How to Do Keyword Research for Free (Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners)

 Imagine you just opened a new home cleaning business in Bengaluru. You're excited. You build a website, write a beautiful blog post titled 'Best Cleaning Services in India' — and then... crickets. No visitors. No calls. Nothing.
What went wrong? You skipped keyword research.
Now imagine your competitor, Rahul Sharma, takes a different approach. He spends 20 minutes using FREE tools, discovers that people in Bengaluru are searching for 'affordable home cleaning service Bengaluru' — and he writes THAT article instead. Within weeks, his blog is showing up on page one of Google. Phone's ringing off the hook.
That is the power of keyword research. And the best part? You don't need to spend a single rupee to do it.
In this guide, I am going to walk you through exactly how to do keyword research for free — step by step, using tools that are 100% free, explained in simple language that any beginner can follow.

 

 Follow this step-by-step keyword research process shown below to find low-competition keywords for free.

A beginner-friendly step-by-step guide to doing keyword research for free using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, and People Also Ask.

 📌 IN THIS ARTICLE :

1. What Is Keyword Research?
2. Why Keyword Research Matters
3. Types of Keywords You Need to Know
4. Free Tools for Keyword Research
5. Step-by-Step: Google Keyword Planner
6. Step-by-Step: Ubersuggest (Free)
7. Step-by-Step: Google Autocomplete & People Also Ask
8. Step-by-Step: Answer The Public (Free)
9. How to Choose the Right Keyword for Your Blog Post
10. Real-World Example: Rahul's Home Cleaning Business (Bengaluru)
11. How to Check Your Article Word Count
12. Common Keyword Research Mistakes to Avoid
13. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1.What Is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is the process of finding the exact words and phrases that your target audience types into Google (or any search engine) when they are looking for information, products, or services.
Think of it like this — before you write any blog post, you need to answer one question: 'Is anyone actually searching for this topic?'
Keyword research helps you answer that question. It tells you:

• What people are searching for

• How many people search for it every month (search volume)

• How hard it is to rank for that keyword (keyword difficulty)

• What related topics you should also cover

 
📖 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE

Rahul Sharma runs a home cleaning business in Bengaluru.

Before writing a blog post, he checks Google Keyword Planner.

He discovers:

•   'home cleaning services' — 22,000 searches/month — HIGH competition (too tough!)

•   'home cleaning service Bengaluru' — 880 searches/month — MEDIUM competition

•   'affordable home cleaning Bengaluru' — 320 searches/month — LOW competition (perfect!)

• Rahul targets the low-competition keyword. Small blog, big win!

 

 2.Why Keyword Research Matters for Beginners

New bloggers often make this mistake — they write about what THEY find interesting instead of what their READERS are searching for. Keyword research bridges that gap.

Here is why it matters:

 
Without keyword research, you are guessing. With it, you are targeting.
Google needs to understand what your article is about. Keywords help Google match your content to the right searchers.
Low-competition keywords = FASTER rankings for new blogs like yours.
Proper keyword research means more organic traffic — visitors who find you WITHOUT paid ads.
It helps you plan your entire content calendar — no more staring at a blank screen wondering what to write next!

💡 PRO TIP FOR BEGINNERS

• As a new blog, NEVER target keywords with more than 40 keyword difficulty (KD) score.

• Stick to long-tail keywords (3 or more words) — they have lower competition and higher intent.

• Example: Instead of 'SEO tips' (KD: 72), target 'free SEO tips for beginners in India' (KD: 18).

3.Types of Keywords You Need to Know

1. Short-Tail Keywords

• 1-2 words.
•  Very broad.
•  Very competitive.
•  Hard to rank for as a new blogger.

Example: 'SEO', 'keyword research', 'cleaning service'
Search volume: Very high | 

Competition: Very high | 

Good for beginners: NO

2. Long-Tail Keywords

• 3 or more words. 
• Very specific. 
• Lower competition. 
• PERFECT for beginners.

Example: 'free keyword research tools for beginners'

Example: 'how to do SEO for a Blogger blog'
Search volume: Lower | 

Competition: Lower | 

Good for beginners: YES!

3. LSI Keywords (Related Keywords) 

These are keywords semantically related to your main keyword. Google uses them to understand your content better.
Main keyword: 'keyword research'
LSI keywords: 

• 'search volume', 

• 'keyword difficulty', 

• 'Google Keyword Planner',

•  'long-tail keywords'

You don't need a special tool to find LSI keywords — scroll to the bottom of a Google search results page. You'll see 'Related searches' — those are your LSI keywords!

4. Seed Keywords

A seed keyword is your starting word or phrase — the root idea that you then expand into many keyword variations using research tools.
Your blog is about SEO. Your seed keyword might be 'keyword research' or 'SEO tips'.
You plug that seed into a tool and it gives you dozens of related ideas.

4.Free Tools for Keyword Research (No Credit Card Needed!)

Here is your beginner toolkit — 100% free:

• Google Keyword Planner — Best for search volume data (needs free Google Ads account)

• Ubersuggest — Keyword difficulty score + suggestions (free tier: 3 searches/day)

• Google Autocomplete — Real-time suggestions from Google itself

• Google People Also Ask — Question-based keywords Google surfaces in search results

• Answer The Public — Visual keyword map (free version: limited searches/day)

• Google Trends — Compare keyword popularity over time

• Google Search Console — Shows what keywords your EXISTING pages already rank for

• Keyword Surfer (Chrome Extension) — Shows volume data right in Google search (free!)

🆓 QUICK COMPARISON OF FREE TOOLS

  1.Google Keyword Planner

• Best For: Search volume + bid range

• Limit: Free (needs Google Ads account.

  2.Ubersuggest

• Best For: KD score + keyword ideas

• Limit: 3 searches/day free

 3.Google Autocomplete

• Best For: Long-tail keyword ideas

• Limit: Unlimited (it's just Google!)

  4.Answer The Public

• Best For: Question keywords (who, what, how)

• Limit: Limited free searches/day. . . . 

 5.Google Trends

• Best For: Keyword trend over time

• Limit: Unlimited

6.Google Search Console

• Best For: Your existing ranking keywords

• Limit: Free with your blog connected

5.Step-by-Step: How to Use Google Keyword Planner (Free)

Google Keyword Planner is the gold standard for search volume data. It was built for advertisers but it is 100% free to use for research — you just need a Google account.

How to Set It Up (One-Time Only)

• Go to ads.google.com on your phone or desktop

• Sign in with your Google account

• Click 'Start Now' — when asked about campaigns, click 'Switch to Expert Mode'

• Click 'Create an account without a campaign'

• Fill in your billing country and currency (India / INR) — you will NOT be charged

• Go to Tools > Keyword Planner

Example of keyword research using Google Keyword Planner showing search volume, competition, and bid data.
 

How to Research Keywords in Keyword Planner 

• Click 'Discover new keywords'

• Type your seed keyword in the search box. Example: 'keyword research' or 'SEO tips for beginners'

• Set location to India (or your specific city like Bengaluru)

• Click 'Get Results'

• You'll see a list of keyword ideas with monthly search volumes and competition levels

• FILTER: Sort by 'Avg. monthly searches' — look for 100 to 1,000 searches/month for your niche

• FILTER: Look for 'Low' competition — this is gold for beginner blogs

• Save your shortlisted keywords in a Google Doc or spreadsheet

📖 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE: Rahul Uses Keyword Planner

1. Rahul types: 'home cleaning Bengaluru' into Google Keyword Planner.

• Results Google shows him:

• 'home cleaning Bengaluru'

• Searches/month: 720

• Competition: Medium

• Verdict: Skip for now. 

      2. 'professional home cleaning Bengaluru'

• Searches/month: 210

• Competition: Low

• Verdict: ✅ WINNER — Primary Keyword

• 'home deep cleaning service Bengaluru'

• Searches/month: 170

• Competition: Low

• Verdict: ✅ WINNER — Secondary Keyword

Rahul's Final Keyword Plan:
🎯 Primary Keyword: professional home cleaning Bengaluru
🔁 Secondary Keyword: home deep cleaning service Bengaluru

Result: He ranks on page 1 within 3 months!

6.Step-by-Step: How to Use Ubersuggest (Free) 

Ubersuggest is my favourite free tool and  for beginners because it gives you a Keyword Difficulty (KD) score — something Google Keyword Planner doesn't show clearly. The free tier allows 3 keyword searches per day, which is plenty when you are just starting out.

• Go to app.neilpatel.com/ubersuggest on your phone browser

• Type your keyword in the search box. Example: 'keyword research for beginners'

• Select your country: India

• Click 'Search'

Look at three numbers: 

• Search Volume | 
• SEO Difficulty (SD) | 
• Paid Difficulty (PD)

For beginner blogs,

•  target: Volume 100-2000 + SEO Difficulty under 30

• Scroll down to 'Keyword Ideas' — you'll get 20-30 related keyword suggestions for FREE

• Scroll further to 'SERP Analysis' — see who is currently ranking for that keyword and their domain score

If websites with domain score under 30 are on page 1, that keyword is WINNABLE for you!

How to Read the Ubersuggest KD Score

• 0-29: LOW difficulty — Target these! Perfect for new blogs.

• 30-49: MEDIUM difficulty — Possible if your content is very good.

• 50-69: HIGH difficulty — Skip for now. Come back in 6 months.

• 70-100: VERY HIGH difficulty — Compete with big brands only. Not for beginners.

7.Step-by-Step: Google Autocomplete and 'People Also Ask' 

This is the most underrated free keyword research method — and you already have it! You just need to use it with strategy.

Google Autocomplete 

• Open Google on your phone (do NOT press Enter yet)

• Type your seed keyword slowly: 'keyword research...'

• Google will suggest completions in a dropdown — these are REAL keywords real people are searching!

Try adding letters after your keyword: 'keyword research f...' 'keyword research fo...'
Try adding words before: 'how to keyword research', 'best keyword research', 'free keyword research'


📖 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE: Google Autocomplete for SEO Blog

Dilli types 'keyword research' into Google (without pressing Enter).

Google suggests:

•   keyword research for beginners

•   keyword research tools free

•   keyword research for YouTube

•   keyword research for blog

•   keyword research tutorial

These are her secondary keyword ideas! She weaves them naturally into her article.

7.People Also Ask (PAA) — Hidden Gold Mine 

When you search any keyword on Google, you will see a box in the middle of the results page called 'People Also Ask'. These are REAL questions real people ask — and they are PERFECT for your FAQ section!
Search your main keyword on Google

• Find the 'People Also Ask' box — usually appears after the first 2-3 results

• Click one question to expand it — Google will show MORE questions!

• Write down all relevant questions

• Answer each question in your FAQ section or as subheadings in your article

• Bonus: When you answer a PAA question well, YOUR article can appear in that box! That means free visibility at the very top of Google results.

8.Step-by-Step: Answer The Public (Free)

Answer The Public shows you all the question-based searches around any keyword in a visual 'wheel' format. It is incredibly useful for finding blog post ideas and FAQ questions.
Go to answerthepublic.com on your phone browser
Type your keyword.

 Example: 'keyword research'

• Select Country: India

• Click the search button

• You will see a visual wheel of questions starting with: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, Can, Is, Are, Will

• Switch to the 'Data' view (easier to read on mobile)

• Copy all the questions relevant to your article topic

• Use these as subheadings, FAQ questions, or to create entire new articles!

💡 HOW TO USE ANSWER THE PUBLIC FOR YOUR FAQ SECTION

• Type in your keyword and collect 5-8 relevant questions.

• These become your FAQ section questions!

• For this article: 'keyword research' gives questions like:

  - How to do keyword research for free?
  - What is the best free keyword research tool?
  - Is Google Keyword Planner really free?
  - How many keywords should I target per article?
  - What is keyword difficulty?

Answer each one in 2-4 sentences. Google LOVES this format!

9.How to Choose the Right Keyword for Your Blog Post 

You have done your research. Now you have a long list of keywords. How do you pick THE ONE to target? Use this simple 3-point checklist:

The 3-Point Keyword Selection Checklist

Point 1: Search Volume (Is Anyone Searching?)

• Target: 100 to 2,000 searches per month for a beginner blog

• Under 100/month = too niche (not enough traffic)

• Over 10,000/month = too competitive (very hard to rank)

Point 2: Keyword Difficulty (Can I Win?) 

• Target: KD score under 30 for new blogs

• Check Ubersuggest's SEO Difficulty score

• Also check: Are low-authority websites ranking on page 1? If yes, YOU can rank too!

Point 3: Search Intent (Does It Match My Content?)

• Informational intent: 'How to do keyword research' — PERFECT for blog posts

• Commercial intent: 'Best keyword research tools' — Good for comparison posts

• Transactional intent: 'Buy Ubersuggest premium' — Doesn't suit a beginner SEO blog

• Navigational intent: 'Ubersuggest login' — Skip, user wants a specific site

🏆 KEYWORD SELECTION EXAMPLE: SEO with Dilli Blog

Dilli researches keywords for her blog post about keyword research.

She finds these options:

•   Option A: 'keyword research' — 22,000/month — KD: 72 — TOO HARD

•   Option B: 'keyword research tools' — 5,400/month — KD: 55 — STILL HARD

•   Option C: 'free keyword research tools for beginners' — 480/month — KD: 22 — WINNER!

•   Option D: 'how to do keyword research for free' — 320/month — KD: 18 — ALSO WINNER!

Dilli chooses Option D as her PRIMARY keyword.

• She uses Option C as her SECONDARY keyword.

• Both get woven naturally into her title, headings, and content.

10.Full Real-World Walkthrough: Rahul's Home Cleaning Business

Let us put everything together with a complete example. Rahul Sharma owns a home cleaning business in Bengaluru. He wants to write a blog post to attract local customers via Google. Here is exactly how he does keyword research for free:

Step 1: Define the Topic (Seed Keyword) 

• Rahul's business: Home cleaning in Bengaluru. His seed keyword: 'home cleaning Bengaluru'.

Step 2: Find Variations in Google Keyword Planner 

• He enters 'home cleaning Bengaluru' and discovers 20+ related keywords. He shortlists:

•  'affordable home cleaning Bengaluru' — 260/month — Low competition

• 'home cleaning service near me Bengaluru' — 390/month — Low competition

• 'deep cleaning home Bengaluru' — 170/month — Low competition

Step 3: Validate Difficulty on Ubersuggest 

He checks each shortlisted keyword in Ubersuggest. 'Affordable home cleaning Bengaluru' shows KD: 16. Perfect! He checks SERP analysis — the top 3 ranking pages have domain scores of 14, 22, and 31. His new blog can compete!

Step 4: Find Question Keywords from PAA and Answer The Public

He searches 'affordable home cleaning Bengaluru' on Google and notes the People Also Ask questions:

• What is the average cost of home cleaning in Bengaluru?

• How often should I get my house professionally cleaned?

• Is home deep cleaning worth it?

These become his FAQ section!

Step 5: Organise the Final Keyword Plan 

• Primary keyword: affordable home cleaning Bengaluru

• Secondary keyword: home cleaning service near me Bengaluru

• LSI keywords: deep cleaning, home cleaning cost, professional cleaning service

Article title: 'Affordable Home Cleaning Service in Bengaluru — What You Need to Know'
Meta description uses primary keyword in first 120 characters

11.How to Check Your Article Word Count

Word count matters for SEO — longer, more comprehensive articles tend to rank better for competitive keywords. For a beginner SEO blog, aim for 1,500 to 2,500 words per article.

Method 1: Google Docs Word Count (Recommended for Android)

• Open your article in Google Docs on your phone

• Tap the three dots (more options) in the top-right corner

• Tap 'Word count'

• You will see: Words, Characters, Characters excluding spaces

• Target: 1,500 to 2,500 words for a keyword research guide

Method 2: WordCounter.net (Online Tool)

• Go to wordcounter.net on your phone browser

• Copy and paste your entire article text into the box

• The word count and character count update live as you type

• Also shows reading time — helpful for knowing how long readers will spend on your page

Method 3: Blogger's Built-In Count

Blogger's app does not show a word count directly. Use Method 1 or 2 while drafting, then copy-paste into Blogger when ready.

📊 RECOMMENDED WORD COUNTS BY ARTICLE TYPE

• Beginner how-to guide (like this one): 1,800 - 2,500 words

• SEO tool review / comparison: 1,200 - 2,000 words

• Quick tips article: 800 - 1,200 words

• Pillar / Ultimate Guide: 3,000 - 5,000 words

• News / Update post: 400 - 800 words

RULE: Quality over quantity! A tight 1,500-word article beats a padded 3,000-word one.

12.Common Keyword Research Mistakes Beginners Make 

• Targeting keywords that are too broad (e.g., 'SEO' or 'digital marketing')

• Stuffing too many keywords into one article — pick ONE primary keyword per post

• Ignoring search intent — writing a product page for an informational keyword

• Skipping competitor analysis — if top results are from Forbes or HubSpot, skip that keyword

• Not using your keyword in the title, first paragraph, and meta description

• Copying your competitor's keywords without checking the difficulty for YOUR blog

• Only targeting English keywords when your audience might use Hindi or regional terms

• Forgetting to update your keyword strategy — revisit every 3-6 months as your blog grows

⚠️ KEYWORD STUFFING WARNING

• Keyword stuffing = using your keyword unnaturally many times to try to rank higher.

• Example of stuffing: 'This article about keyword research teaches you keyword research so you can do keyword research for free using keyword research tools.'

• Google HATES this. It will hurt your rankings, not help them.

• RULE: Use your primary keyword naturally — in the title, first paragraph, one H2, and meta description.

• After that, use related words and synonyms. Google is smart enough to understand.

 13.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. Is Google Keyword Planner really free?

Yes! Google Keyword Planner is completely free to use. You need to create a free Google Ads account to access it, but you do NOT need to run any ads or enter payment details to use the keyword research feature. Just create the account, skip the campaign setup, and go straight to Keyword Planner.

Q2. How many keywords should I target in one blog post? 

Target ONE primary keyword per blog post. This is the main keyword you want to rank for — use it in your title, first paragraph, one H2 heading, and meta description. Then add 2-4 secondary keywords (related phrases) naturally throughout the article. Using too many primary keywords confuses Google about what your article is really about.

Q3. What is a good keyword difficulty score for a new blog?

For a brand new blog (under 6 months old), target keywords with a difficulty score of 0-29 on Ubersuggest. These are low-competition keywords where you can realistically appear on page one of Google without a huge backlink profile. Once your blog is 12+ months old and has grown its authority, you can start targeting keywords up to KD 40-50.

Q4. What is the difference between short-tail and long-tail keywords?

A short-tail keyword is 1-2 words like 'SEO' or 'keyword research'. It has very high search volume but also very high competition — almost impossible for a new blog to rank for. A long-tail keyword is 3 or more words like 'how to do keyword research for free in India'. It has lower search volume but MUCH lower competition — perfect for beginners!

Q5. Can I do keyword research only on my mobile phone?

Absolutely yes! All the free tools mentioned in this guide — Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, Google Autocomplete, Answer The Public, and Google Trends — work perfectly in a mobile browser on Android. You do not need a laptop or desktop computer to do keyword research.

Q6. How often should I do keyword research?

Do keyword research BEFORE writing every single blog post — this should be a non-negotiable habit. Also review your Google Search Console every month to see which keywords you are already ranking for. Every 3-6 months, revisit your top articles and check if there are better keyword opportunities to target with updated content.

Q7. What is keyword stuffing and why is it bad? 

Keyword stuffing means using your target keyword unnaturally many times in an article in an attempt to trick Google into ranking you higher. For example, writing 'keyword research' 30 times in a 500-word article. Google's algorithm is smart — it can detect this and will penalise your article by pushing it DOWN in the rankings. Use your keyword naturally, and Google will reward you.

What's Next? Your Action Plan for Today

You now have a complete toolkit for doing keyword research for free! Do not just read and move on — take action TODAY.

 

 ✅ YOUR 15-MINUTE ACTION PLAN

1. Open Google Keyword Planner and search your next blog post topic

2. Write down 5 keyword ideas with their monthly search volumes

3. Check the top 2 keywords on Ubersuggest — note the KD scores

4. Google your main keyword and write down 3 PAA (People Also Ask) questions

5. Pick your primary keyword (volume 100-2000, KD under 30)

6. Open a new Google Doc and write your article title using that keyword

Done? Drop a comment below and share what keyword you picked! I would love to know. :)


📚 CONTINUE YOUR SEO LEARNING JOURNEY

You just completed a huge step in your SEO journey — keyword research!

Here is what to read next on SEO with Dilli:

NEXT: On-Page SEO — How to optimise your article AFTER you have your keyword

ALSO: What is SEO? — Start from the very beginning if you missed it

ALSO: How Search Engines Work — Understand HOW Google ranks pages

Bookmark this blog and follow along — new SEO guides every week!


Got questions? Drop them in the comments below! I personally reply to every comment on SEO with Dilli.
Happy learning, and happy ranking! 🚀
— Dilli, SEO with Dilli