How to Do Keyword Research for Free (Step-by-Step)
Most keyword research guides operate on the assumption that you’ve already purchased either Ahrefs or Semrush. At $129-$250/month, neither is practical for an emerging blogger. The bright side: Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, Google Trends, AlsoAsked, and Ubersuggest can do 80% of what paid search tools can do when it comes to ranking an entirely new website. In this guide, you’ll learn the complete workflow from start to finish, using only free tools – no credit card, no trials, and no paywalls.
One 2026 update that might affect what you read below: Based on a March 2026 study by ShoutMeLoud, AI Overviews are showing for 40-60% of informational queries. This one step differs and is covered in Step 6.
What Keyword Research Actually Is (and What It Is Not)
Keyword research means identifying the exact words and phrases your audience types into search engines (we’re using Google as our example), and then determining if you can realistically compete to show up for that phrase. The last one is the step most beginners ignore. It’s not about guessing what someone might search for.
It’s not about choosing the phrases with the highest search volume, whether you have anything to say about them or not.
And it’s definitely not about choosing a topic because you feel like writing about it. You also need to consider search volume, the number of people that search for a keyword each month; keyword difficulty, how competitive your odds are when a keyword is searched for; and intent, the intention of your user. A keyword that performs well across all three has potential.
The Free Tools You Need
You will not need all of the following. Select the ones that would fit the workflow you’re using. You will save yourself hours of guesswork by knowing what each does.
Google Keyword Planner -
completely free with a Google Ads account – no actual ads are required. Shows the range of search volume per month and related keywords. Google provides all the information, so there should not be a better free source.
Google Search Console-
Completely free- shows the search terms you’re already ranking for on your site. If your site has been live for a few months, then there is no better place to find quick wins by repurposing old content.
Google Trends-
Google Trends-free-shows whether a keyword is growing, remaining flat,t or decreasing. An 800-a-month volume word that is gaining 5- 10% a % month is of more use to you than a 1,500-a-month search word that is decreasing at a -10% trend.
AlsoAsked:
Also Asked: five free searches a day. It lays out the People Also Ask tree (the answers Google pulls its expansion boxes from). In 2016, the answers it presents for questions on the web are what will be returned as part of the AI Overviews this year. Extremely valuable tool for both traditional SER’s and AI overviews.
Google Autocomplete
Google Autocomplete and Related searches are available through every Google search and cost you nothing. It lists out what everyone is looking for-this tool is massively underutilized.
Ubersuggest:
Ubersuggest: free 3-search limit per day. Gives you volume estimates of searches and keyword difficulty. Fine for when you’re getting initial keyword research on a fresh website.
Keyword Surfer
Keyword Surfer-free browser extension for Chrome. Places keyword data directly onto the Google search page, so there is no need for other tools. Shows you volume and cost per click directly on the page; there are no daily searches counted for any queries looked at.
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools- free for websites that you OWN and have verified. Shows you your data on keywords and links, useful if your website has been up long enough.
Step-by-Step: How to Do Keyword Research for Free
Follow this 8-step guide, and you will have an effective keyword list you are certain of:
Step 1: Pick out a seed keyword
This should be the one- to two-word broad concept your website pertains to. For anantivirus-focusedd website, the seed keywords are likely “antivirus” or “best antivirus”. A video editing website could use “video editing software” or “free video editor”.
Your seed keyword should be as vague as possible, as you just need a launching pad to further develop potential topics of interest; don’t worry too much at this stage.
Step 2: Use Google autocomplete to expand
Start typing your seed keyword into Google. The search box will show predictions based on what people commonly search for. Do not press Enter yet. Instead, write down or screenshot the useful suggestions that appear.
Next, search for the seed keyword and scroll to the “Related searches” section. Add any relevant phrases to your list.
Aim for about 15 to 25 keywords at this stage. These suggestions come from real Google searches, and you can collect them without paying for a keyword research tool.
Step 3: Access search volume via Google Keyword Planner
Head over to google.com/keyword/plan, and you can get a wide range of volumes for the given keywords on your list without having to pay. Drop in all your keywords at once. Keyword Planner doesn’t offer accurate, to-the-number stats; you instead receive a range.
The range is 100-1K, 1k-10K, 10K-100K, etc.
Your site has relatively low authority at this stage. Therefore, start with keywords in the 100–1K or 1K–10K range. These terms may be easier to target than keywords with much higher search volume.
Step 4: Analyze keyword intent
Now go back to a clean browser or a private browsing window and search every single one of your keywords and sub-keywords in Google one by one. Look at what kind of results show up on the first page, top 3 specifically. Is it predominantly content that covers purchasing guides, if those are what you are intending to create?
Are the first three or so results from brand names rather thanuser-generatedd content? You likely will not be able to compete unless you have significant domain authority from already having countless published pieces of content, as the other large brands themselves.
Misattributing search intent is a common and significant error when generating initial articles, and will kill the visibility potential for them.
Step 5: Assess difficulty via estimated rankings
You won’t be able to have an exact number that correlates to difficulty like you can on other paid SEO tools. So just go back to the original Google searches from previous steps for your 10-20 keywords and judge based on the authority the domains in the search results hold. Are those who rank top primarily large publications and/or extremely relevant businesses in the niche?
Are your competitors primarily 3rd party blogs publishing similar information, and does their authority level on the site appear reachable for you? If they appear to be massive domains, steer clear for now; otherwise, this signals that you may potentially be able to rank in that niche, in that position, for that specific term. This is very useful because although other SEO tools provide a numeric difficulty, it will likely come up as not suitable if top-ranked keywords only have massive authority sources, or an opportunity if small/mid-sized blogs publish valuable, ranking content.
Step 6: Extract keyword questions from the "People also ask" using AlsoAsked
Head over to alsoasked.com, where you can search for keywords to find out and display common questions people have for that term. Export and look at your data closely; you now have 20-40 potentially relevant and highly targeted keyword ideas with direct implications for the types of content they have discovered; each of these questions can either be subheadings within your planned articles, or even brand new articles to write entirely. In 2026, Google’s AI Overview gets its information from the PAA section of Google, so by optimizing your website in this way to reflect these types of queries,s Google should give your page higher favor when generating AI Overviews as well as for organic rankings
Step 7: Look for trends with Google Trends
For each remaining keyword, plug it into trends.google.com and view trends over the course of 5 years, which you have to set. If you receive more of a flat graph, then its popularity has been consistent. If there is a downward-trending graph, that keyword has decreasing traffic potential; any keywords showing this should immediately be removed from your keyword list for the sake of ranking potential. A rising trend is a good sign that it is an upcoming hot topic and receives plenty of recent traction.
Step 8: Curate a powerful keyword list; categorize then prioritize
At this point, you should have a useful list of keyword ideas. You have checked search volume, search intent, competition, and search trends.
Now create a final list of about 8 to 10 keywords. Include a mix of lower- and higher-volume terms that match your site’s current authority.
Choose one primary keyword for each article. Use related keywords naturally in the headings and body. Avoid targeting several unrelated primary keywords in the same post. A focused article gives Google a clearer idea of what the page covers.
How to Find Low-Competition Keywords as a New Site
New websites usually have limited domain authority. Google considers the authority of the site as well as the quality of its content. During the first six to twelve months, competitive keywords can be difficult to rank for.
Long-tail keywords are a better starting point. These phrases usually contain four or more words and have a more specific search intent.
For example, “best antivirus software” is highly competitive. “Best antivirus for Windows 11 home users” is more specific and may be easier for a new site to target.
The search volume will usually be lower. However, your chances of ranking can be better.
You can also find ideas without paid tools. Search your topic on Reddit, Quora, and Facebook groups. Questions from these communities can reveal topics that people genuinely want answers to.
Another option is to study a similar website in your niche. Look for smaller sites that publish regularly and receive some traffic. Check which topics attract comments, shares, or backlinks.
If you find a topic that performs well for a similar site, create a more useful and better-structured version for your own audience.
Keyword Research in 2026: What Changed With AI
AI Overviews now appear on 40 to 60% of informational queries. For many how-to and definition searches, Google generates an AI answer that appears above all organic results. This does not make keyword research obsolete — it adds one evaluation step.
Before committing to a keyword, search it in Google. If an AI answer box appears at the top, your content is competing for citation inside that box, not just position number one. That changes the writing requirements. To be cited in an AI Overview, your post needs to answer the query directly in the first paragraph, structure answers under specific question-based H3 headings, and include a FAQ section that uses the exact question phrasing from the People Also Ask tree.
The good news: optimising for AI citation and optimising for traditional ranking require almost the same things. Clear structure, specific answers, credible sources. Doing one well tends to support the other.
When to Upgrade to a Paid Keyword Research Tool
Free tools are enough for the first six to twelve months. They are also enough indefinitely if you publish fewer than four posts per month and are not doing competitive research on other domains.
The signs that a paid tool is worth the cost are specific. You are spending more than two hours per article on keyword research. You cannot accurately assess competition without knowing the traffic and authority of the sites ranking against you. You need to find backlink opportunities for your posts, not just keyword opportunities. You want accurate keyword difficulty scores rather than manual SERP assessment.
When that point arrives, Semrush’s 7-day free trial with no credit card required is the lowest-risk evaluation available. Ahrefs Lite at $129 per month is the better tool if backlink research is your priority. Both unlock accurate difficulty scores, full keyword suggestions without daily caps, and competitor traffic data that free tools cannot provide.
Try Semrush free for 7 days — no credit card required →
For a full comparison of both tools before deciding, see Ahrefs vs Semrush: which SEO tool is worth the price?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you do keyword research for free?
Yes. Together, Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, AlsoAsked, Google Autocomplete, and Keyword Surfer will fulfill the bulk of the keyword research process free of charge. The biggest downside is that free tools will not provide you with exact figures regarding competition difficulty, and they won’t give you competitor search traffic estimates. With free tools, you supplement by assessing SERPs by hand and target long-tail, low-difficulty keywords to get you through at least your first year online.
How many keywords should I target in a blog post?
One target keyword, along with 3 to 5 secondary keywords naturally fitting in terms related to your target keyword. “One target keyword” does not indicate that your post will only discuss that single concept; you’re stating your target phrase as an umbrella term around which the post will be formed and by which Google will organize that content under a target tag and an H1. Other related terms will organically appear in the subheadings and the rest of the content of your post. Trying to rank on the first page for 5 competitive target terms within the same article will only hurt your site.
What is keyword difficulty and how do I check it for free?
Keyword difficulty indicates how challenging it will be to reach Google’s first page of results based on the authority and quality of pages currently ranked for the search term. With Ahrefs or Semrush, numbers between 0 and 100 are given for any relevant term. With a free method, you will simply want to search the keyword term and then look at who ranks currently. Ideally, sites relevant and similar in size to your site rank there.
How often should I do keyword research?
If your site is brand new, perform the entire process before every new post: your site must build a foundational content library on relevant topics (aim for 20 to 30 articles to start). Once your domain starts showing authority, quarterly research needs to be built in to analyze Search Console to see what search terms you are now getting Impressions for that may be better for optimizing current content with, what new content to focus on, and where to start new pillar articles. Full keyword research analysis sessions where you aim to map out 12 new articles, for example, are a good practice to do quarterly.
What is a good search volume to look for on a new site?
Brand new domains have zero domain authority. Start in the 100 to 1,000 hits per month range. The keywords will offer enough search volume to get actual traffic.
Simultaneously, the number of articles at that time will be a manageable amount.
The 1K to 10K hits a month will come with increased domain authority, while the10 Kk hits a month and greater will be reserved for sites aged over a year and showing clear, significant domain authority to Google.
Does Google Keyword Planner show the real search volume for terms?
They’re not the “real” volume figures. Unless you’re actively running ads with spend on Google, Keyword Planner will simply display search volume in ranges such as “1K-10K searches per month” or “100-1000 searches per month.” This will serve adequately if you do need help discerning between 100 and 1,000, since the upper number will be the one in the greater grouping. To see definitive figures regarding exact monthly searches in one particular number, you would need to use a paid keyword research tool or an article your own domain already ranks for.
Conclusion
The complete free process in brief: Choose a seed keyword, explode with Autocomplete, review search volume on Keyword Planner, double-check intent by performing a search yourself, analyze competition by scrolling the SERP, map the People Also Ask tree using AlsoAsked, analyze trends on Google Trends, and decide whether to move in that direction, score and prioritize.
When starting a new site, go long-tail: 4 words or more; clear intent; and not as competitive. One KW per post; build from there. Free tools are enough for the first year.
Once you want to jump past free tools and need a proper difficulty score and real data on your competitors for a large number of keywords simultaneously, then Semrush 7-day free trial.