”

there may be an opportunity.

If the answer is:

“Searchers specifically want community experiences,”

your article needs strong first-hand examples rather than generic SEO theory.

Step 7: Check Whether You Can Provide a Better Answer

This is the most important content question.

Google's helpful-content guidance asks whether your page offers original information, analysis, substantial value, and something meaningfully better than the existing search results. ↗

Do not ask:

Can I write 3,000 words?

Ask:

Can I improve the user's decision?

For this article, simply repeating:

“Use Semrush and choose KD below 30”

would add very little.

A better answer includes:

• cross-tool comparison;
• SERP validation;
• page-level analysis;
• Target / Maybe / Skip decisions;
• long-tail myths;
• high-volume trade-offs;
• free alternatives;
• post-publish validation.

That is information gain.

Step 8: Check Click Opportunity, Not Only Search Volume

Search volume is not the same as organic traffic.

Modern SERPs can contain:

• AI Overviews;
• ads;
• featured snippets;
• People Also Ask;
• videos;
• shopping results;
• tools;
• maps.

Google's AI Overview documentation explains that AI features may provide answers while also linking users to supporting web sources. ↗

So evaluate:

How much opportunity remains for a normal organic result?

Example

Keyword A:

• 2,000 searches
• aggressive ads
• AI Overview
• calculator
• videos
• strong brands

Keyword B:

• 700 searches
• simple informational SERP
• weak articles
• fewer distractions

Keyword B may produce the better organic opportunity.

Step 9: Check Business Value

The easiest keyword is useless if the visitor has no value to you.

Ask:

• Is the searcher part of my audience?
• Could this visitor become a lead or customer?
• Does the page support another important page?
• Does the topic strengthen my expertise?
• Can this article earn useful internal links?
• Does it support a larger topic cluster?

A strong keyword creates more than impressions.

It should support a useful journey.

Use a Target, Maybe, or Skip Decision

Once you have reviewed the keyword, force yourself to make a decision.

This prevents endless keyword spreadsheets.

How to Find High Volume Low Competition Keywords

This is one of the most common variations of the main question.

People want:

high traffic + low effort

The combination exists, but it is naturally harder to find.

Look for situations where demand has grown faster than good content.

Common opportunities

• emerging topics;
• new products/features;
• underserved long-tail subtopics;
• weak niche competitors;
• outdated Page 1 results;
• high-volume terms with poor intent coverage;
• new terminology;
• community discussions ranking instead of definitive resources.

Do not chase volume alone.

A high-volume keyword is only valuable when:

you can compete and the traffic matters.

Search Volume vs Traffic Potential

These are different concepts.

Search volume

Estimated monthly searches for a specific query.

Traffic potential

The broader organic traffic a ranking page may receive from the main keyword and related queries.

One strong page can rank for many terms.

That is why you should avoid creating a separate article for every slight keyword variation.

Google's 2026 generative-search guidance specifically cautions against producing separate pages for every possible query variation simply to manipulate search visibility. ↗

Example cluster

These likely belong in one strong page:

• how to find low competition keywords
• find low competition keywords
• how to find keywords with low competition
• high volume low competition keywords
• low difficulty keywords
• low competition keyword research

Do not create six near-identical articles.

You may create your own keyword cannibalization problem.

How to Find Low Competition Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords can be excellent opportunities.

But there is a major misconception:

Long-tail does not mean easy.

A seven-word query can still have:

• strong brands;
• excellent content;
• heavy links;
• highly specific intent.

And a shorter query can have a weak SERP.

Use word count for discovery

A 4–5+ word filter can help surface specific questions.

Then validate every candidate normally.

Check:

• intent;
• actual SERP;
• page strength;
• content quality;
• demand;
• business value.

Word count is a filter. Not a ranking factor or difficulty guarantee.

How to Find Low Competition Keywords for Free

You do not need an expensive SEO platform to start.

Paid tools make research faster.

They do not replace judgment.

1. Google Autocomplete

Type your seed topic and study specific suggestions.

Look for:

• how;
• why;
• when;
• for;
• without;
• vs;
• problems;
• mistakes.

Do not assume every suggestion has meaningful demand.

Use it for discovery.

2. People Also Ask

PAA can reveal questions users ask around the topic.

Look beyond the exact wording.

Identify recurring problems.

For example:

How do I find keywords with low competition?

and:

How can I find high-volume low-competition keywords?

may belong to one comprehensive article rather than separate pages.

3. Google Keyword Planner

Keyword Planner can provide keyword ideas and estimated monthly searches.

But one metric needs clarification.

Google states that Keyword Planner's Competition metric reflects how many advertisers showed for a keyword relative to other keywords in Google Ads—not how difficult the organic SERP is. ↗

So:

Low Google Ads competition ≠ low SEO competition.

Use Keyword Planner mainly for:

• ideas;
• demand estimates;
• commercial clues.

Then inspect organic results separately.

4. Google Search Console

If your site already receives impressions, GSC can reveal some of your best low-hanging opportunities.

Look for queries where you are already around:

• positions 8–20;
• getting impressions;
• relevant to an existing page;
• receiving low CTR.

Often improving an existing page is easier than starting from zero.

Google specifically recommends Search Console because it provides site owners data directly from Google Search, rather than predictions from third-party tools. ↗

5. Reddit, Quora, and Forums

Search discussions in your niche.

Look for repeated questions.

Especially useful signals:

• people asking the same thing repeatedly;
• answers are outdated;
• nobody provides a complete solution;
• existing Google results are weak.

These questions can help you discover demand SEO databases may underrepresent.

How to Find Low Competition Keywords With Ahrefs

Ahrefs is useful for reducing a huge keyword list into something manageable.

A practical workflow:

1. Enter a relevant seed topic.
2. Open Matching Terms.
3. Use informational/question filters where appropriate.
4. Apply a reasonable KD range.
5. Add a minimum volume if needed.
6. Test longer phrases.
7. Review SERP competitors.
8. Inspect page-level referring domains.
9. compare the site's strength with ranking pages.
10. manually validate the SERP.

Ahrefs' own documentation makes clear that KD mainly reflects backlink strength across ranking pages and does not account for your site's individual authority. ↗

That is why the SERP review is mandatory.

How to Find Low Competition Keywords With Semrush

Semrush can help you evaluate:

• search volume;
• intent;
• KD;
• Personal KD;
• keyword variations;
• questions;
• current SERP competitors.

Semrush's Personal Keyword Difficulty attempts to estimate ranking difficulty relative to the specific domain rather than using only the general industry-level KD. ↗

This can improve prioritization.

Still:

do not outsource the decision to the metric.

Open the SERP.

Read the competing pages.

How to Find Profitable Keywords With Low Competition

Traffic does not automatically equal revenue.

For each candidate, ask:

What happens after the click?

A keyword may be useful if it:

• leads naturally to a service;
• supports a product category;
• attracts the right audience;
• assists a buying decision;
• builds trust before conversion;
• strengthens another commercial page.

Example

Keyword A:

history of search engines

Easy.

High traffic.

Little commercial alignment for an SEO consultant.

Keyword B:

how to choose keywords for a new website

Lower volume.

But the searcher is actively solving an SEO problem.

Keyword B may be more valuable.

Should You Target Low Search Volume Keywords?

Sometimes.

Low-volume keywords can be useful when they have:

• strong commercial intent;
• high conversion potential;
• little competition;
• cluster value;
• emerging demand;
• very specific problems.

Do not automatically reject a keyword because a tool reports 10 or 20 searches.

Search-volume tools provide estimates.

They are useful.

They are not perfect counts of all future traffic.

Your decision should combine:

demand + intent + cluster potential + business value + SERP opportunity

Do Zero Competition Keywords Exist?

A tool may show:

KD 0

That does not mean:

nobody competes.

It usually means the tool's measured difficulty signals are very low.

For example, Ahrefs' KD focuses heavily on referring domains to ranking pages. A KD 0 result may simply mean those pages have very few backlinks. ↗

The SERP may still contain:

• extremely relevant pages;
• authoritative domains;
• strong brands;
• difficult intent.

So treat:

KD 0

as:

investigate immediately

not:

guaranteed ranking.

A Low Competition Keyword List Is Not Universal

People often search for:

low competition keywords list

The problem is that the same list cannot be equally easy for everyone.

Imagine:

Website A

• five years old;
• hundreds of referring domains;
• strong topical authority.

Website B

• launched last month;
• very few links;
• ten pages.

The same keyword does not represent the same challenge.

A useful low competition list needs context.

At minimum, it should consider:

• niche;
• authority;
• relevance;
• intent;
• existing content;
• SERP strength.

That's why learning the process is more valuable than downloading a random list.

My Low Competition Keyword Scorecard

Use this before approving a topic.

Decision

8–10 strong signals: TARGET

5–7: MAYBE

Below 5: usually SKIP

This is a prioritization framework—not a Google ranking formula.

Do's and Don'ts for Low Competition Keyword Research

Common Mistakes When Finding Low Competition Keywords

Mistake 1: Filtering by KD and stopping

The shortlist is the beginning.

Not the end.

Mistake 2: Assuming 5+ words means easy

Longer queries are often more specific.

They are not guaranteed to have weak competition.

Mistake 3: Looking only at Domain Rating

Strong domains can have weak pages.

Weak domains can have excellent, highly relevant pages.

Analyze both.

Mistake 4: Treating Reddit as proof the SERP is weak

Understand why Reddit is ranking first.

Community intent may be part of the query.

Mistake 5: Choosing high volume without looking at SERP features

AI Overviews, ads, videos, tools, and other SERP elements can change click opportunity.

Mistake 6: Creating multiple pages for keyword variations

Google's current generative-search guidance recommends focusing on useful core content rather than producing separate pages for every query variation. ↗

One page should often cover the whole task.

Mistake 7: Ignoring your existing content

Before publishing, search your own site.

You may need to:

• update;
• expand;
• consolidate;
• internally link;

instead of creating another URL.

What I Check Before I Call a Keyword “Low Competition”

When researching low-KD keywords for SEO work, I do not recommend a keyword based on KD alone.

I check:

• the keyword's intent;
• search demand;
• top-ranking URLs;
• page-level links;
• domain strength;
• community results;
• content quality;
• freshness;
• topical fit;
• business value;
• existing site content.

I also use similar manual validation when researching low-KD keyword opportunities for my Fiverr keyword research work.

The tool narrows the list.

The SERP determines whether the opportunity survives.

How to Validate a Low Competition Keyword After Publishing

Keyword research does not end when you hit Publish.

Use Google Search Console.

Track:

• impressions;
• ranking queries;
• average position;
• clicks;
• CTR;
• page-level query growth.

After indexing, ask:

Is Google testing the page?

Impressions increasing is often the first useful signal.

Are related long-tail terms appearing?

That suggests your page is being understood beyond one exact phrase.

Is the page moving toward Page 1?

If yes, continue improving it.

Is a different existing URL ranking instead?

Check possible keyword cannibalization.

Are impressions growing but CTR weak?

Review title/snippet relevance.

Is there no movement after sufficient time?

Re-evaluate:

• intent;
• content gap;
• internal links;
• authority;
• competition.

The purpose is not to prove your keyword tool was right.

It is to learn from real Google data.

How Low Competition Keyword Research Fits AI Overviews and LLM Search

Do not create separate “SEO,” “AEO,” and “GEO” versions of the same page.

Google says its normal SEO best practices remain relevant to AI Overviews and AI Mode and that there are no special technical requirements beyond normal Search eligibility. ↗

Its 2026 generative-search guidance emphasizes something more important:

unique, useful, non-commodity content based on real knowledge and experience. ↗

For this topic, that means providing:

• an actual decision framework;
• real research examples;
• clear definitions;
• original screenshots;
• evidence;
• concise answers;
• repeatable steps;
• practical Do's and Don'ts.

That is more useful to humans.

It also creates information that AI systems can clearly retrieve and summarize.

Final Low Competition Keyword Checklist

Before creating the page, confirm:

Relevance

• Does the keyword belong to my niche?
• Does my audience care?

Demand

• Is there enough useful search interest?
• Does the broader cluster have traffic potential?

Intent

• What content type dominates Page 1?
• Can I match it?

Difficulty

• What does more than one tool say?
• Have I checked the actual SERP?

Competition

• How strong are ranking pages?
• How many referring domains do they have?
• Are weaker sites/pages already ranking?

Content

• Can I offer something better?
• Do I have first-hand knowledge?
• Can I add examples, data, or a better framework?

Business value

• Is the visitor valuable to the site?

Existing content

• Do I already have a page for the same task?

Final decision

TARGET / MAYBE / SKIP

Frequently Asked Questions