How to find low‑competition SEO keywords | Just follow three methods.

Use keyword research tools (such as Ahrefs, Semrush) to filter using “Keyword Difficulty” (KD) and focus on long-tail keywords with KD below 20.

For example, target “best running shoes for flat feet” rather than “running shoes.” Analyze “search intent” and create content more detailed than currently ranking pages to rank with lower competition.

Use tools to filter out “long-tail keywords no one is competing for”

Global user search habits vary greatly:

• Americans like asking on Reddit’s r/HomeImprovement “How to replace old house wiring?”
• Southeast Asian users search “Kuala Lumpur rainy season electric vehicle battery maintenance” on Shopee forums
• Middle East users discuss “What material for stroller sunshade in Dubai’s high-temperature weather” on Mumsnet

These long-tail keywords with specific countries and scenarios have 5-8 times lower competition than “fitness equipment” (SEMrush 2024 cross-border data).

Step 1: Choose the right tool

The 3 most commonly used tools among global small-to-medium website owners (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Ubersuggest) each have different “filtering advantages.” Choosing correctly can save 80% of your time.

Example: If you do “Southeast Asian pet supplies,” use SEMrush’s “Keyword Magic Tool,” enter “pet supplies,” check “Southeast Asia” region, and you can filter out keywords like “malaysia cat litter deodorizer recommendation” — long-tail keywords with country and category;

Using Ahrefs’ “Questions” tab, you can directly find “how to keep a dog cool in philippines heat” — question-based keywords.

Step 2: Set filtering conditions

After choosing the tool, the core is setting filtering conditions. Global users have different search habits, but low-competition long-tail keywords share 3 common characteristics:

• Moderate search volume (100-1000/month)
• Low difficulty (KD<30)
• Short content length (<1000 words)

Specific setup method: (Using Ahrefs as example):

Search volume: Select “100-1000/month.” Keywords below 100 have too low search volume to generate effective traffic; keywords above 1000 may already have major websites ranking.

Example: US “small bathroom storage solutions” has 800 monthly searches, KD=22, making it a typical low-competition long-tail keyword.

 

Keyword Difficulty (KD): Select “<30.” KD is a competition index calculated by tools based on “number of backlinks+content quality+domain authority.” The lower, the less competition.

Example: Southeast Asia “thailand street food tour bangkok” has KD=18, with top 10 results mostly from personal blogs, low competition.

Content length: Filter “<1000 words.” Major websites usually write 1500+ word long-form articles, while top 10 results for low-competition keywords are mostly 500-800 word short content, making it easier for small websites to surpass.

Example: Middle East “dubai summer baby care tips” has top 3 results averaging 750 words with no high-quality backlinks.

Step 3: Target question-based, scenario-based, and location-based long-tail keywords

Global users have different search intents. Long-tail keywords can be divided into 3 categories, each with different filtering priorities.

1. Question-based long-tail keywords (starting with “how/what/why”)

User needs are clearest, competition is lowest.

• Filtering tips: Check the “Questions” tab in tools (available in both Ahrefs/SEMrush), or directly search “how to…/what is…/why does…” + industry terms.
• Cases:
  • North America: “how to fix a leaky kitchen faucet in toronto” — 210 monthly searches, KD=15, top 10 mostly family blogs.
  • Southeast Asia: “what is the best mosquito repellent for babies in indonesia” — 180 monthly searches, KD=20, top 3 are parenting forum posts.

2. Scenario-based long-tail keywords (scenario + product/service combination)

Users clearly know “what to use in what scenario,” competition is lower than generic industry keywords.

• Filtering tips: Combine “scenario words + product words” for search, like “rainy season + electric bike battery.”
• Cases:
  • Europe: “winter cycling gear for beginners in germany” — 320 monthly searches, KD=25, top 10 are old cycling forum articles (published in 2022).
  • Middle East: “summer baby stroller covers for dubai heat” — 190 monthly searches, KD=19, no professional review content.

3. Location-based long-tail keywords (country/city + need combination)

Local users care more about “specific problems nearby,” major websites can’t cover all regions.

• Filtering tips: Add country/city names to keywords, like “vancouver winter roof snow removal.”
• Cases:
  • North America: “portland oregon pet friendly cafes 2024” — 150 monthly searches, KD=12, top 10 are old lists from 2021, no updates.
  • Southeast Asia: “jakarta affordable international school fees 2024” — 200 monthly searches, KD=28, top 3 are personal experience posts from parenting forums.

Step 4: Verify competition

After tool filtering, always verify manually to avoid being misled by “pseudo low-competition keywords.”

Global user search result pages (SERP) have 3 key signals to quickly judge competition levels.

1. “Website authority” of top 10 results

Use Ahrefs’ “Site Explorer” to check DR (Domain Rating) of the top 3 websites. DR<30 indicates small websites, low competition; DR>50 may be industry leaders, enter with caution.

• Example: Search “canada small business tax deductions 2024.” The top 3 have DR of 25, 28, 22 respectively, all local accounting blogs, low competition.

2. “Update time” of content

If top 10 results are mostly 2+ year old content, it means the keyword “has stable interest but no one maintains it,” new content can easily rank high.

• Example: Search “uk garden shed storage ideas.” Top 5 results were published between 2021-2022, no new content in 2024, low competition.

3. “Number of backlinks” to pages

Use Ahrefs free version to check backlinks for top 3 pages. Total backlinks <100 means no high-authority websites recommend it, low competition; total backlinks >500 may be “authority content” that’s hard to beat.

• Example: Search “australia solar panel installation cost 2024.” Top 3 total backlinks are 80, 120, 90 respectively, all old articles from local energy companies, low competition.

Step 5: Batch keyword filtering

Global mainstream tools all support “batch import/export keywords.” Combined with filtering conditions, you can quickly find 100+ low-competition long-tail keywords.

Specific operation steps: (Using SEMrush as example):

Open “Keyword Magic Tool,” enter a broad industry term (like “pet products”).

Click “Filters” and set:

1. Search volume: 100-1000;
2. KD: <30;
3. Include words: Add qualifiers like “how to,” “for beginners,” “in [country]”;
4. Exclude words: Remove commercial terms like “buy,” “discount.”

Export results (CSV format), manually check top 10 SERP, remove keywords with “high-authority websites” or “updated content.”

Keep the final 50-100 qualifying keywords. Prioritize writing for keywords with “search volume 300-800, KD=15-25” (optimal balance of competition and traffic).

Find keywords for users’ “real needs”

Users don’t directly say “I want to buy XX” when searching, but they expose real needs through “specific questions,” “complaints,” and “requests for help.”

Real example: In American “Home Depot” forums, users frequently ask “What permits do I need for old house electrical rewiring?” This keyword has 420 monthly searches, KD=18, but only 2 professional articles rank in top 10;

In Southeast Asian Shopee’s “air conditioner review section,” users complain “What to do when the remote control malfunctions in humid weather?” This keyword has 380 monthly searches, KD=20, with almost no websites specifically answering.

Scenario 1: Forums

Forums are the main battleground where global users “expose their needs.” When encountering problems, users post questions directly on forums. These questions are “unmet demand keywords.”

Operation method:

Choose the right forum: Select platforms based on target user region (see table below).

Search industry keywords: Enter your industry term in the forum search box (like “gardening,” “pets,” “appliances”), filter posts from “last 3 months.”

Example: On German Gutefrage.net, search “Gartengeräte” (gardening tools). Discover users frequently asking “What tools do I need for strawberry growing in a small garden?” “How to maintain an electric lawn mower in wet grass?” — These are “real demand keywords.”

Filter high-value questions: Prioritize questions “pinned to the front page” and “with multiple replies” (indicating high user interest). Record keywords (like “small garden strawberry growing tools recommendation”).

Scenario 2: E-commerce review sections

After purchasing products on e-commerce platforms, users write “good” or “bad” reviews in the comments. These complaints contain “product improvement needs” and “usage scenario needs.”

Operation method:

Choose the right e-commerce platform: Select platforms based on target user region (see table below).

Filter comments “with specific scenarios”: Ignore vague “positive/negative” descriptions. Focus on comments about “not being easy to use in XX scenarios.”

Example: On Amazon.de, search “Kaffeemaschine” (coffee machine). Discover user reviews: “Rushing in the morning to use it, the auto-clean function always jams” “Using it in a small dormitory kitchen, the water tank is too small requiring frequent refills” — Extract keywords “German dormitory small kitchen coffee machine water tank capacity recommendation.”

Count high-frequency pain points: Use Excel or tools (like ReviewMeta) to count the most frequent issues appearing in reviews (appearing ≥5 times) as target keywords.

Scenario 3: Q&A platforms

Q&A platforms (like Quora, AnswerThePublic) are where users “actively seek answers.” Their questions directly correspond to “unmet keyword demands.”

Operation method:

Use tools to batch-grab questions: Recommend AnswerThePublic (free version for basic data). Enter industry terms (like “gardening,” “pets”). The tool automatically generates questions users commonly ask (see example image below).

Example: Enter “Germany renting.” The tool generates “how to negotiate rent in germany,” “what documents needed for german rental contract,” etc. These keywords have stable search volume, low competition.

Filter “insufficiently answered” questions: Search these questions on Quora. Check the number of answers — if answers <5, the demand is unmet.

Example: On Quora, search “how to keep a cat cool in saudi arabia summer.” There are only 2 answers, indicating this is a low-competition demand keyword.

Add regional refinements: Add country/city names to questions (like “paris,” “toronto”) to improve keyword precision.

Scenario 4: Social media

Social media (like Facebook groups, Instagram hashtags) is where users “discuss in real-time.” Trending topics correspond to “short-term high-demand keywords.”

Operation method:

Join target user groups: Search “German dog ownership groups,” “Southeast Asian mom groups” on Facebook. Join and observe high-frequency discussion topics in groups.

Example: In the “Toronto Pet Owners” group, discover users recently discussing “What anti-slip leashes to use for winter dog walking?” This keyword’s monthly searches suddenly increased 200%, but top 10 only has 1 old article.

Track hashtag trends: Search industry-related hashtags on Instagram (like #GermanGardening, #SingaporeMom). Check comments under posts with hashtags.

Example: Search #JakartaTraffic. Discover user comments “What protective gear to wear when riding motorcycles during morning rush hour?” This keyword’s search volume surges during rainy season (November-March). Early positioning can capture traffic.

Use tools to monitor trends: Use Google Trends to enter industry terms, filter “past 1 year” data, look for “rising trend” keywords (like “2024 European winter warming products”).

Scenario 5: Customer service conversations

Small-to-medium business customer service chat records contain user needs “they’re reluctant to ask in public.” These keywords have extremely low competition.

Operation method:

Organize historical chat records: Export past 6 months of customer service conversations (using tools like Zendesk export). Filter “repeatedly asked” questions.

Example: A website selling “Canadian winter outdoor gear” shows users repeatedly asking “What down fill weight is suitable for -20℃?” This keyword has 200 monthly searches but no professional review content.

Mark “vague needs”: Users may say “I need a ‘non-stuffy’ down jacket,” but the actual need is “breathable winter down jacket.” Need to convert to keywords (like “canada winter down jacket breathable”).

Verify search volume: Use tools (like Ubersuggest) to check search volume of converted keywords. If ≥100/month, it can be a target keyword.

Find keywords competitors won’t touch

SimilarWeb 2024 global website traffic report shows that 42% of traffic for non-top websites (global ranking 100,000-1,000,000) comes from “long-tail keywords competitors haven’t covered”.

These keywords share a common characteristic: moderate search volume (100-800/month), Keyword Difficulty (KD)<25, but real and urgent user needs — like “which cold-resistant insulation covers for electric vehicle batteries in Trondheim, Norway,” “How to avoid pitfalls in ‘work visa binding clauses’ in Dubai expat rental contracts.”

Real case: A Polish website specializing in “niche pet supplies” didn’t compete with major platforms (like Allegro.pl) for big terms like “Polish pet food recommendations.” Instead, they used tools to filter out keywords like “What quarantine certificates are needed to keep sugar gliders in Poland,” “Warsaw pet cremation service legal institutions” — terms competitors hadn’t covered.

After 3 months, these keywords’ monthly traffic share grew from 0 to 37%, and conversion rate was 2.1x that of new users (data from the website’s Google Analytics backend).

Competitors’ “uncovered细分场景”

Major websites (like America’s Men’s Health, Southeast Asia’s Tokopedia guides) usually only write about “big scenarios” (like “fitness,” “online shopping”). But users’ real needs often hide in “small corners of big scenarios” (like “What to do about knee pain during exercise,” “How to avoid damage when buying fresh groceries online”).

“Segmented scenario keywords” have low competition because major websites consider “traffic too small” to deeply explore.

Operation method:

Use tools to analyze competitor content gaps:

Use Ahrefs’ “Content Gap” tool. Input 3-5 competitor domains (like Germany’s Gartenblog.de, America’s PetMD.com). Select “Missing” tab. The tool will list keywords competitors haven’t written about but people are searching.

Example: Input “Germany gardening” competitor domains. The tool may miss “What soil is needed to grow blueberries in German small gardens,” “How to prevent pest infestations growing herbs on Berlin apartment balconies.”

Filter “high-demand + low-coverage” scenarios:

Prioritize keywords with “search volume 100-500/month, KD<25,” where top 10 results don’t include industry leading websites (like Wikipedia, professional blogs).

Example: Search “Canada Vancouver old house moisture prevention.” Top 10 results are mostly personal blogs, competitors haven’t covered, 280 monthly searches, KD=20.

Verify real user needs:

Search the keyword on Google. Check if users discuss it in comments or forums (like Reddit’s r/CanadaHousing) — if there are many questions, the need is real.

Competitors’ “outdated old content”

Major websites have long content update cycles (like once a year), but user needs change over time (like policy adjustments, seasonal changes).

Covering competitors’ “old content” with “new information” is the most stable low-competition strategy.

Operation method:

Find competitors’ “old content”:

Use Google search “site:competitor domain + keyword” (like “site:gardenblog.de 2022 spring gardening guide”). Filter content published over 1 year ago.

Example: Find competitors’ 2022 “German spring planting guide.” Discover it doesn’t mention the “organic fertilizer subsidy policy” newly implemented in 2023.

Add “time-sensitive information”:

Based on old content, add new information like “2024 latest policies,” “this year’s climate anomaly coping tips” to create a “2024 new version.”

Example: Update “German spring planting guide” to “2024 German spring planting guide: New organic fertilizer subsidy application process + late spring cold snap coping tips.” Search volume grew from original keyword’s 120/month to 210/month.

Verify “new vs. old differences”:

Use SEMrush’s “Position Tracking” tool to track competitors’ old keyword ranking changes — if competitor ranking dropped from page 1 to page 3 (due to outdated content), your new content can more easily push to the front.

Competitors’ “low-ranking long-tail keywords”

Major websites usually optimize “big terms” and “core terms,” but top 10 results for “long-tail keywords” (3+ words) may be occupied by small websites.

These keywords have modest search volume, but competitors haven’t optimized them carefully. Writing one high-quality article from small-to-medium websites can surpass them.

Operation method:

Use tools to filter “keywords competitors rank low for”:

Use SEMrush’s “Position Tracking” tool. Input competitor domain. Filter keywords with “search volume 100-500/month, KD<30.” Check competitor rankings (like rank 5-10).

Example: Competitor ranks #7 for “France Paris second-hand furniture care.” Top 6 are major websites, but content is short (<800 words) with no user cases.

Surpass competitors with “in-depth content”:

Write 1500+ word content, add “local user cases” (like “Paris Marais district user using tea seed oil to maintain oak dining tables”), “step-by-step illustrations” (like “5-step old sofa cleaning process”) to enhance content quality.

Example: After publishing, ranking for that keyword rose from #7 to #2. Monthly traffic grew from 500 to 2000.

Verify “content gaps”:

Manually compare competitor content with yours: if competitors have no user cases, no step details, no local adaptation, your content has an advantage.

Competitors’ “localization blind spots”

Major websites (like America’s Amazon.com, Southeast Asia’s Lazada) usually cover nationwide/pan-regional areas, but users’ “local needs” (like specific city policies, climate) require “localized content.”

Small-to-medium websites can focus on “city/regional-level” needs to avoid major websites’ nationwide coverage advantage.

Operation method:

Find “local high-frequency questions”:

Go to local forums (like America’s Reddit r/NewYork, Germany’s MunichForum). Search “city name + industry term” (like “New York apartment pest control,” “Munich winter tire change”). Collect user questions.

Example: On “Toronto Mom Forum,” discover users frequently asking “How to check enrollment queue progress for Toronto public elementary schools.” This keyword has 190 monthly searches, KD=18.

Write “location-exclusive content”:

Add “local policy links” (like Toronto Board of Education official website), “local service provider recommendations” (like Toronto local renovation teams), “local climate adaptation” (like Toronto winter heating equipment choices) to content.

Example: Publish “Toronto public elementary school enrollment guide: 2024 queue system operation + hot school district housing recommendations.” Search volume grew to 320/month, ranking in top 3.

Verify “local competitiveness”:

Search the keyword on Google. Check if top 10 results are nationwide websites (like Wikipedia, Amazon) — if so, localized content has low competition.

Competitors’ “cross-category combination keywords”

Major websites usually focus on single categories (like “pet food,” “outdoor gear”). But users’ real needs are often “cross-category combinations” (like “pet outdoor gear,” “small-space fitness equipment”).

These keywords have extremely low competition because major websites’ product lines or content coverage scope is limited.

Operation method:

Combine “high-frequency user scenarios + products”:

Combine “scenario words + product words” for search (like “camping + child safety seat,” “apartment + compact washing machine”). Filter keywords with search volume 100-500/month.

Example: Combine “Germany renting + mini fridge.” Discover search volume of 240/month, KD=22, no professional reviews in top 10.

Write “scenario-based solutions”:

Develop content around “scenario pain points” (like “Small space in German rental, which mini fridge doesn’t take up much room?”). Add details like “size measurement tips,” “types of appliances landlords allow.”

Example: Publish “Germany rental mini fridge buying guide: 5 compact yet spacious models tested.” Search volume grew to 410/month, ranking #2.

Verify “cross-category opportunities”:

Use Ahrefs’ “Keyword Explorer” to check “related keywords” for that term (like “apartment mini fridge,” “rental small refrigerator”). If related keywords have high search volume but low competition, cross-category demand is strong.

Finally, I want to say: Low-competition keywords are the “traffic source” for small-to-medium websites.