Most new websites never reach page one. The problem isn’t weak content — it’s targeting phrases that massive authority sites already own. Specific, longer phrases get ignored by big publishers. That gap is exactly where smaller sites can compete and win.
The best free tools to find low competition long tail keywords require no credit card. Several pull data straight from Google‘s own systems. This guide covers 10 tools, what each does best, where it falls short, and who benefits most.
1. Google Search Console — Real Ranking Data at Zero Cost
Google Search Console shows every query that triggered an impression or click on your site. Most owners check it monthly for traffic totals. Smart SEOs use it differently.
Filter for phrases sitting at positions 8–25. These already pull impressions but haven’t cracked page one. Look for queries with 50–500 impressions and an average position between 8 and 20. Those are your fastest wins. Update the matching page and expect movement within 3–6 weeks.
The tool exports up to 1,000 rows of query data as a CSV file. It works for any niche, language, or site size. The catch: sites with under 2 months of data get very little to analyze. Sites with at least 3 months of published content get the most value here.
2. Google Keyword Planner — Volume Mapping at Scale
Google Keyword Planner is technically an ads tool. It’s also one of the most reliable free sources of volume data available. Enter one seed term and it returns 100–700 related phrases with monthly search volume ranges.
Volume shows as ranges like “100–1K” unless you run active ad campaigns. Competition labels — Low, Medium, High — reflect advertiser demand, not organic difficulty. That’s a useful proxy, not a perfect signal.
Use it to build a master list of 200–400 keyword ideas in under 15 minutes. Then validate difficulty with a separate tool. Pair it with Ubersuggest or the Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator for KD scores.
3. Ubersuggest Free Tier — Difficulty Scores for Beginners
Ubersuggest gives keyword difficulty (KD) scores from 0–100, monthly volume estimates, and CPC data. Without an account, you get 3 searches per day. A free account bumps that slightly.
Any KD score under 30 is a realistic target for a site under 12 months old. The content ideas tab shows top-performing articles for each keyword. That’s useful for understanding what already ranks.
One limitation: free-tier data is capped. Volume figures can run 15–20% higher than Google Search Console actuals. Treat them as directional, not exact.
4. AnswerThePublic — Question-Based Keyword Discovery
AnswerThePublic visualizes autocomplete data from Google and Bing. Enter a topic and it generates question phrases — who, what, when, where, why, how — plus comparison and preposition phrases.
A single seed term typically returns 80–150 keyword ideas. The free plan allows 3 searches per day. There are no KD scores or volume data in the free version.
Pair it with Ubersuggest to add difficulty context. It works best for building FAQ content and question-based articles that match conversational search intent. It’s a strong fit for any site targeting voice or featured snippet traffic.
5. Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator — KD Scores Without an Account
The Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator shows up to 100 keyword ideas per search, each with a KD score. No account is required. It covers Google, YouTube, Bing, and Amazon.
KD scores below 10 signal very low competition. That’s realistic for brand-new domains. The free version hides volume data for most keywords. You see exact volume for the top 10 results only.
That’s enough to spot patterns. For YouTube research, KD scores reflect competition within YouTube search specifically — not Google. That makes it one of the few free tools with platform-specific difficulty data.
6. Semrush Free Account — Competitor Gap Analysis
A free Semrush account gives you 10 keyword queries per day. That sounds tight. Used strategically, it’s enough. Enter a competitor’s domain and pull their top organic keywords.
Filter for phrases with a KD under 30 and volume between 100–1,000 monthly searches. The keyword gap tool compares up to 5 domains at once. On the free plan, results cap at 10 per report.
Semrush’s database covers over 25 billion keywords across 140 countries. Even 10 daily queries can surface overlooked phrases if you target the right competitors. Focus on sites in your niche with domain ratings between 20 and 50.
7. KeywordTool.io — Autocomplete Expansion Across Platforms
KeywordTool.io pulls Google autocomplete suggestions and organizes them by letter and preposition. A single seed term can generate 750+ keyword variations. That’s one of the highest raw output counts among free tools.
The free version shows all phrases but hides volume, CPC, and competition data behind a paywall. It covers Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, Instagram, and the App Store.
For long tail discovery without needing volume data, it’s one of the fastest options available. Export the phrase list and run it through Google Keyword Planner to add volume context. The whole process takes under 20 minutes.
8. Google Trends — Spotting Rising Keywords Early
Google Trends shows search interest over time, scaled from 0–100. It doesn’t show raw search volume. It shows momentum. A phrase trending from 20 to 65 over 6 months is gaining traction before most competitors notice.
Filter by region, time range, and category. The past 12 months is a reliable window. The “Related queries” section often surfaces rising phrases with very little existing content targeting them.
Combine Trends data with Keyword Planner volume estimates. That combination helps you find low competition phrases before they become crowded. It’s especially useful for seasonal niches and fast-moving topics.
9. AlsoAsked — Mapping Search Intent Visually
AlsoAsked pulls “People Also Ask” data from Google and maps it as a branching tree. Each node is a real question users typed. The free plan gives 3 searches per day and 3 results per search.
This tool is useful for building topic clusters. One seed question can reveal 15–30 related questions across 2–3 levels of depth. Each branch is a potential article or FAQ section.
Questions at the third level tend to have very low competition. Few sites have addressed them yet. That makes third-level branches some of the most undervalued keyword opportunities in any free research workflow.
10. Wordtracker Free Tool — Niche-Specific Volume Data
Wordtracker offers 100 free keyword searches per day without an account. It pulls data from its own panel of 70 million monthly searches. Volume figures differ from Google’s numbers but work well for relative comparison within a niche.
The tool shows keyword volume, competition score, and KEI (Keyword Effectiveness Index). KEI combines volume and competition into one score. Phrases with a KEI above 100 and competition under 0.1 are worth investigating.
Wordtracker is particularly strong for e-commerce and product-based niches. It surfaces commercial intent phrases that Google Keyword Planner sometimes underweights. For product pages targeting buyers, it’s worth adding to your rotation.
Building a Free Keyword Research Stack That Delivers Results
No single free tool covers everything. The most effective approach combines 3–4 tools in sequence. Start with Google Search Console to find phrases already near page one. Use Google Keyword Planner to expand your list to 200–400 ideas. Run strong candidates through Ubersuggest or the Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator for KD scores. Use AnswerThePublic or AlsoAsked to find question-based variations.
Google Search Console remains the most underused free tool in SEO. Most site owners glance at it once a month. Used correctly, it’s a real-time map of which phrases are almost ranking and which pages need a small push.
The best free tools to find low competition long tail keywords won’t replace paid platforms at scale. For sites under 2 years old, or teams working with tight budgets, this stack delivers 80% of the results at 0% of the cost. Once your keyword list is built, learning how to assign phrases to specific content types — pillar pages, cluster articles, and FAQ sections — is a natural next step that builds on this foundation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a low competition keyword?
A KD score under 30 on Ubersuggest or Ahrefs is generally considered low competition. For brand-new sites, targeting KD under 20 is safer. Monthly search volume between 100–1,000 is the sweet spot for most niches.
How many long tail keywords should I target per article?
Focus on one primary keyword and 3–5 closely related variants per article. Targeting too many unrelated phrases in one piece confuses Google about the page’s main topic. That confusion can hurt rankings across the whole site.
Do free keyword tools give accurate data?
Google Search Console and Google Keyword Planner pull directly from Google, so their data is as accurate as free tools get. Third-party tools like Ubersuggest and Ahrefs use their own crawl data. It’s reliable but not identical to Google’s internal numbers. Treat volume figures as directional, not exact.
How long does it take to rank for a low competition keyword?
For a new site targeting a KD under 20 keyword with a well-written 1,000+ word article, expect page 2 or 3 rankings within 4–8 weeks. Reaching page one typically takes 3–6 months, depending on your domain authority and backlink profile.
Can I use these tools for YouTube or Amazon keyword research?
Yes. The Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator and KeywordTool.io both cover YouTube and Amazon alongside Google. AnswerThePublic also pulls YouTube autocomplete data. For YouTube specifically, Ahrefs KD scores reflect competition within YouTube search, not Google.
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