How to Find Low-Competition Keywords in Your Niche (2026 Method)

You can publish a genuinely helpful article, polish every heading, add tidy images, and still watch it sink like a stone. Most of the time, it’s not because your writing is bad. It’s because you picked a keyword where the first page is packed with strong sites, strong pages, and strong intent that you can’t match yet.

Low-competition keywords are searches where the current top results are beatable for your site, because they’re weak, outdated, off-target, or missing what searchers actually want.

This guide gives you a repeatable method that works for small sites in 2026. You’ll gather real seed ideas, expand them into long-tail phrases, check the results page properly (not just tool scores), then turn your shortlist into a publishing plan you can measure.

What “low-competition” really means (and what it doesn’t)

Photo by Tobias Dziuba

People often treat low-competition as a single number, like “KD 12”. That number helps, but it’s only a hint. In practice, low-competition is a mix of three things:

• Weaker ranking pages (thin content, stale posts, messy structure, poor match to the query)
• Clear search intent (you can tell what the searcher wants, and you can deliver it cleanly)
• A better page from you (you can add steps, proof, examples, or a UK-specific angle the top results don’t have)

It also doesn’t mean “easy keyword equals quick traffic”. Some low-competition phrases have low volume. That’s not a problem if they bring the right visitors. A smaller stream that converts beats a flood that bounces.

Long-tail keywords win faster (most of the time)

Long-tail keywords are usually three words or more, and they behave like specific addresses, not vague directions.

Compare:

• “running shoes” (broad, messy intent, fierce competition)
• “best running shoes for flat feet women” (clear need, narrower competition, better match)

Long-tails often rank faster because:

• Fewer sites target the exact phrase.
• The intent is tighter, so Google has less guesswork.
• Your page can answer the query fully without trying to please everyone.

One more truth that saves weeks: the search results page is the final judge. Tool scores can miss what the SERP shows in seconds: big brands taking over, heavy ads pushing organic down, or results that don’t match your content type.

If you want extra context on what “easy-to-rank” can look like in practice, see this guide to easy-to-rank keywords, then come back and apply the checks below.

The 3 signals that a keyword is easier to rank for

When you open the SERP, you’re not just scanning titles. You’re asking, “Can I make something clearly better?”

Use this mini checklist:

• Weak or off-topic results: Are top pages vaguely related, thin, or written for a different audience?
• Few strong brands dominating: Is page one full of household names, or is it a mix of smaller sites and forums?
• Clear content gaps: Are important steps missing, examples thin, screenshots old, pricing out of date, or no UK angle?

A quick copy-and-use check (answer yes or no):

• Do at least 2 results feel outdated or shallow?
• Do I see forums, PDFs, or random pages ranking?
• Can I add something concrete (template, checklist, comparison, UK prices, 2026 update)?

Two or three “yes” answers usually means it’s worth testing.

Pick the right kind of keyword for your goal: traffic, buyers, or trust

Not all keywords are meant to do the same job. Pick based on what you need next.

High-intent long-tails can look “small” in tools, but they often bring better outcomes.

Example keywords (plain language, real intent):

• “best accounting software for freelancers uk”
• “how to fix slow wordpress admin dashboard”
• “is a stocks and shares isa worth it in 2026”

A simple workflow to find low-competition keywords in your niche

The goal is to move from fog to a list you can act on. One afternoon is enough to build a strong starting set.

Step 1: Start with seed keywords from real people, not tools

Tools reflect what’s already popular. People reflect what’s painful, confusing, or expensive, and that’s where many low-competition keywords live.

Look for seed ideas in:

• Customer emails and DMs (especially “How do I…” questions)
• Blog comments and live chat transcripts
• Support tickets (they’re basically a keyword goldmine)
• Reddit threads in your niche (scan for repeated problems)
• Quora questions (watch the wording)
• YouTube comments on niche creators (raw, honest phrasing)

Write seeds as problems and outcomes, not single words. Good seeds often start with:

• “stop…”
• “fix…”
• “why does…”
• “best… for…”
• “how to… without…”
• “X vs Y”
• “under £50”, “in winter”, “for beginners”

A practical target: 10 to 20 seed phrases. If you can’t get to 10, your niche might be too broad. Narrow it (audience, location, level, budget).

If you want a fuller keyword research process to compare against, this keyword research walkthrough is useful for sense-checking your basics.

Step 2: Use Google itself to uncover long-tail ideas fast

Open an incognito window (so your past searches don’t steer suggestions too much) and use Google as a keyword generator.

Google Autocomplete Type a seed and pause. Then repeat with quick modifiers:

• “for beginners”
• “for small business”
• “near me” (if local)
• “without”
• “under £50”
• “in the UK”
• “in winter”
• “template”
• “checklist”
• “vs”

People Also Ask These questions are often ready-made subheadings. They also reveal intent. If every question is “how to”, it’s a guide. If they’re “best” and “price”, it’s a buying page.

Related searches Scroll to the bottom and grab phrases that look like tighter versions of your keyword.

Keep notes on intent, not just phrases. Two keywords can look similar but want different pages.

Example:

• “best email marketing tool for charities” (comparison, decision)
• “how to write a charity email newsletter” (instruction, examples)

Step 3: Expand with simple patterns (so you don’t rely on luck)

Once you’ve got a rough list, stretch it using patterns that tend to uncover low-competition phrases:

Audience pattern: “for students”, “for mums”, “for freelancers”, “for beginners”
Constraint pattern: “without plugins”, “without code”, “on a budget”
Comparison pattern: “X vs Y”, “X alternatives”, “X review”
Outcome pattern: “to save money”, “to lose weight”, “to get clients”
Location pattern: “UK”, “London”, “Manchester”, “near me” (only if you can serve it)

Write these down as a small “modifier list” you reuse every time you research. It saves hours and keeps your ideas consistent.

Step 4: Turn the long list into a shortlist you can actually publish

At this stage, don’t chase perfection. Chase publishable winners.

Pick 15 to 30 candidates and label each with:

• Intent (info, transactional, local)
• Content type needed (guide, comparison, checklist, calculator, product page)
• Your advantage (UK angle, 2026 update, real examples, clearer steps)

That label becomes your brief. It stops you writing the wrong page for the right keyword.

Validate competition the smart way (so you don’t waste weeks)

A keyword can look easy in a tool and still be a trap on the SERP. Validation is where you earn your time back.

Use keyword tools to shortlist, then sanity-check the SERP

Most people do this backwards. They trust the tool, then wonder why nothing ranks.

Use tools to filter and sort, then open the SERP to decide.

Tools you might use (mix free and paid):

• Google Keyword Planner (solid for volume ranges)
• Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, SE Ranking (KD and SERP views)
• Ubersuggest (budget option)
• LowFruits (often used for spotting weaker SERP results)

Simple starting filters (guidance, not law):

• KD under about 30 to 35 for newer sites
• Volume roughly 50 to 1,000 searches a month to begin with
• Include intent words like “best”, “how to”, “review”, “for”, “near me”

Then open the SERP and check four things:

Page quality: Is the content actually good, or just long?
Freshness: Are top results updated recently, or stuck in 2021?
Depth: Do they show steps, screenshots, examples, pricing, pitfalls?
Answer match: Do the top pages truly answer the query quickly?

If you want a second perspective on applying low-competition keywords in a practical strategy, this low-competition keyword guide pairs well with the manual SERP checks above.

Quick “avoid” rules: when a keyword looks easy but isn’t

Some SERPs are dressed up to look friendly, but they’re guarded.

Skip keywords when you see:

• A big brand stack: the same two or three major sites own most of page one
• Wrong page types: all product pages rank, but you planned a how-to guide (or the other way round)
• Heavy ads and shopping boxes: organic results pushed far down the screen
• Google keeps changing the intent: you search twice and the SERP flips between guides, products, and videos

A simple “if this, then skip” list:

• If the top 5 results are strong brands, skip.
• If the top 5 results are a different content type, skip.
• If you can’t see a clear gap to fill, skip.

For more ideas on balancing low competition with meaningful volume, this guide to low-competition, higher-volume keywords is a useful read, especially if your niche is crowded.

Turn your keyword list into a plan you can publish (and measure)

Keyword research only pays off when it becomes pages. The trick is to publish with structure, not scattergun effort.

Group keywords into small clusters, then pick one clear primary keyword

A cluster is just one main topic with a handful of close variants and questions that belong on the same page.

Example cluster (one page):

• Primary: “how to fix slow wordpress admin dashboard”
• Variants: “wp-admin slow”, “wordpress dashboard loading slow”
• Questions: “why is wp-admin slow”, “does caching help”, “which plugin causes it”

This helps you:

• Write one strong page instead of five weak ones
• Avoid keyword cannibalisation, where your pages compete with each other
• Build a clearer internal structure later (once you have more content)

Rule of thumb: one primary keyword per page, then use variants as headings and supporting sections.

Track results for 30 days and refresh what’s close to page one

Don’t wait six months to learn what worked. In 2026, you can spot progress early if you track simply.

A light routine:

• Note your starting position (or “not ranking”)
• Check weekly for 30 days
• For pages hovering around positions 8 to 20, refresh with intent in mind:
  • Tighten the title and intro to answer faster
  • Add a missing FAQ section from People Also Ask
  • Improve examples (UK pricing, screenshots, steps)
  • Cut fluff and make the key steps easier to follow

Start by testing 10 to 20 keywords, then scale what works. This keeps your effort focused and stops you building a graveyard of posts no one sees.

Conclusion

Low-competition keywords aren’t magic words. They’re winnable SERPs that match your site’s current strength, and your ability to publish the clearest answer.

Keep it simple:

• Define what “easy” looks like by reading the SERP, not just KD.
• Collect seed ideas from real people and real problems.
• Expand with Google Autocomplete, People Also Ask, and smart modifiers.
• Validate with tools and a manual check, then publish and track.

Pick one niche topic today, find five long-tail keywords, and publish one this week. Do that consistently, and your traffic stops feeling like luck and starts feeling earned.