How to Do Keyword Research for Blogging (Free Tools Only)
Most guides on how to do keyword research for blogging make the whole thing sound like a university module in data science. Expensive tools. Confusing metrics. Jargon that needs its own glossary. And by the end, you’re more overwhelmed than when you started.
Here’s the honest truth: you don’t need any of that, especially not in your first year of blogging.
I do keyword research for The Income Plug using exactly three free tools: Google Search Console, Google Autocomplete, and Claude for brainstorming angles. That’s it. No paid subscriptions. No complex dashboards. And it’s working. This week, my site is sitting at an average position of 4.1 in Google Search Console. Multiple posts are gaining impressions consistently, including my Pretty Links review (5 impressions) and my best web hosting post (4 impressions). Free keyword research, real results.
This post walks you through the full picture:
- What keyword research actually means in plain English
- Why long-tail keywords are a new blog’s biggest advantage
- The free tools I use and exactly how I use them
- My step-by-step process for every single post I publish
- The mistakes that waste your time (and how to skip them)
If you want to understand how to write blog posts that turn keyword research into actual content, this post covers that process — read it alongside this one.
What Keyword Research Actually Means
Let’s strip out the jargon completely.
Keyword research is simply the process of finding the exact words and phrases people type into Google when they’re looking for information. Your job, as a blogger, is to write content that uses those exact phrases so Google knows to show your post to those searchers.
That’s it. No mystery. No dark art.
Where most guides lose beginners is by immediately jumping into tools and metrics without explaining the three things that actually matter:
1. Search Volume — how many people search that phrase per month. Bigger isn’t always better for a new blog. A phrase with 200 searches per month and low competition is far more valuable to you right now than a phrase with 50,000 monthly searches you’ll never rank for.
2. Keyword Difficulty — how hard it is to rank in the top 10 for that phrase. New blogs need low-difficulty keywords. Always. You cannot outrank sites with years of authority and thousands of backlinks in month three. You don’t need to; there are plenty of achievable keywords if you know where to look.
3. Search Intent — what the searcher actually wants when they type that phrase. This one matters more than either of the above.
Here’s why intent beats everything else: you could technically rank for a keyword and still get no benefit from it. If your content doesn’t match what the searcher expected to find, they’ll click away in seconds. A high bounce rate tells Google your post isn’t a good match, and Google moves you down. Match the intent, and people stay and read. People staying tells Google you’re worth showing to more people.
My simple test before finalizing any keyword: Does my post answer exactly what someone searching this phrase wants? “Yes” means the right keyword. ”No” means wrong keyword or wrong angle; adjust before you write, not after.
Why Long-Tail Keywords Win for New Blogs
This is the most important strategic concept in keyword research for beginner bloggers, and it’s also the simplest.
Short-tail keywords are broad, 2–3 word phrases. Think “affiliate marketing,” or “blogging tips,” or “make money online.” These phrases get enormous search volume. They also have enormous competition, dominated entirely by sites with years of domain authority, thousands of backlinks, and full-time SEO teams. A new blog has no business targeting them. Not yet.
Long-tail keywords are specific, 5–8-word phrases. Think “affiliate marketing for new bloggers with no audience yet” or “blogging tips for complete beginners starting from scratch.” Lower search volume, far lower competition, and something critically important: higher intent. Someone searching for a specific long phrase knows exactly what they want. That specificity makes them more likely to read your post, click your links, and take action.
For new blogs specifically, long-tail keywords deliver on four levels:
- Less competition = faster ranking
- More specific = searcher has higher intent
- Higher intent = better engagement and conversions
- Better engagement = Google trusts your site more over time
Here’s a real example from The Income Plug. “Best web hosting” is impossible for me to rank for right now. That phrase is owned by giants. But “best web hosting for beginner bloggers on a tight budget”? That post is currently showing 4 impressions this week. That is a long-tail strategy working in real time on a six-month-old blog with no backlink-building campaign.
The other thing to understand is the compound effect. One long tail post brings in a small amount of traffic. But 30 long-tail posts drive meaningful traffic. 60+ brings in significant, compounding traffic. Every post I publish is one more brick in that foundation, and that is exactly what I’m building with The Income Plug, post by post, week by week.
If you want to understand how this compounds into actual Google rankings over time, I break down the full process in this post on ranking blog posts on Google faster.
The Free Tools I Actually Use
No paid tools. No trials. No credit cards. Here is every tool I use or have thoroughly researched, exactly how to use each one, and an honest take on what each one can’t do.
Tool 1: Google Autocomplete
Free — no account needed
What it is: The dropdown suggestions that appear when you start typing something into Google Search. Every suggestion is a real phrase that real people have searched for recently. Google surfaces them because they’re genuinely popular.
How I use it: I type my broad topic into Google and note every autocomplete suggestion that appears. Then I go further; I add “for beginners,” “without,” “as a new blogger,” “for free,” and “step by step” to my topic and note what new suggestions appear. Every variation reveals a different angle that someone is actually searching right now.
What you get free:
- Real search phrases people are using right now ✅
- Always current Google updates these constantly ✅
- No account or sign-up needed ✅
- Unlimited searches ✅
Honest limitation: There’s no volume or difficulty data. You can’t compare two keywords side by side. It’s most powerful when used alongside Search Console data.
Free — requires setup | Personally used on The Income Plug
What it is: Google’s own tool that shows exactly what search queries are bringing people to your website, real queries, real impressions, real positions. This is the most accurate keyword data available to you as a blogger, and it’s completely free.
How I use it: I check the Queries report regularly to see which searches are already sending impressions to The Income Plug. I pay specific attention to posts sitting between positions 11–20, that’s page 2, one push away from breaking through. I also look for queries I hadn’t directly targeted that are appearing organically; those are signals of what my audience actually searches for.
Real example: “GeneratePress vs Astra” started appearing in my Search Console data unprompted. That confirmed real search demand for comparison-style posts and guided what I wrote next. The phrase “managing affiliate links” confirms that the topic has a real audience. Search Console doesn’t just show you what’s working; it tells you what to write next.
What you get free:
- Real queries bringing impressions to your site ✅
- Exact position data for each query ✅
- Click data showing what actually gets clicked ✅
- Page-level performance breakdown ✅
- Completely free, always ✅
Honest limitation: It only shows data for your own site; you can’t research competitors. And it takes around 6–8 weeks of data to become genuinely useful. Set it up on day one. Let it run. Check it weekly.
Thoroughly researched
What it is: A question-based keyword research tool that shows you what people are asking about any topic, organized by who, what, when, where, why, and how.
How to use it for blogging: Type your broad topic and browse the question variations it generates. Each question is a potential standalone post idea or a FAQ section for an existing post. It consistently surfaces angles that standard keyword tools miss, the specific questions people are actually typing.
What you get free:
- Question-format keywords ✅
- Preposition-based variations ✅
- Comparison keyword ideas ✅
- A limited number of free searches per day ✅
Honest limitation: The free plan is very restrictive on daily searches. Don’t waste them on exploratory browsing; go in with a specific topic in mind, get what you need, and move on. Best for inspiration and FAQ research rather than deep competitive analysis.
Thoroughly researched
What it is: A keyword research tool by Neil Patel with a limited free plan that includes basic volume and competition data.
How to use it for beginner bloggers: Search your target keyword, check the basic competition score, and browse the related keyword suggestions it surfaces. The “Content Ideas” tab shows what posts have performed well on that topic, useful for understanding what search intent looks like in practice for your niche.
What you get free:
- 3 searches per day ✅
- Basic volume and competition data ✅
- Related keyword suggestions ✅
- Content ideas based on what already ranks ✅
Honest limitation: Three searches per day is genuinely restrictive. Treat it as a sanity check rather than a primary research tool, and combine it with Google Autocomplete for the best free results.
Personally used on The Income Plug
What it is: Using Claude as a keyword angle brainstorming partner, not as a source of search volume data, but as a fast generator of long-tail variations and audience-specific angles I might not think of on my own.
How I use it: I give Claude my niche, my target audience, and my broad topic, then ask for long – tail keyword variations and low-competition angles my specific reader might search. I use the suggestions as a starting point and then run the best ones through Google Autocomplete to verify real search demand exists. It cuts my brainstorming time down significantly.
What you get free:
- Unlimited brainstorming ✅
- Niche-specific angle variations ✅
- Long tail keyword generation ✅
- Fast idea iteration ✅
Honest limitation: Claude has no real search volume data. Treat every suggestion as a hypothesis to test, not a confirmed keyword to target. Always verify against Google Autocomplete before committing. Claude generates ideas; you validate them.
For more on how I use AI throughout the content process, this post on finding blog post ideas using AI covers my full workflow.
My Step-by-Step Keyword Research Process
Here is exactly what I do before writing every post on The Income Plug. It takes 15–20 minutes maximum.
Step 1: Start with your topic. Your content calendar already tells you what you’re writing about. Keyword research isn’t about finding something to write; it’s about finding the best phrasing for what you already planned to cover.
Step 2: Google autocomplete first. Type your broad topic into Google and screenshot every autocomplete suggestion. Then add modifiers: “for beginners,” “without,” “as a new blogger,” “step by step,” “for free.” Note every variation that appears. You’re building a list of phrases real people have searched recently.
Step 3: Check the competition reality. Take your best keyword candidate and Google it. Look at who’s sitting on page 1. If every result is from Forbes, HubSpot, or a site that’s been publishing since 2010, that keyword is too competitive for now. If you see smaller or newer sites in the mix, that keyword is achievable. This check takes two minutes and can save weeks of wasted effort.
Step 4: Verify search intent match. Ask yourself honestly: Does my planned post answer exactly what someone typing this phrase wants to find? If you’re writing a tutorial but the searcher wants a product comparison, you’re using the wrong keyword. Adjust the keyword or adjust the post angle until they match each other.
Step 5: Check your search console. Is anything similar already appearing for your site? If yes, this new post can build on existing momentum. If no, you may be entering new territory for your site, which is completely fine; just go in with realistic ranking timeline expectations.
Step 6: Finalize and write. One clear focus keyword. Long tail and specific. Low competition for a newer blog. Intent matches your content. Now stop researching and start writing.
Common Keyword Research Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Targeting head keywords. “Blogging tips,” “affiliate marketing,” and “make money online” these are out of reach for a new blog right now. Not because you’re not good enough, but because the competition is objectively too established. “Long tail” and “specific” are not consolation prizes. It’s the correct strategy for where you are right now.
Mistake 2: Chasing volume over relevance. A keyword with 50,000 monthly searches and the wrong intent is worthless to you. A keyword with 200 monthly searches and perfect intent is genuinely valuable. Ten visitors who needed exactly what you wrote are worth more than a thousand who clicked away in ten seconds.
Mistake 3: Ignoring your own Search Console. Your most valuable keyword data is already inside Search Console, free, accurate, and specific to your site. Most bloggers never check it properly. Queries already bringing impressions are confirmed demand signals. Use them to guide what you write next.
Mistake 4: Relying on a single tool. Each free tool shows a different slice of reality. Google Autocomplete shows real search phrases. Search Console shows your site’s real data. AnswerThePublic shows question angles. Use them together for a more complete picture.
Mistake 5: Over-researching and under-publishing. Keyword research is preparation; it is not the work itself. Spend 15–20 minutes per post maximum, then write the post. Consistency of publishing beats perfection of research every single time. The bloggers who win long-term are the ones who publish regularly, not the ones who research endlessly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need paid keyword tools to rank on Google?
No, especially not in your first year of blogging. The free tools covered in this post (Google Autocomplete, Search Console, AnswerThePublic, and Ubersuggest’s free plan) give you everything you need to find and validate low-competition keywords. Paid tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush offer more data, but more data isn’t what’s holding most beginner bloggers back. The fundamentals, choosing long-tail keywords, matching search intent, and publishing consistently, matter far more than your tool budget.
How do I know if a keyword is too competitive for my new blog?
Google the keyword and look at who’s on page 1. If every result is from a massive, well-established site, such as Forbes, HubSpot, Healthline, or major news outlets, that keyword is out of reach right now. If you see smaller or newer blogs ranking on page 1, that’s a signal that the keyword is achievable. Also, look at the quality of what’s ranking. If existing posts are thin or outdated, that’s a genuine opportunity.
How many keywords should I target in one blog post?
One focus keyword per post. That’s the rule. You’ll naturally rank for related phrases and variations as your post gains traction. Google is smart enough to surface your content for semantically related searches. But your writing should be built around one specific keyword phrase. Trying to target five at once means you’re not optimally targeting any of them.
What’s the difference between short-tail and long-tail keywords?
Short-tail keywords are broad, typically 2–3 words. “Keyword research” is short tail. Long-tail keywords are specific, typically 5–8 words or more. “How to do keyword research for blogging without paid tools” is long tail. Short tail has high volume and impossible competition for new sites. Long tail has lower volume, lower competition, and higher search intent. For a blog in its first 12 months, long tail is the only viable strategy.
Should I target keywords with zero search volume?
Proceed with caution, but don’t automatically dismiss them. Sometimes Google Autocomplete surfaces a phrase that no free tool registers volume for, but if Google is suggesting it, people are searching it. If the phrase is highly specific and directly relevant to your audience, it may be worth targeting. Just don’t build your entire content strategy around zero-volume keywords. Balance them with phrases that have some confirmed demand.
How often should I do keyword research?
Every single post, no exceptions. But each session should take 15–20 minutes, not hours. Beyond individual post research, I also check Search Console weekly to spot emerging queries and trends across the whole site. That ongoing check is what reveals what to write next, what to update, and which posts are starting to gain real momentum.
Conclusion
Keyword research for blogging does not need to be complicated or expensive. It doesn’t require a monthly subscription, a spreadsheet with twenty columns, or a two-hour session before you can write a single post.
What it requires is the right approach: going long tail and specific, matching search intent, and using the free tools that are already available to you.
The Income Plug is sitting at a 4.1 average position this week. Posts are gaining impressions consistently. Comparison keywords are performing. And I haven’t spent a single penny on keyword research tools to get here. Free tools, consistent publishing, and a deliberate long tail strategy, that’s the whole system.
Here’s the short version:
- Google Autocomplete — start here every single time
- Search Console — your most valuable data source, and it’s completely free
- Long-tail keywords — your real competitive advantage as a new blog
- Search intent — match it or don’t bother targeting the keyword
- 15–20 minutes per post — research is preparation, not the work itself
The one thing that will hold you back more than anything else is paralysis. Waiting until you’ve done the “perfect” keyword research before you publish is a strategy that produces exactly zero posts. Done and published beats being perfect and sitting in drafts every single time.
Open Google right now. Type your next post topic. See what autocomplete suggests. Pick the most specific long-tail version. Write the post.
That’s keyword research. You’ve got this.
What keyword are you targeting next? Drop it in the contact form— I’d love to see what you’re working on.
Want to put this into practice straight away? These two posts cover the next steps:
