How to ACTUALLY Find Low-Competition Keywords the RIGHT Way

Joe McFerrin· CEOMay 23, 2026(updated May 22, 2026)7 min read

Low-competition keywords that gets tons of traffic are the Holy Grail of keyword research.

In all of our years of doing SEO for eCommerce companies, it’s easily one of the most popular requests we get.

And the reason is as obvious as it is completely understandable.

People want as much traffic as possible as soon as possible.

But here’s the thing: focusing on low-competition high-traffic keywords is a REALLY bad idea.

Let’s look at why.

(And then I’ll be a total hypocrite and show you the RIGHT way to ACTUALLY find keywords that can give you tons of traffic overnight)

2 Big Problem with Low-Competition Keywords

While it’s completely understandable that business owners want quick results from their SEO investments, there are two reasons going hunting for low competition keywords is a losing proposition.

1. They’re Becoming Harder and Harder (Nearly Impossible) to Find

First, it’s becoming nearly impossible to find keywords that your competitors don’t know about. Unless you’re INCREDIBLY fortunate to work in an industry that lacks SEO experts, you’re probably not going to find a ton of keywords that don’t have any competition, even though they get lots of searches every month.

There’s also the concept of “zero click traffic”, which refers to searches that don’t result in traffic to websites because Google’s first page answers their query with Featured Snippets, “People also ask”, and more.

In short, Google has become so effective at getting searchers the information they want ASAP that, more and more, these people don’t need to click on the websites contributing these answers.

It’s not QUITE as bad as it sounds, but if you’d like to learn more about this topic (and others), check out our post about the most important SEO trends of 2023.

2. Going After Random Keywords Won’t Help Long-Term Traffic Growth

That being said, my biggest issue with these types of low competition keywords is that basing your strategy on these kinds of short-term wins just doesn’t work for long-term growth.

Aside from the one exception I’ll cover next, it’s just impossible to go after random, low-competition keywords every month and think this will help you generate lots of traffic long-term (which is the goal for every website owner).

So, even if you can find relevant topics to cover every now and then, you won’t be able to do this again and again in a way that will build your authority and win Google’s good graces.

How to Actually Find Low-Competition Keywords That Will Get You Tons of Traffic

Okay, with those caveats behind us, let’s talk about how you can ACTUALLY find low-competition keywords in a way that will:

REALLY bring you high traffic returns in the very near future
Contribute to a long-term SEO plan for organic traffic

Fortunately, it’s INCREDIBLY simple.

Here’s all you need to do:

Go to your Google Search Console
Sort your Queries by Impressions
Look for Queries that have HIGH Impressions but LOW Clicks

So, here you can see that, in the last month, Google has given this website a combined 86,125 times, but all that attention has only resulted in 9 clicks for an abysmal clickthrough rate of just 00.01%.

What’s going on here?

Well, first, this is happening because Google knows that the website owner has the information its users want. That’s why it’s giving ALL those impressions to these pages.

So, why aren’t they getting those all-important clicks?

Because they’re not EXACTLY what their users are looking for when they turn to Google with those queries.

You Have the Impressions – Now Create the Right Pages

By now, the solution is probably obvious.

You need to either update the pages that are getting those impressions – but not getting clicks – or create brand-new pages that will be a better fit for those queries.

Which one should you do?

Well, let’s say you have a page that sells “Men’s Footwear” and Google’s giving it a lot of impressions for “Men’s Boots”, but you’re not seeing any clicks. This is probably because searchers want hyper-specific pages that speak to the “boots” they’re looking for – not a more general topic like “Men’s Footwear.”

Don’t Have This Kind of Opportunity?

Alright, so let’s say your site doesn’t have this kind of disparity between impressions and clicks at the moment.

The most likely reason is simply hasn’t had a ton of success yet with organic traffic. Otherwise, you’d see these kinds of impressions in Google Search Console.

And if that’s the case, the most important thing

The Final Word on Finding Keywords without a Lot of Competition

So, to be clear, we’re not saying NEVER optimize your pages for keywords that get lots of traffic.

That is a VERY good strategy.

What we are saying is that you need to focus your SEO strategy on long-term results, which means optimizing your current site around relevant keywords and then creating SEO-optimized blog posts that ensure Google trusts you with traffic.

If you have any questions about this topic or any others related to SEO, please feel free to contact us to speak with an expert.

Updated for 2026: Finding Low-Competition Keywords in the AI Search Era

Keyword difficulty scores still matter, but the AI search transition (Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, ChatGPT Search) reshaped what 'low competition' actually means in 2026. A keyword that's KD 5 in Ahrefs can be impossible to rank for in a buyer's funnel if AI engines are answering it directly. Below is the updated workflow our team uses to find low-competition keywords that still drive real ecommerce traffic.

Four headline takeaways from the 2026 update on updated for 2026: finding low-competition keywords in the ai search era.

KD score remains the starting filter but not the finish line. Ahrefs and Semrush KD measure backlink competitiveness. They don't measure SERP feature crowding (AI Overview, People Also Ask, featured snippet, video carousel) which can squeeze organic clicks to under 30 percent of total query volume.
Intent classification beats raw volume. A 200-vol commercial-intent keyword often outperforms a 2,000-vol informational keyword for ecommerce. Look at SERP type (transactional vs informational vs navigational) before chasing volume.
AI-search-friendly keywords are long-tail and entity-rich. Queries like 'magento b2b vs adobe commerce b2b for manufacturers under 50m gmv' are harder for AI Overviews to summarize cleanly. AI engines tend to cite specific, well-structured content for these.
Cluster topics, not isolated keywords. Modern SEO ranks topical authority, not individual keyword optimization. Pick 1 hero topic + 5 to 10 supporting subtopics, build linked content across the cluster.
Tools that still earn their cost in 2026. Ahrefs (best for KD + serp analysis), Semrush (best for keyword gap analysis), Google Search Console (best for actual rankings + click-through-rate), AlsoAsked.com (best for PAA mining), Perplexity research mode (best for AI-search query exploration).

What changed in 2026: outdated thinking versus the playbook our team uses today.

Frequently asked questions

What's a 'low competition' keyword in 2026?

Ahrefs KD under 20, with a SERP that doesn't have an AI Overview occupying the top of results, and at least 70 percent organic clickthrough rate. The pre-2024 definition (just KD under 20) is outdated because AI Overviews on commercial queries can compress organic CTR to under 30 percent.

How do I find low-competition keywords for ecommerce?

Three-step process: (1) build a topic cluster around your highest-margin product/service, (2) export the cluster to Ahrefs Keyword Explorer and filter for KD under 20 + volume above 100 + no AI Overview present, (3) verify SERP intent matches your page (commercial transactional vs informational).

Are tools like Ahrefs and Semrush still worth it in 2026?

Yes. KD scoring, backlink intelligence, SERP feature tracking, and keyword gap analysis are all things AI search hasn't replaced. The combination of one paid tool (Ahrefs or Semrush) plus free Google Search Console covers 90 percent of operational SEO work. Skip the duplicate spend on both Ahrefs AND Semrush unless you're a large agency.

How does AI search affect keyword research?

Three big shifts: (1) commercial-intent queries with AI Overviews lose organic CTR, (2) entity-rich long-tail queries (manufacturer name, product type, specific use case) get cited more often by AI engines, (3) topic cluster depth matters more than individual page optimization. Adjust keyword targeting to favor specific buyer-intent long-tail over generic high-volume terms.

What's the best free keyword research approach?

Google Search Console (your own ranking + impressions data is the truest signal of what's working), Google autocomplete + 'People also ask' boxes, AlsoAsked.com (free tier, mines PAA at scale), AnswerThePublic (free for limited queries), and Reddit/Quora search for emerging questions in your space. Free stack covers the basics; paid Ahrefs or Semrush adds KD + competitor data on top.

How long does it take to rank for a low-competition keyword?

Depends on your domain authority and content quality. New posts on a DR 40 to 60 domain with KD 0-10 keywords typically rank in 6 to 12 weeks. KD 10-20 keywords: 12 to 24 weeks. Above KD 20 typically needs supporting link building. Topical authority compounds — your second post in a cluster ranks faster than the first.

The five-stage workflow our team applies on engagements covering updated for 2026: finding low-competition keywords in the ai search era.

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