Keyword research for a new website, without paid tools
A new site cannot win broad searches yet. How to find the long, specific searches your buyers type, check what ranks, and turn them into a first plan of posts.
Keyword research advice is written for sites that already rank. A new site plays a different game: it cannot beat established pages on broad searches, so it wins on specific ones first. The research is about finding those.
Start from your buyers, not a tool
Write down the questions people ask you before they buy, the problems they describe in their own words, and the alternatives they compare you with. Those phrases are what they type into Google. A tool can tell you volume; only your customers can tell you intent.
Expand with free sources
- Google autocomplete. Type the start of a question and note what it suggests.
- People also ask. The questions box on results pages is a list of follow-ups.
- Forums and communities where your buyers ask questions.
- Search Console, once live: searches you already appear for, often on page two or three.
Check what ranks
For each candidate search, look at the first page. You are asking two questions: what kind of page does Google show (a how-to, a list, a product page), and do those pages answer it well? A search where the results are thin or off-target is one a new site can win.
Prefer long and specific
| Broad (hard now) | Specific (winnable) |
|---|---|
| cold brew | how to make cold brew at home without a filter |
| app icon | android adaptive icon safe zone |
| analytics | ga4 exclude internal traffic |
One search per post
Give each post one main search. Two posts aimed at the same search compete with each other; see keyword cannibalization. Group related searches into clusters, which we cover in topic clusters.
Turn it into a plan
Eight to twelve posts is a good first plan: enough for two or three clusters, few enough to finish. Order them so the first posts are the most specific and the most likely to rank.
SEO Blog Writer does this planning with you: it asks about your product and buyers, checks what ranks now, plans posts around searches a young site can win in clusters, and refuses to plan two posts for the same search.
Questions
Can a new website rank for competitive keywords?
Rarely at first. New sites usually start ranking for long, specific searches where the existing results answer the question poorly, then widen as the site gains links and history.
Do I need a paid keyword tool?
Not to start. Your customers' questions, Google's autocomplete and People also ask, and Search Console once the site is live give a small site more than enough to plan with.
How do I know if a keyword is too hard?
Search it. If the first page is all large, well-known sites with thorough pages that match the search exactly, it is hard. If you see forums, thin pages or results that miss the point, there is room.