How to Rank in a Competitive Niche with Low Competition Keywords

Finding the right keywords is super important for making your website stand out, but it can be a real challenge to compete for those popular search terms, especially if you’re a smaller business.

In this blog, we’re going to chat about how to spot those low-competition keywords that can boost your ranking, draw in the right crowd, and help your online presence flourish.

What Is A Low-Competition Keyword?

A low-competition keyword is basically a search term or phrase that doesn’t have a lot of websites trying to rank for it in search engine results.

So, these keywords usually don’t get as many searches, but they’re way easier to rank for. That makes them perfect for smaller businesses or newer websites. Take “coffee beans,” as an example. It’s super competitive since tons of established businesses are already going after it. If you use longer, more specific keywords like “single origin coffee beans in [your city],” you’ll find there’s less competition, which makes it a lot easier to rank for them.

Even though not as many folks might be looking for that exact term, the ones who are searching for it probably have a stronger interest in what you’re offering. This helps you attract traffic that’s more likely to convert.

Many tools out there that help you check keyword competition will give keywords a difficulty score. To illustrate the point, Semrush rates keywords from 1 to 100 based on their keyword difficulty (KD%).

If the score is lower, it probably means that ranking for that keyword is going to be easier.

Why Are Low-Competition Keywords Important?

Low-competition keywords can really make a difference, particularly for small businesses or websites that are just getting off the ground.

When you’re just starting out, it can be tough to go up against those well-known websites that really own the popular search terms. That’s where those low-competition keywords really shine.

Low-competition keywords are like the easy pickings in the world of SEO. They’re pretty simple to “pick” or rank for since there’s not as much content going up against them. This helps your website rank higher in search engine results. This is really important, especially if you’re working with a tight budget or don’t have a whole team of SEO pros on your side. Or plenty of backlinks from reputable websites.

Picture this: you have a cozy little bakery in a charming mid-sized town. If you go after broad keywords like “best bakery” or “buy cakes,” you might find it tough to rank without a bunch of quality backlinks. But something more specific, like “best gluten-free cupcakes in [your town],” is way easier to work with.

There are definitely fewer websites going after this term, and the folks searching for it are probably on the lookout for exactly what you provide. This makes it easier for you to reach your perfect audience quickly and with less effort. Using low-competition keywords can really help you establish your authority as time goes on. If you zero in on those niche, less competitive terms, you can really boost your website’s visibility and credibility over time.

The more keywords you rank for, the more your domain’s topical authority increases, which puts you in a better spot to target those competitive keywords.

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Three Easy Ways To Find Low-Competition Keywords

Let’s examine three strategies for using Semrush, a potent SEO tool, to identify less competitive keywords that are worthwhile pursuing.

Find Keyword Suggestions

Check out Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool for tons of related keyword ideas! Just grab a starting keyword idea or what they call a “seed keyword.”

After you choose a seed keyword, just throw it into the search bar, hit “Search,” and see how the tool does its thing.

In this case, we went with “kitchen decor.” The tool has come up with 17,236 suggestions based on just this one keyword. Just click on the “KD %” dropdown above the keyword list to filter the results based on keyword difficulty. If we check out the “Volume” column, it’s clear that these keywords have some solid search demand going on.

If you want, you can sort them by difficulty in ascending order. Just click the funnel icon next to “KD %” and it’ll flip for you. Typically, the keywords are arranged from highest to lowest based on their search volume.

Just choose “Very easy” and click “Apply.”

Explore Your Competitors’ Keywords

You can check out your competition’s website content with some competitive analysis tools to find those low-competition keyword opportunities. If you want to see what keywords your competitors are going after and how they’re ranking, just hop into Semrush’s Organic Research tool. Just type in a competitor’s domain (website URL) in the search bar and click “Search.”

You’ll get a report that shows all the organic keywords your competitor’s site is ranking for in Google’s top 100 results.

Let’s say you run an interior design business, and you came across a competitor called “sanctuaryhomedecor.com.” Check out the search field to narrow down the list by keyword and see all the keywords your competitor is ranking for on a particular topic. If you take a look further down, you’ll find all the related keywords that the site ranks for.

Check out the “KD %” column to find the keywords with the least competition, and then compare the difficulty score of those keywords with their search volume in the “Volume” column.

If you want to check out what your competitors are ranking for and get a sense of their strategy, just head over to the “Positions” tab in the report.

Identify the Gaps in Your Content

You can also look at your competitors to find low-competition keyword ideas by doing a keyword gap analysis. First, you’ll want to open Semrush’s Keyword Gap tool. Just enter your domain along with up to four of your competitors’ domains. Next, go ahead and click on “Compare.” If you take a look further down, you’ll see a list of all the keywords that you and your competitors are ranking for together. The “Shared” tab displays the keywords that you and one or more competitors have in common. The top page for each shared keyword is highlighted in green.

The “Weak” tab highlights the keywords that your competitors are doing better with, while the “Strong” tab points out the keywords where you’re leading the pack.

The “Missing” tab highlights the keywords that your competitors are ranking for while you’re not. Finding keywords that have a lot of searches but not much competition is a great chance to take advantage of. Check out the screenshot below where you can see that “coffee table decor” gets about 14.8 thousand searches each month, and its KD % is just 29.

Plus, your main competitor is sitting at ninth place, so it’s definitely more possible for you to surpass them if you create some great content focused on this low-competition keyword.

Switch between the various tabs to find those keyword opportunities.

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How To Leverage Low-Competition Keywords?

Using low-competition keywords effectively means you have to be a little more strategic than simply choosing a handful of easy terms.

If you want to see real results, it’s all about having a strategy that helps you establish authority in your niche and link related keywords in a way that makes sense.

Factor in Search Intent

When you’re picking low-competition keywords, it’s key to think about search intent since not every search is created equal. Some people using search engines are looking for information, while others are ready to make a purchase, and some might just be checking out their options.

Search intent is basically why someone is looking something up. That’s what people are looking for when they type something into Google or another search engine. If someone types in “how to bake chocolate chip cookies,” they probably want a recipe rather than to purchase cookies.

There are typically four types of search intent that we can identify:

People are looking to get to a specific page, like when someone types in “reddit login.”

People are looking to find out more about a topic, like asking, “what is SEO?”

People are looking to do some research before they buy something, like when they search for “best coffee maker.” When users have transactional intent, they’re looking to take a specific action, like making a purchase. For example, they might search for something like “buy Subaru Forester.”

Build Topical Authority

Topical authority is all about making your website the go-to place for information on a specific subject. Search engines such as Google tend to prefer websites that demonstrate a strong understanding and knowledge in a specific field. This is the spot where low-competition keywords can truly stand out.

Imagine you have an online store where you sell eco-friendly cleaning products.

Why not skip the super competitive terms like “eco-friendly products” and zero in on those low-competition, niche-specific keywords? Think along the lines of “natural all-purpose cleaner for kitchens” or “non-toxic bathroom cleaners for families.” It could be a smarter move!

Use Keyword Clusters and Internal Linking

A keyword cluster, or topic cluster, is basically a bunch of related keywords that all connect to a main topic.

So, the plan is to put together groups of pages that are all about the same topic and then use internal links to connect them. This way, you can focus on several keywords simultaneously, showing search engines that your content thoroughly addresses a topic.

CONCLUSION: 

TARGETING LOW COMPETITION KEYWORDS IS A GAME-CHANGER!

Focusing on low competition keywords can really make a difference for bloggers, particularly those who are just starting out or are on the smaller side.

When you pair it with tools like SemRush, everything gets a lot easier and more efficient. You’ll be on your way to ranking on page 1 and boosting your traffic in no time!