Step-by-step keyword research for brand new blogs (free tools, fast wins)

When your blog is brand new, Google doesn’t “know” you yet. You don’t have links, you don’t have a track record, and you don’t have pages that prove you’re worth showing on page one. That’s why keyword research matters more at the start than almost anything else.

Most new bloggers get stuck because they aim at the big terms. They write the “ultimate guide” to a huge topic, then wait for traffic that never comes. It’s like opening a new shop and trying to outsell Amazon on day one.

This post gives you a simple, step-by-step process that uses mostly free tools. The goal isn’t to chase high-volume, high-competition keywords. It’s to stack early wins with specific searches that real people type, then build from there.

Start with a simple plan: niche, reader, and what “good keywords” look like

A new blog’s job is simple: get your first clicks from search, then turn those clicks into trust. You’re not trying to “go viral.” You’re trying to publish pages that match clear searches, rank for long-tail terms, and slowly widen your footprint.

Before you open any tool, define what you’re building:

• Niche: the lane you publish in
• Reader: who you help, and what they struggle with
• Outcome: what a “win” looks like in the next 90 days (hint: it’s often 20 to 200 search visits a month, not 20,000)

Search intent (in plain words)

Search intent is the reason behind a search. If you miss intent, you can write a strong post that still won’t rank, because it doesn’t give people what they came for.

You’ll see three common intent types when you’re building a new blog:

Informational intent: they want to learn something.
Example: “how to meal prep for night shift”

Comparison intent: they’re choosing between options.
Example: “glass vs plastic meal prep containers”

Buying intent: they’re ready to act, buy, or sign up.
Example: “best meal prep containers for soup”

If you want more examples and a clean way to think about intent, this guide on how to match content with search intent explains what Google tends to reward.

The 3 traits of a good starter keyword

A good keyword for a brand new blog usually has these traits:

Clear intent: you can tell what the searcher wants in one sentence. If the keyword feels fuzzy, skip it.

Low competition: you don’t see a wall of major brands, government sites, or Wikipedia-style giants owning the whole page.

Fits your blog: it belongs in your niche, and it connects to other posts you can write next.

Here’s a quick example to show how this works.

Let’s say your niche is “simple personal finance,” but that’s too broad. A tighter angle could be: personal finance for first-year teachers.

Now your starter topics almost write themselves:

• “best budget categories for teachers”
• “how to set up a 403(b) as a new teacher”
• “teacher salary schedule explained”
• “classroom supply budget tips”

Those are not vanity keywords. They’re specific problems. Specific problems bring specific clicks, and specific clicks convert better.

Pick a niche angle you can actually cover for 6 months

Keyword research gets messy when your niche is too broad. It also gets fragile when your niche is so narrow that you run out of topics by week five.

Use this quick checklist:

• What you know: topics you’ve lived, studied, or done at work
• What you can research weekly: if you’re not an expert, can you still publish one strong post a week?
• What has enough sub-topics: you should be able to list 30 to 60 post ideas without forcing it

A helpful sign you’re in the right zone is when you can think in “sets,” not one-offs. For example, “budgeting for teachers” can expand into paycheck timing, summer planning, side income, classroom spending, retirement plans, and debt payoff.

Build a starter keyword list (no tools yet)

Now you’re going to create “seed keywords.” These are simple phrases that describe your niche, without trying to be perfect.

Write 10 to 20 seeds in a notes app or spreadsheet. Keep them short. You’ll expand them later.

A fast way to find seeds is to think in buckets:

Problems: “save money on groceries,” “pay off credit cards”
People: “for new teachers,” “for nurses,” “for single parents”
Situations: “on a tight budget,” “on hourly pay,” “during summer break”
Tools and actions: “budget app,” “meal plan,” “credit card payoff method”

If your blog is newsy or trend-based, add “this year” and “2026” seeds too, but don’t overdo it. Evergreen posts should still be the backbone.

Expand keywords with free tools (the fast, practical loop)

This is where you go from seeds to real search terms people type.

Step 1: Use Google Autocomplete like a focus group

Open an incognito window and start typing one seed slowly. Google will suggest completions. Those suggestions are based on real searches.

Write down:

• Autocomplete suggestions
• “People also ask” questions that fit your blog
• Related searches at the bottom of the page

Do this for 10 minutes and you’ll usually collect 30 to 80 long-tail phrases.

Step 2: Check seasonality with Google Trends

Some keywords spike at certain times. That matters when you’re planning your first 20 posts, because timing can help you get earlier traction.

Google Trends is free, and it helps you spot whether interest is flat, rising, or seasonal. This is useful for topics like taxes, holiday travel, fitness plans, school schedules, and product cycles.

Step 3: Get volume ranges with Keyword Planner (free)

Google Keyword Planner can give you search volume ranges and related ideas. You’ll need a Google Ads account, but you don’t need to run ads to use the planner.

At this stage, you’re not hunting perfect numbers. You’re looking for a simple signal: does anyone search this, and are there related terms worth grouping into a post?

Step 4: Pull more long-tail ideas from trusted lists and guides

If you want a solid beginner overview (without getting lost), Moz’s keyword research guide is a helpful reference.

If you want a broader view of tools you can test over time, this roundup of free keyword research tools in 2026 is useful when you’re ready to try more than Google’s built-ins.

Validate each keyword with a quick “real SERP” check

Tools are nice, but the search results page tells the truth.

For each keyword you’re considering, search it and scan page one:

What format is ranking?
If every top result is a list, your “deep essay” might not match what Google is ranking. Match the format first, then add your angle.

Who is ranking?
If you see small blogs, niche sites, forums, and YouTube mixed together, that’s often a better sign for a new site than a page full of huge brands.

Is the intent consistent?
If half the results are “how to” and the other half are product pages, the keyword might be unclear. New blogs do better when intent is obvious.

Is there an opening?
Look for weak spots: outdated years, thin posts, missing steps, no examples, no photos, no clear answers.

If you want a simple way to document your checks, Jellyfish has a free keyword research template you can copy into Google Sheets.

Score and choose keywords you can win in your first 90 days

You don’t need a fancy system, but you do need a consistent way to pick what to write first.

A simple scoring method keeps you from choosing keywords based on vibes.

Here’s a lightweight table you can use (score 1 to 5, higher is better):

Add up the scores. Anything that lands in the high teens is often worth writing early.

A note for January 2026: search is getting more intent-driven, and results pages are changing with AI-powered summaries. That pushes you even more toward keywords where you can give a direct answer, a clear structure, and a real point of view, not a generic rewrite.

Turn keywords into a clean content map (so posts support each other)

New blogs grow faster when posts connect.

Instead of writing 20 random posts, build small clusters around one core topic. Think of it like a TV season: each episode is good alone, but they’re better together.

Here’s a simple pattern that works in almost any niche:

• One “starter guide”: broad enough to be a hub, narrow enough to rank
  Example: “budgeting for first-year teachers”
• Three to six supporting posts: long-tail how-to and questions
  Example: “how to budget when you’re paid once a month,” “summer budget for teachers,” “best budget categories for teachers”
• One or two comparison posts: helps people choose
  Example: “403(b) vs Roth IRA for teachers”
• One buying-intent post (optional early on): if it fits your audience
  Example: “best budget apps for teachers”

This structure also helps you interlink later, even if you’re not thinking about that yet.

Write the post that matches the keyword (and earns the click)

A common new-blog mistake is to “target a keyword” but write around it.

Use this simple checklist while drafting:

Answer first: give the direct solution early, then explain. Many readers skim, and Google rewards clarity.

Use the same language as the search: if the keyword says “for beginners,” don’t write like it’s for experts.

Add proof: screenshots, steps, costs, timelines, mistakes to avoid, personal results, or a worked example. This is how small sites beat big sites.

Cover the close cousins: include related sub-questions from “People also ask” so your post feels complete.

If you want a beginner-friendly walkthrough that pairs well with this process, Productive Blogging’s keyword research guide is a good companion read.

Track results, then update your keyword list every month

Keyword research isn’t a one-time project. It’s a loop.

Once you publish 8 to 15 posts, you’ll start getting impressions and clicks, even if it’s small. That’s where the best keywords often show up, because Google is telling you what it thinks your site is about.

Use Google Search Console (free) to find:

• queries where you rank on positions 8 to 20 (easy wins)
• posts getting impressions but low clicks (title and intro fixes)
• keywords you didn’t plan for (new post ideas)

Then repeat your process once a month:

• add new long-tail keywords
• refresh older posts that are close to page one
• build the next cluster around what’s already working

This is how “small” keywords turn into steady traffic.

Conclusion

Keyword research for a brand new blog is less about big numbers and more about clear intent and winnable topics. Start with a tight niche angle, build a seed list, expand it with free tools, and confirm your choices by looking at the real search results. Publish in small clusters, track what Google shows you in Search Console, then adjust monthly. Your first goal is simple: earn the first clicks, then earn the right to go after bigger terms.