How to do keyword research for free

Keyword research doesn’t always require expensive tools.

Read more about how to do keyword research:
How to do keyword research for YouTube
How to do keyword research for SEO
How to do keyword research for Google Ads

Many effective strategies and platforms can provide valuable insights without costing a dime.

While free methods might not offer the same depth or automation as premium tools, they are excellent for understanding basic search trends, identifying long-tail opportunities, and getting a feel for your audience’s language.

These methods are particularly useful for beginners, small businesses with limited budgets, or individual content creators.

Google Autocomplete and Related Searches

Paragraphs: One of the simplest yet most powerful free keyword research methods comes directly from Google itself. When you start typing a query into the Google search bar, the “autocomplete” feature provides popular suggestions based on real user searches. These suggestions are goldmines for understanding common queries and discovering long-tail keyword variations. After performing a search, scroll to the bottom of the results page to find the “Searches related to…” section. This provides even more related queries, often revealing keywords you hadn’t considered. These are direct insights into how users are phrasing their searches around a particular topic.

• Type “how to start a blog” into Google. Autocomplete might suggest “how to start a blog for free,” “how to start a blog and make money,” “how to start a blog on WordPress.”
• Search for “healthy dinner recipes.” At the bottom, you might see “healthy dinner recipes for weight loss,” “healthy dinner recipes easy,” “healthy dinner recipes chicken.”
• Google Search Bar Autocomplete: Type in your core topic and note down all the suggestions.
• “People Also Ask” (PAA) Box: This feature in Google search results lists common questions related to your query, revealing popular informational keywords. Clicking on a question often expands to show more related questions.
• “Searches related to…”: Scroll to the bottom of Google search results pages for relevant keyword suggestions.
• Images Search: Sometimes, keywords used in image search can reveal visual intent for products or tutorials.
• News/Shopping Tabs: For commercial intent, checking these tabs can show specific product or news-related terms.
  Bold Text: The Google search bar itself is a powerful, free keyword research tool, providing real-time user query insights.

Google Trends and Google Search Console

Paragraphs: Google Trends allows you to explore the popularity of search queries over time. You can compare different terms, see their relative search interest across regions, and identify seasonal trends or rising queries. This is invaluable for understanding topic popularity and informing content planning. For instance, knowing when interest in “holiday recipes” peaks helps you time your content release. Google Search Console (GSC) is another essential free tool, but it’s for your own website’s performance. Once your site is connected, GSC shows you the exact queries users typed to find your site, your average ranking position for those queries, and your click-through rates. This provides real-world data on what keywords you’re already ranking for and where there are opportunities for improvement.

• Use Google Trends to compare “electric cars” vs. “hybrid cars” to see which is gaining more interest globally or in your target region. You can also see “related queries” that are breaking out.
• In Google Search Console, navigate to “Performance > Search Results.” You might find that a blog post on “sustainable fashion” is also ranking for “ethical clothing brands” or “eco-friendly outfits,” even if you didn’t explicitly target those.
• Google Trends:
  • Compare up to 5 keywords at a time.
  • Filter by region, time frame (past hour, past 90 days, 2004-present).
  • Discover “related queries” and “rising” searches, indicating new or growing interest.
  • Identify seasonality for content planning (e.g., “tax tips” peaks before tax season).
• Google Search Console:
  • “Performance” report: See keywords driving clicks and impressions to your site.
  • Identify keywords where you have high impressions but low CTR – opportunities for better titles/meta descriptions.
  • Find keywords where you’re on page 2-3 that could be pushed to page 1 with optimization.
  • Discover “query gaps” – terms users are searching for that you haven’t explicitly covered.
    Data/Stats: Google Trends shows relative popularity (0-100 scale), not absolute search volume. Google Search Console provides actual impression and click counts for your site, making it highly valuable first-party data.

Forums, Communities, and Q&A Sites

Paragraphs: Online forums (e.g., Reddit, specialized industry forums), social media groups (e.g., Facebook Groups), and Q&A sites (e.g., Quora) are goldmines for understanding your audience’s real-world problems, questions, and the exact language they use. People go to these platforms to ask questions, seek advice, and discuss issues in their own words, not in optimized SEO jargon. By observing these conversations, you can uncover pain points, common misconceptions, and specific long-tail keywords that might not show up in traditional keyword tools but represent real user needs.

• Browse Reddit’s r/personalfinance or r/homeowners subreddits. You might find questions like “how to save for a down payment on a house while in debt” or “best way to remove hard water stains from shower glass.”
• Search for your topic on Quora. Look at the most upvoted questions related to your niche. For a fitness coach, questions like “what’s the best workout routine for busy moms?” or “how to lose belly fat without dieting” could be valuable.
• Join Facebook Groups related to your niche. Observe what questions members frequently post or what advice they seek.
• Identify relevant subreddits, Facebook groups, or Quora topics.
• Sort by “top” or “most popular” questions to see common problems.
• Pay attention to the specific phrasing people use.
• Look for recurring themes or unanswered questions.
• Note down problems, solutions, and desires expressed by the community.
• AnswerThePublic: While not a forum, this tool visualizes questions people ask around a keyword, pulling data from various sources including Q&A sites. Limited free searches daily.
  Bold Text: These platforms provide authentic, unfiltered insights into your audience’s concerns and language.

Competitor Content Analysis (Manual)

• If you’re a nutrition coach, visit competitor blogs. Do they have detailed guides on “intermittent fasting benefits”? Are they writing about “keto meal prep for beginners”? This helps you understand popular topics.
• For an e-commerce store, look at how competitors describe their products. What features do they highlight in their titles and descriptions? What common questions do they answer on product pages?
• Identify 3-5 top competitors in your niche.
• Visit their blogs/resource sections and sort content by popularity (if available) or date.
• Analyze their blog post titles, meta descriptions (view source code or use browser extensions), and H1 headings.
• Look at their service pages or product categories – what core keywords are evident?
• Identify content themes they frequently address.
• Note any obvious content gaps or areas where your content could be superior.
• Check their “About Us” or “FAQ” pages for common questions and language.
  Data/Stats: While you won’t get search volumes, manual competitor analysis helps you understand the topical authority they’ve built and the clusters of keywords they’re targeting.

Using Wikipedia and Related Searches

Paragraphs: Wikipedia is an incredibly rich resource for keyword and topic research. Its articles are meticulously structured, covering topics in depth and linking extensively to related concepts. When researching a broad topic, a Wikipedia article can help you identify sub-topics, related concepts, historical context, and specific terminology that your audience might be searching for. Pay attention to the table of contents, bolded terms, and the “See also” section, as these often point to valuable long-tail keywords and content clusters. Similarly, leveraging Google’s “related searches” feature, as mentioned before, but applying it iteratively can uncover deeper layers of niche keywords.

• If you’re writing about “renewable energy,” the Wikipedia page will introduce you to terms like “solar power,” “wind energy,” “geothermal energy,” “hydroelectric power,” and sub-concepts within each. This helps you build out a comprehensive content strategy.
• Start with a search for “vegan diet.” Look at “related searches.” One might be “vegan protein sources.” Search for that, and look at its related searches, and so on, drilling down into niche topics like “complete vegan proteins for athletes.”
• Start with a broad topic on Wikipedia.
• Examine the Table of Contents for sub-topics.
• Look for bolded terms within the article – these are often important concepts.
• Review the “See also,” “References,” and “External links” sections for related topics and authoritative sources.
• Use the “WikiGraph” or “Connected Papers” (not free but similar concept) for visualizing related concepts.
• Iteratively use Google’s “related searches” to dig deeper into specific sub-topics.
• Consider using Wikipedia to understand the jargon of a new niche you’re entering.
  Data/Stats: While no direct search volume data, Wikipedia’s structure often mirrors how a user’s knowledge (and thus search queries) expands from broad to specific. Its internal linking structure is a model for topical clustering.

How to do keyword research for Google Ads