How to Find Low‑Competition Keywords for SEO (Free Methods) – 2026

If your blog is new and you’re trying to rank for big keywords like “best phone” or “make money online”, you’ve probably already noticed: nothing happens. Those terms are dominated by huge sites. The trick in 2026 is simple but powerful—go after low‑competition keywords that bigger sites ignore, especially long questions and very specific topics.

Below is a practical way to do that using only free tools and a bit of manual work.

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What “low‑competition keyword” actually means

In real life, a low‑competition keyword is:

• Specific (usually 3+ words)
  
• Searched by real people every month
  
• Not dominated by big brands or super‑strong articles
  

Compare these two:

• “blogging” → too broad, impossible for a new site
  
• “how to start a blog for students in india” → much easier, clearer intent
  

We want the second type.

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Step 1: Start with Google’s own suggestions

Open an incognito window and type your main topic into Google.

Example: money making apps

Watch what Google autocompletes:

• money making apps in india 2026
  
• money making apps for students
  
• money making apps that actually pay
  

These are real searches from users. The longer ones (4–6 words) are often easier to rank for.

Hack: add letters after your keyword:

money making apps a, money making apps b … until z

You’ll uncover dozens of hidden ideas.

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Step 2: Steal ideas from “People also ask” and “Related searches”

Click on one suggestion and scroll the results.

You’ll usually see a “People also ask” box. Open a few questions and more will appear.

Example questions:

• Which app gives real money in India?
  
• Which app is best for earning money without investment?
  

Each of these can become:

• A section in your main article, or
  
• A separate article targeting that exact question
  

Then scroll to the bottom for “Related searches”. Those phrases are more keyword ideas you can collect.

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Step 3: Use Google Trends to avoid dead topics

Before you spend time writing, check if the topic is alive.

1. Open Google Trends
   
2. Type your keyword
   
3. Set Country: India, Time: Past 12 months
   

If the graph is flat or going up → good.
If it’s dropping like a stone → maybe skip or re‑angle the topic.

Also look at “Related queries” in Trends. Many of them are rising searches that have very little competition yet.

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Step 4: Use a free keyword tool for rough numbers

Now you have a rough list. Let’s add some data.

With free tools or browser extensions you can:

• Type a seed keyword
  
• Get a list of related phrases
  
• See rough search volume estimates
  

You don’t need perfect numbers. Just ask:

• Is this keyword completely dead (0 everywhere)?
  
• Or does it have at least some monthly interest?
  

For a new site, even 50–200 searches/month is worth targeting. Ten such posts can bring serious traffic.

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Step 5: Manually check the competition (the most important part)

This is where most people are lazy. Don’t skip it.

Search your keyword in Google and open the first 5–10 results.

Look for:

• Are the top results giant websites (Wikipedia, big news sites, huge brands)?
  
• Or do you see small blogs, forums, and Q&A pages (Reddit, Quora, random sites)?
  
• Is the content genuinely helpful, or just 600 words of fluff?
  
• Is the article old (e.g., written in 2019 for a fast‑changing topic like apps)?
  

If page 1 is full of small sites + thin or outdated content, that keyword is a strong candidate.

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Step 6: Quick “allintitle” check (optional but useful)

In Google search, type:

allintitle:your exact keyword here

Example:

allintitle:money making apps that actually pay in india

This shows how many pages have that exact phrase in their title.

Very rough rule:

• Under 50 results → very low competition
  
• 50–200 → still okay
  
• 200+ → harder (especially for new sites)
  

If you’re choosing between two similar keywords, pick the one with fewer “allintitle” results.

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Step 7: Group your keywords into topics, not random posts

Instead of writing 50 disconnected posts, group keywords around themes.

Example cluster: money‑making apps

• money making apps in india 2026
  
• money making apps for students
  
• money making apps without investment
  
• money making apps that actually pay
  

Plan:

• One big “pillar” guide covering the whole topic
  
• Several smaller posts answering specific questions
  
• Internal links between them
  

Google loves this kind of structure, and readers do too.

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Step 8: Use AI as a helper, not a crutch

AI can speed up research:

• “Give me 30 long‑tail keyword ideas about [topic] for Indian users.”
  
• “Group these keywords into 5 main topics with search intent labels.”
  

Then you double‑check everything using the Google steps above. Don’t just trust AI’s guesses about volume or difficulty.

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Step 9: Pick your targets with a simple scoring sheet

Open a spreadsheet and create three columns:

• Relevance (1–3) – how well it fits your blog
  
• Interest (1–3) – based on volume + Trends
  
• Competition (1–3) – based on SERP strength (1 = weak, 3 = very strong)
  

Then calculate:

Priority score = Relevance + Interest – Competition

Higher scores → better topics to write first.

This is simple, but it forces you to think logically instead of randomly.

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Step 10: Publish content that genuinely deserves to rank

Finding low‑competition keywords for SEO is step one. Step two is earning your ranking:

• Answer the search query clearly in the first few paragraphs
  
• Use headings that match real questions
  
• Include examples, screenshots, small tables, and comparisons
  
• Update the article when things change (especially in 2026+ niches like AI tools, apps, etc.)
  

When your content is clearly better and more current than page 1, ranking becomes much easier.

FAQ: How to Find Low‑Competition Keywords for SEO (Free Methods) – 2026

Conclusion

Learning how to find low competition keywords for SEO (free methods) is one of the most important skills for any blogger or website owner in 2026. Instead of fighting giants for broad phrases, you can quietly capture dozens of specific, long‑tail searches that add up to serious traffic over time. Use Google, Trends, free tools, and manual SERP checks to build a list, then publish genuinely helpful content around each topic.

Which part of keyword research is still confusing—finding ideas, checking competition, or organizing them into content plans? Share your doubts in the comments so the next guide can go even deeper into exactly what you need.