Key Takeaways
- Keyword difficulty scores from tools like Ahrefs or Semrush are useful starting points, but they measure a narrow proxy: the average number of referring domains pointing at the top-ranking pages.
- The most reliable method for discovering genuinely underserved keyword opportunities is not a single tool — it is a combination of data sources that most sites use in isolation rather than together.
- Once you have a list of candidates, apply a consistent set of winnability filters before committing resources to content creation.
- Here is where most keyword research advice stops short.
- No single tool gives you a definitive answer.
- There is no universal threshold, but as a working rule, new sites with minimal link equity should initially target keywords with a difficulty score below 20 in Ahrefs or an equivalent score in other tools.
- Keyword research is not a one-time exercise.
Most new websites target keywords that established domains have owned for years. The result is predictable: months of effort producing content that sits on page four and never climbs. The problem is rarely the content itself — it is the keyword selection that happens before a word is written. Understanding how to find low competition keywords is the skill that separates sites that gain traction in their first year from those that stall indefinitely. This article covers how to read competition signals properly, where to find overlooked opportunities, and what to do with them once you have.
If you're looking for expert help in this area, explore how Indexed's content production can drive measurable results for your business.
What Low Competition Actually Means (And What It Doesn't)
Keyword difficulty scores from tools like Ahrefs or Semrush are useful starting points, but they measure a narrow proxy: the average number of referring domains pointing at the top-ranking pages. That tells you something about link-based competition, but it misses several factors that matter just as much for a new site.
True low competition exists at the intersection of three conditions:
- Weak incumbent content — the pages currently ranking do not fully satisfy the search intent, are thinly written, or are outdated.
- Manageable domain authority — the ranking sites do not all have decades of link equity that you cannot realistically match.
- Accessible intent — the query is informational or navigational rather than dominated by product listings, news results, or featured snippets owned by large publishers.
A keyword with a difficulty score of 12 but dominated by government pages, Wikipedia, and national news sites is not genuinely low competition for a new blog. Conversely, a score of 30 on a topic where the current results are shallow forum threads from 2017 may be very winnable.
Reading the SERP Before You Read the Score
Before accepting a difficulty score at face value, search the keyword manually. Look for: how many of the top ten results are from dedicated, topically authoritative sites versus incidental mentions on large general sites? Are the ranking pages genuinely comprehensive, or do they answer the query only partially? Is there a featured snippet, and if so, is it locked to a major brand? These qualitative signals will override a low difficulty number in either direction.
Where to Find Low Competition Keywords Your Competitors Have Missed
The most reliable method for discovering genuinely underserved keyword opportunities is not a single tool — it is a combination of data sources that most sites use in isolation rather than together.
Question-Based and Conversational Queries
Long-tail, question-format keywords consistently carry lower competition than their head-term equivalents. A query like "what is topical authority in SEO" is far less contested than "topical authority" alone, yet the searcher intent is just as clear and often more commercially valuable because the person is actively seeking to learn. Tools such as AnswerThePublic and the "People Also Ask" section of any Google results page surface these variants quickly. The key is to filter them for genuine search volume — not every question has an audience worth targeting.
Competitor Gap Analysis on Smaller Sites
A common mistake is running gap analysis against the largest competitor in a niche. Instead, identify sites that are one to two years old with modest domain authority that are nonetheless ranking for a broad range of terms. Use Ahrefs' Site Explorer or Semrush's Organic Research to export their top pages by traffic. These represent keywords that a relatively new site has already proven are winnable — the difficulty ceiling has been empirically demonstrated rather than estimated.
Your Own Internal Search and GSC Data
If the site has any history at all, Google Search Console will show impressions for queries you may not have explicitly targeted. Filtering for queries where you appear in positions eleven to thirty — sometimes called the "striking distance" filter — reveals keywords where you already have some relevance signal but have not yet created purpose-built content. These are among the lowest competition opportunities available because Google has already associated your domain with the topic.
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Signals That a Keyword Is Genuinely Winnable for a New Site
Once you have a list of candidates, apply a consistent set of winnability filters before committing resources to content creation.
Domain Authority of the Ranking Pages
Check the Domain Rating (in Ahrefs) or Domain Authority (in Moz) of the pages currently ranking in positions one through ten. If the median is above 70 and all ten results come from high-authority sites, even a perfectly executed piece of content will struggle to surface. If three or more results come from domains with ratings below 40, you have a realistic pathway in.
Content Age and Freshness Requirements
Some topics reward recency — news, product comparisons, regulatory updates. Others are evergreen and reward depth. For a new site, evergreen keywords are generally preferable because you are not competing on publication speed. Check the publication dates of the ranking pages. If the top results are from 2019 or 2020 and the topic has not materially changed, that is a gap you can fill with a more current, comprehensive piece.
Intent Clarity and SERP Consistency
A stable SERP — where the results are consistently blog posts, or consistently product pages, or consistently how-to guides — signals that Google has resolved the intent question. If you match that format, you have one fewer variable working against you. Unstable SERPs, where Google seems to be testing different content types, can be opportunities but also indicate ambiguity that is harder to exploit reliably.
The Cluster Approach: Why Individual Keywords Are the Wrong Unit of Analysis
Here is where most keyword research advice stops short. Finding a single low competition keyword and creating one piece of content for it is a valid tactic, but it misses the compounding effect of topical clusters. Google's systems increasingly assess whether a site demonstrates genuine authority across a subject area, not just whether a single page matches a query.
The more durable strategy is to identify a low competition topic area — not just a single keyword — and map out five to ten related queries that together cover the subject comprehensively. A new site that publishes interconnected content around a narrow topic signals expertise more effectively than a collection of unrelated posts, each targeting a different isolated keyword.
This means your initial keyword research should produce a topic cluster rather than a shortlist. Identify a head term your site cannot yet rank for, then map the long-tail and question variants around it that you can rank for now. As those pages accumulate engagement and links, the domain's relevance to the head term grows — making it progressively more attainable.
For a deeper treatment of this approach, the topical authority guide on this site covers the structural principles in detail.
Tools Worth Using — and How to Use Them Honestly
No single tool gives you a definitive answer. Each has limitations that matter in practice.
| Tool | Best Used For | Limitation to Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs Keywords Explorer | KD score, SERP history, traffic potential | KD based on referring domains only — misses content quality signals |
| Google Search Console | Striking distance keywords, real impression data | Only works if the site already has some history |
| AnswerThePublic | Question and preposition variants | No volume data — must cross-reference elsewhere |
| Semrush Keyword Magic Tool | Broad topic ideation, intent filters | Volume estimates can diverge significantly from GSC actuals |
| Google's "People Also Ask" | Free, real-time intent signals | No competitive data — purely directional |
The most effective workflow combines at least two of these. Start with a broad ideation tool, filter candidates through a difficulty tool, then validate your final shortlist manually in the SERP.
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FAQ
How low does keyword difficulty need to be for a new site to rank?
There is no universal threshold, but as a working rule, new sites with minimal link equity should initially target keywords with a difficulty score below 20 in Ahrefs or an equivalent score in other tools. More important than the score itself is the composition of the SERP — if lower-authority domains are present in the top ten, the keyword is potentially winnable regardless of the aggregate difficulty figure.
Can a new site rank for keywords with zero search volume?
Yes, and it is often a deliberate strategy. Tools report historical averages, and new or niche queries may show zero volume even when they generate consistent traffic. Targeting zero-volume keywords that are closely related to higher-volume terms also builds the topical relevance that eventually helps you rank for those larger terms. The risk is writing content that nobody searches for at all — mitigate this by checking whether the topic appears in "People Also Ask" or related searches even if the exact phrase shows no recorded volume.
How many low competition keywords should a new site target initially?
A focused approach of ten to twenty well-chosen keywords, grouped into two or three topic clusters, will consistently outperform a scattered list of fifty. Depth within a subject area compounds faster than breadth across unrelated topics for a site with limited domain authority. Once those clusters show traction in Search Console, you can expand into adjacent areas from a stronger starting position.
Is keyword difficulty the same across different SEO tools?
No — and the differences matter. Ahrefs' KD is based on the number of referring domains pointing to the top-ten results. Semrush uses a broader algorithm that incorporates additional SERP features. Moz's Keyword Difficulty uses Page Authority and Domain Authority calculations. The same keyword can show meaningfully different scores across tools. Treat any single tool's score as one data point rather than a verdict, and always validate with a manual SERP review.
What to Do This Week
Rather than treating this as a framework to revisit later, here are specific first steps you can take immediately:
- Open Google Search Console and filter for queries where your site ranks between positions eleven and thirty. Export that list — these are your fastest wins.
- Identify one competitor site with a Domain Rating between 20 and 40 that is ranking for topics relevant to your business. Run their top pages through Ahrefs' Site Explorer and note the keywords driving their traffic. These are proven achievable targets.
- Pick one narrow topic cluster — not a single keyword — and map five to eight question-format variants around it using AnswerThePublic and the "People Also Ask" results for the head term.
- Manually search your top three keyword candidates before committing to content creation. Note the domain ratings of the top-ten results, the publication dates of the ranking pages, and whether the content genuinely answers the query or only partially addresses it.
- Create a simple scoring sheet — three columns: difficulty score, lowest DR in the top ten, and your qualitative content quality assessment (strong / weak / mixed). Any keyword where the difficulty is below 25, at least two results come from sub-40 DR domains, and the content quality is weak or mixed should go to the top of your production queue.
Keyword research is not a one-time exercise. Build this review into a monthly habit and the compounding effect across a year is substantial.
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Written by
Anjan LuthraManaging Partner, Indexed
Anjan Luthra is Managing Partner at Indexed. He has spent over a decade inside high-growth companies building organic search into their primary acquisition channel, and writes about SEO strategy, AI search, and revenue a…