How to Find Your First 10 Keywords for Free | Step-by-Step Guide
Starting a website or a blog is an exciting journey, but it often comes with a daunting realization: you need to rank on Google to get noticed. This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) begins, and at the heart of SEO lies keyword research.
For many beginners, the barrier to entry feels high. You might see experts talking about expensive software that costs $100 per month or more. You might feel overwhelmed by data points like “Keyword Difficulty scores” or “Cost Per Click.” However, the truth is that you do not need a massive budget or complex software to find your first 10 keywords. You simply need a logical process and a few free tools that are already at your fingertips.
Read: How to Test Your Robots.txt File for Optimal SEO
In this guide, we are going to strip away the complexity. We will walk through a beginner-friendly process to identify 10 high-quality keywords that can help you build a foundation for your content strategy—completely for free.
What Are Keywords? (Beginner-Friendly Explanation)
Before we dive into the “how,” we must understand the “what.” In the simplest terms, keywords are the words and phrases that people type into search engines like Google to find information. If you own a website about “Vegan Baking,” and someone searches for “best egg substitute for brownies,” that search phrase is a keyword.
Short-Tail vs. Long-Tail Keywords
Keywords generally fall into two categories:
Short-tail keywords: These are broad, one- or two-word phrases like “shoes” or “marketing.” They have massive search volume but are incredibly difficult to rank for because every major brand is competing for them.
Long-tail keywords: These are longer, more specific phrases like “best running shoes for flat feet” or “email marketing for small business owners.”
Read: Unleash Control: New Robots.txt Tester Tool Simplifies SEO
Why beginners should focus on long-tail keywords:
As a new site, you lack the “authority” that older sites have. If you try to rank for “fitness,” you are competing against giants like Men’s Health or Nike. But if you target “beginner yoga routines for people with back pain,” you are narrowing the field. Long-tail keywords have lower competition and higher “intent,” meaning the person searching is more likely to find exactly what they need on your page.
Informational vs. Transactional Intent
Keywords also tell us what a user wants to do:
Informational: The user wants to learn something (e.g., “how to grow tomatoes”).
Transactional: The user wants to buy something (e.g., “buy tomato seeds online”).
For your first 10 keywords, focusing on informational long-tail keywords is the fastest way to build trust with your audience and Google.
Step 1: Define Your Niche and Audience
Keyword research without a defined niche is like trying to hit a target in the dark. You need to know exactly who you are talking to.
Why Niche Clarity Matters
If your content is too broad, Google won’t know what your site is about. By staying within a niche, you build “topical authority.” If you write 10 great articles about “indoor gardening,” Google starts to see you as an expert on that specific topic.
Questions to Ask Yourself
To find your niche direction, answer these:
Who is my ideal reader? (e.g., busy moms, amateur photographers, budget travelers).
What specific problem does my reader have? (e.g., they don’t have time to cook, they don’t know how to use manual settings, they want to see Europe for under $50 a day).
Example Niches
Fitness: Not just “exercise,” but “strength training for seniors.”
Tech: Not just “computers,” but “fixing common Windows 11 errors.”
Finance: Not just “money,” but “saving for a house on a teacher’s salary.”
Output: By the end of this step, write down 3–5 core topic ideas (e.g., “Budget European travel,” “Solo female travel,” “Packing light”).
Read: Google Tag Manager for Beginners: Essential Tagging Guide
Step 2: Brainstorm Seed Keywords
Seed keywords are the foundation of your research. These are broad terms related to your niche that you will plug into tools to find more specific ideas.
How to Generate Seed Keywords
Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. If you were them, what would you type into Google? Forget about SEO “hacks” for a moment and think about human language.
If your niche is “Budget Travel,” your seed keywords might be:
Cheap flights
Budget hotels
Travel hacks
Backpacking tips
Affordable destinations
Goal: Aim for 10–15 rough ideas. Don’t worry if they seem too competitive right now; we are going to refine them in the next steps.
Step 3: Use Free Keyword Research Tools
Now, we take those seed keywords and expand them using free tools. This is where you find the “hidden gems.”
Google Autocomplete
This is the most powerful free tool in existence. Go to Google and start typing a seed keyword, but do not press enter.
The A–Z Method: Type “budget travel a…” and see what Google suggests (e.g., “budget travel apps”). Then type “budget travel b…” (e.g., “budget travel backpacks”).
The Underscore Trick: Type “_ budget travel” and Google will fill in the blank before your keyword (e.g., “how to budget travel”).
Google “People Also Ask” (PAA)
Search for one of your seed keywords. Look for the box that says “People also ask.” These are literal questions people are typing into Google. Every question in that box is a potential long-tail keyword for a blog post.
Pro Tip: Every time you click a question to expand it, Google adds more questions to the bottom of the list.
Google Related Searches
Scroll to the very bottom of the search results page. You will see a section called “Related searches.” These are phrases Google identifies as being highly relevant to your main search. These are often great long-tail variations.
Google Keyword Planner
Though designed for advertisers, you can use it for free.
Set up a Google Ads account (you can skip the campaign creation).
Go to “Tools” > “Keyword Planner” > “Discover new keywords.”
Enter your seed keywords.
Look for “Average monthly searches.” For a beginner, you want keywords with at least 100–1,000 searches, but even 50 searches is okay if the competition is low.
AnswerThePublic
This tool visualizes search questions. Type in a seed keyword like “coffee,” and it will give you a giant map of questions starting with Who, What, Where, Why, and How. The free version allows for a limited number of searches per day, so use them wisely.
Step 4: Analyze Keyword Difficulty (Without Paid Tools)
Paid tools give you a “Difficulty Score” from 1 to 100, but they are often inaccurate. You can do this manually and more effectively.
The Manual “Eye Test”
Search for your keyword on Google and look at the first page of results.
Check for Forums: Do you see results from Reddit, Quora, or niche-specific forums? If a forum is ranking in the top 5, it means Google hasn’t found a high-quality, dedicated article to answer the question. This is a huge “Green Light” for you.
Check for “Low Quality” Sites: Are the top results old, poorly formatted, or only 500 words long? You can beat them.
Check for Big Brands: If the entire first page is Forbes, New York Times, and Amazon, the keyword is likely too difficult for a new site.
The Beginner Rule: If you see at least two results that are forums or small, independent blogs, that keyword is a winner.
Step 5: Check Search Intent
This is where most beginners fail. You must ensure your content matches what the user actually wants to see.
If someone searches for “best DSLR cameras,” they want a list/comparison article. If you write a 5,000-word essay on the history of DSLR cameras, you will never rank because you missed the “intent.”
How to Identify Intent
Look at the top 5 results for your chosen keyword:
Are they “How-to” guides?
Are they listicles (e.g., “10 Best…”)?
Are they product pages?
Are they videos?
Your goal: Create content that matches the format Google is already rewarding.
Step 6: Narrow Down to Your First 10 Keywords
By now, you should have a long list of potential ideas. It’s time to filter them down to your final 10.
The Selection Criteria
Relevance: Does this keyword actually relate to what I want to talk about?
Difficulty: Did I find forums or small sites ranking for this?
Volume: Does it get at least a little bit of traffic?
Passion/Knowledge: Can I actually write a better answer than what is currently out there?
Your Keyword Research Table
Organize your findings into a simple list or spreadsheet like this:
| Keyword | Intent | Difficulty | Topic Category |
| How to grow kale in pots | Informational | Low (Reddit ranks #3) | Gardening |
| Best organic fertilizer for kale | Transactional | Medium | Gardening |
| Why is my kale turning yellow | Informational | Very Low (Forum ranks #1) | Troubleshooting |
Step 7: Map Keywords to Content Ideas
A keyword is not a title. You need to turn your 10 keywords into compelling headlines that make people want to click.
Keyword: “how to lose weight at home”
Title: “10 Proven Ways to Lose Weight at Home Without Expensive Equipment”
Keyword: “beginner photography tips”
Title: “The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Photography: 7 Tips to Better Photos Today”
Avoid Keyword Stuffing: Don’t repeat your keyword 50 times in the article. Use it in the title, in one or two headings, and naturally within the text. Google is smart enough to understand synonyms.
Common Mistakes Beginners Make
Targeting High-Competition Keywords: Many beginners want to rank for “Make Money Online.” You won’t—at least not yet. Start smaller.
Ignoring Search Intent: Don’t try to rank a sales page for an informational keyword.
Using Only One Tool: Different tools give different data. Cross-reference Google Autocomplete with Keyword Planner.
Overthinking Instead of Publishing: SEO is a long game. It is better to have a “good” keyword and a published post than a “perfect” keyword and a blank page.
Real-World Example: The “Pet Care” Niche
Let’s say you are starting a blog about Beagle Dogs.
Seed Keyword: Beagle care.
Autocomplete Expansion: “Beagle care tips for beginners,” “Beagle care in winter.”
People Also Ask: “Are Beagles high maintenance?” “How much exercise does a Beagle need?”
Manual Check: You find a Reddit thread ranking for “Are Beagles high maintenance?”
Selection: You choose “Are Beagles High Maintenance? 5 Things Every Owner Should Know.”
Repeat this 10 times, and you have your first 10 articles ready to be written.
Final Thoughts
Finding your first 10 keywords doesn’t require a credit card or a degree in data science. By using the tools Google provides and applying a bit of common sense, you can find low-competition opportunities that the “big players” have overlooked.
Keyword research is about understanding people. If you can identify the questions your audience is asking and provide the best possible answers, you are already ahead of 90% of other websites.
Your Action Plan:
Spend 30 minutes brainstorming your seed keywords.
Use the A–Z method on Google Autocomplete to find 20 variations.
Check the search results for forums or low-quality sites.
Pick your top 10 and start writing.
Don’t wait for the perfect data. The best way to learn SEO is to start publishing. Find your keywords today and get your content out into the world.
