How to Find Low Competition Keywords for a New Website
A free, practical method to spot keywords where the current results are weak, so a new site can rank sooner.
New websites lose when they chase popular keywords dominated by big brands. They win by finding searches where the current results are weak โ and answering them better. You do not need a paid keyword difficulty score to do this. You need to read the search results carefully.
What "low competition" really means
A keyword is low competition when the pages ranking for it are not very strong: they are outdated, thin, off-topic, or from sites with little authority. The number of searches matters less than whether you can realistically be the best answer.
Step 1: Start with specific, long-tail ideas
Specific phrases are almost always easier. Collect them from Google autocomplete, "People also ask", customer questions and a free keyword research tool. Our guide on how to find long-tail keywords covers these sources.
Step 2: Read the search results
Search each keyword (ideally in a private window) and look for these signs of weak competition:
- Forum and Q&A pages ranking โ Reddit, Quora or community threads usually mean no good dedicated article exists.
- Outdated content โ results from years ago, old prices, discontinued products.
- Off-target results โ pages that only partly answer the question.
- Thin pages โ short, generic answers with no detail.
- Small sites ranking โ if other small blogs rank, you can too.
Signs of strong competition: the whole first page is major brands, government sites or large publishers with in-depth content.
Step 3: Use your own data
If your site is live, Search Console shows queries where you appear on page two or three. These are often low-competition keywords Google already links to your site. A dedicated, better page โ or an improved existing one โ can move them up.
Step 4: Check intent and fit
A keyword is only worth targeting if you can satisfy the searcher. Confirm the type of page that ranks โ guide, list, tool or product โ and that it fits your business. See search intent types.
Step 5: Build a shortlist and plan pages
Group similar keywords so one page answers each group, and make sure none duplicates an existing page. The search intent cluster tool groups them for you.
Step 6: Publish better pages, then build on them
Answer the question directly, add real detail and examples, and link related pages together. Winning several low-competition keywords in one topic builds the authority you need for harder ones later โ read how to build topical authority.
An example comparison
A bakery blog compared two ideas. "Chocolate cake recipe" showed famous recipe sites and video carousels on page one โ very strong competition. "Eggless chocolate cake in pressure cooker" showed two small blogs, a forum thread and a video with outdated steps. The second phrase had fewer searches but was clearly winnable, so the bakery wrote a detailed, photo-rich recipe for it first, then used that page's success to build towards broader recipe topics.
Related guides
More free tools: browse all our free ecommerce tools, no sign-up needed.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a paid tool to measure keyword difficulty?
No. Reading the search results tells you most of what you need. Paid scores are estimates.
Are low-competition keywords low traffic?
Often individually, yes. Together, many of them bring significant, well-targeted traffic.
How long until a new site ranks for them?
Often weeks to a few months, depending on the topic and how well the page answers the search.
Is a forum result always a good sign?
Usually. It suggests no strong dedicated page exists, but check that searchers do not specifically want discussion threads.