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How to find low-competition keywords

"Low competition" is the holy grail of new-site SEO: keywords with enough demand to matter, but weak enough SERPs that you can realistically rank. Here's the end-to-end workflow using SERPTool.

Step 1: Start with a broad seed list

Open New analysis and paste 200–500 seed keywords into KEYWORD mode. Don't hand-curate too tight — at this stage volume is what you want, because cheap long-tail + unexpected opportunities both emerge from a wider net.

Sources for the seed list:

  • Google autocomplete for your main topic, plus variations ("how to X", "best X", "X for Y").
  • Related searches at the bottom of any Google result page.
  • People Also Ask boxes from a handful of parent searches.
  • AnswerThePublic, Keyword Sheeter, or any free keyword generator — run it for your seed topic, dump the output.
  • Competitor rankings: DOMAIN mode in SERPTool against a competitor, then copy 100 of their mid-tail keywords.

500 keywords at 1 credit each + 10 setup = 510 credits for broad discovery.

Step 2: Sort by Opportunity Score descending

Once the run completes, sort the results table by Opportunity Score, highest first. The top 20% is your shortlist. Anything under 50 is probably not worth further attention at this stage.

Step 3: Apply four stacking filters

Use the filter bar:

  1. Opportunity Score ≥ 70 — reliable baseline.
  2. Search volume ≥ 200 — anything lower usually isn't worth writing for unless it's extremely commercial.
  3. Lowest DS ≤ 20 — means at least one top-10 page has weak authority. If your site is new, this is your entry point.
  4. Intent matches your monetisation — commercial if you sell, informational if you're building email lists, transactional if you have a store.

What remains is your honest shortlist.

Step 4: Read each SERP breakdown manually

Click through 10–20 of the shortlisted keywords. Expand each to see the full SERP breakdown. Look for:

  • Weakness density — 3+ weaknesses per result on average.
  • Intent consistency — is the top 10 all the same content type? If yes, write that type.
  • No authority anchor — if there's one DS-90 site in the top 10, rank #2–5 is still realistic. If there are five DS-80+ sites, pass.
  • Specific gap — is there a THIN_CONTENT page ranking #3? That's the slot you target first.

Reject any keyword where the SERP doesn't match what you'd genuinely write. Accept any keyword where the SERP is visibly weak on a dimension you can beat.

Step 5: Prioritise by traffic potential

For each keyword on the accepted list, estimate realistic traffic:

estimated_monthly_clicks = search_volume × 0.25 (for rank 1) or × 0.07 (for rank 5) × (1 - SERP_feature_CTR_drag)

A 1,000/mo keyword you can reach rank 5 on drives ~70 clicks/mo. A 3,000/mo keyword where you'll land rank 8 drives maybe 60 clicks but is much harder to move up. Take the realistic rank, not the aspirational one.

Step 6: Save to a collection

Select your accepted keywords and Add to collection — call it "Content pipeline: [topic]". Export the collection as CSV for your content calendar.

What "low competition" actually means in practice

Three common misreadings worth avoiding:

  • "Low volume = low competition" is wrong. Ultra-long-tail keywords get zero searches and zero clicks. Don't chase 10/mo queries just because they're "easy" — you're competing with yourself for attention.
  • "Low KD = easy" is misleading. Keyword Difficulty has structural problems; trust Opportunity Score instead.
  • "No big brands in the top 10" is encouraging but not sufficient. Sometimes the absence of big brands means the keyword is commercially worthless.

Realistic expectations

A well-executed low-competition play can take 3–6 months to rank even on a weak SERP. The weakness signals tell you the SERP is beatable; they don't eliminate the delay of earning trust with Google on a new site. Plan for the quarter, not the week.

Next steps