How to Find Low Competition Keywords (7 Methods That Actually Work)

Originally Published: April 8, 2025
Updated: October 29, 2026

Low competition keywords are search terms where the pages currently ranking are weak enough that a smaller site has a realistic shot at page one. The quickest way to find them is to start with queries you already rank for on pages 2 and 3 in Google Search Console. From there, pull longer, more specific variations from autocomplete, People Also Ask, and competitor gap reports.

Before you build content around any of them, look at the search results themselves. If the top 10 includes forum threads, thin pages, outdated posts, or businesses about your size, there’s room for you. If national brands and major publications fill every spot, that term will likely take more time and links than it’s worth right now.

No single one of these keywords will transform your traffic overnight. But a website that consistently targets them builds a wide base of rankings that’s genuinely hard for competitors to replicate.

What Counts as a Low Competition Keyword?

Competition in SEO comes down to how strong the pages you’d have to outrank are. A keyword is low competition when the current results are beatable for a site like yours, with the content and authority you have today.

That second part matters more than most guides admit. A term that’s easy for a site with ten years of backlinks can be a long climb for a business that launched its website last spring. The same keyword can be a smart target for one company and a poor one for another.

What Keyword Difficulty Scores Mean

Most SEO tools put a number on this. For example, Ahrefs and Semrush both score keyword difficulty from 0 to 100, based largely on the backlink profiles of the pages already ranking. Their scales break down a little differently.

For a newer or smaller site, those ranges are a reasonable place to start. Treat the score as a first filter. Difficulty scores lean heavily on backlinks, so they can miss weak content, outdated information, or ranking pages that don’t match what the searcher wants. That’s why the search results deserve a look of their own.

The Competition Column in Google Keyword Planner

If you’ve pulled keywords from Google Keyword Planner, you’ve probably seen a Competition column rated Low, Medium, or High. That rating reflects how many advertisers are bidding on the term in Google Ads. It has no connection to how hard the term is to rank for in organic search.

Sometimes the two line up, and often they don’t. Many informational searches show Low competition in Keyword Planner because few advertisers want to pay for those clicks, even while established blogs crowd the organic results. A High rating still tells you something useful, though. When advertisers consistently pay for a term, it usually means the term drives sales or leads. Use Keyword Planner for search volume and ideas, and judge organic competition separately.

Why Low Competition Keywords Matter

Broad, high-competition keywords usually require strong domain authority, a lot of content, and time before you see meaningful movement. That’s not a knock against going after them. It’s just a resource question, and most businesses don’t have unlimited resources.

Low competition keywords work differently. They can help you:

• Rank faster, since fewer competitors are targeting them directly
• Attract more qualified traffic, since the searches are often more specific
• Build topical authority by giving your site depth on a subject, not just breadth

Think of it as building your SEO foundation from the ground up instead of trying to win the top floor first.

How to Find Low Competition Keywords

1. Check Google Search Console for Page 2 and 3 Rankings

This is often the fastest starting point, and it’s data you already own. Google Search Console shows you the exact queries your site is already ranking for, even if you never intentionally targeted them.

• Open Google Search Console.
• Go to Performance > Search Results and filter by queries.
• Sort by position and look for keywords sitting on page 2 or 3 (roughly positions 11 to 30).

These are often the easiest wins available to you. Your site already has some relevance for the term. It usually just needs a content update, not a whole new page, to move up. If you want a deeper walkthrough of the report itself, we cover that in our Google Search Console guide.

2. Find Your Competitors’ Keyword Gaps

Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Ubersuggest let you see what your competitors are ranking for, which tells you two useful things at once.

• Enter a competitor’s domain and review their ranking keywords.
• Look for terms where they rank on page 2 or 3. If it’s not a strong ranking for them either, it’s a realistic target for you.
• Look for keywords they’re missing entirely. These are gaps you can claim without going head-to-head with an established page.

3. Use Google’s Autocomplete and Related Searches

This one costs nothing and takes a few minutes. Start typing a broad keyword into Google and pay attention to the autocomplete suggestions. Then scroll to the bottom of the results page and check “Related searches.”

Both spots tend to surface long-tail variations that haven’t been fully claimed by existing content, since they’re pulled directly from what people are actually searching.

4. Mine “People Also Ask” for Niche Questions

The “People Also Ask” box on a Google results page reveals real questions tied to a topic, often more specific than the original search itself. Look for the less competitive, more niche questions in that list, and consider building content that answers them directly, whether as a new post or a section added to an existing one.

5. Search Reddit, Quora, and Industry Forums

People ask blunt, specific questions in these spaces that rarely make it into keyword tools with much volume attached, at least not yet. Search for topics related to your industry and pay attention to recurring pain points or confusion. Those patterns make solid material for blog posts, FAQ sections, or long-form content built around a specific angle.

6. Use AnswerThePublic for Question-Based Variations

AnswerThePublic pulls common questions and phrases tied to a broad keyword and lays them out visually. Enter a term related to your industry and scan the results for long-tail, specific variations worth targeting, especially ones phrased as questions.

7. Don’t Rule Out Zero Search Volume Keywords

Some keywords show little to no volume in SEO tools but still bring in real traffic, particularly if they’re tied to an emerging trend or a very specific, well-defined question. If a keyword answers something people are actively trying to solve, low reported volume doesn’t necessarily mean low value.

How to Check If a Keyword Is Low Competition

A difficulty score gives you a starting point. The search results tell you whether there’s room for you. Search the keyword in an incognito window, or use your SEO tool’s SERP overview, and work through the top 10 results with these questions in mind.

Who’s Ranking?

Start with the domains. If the results are mostly national brands, major publications, and SEO tool companies, move on. Results that include Reddit or Quora threads, small local businesses, directory listings, or blogs about your size are a good sign. When forums rank on page one, it often means Google couldn’t find a dedicated page that answers the question well.

Are the Ranking Pages Built Around This Keyword?

Check the titles of the top results. If most of them use the exact phrase or a close variation, other sites have already built pages specifically for this search. If the titles are loosely related or answer a broader question, the keyword is underserved. A page built around it has a better chance of moving up.

How Old and How Thorough Is the Content?

Open the top three to five results. Outdated statistics, a publish date from several years back, thin pages with a few hundred words, or content that answers half the question are all openings. Your page needs to clearly do a better job than the ones sitting where you want to be.

Does the Search Intent Match What You’d Create?

If every result is a product page and you’re planning a blog post, or every result is a video and you’re planning a service page, Google has already decided what format searchers want. A low difficulty score won’t help a page that doesn’t match it.

How Much of the Page Is Left for Organic Results?

This check comes from the paid search side of our work. Some keywords are easy to rank for and still send very little traffic. Ads, an AI Overview, a map pack, and a People Also Ask box can push the first organic result well below the fold. A top ranking on a crowded results page can earn far fewer clicks than the same ranking on a clean one, so factor that in when deciding where to spend your time.

A keyword that passes most of these checks is worth building around. If it fails on who’s ranking or on intent, it’s usually better to move to the next one on your list.

Is There a List of Low Competition Keywords?

You’ll find plenty of lists online that claim to be low competition keywords for any business, but these are rarely useful. Competition depends on your industry, your location, and how established your site is, so a keyword that’s wide open for one business can be out of reach for another. A shared list also stops being low competition once enough people start targeting it.

However, building your own list takes less time than it sounds. Here’s how that might look for a small landscaping company in Towson, Maryland.

Start With the Obvious Term

The natural target is “landscaping Towson.” For a local service search like this, the results are typically a map pack, directories like Yelp and Angi, and established competitors with years of reviews behind them. It deserves a strong service page, but it won’t produce quick wins.

Pull Longer, More Specific Variations

Running that seed through Search Console, autocomplete, and People Also Ask turns up searches like these:

• When to plant grass seed in Maryland
• Native plants for shade in Maryland
• How much does mulch installation cost in Baltimore County
• How to fix drainage problems in a yard with clay soil
• Patio pavers vs. stamped concrete cost

Vet Each One Against the Search Results

A simple spreadsheet works well here. Note what’s ranking and decide whether it’s worth pursuing.

The list you end up with will be shorter than the one you started with, and that’s fine. Three or four keywords you can realistically win will do more for your site than fifty you can’t.

How to Find Your Competitors’ Keywords Specifically

The fastest way to check what a competitor ranks for is a domain-level search in a paid tool like Ahrefs or SEMrush, both of which offer limited free lookups if you’re not ready to commit to a subscription. Enter their domain, sort by ranking position and estimated volume, then filter out branded terms (their company name, product names) since those won’t be realistic for you to target anyway. What’s left is your gap list.

How to Track Whether It’s Working

Once you’ve made changes, give it time before judging results. Rankings for updated content can take a few weeks to shift.

• Google Search Console: Watch for movement in position and impressions on your target queries.
• Google Analytics: Track whether organic traffic to updated or new pages is increasing.
• Your SEO tool of choice: Monitor keyword position changes and overall domain visibility over time.

If something isn’t moving after a reasonable window, it’s worth revisiting the page rather than assuming the keyword was a bad choice. Sometimes the issue is competition. Sometimes it’s that the content doesn’t fully answer the intent behind the search.

Key Takeaways

• Low competition keywords are easier to rank for and often convert better than broad, high-volume terms.
• Google Search Console is usually the fastest place to find quick wins, since you’re already ranking on page 2 or 3 for terms you may not have targeted intentionally.
• Competitor gap analysis, autocomplete, “People Also Ask,” and forums like Reddit and Quora all surface keywords that tools alone might miss.
• Updating existing content is often faster than building new pages from scratch.
• Give changes a few weeks before evaluating results, and track position and impressions, not just rankings on their own.

Work With Pink Dog Digital to Strengthen Your Keyword Strategy

Finding the right keywords is only half the equation. Turning them into content that actually ranks and converts takes ongoing strategy, and our team handles that daily for businesses like yours, building SEO approaches that go beyond any single ranking factor to focus on content quality and user experience together.

Our services include:

• Digital advertising
• Social media management
• Content creation
• Search engine optimization and generative engine optimization
• Web design

Call us at 410-696-3305, email [email protected], or contact us through our website.