Paid keyword research tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush are powerful, but at $100 or more per month they are hard to justify for a new micro site that has not yet earned a dollar. The good news is that the free alternatives, used intelligently, give you most of the insight you actually need to get started.
Start with Google itself
Google's own search interface is a goldmine of keyword data that most people scroll past without noticing. When you type a query into Google, the autocomplete suggestions are real queries that real people search for frequently. These are not guesses — they are drawn from actual search data. Start typing your niche topic and note every autocomplete suggestion that appears.
Next, search your main keyword and scroll to the bottom of the first page of results. The "Related searches" section shows eight more queries closely related to yours. Each of those, when searched, generates its own set of autocomplete suggestions and related searches. Spending 30 minutes mapping this network of queries will give you more keyword ideas than most paid tools.
Mine the People Also Ask box
The "People Also Ask" box appears on most Google search results pages and shows questions real users ask related to your search. Click any question to expand it — this generates more questions. A single starting query can generate dozens of specific, long-tail question keywords this way. Each question is a potential article title for your blog.
Google Keyword Planner — free CPC data
Google Keyword Planner is free with a Google Ads account. You do not need to run any ads. After creating an account (you can skip entering payment details by choosing the expert mode option), use the Discover New Keywords feature to enter your main topic. Keyword Planner shows you search volume ranges and CPC estimates — the CPC data is particularly valuable for niche validation, as it tells you what advertisers pay in your niche.
CPC data from Keyword Planner is the closest free equivalent to paid tool competition scores. High CPC means advertisers are competing heavily for this audience — and that translates to high AdSense RPM for your site.
Reddit for long-tail goldmines
Search Reddit for your niche topic and look at the questions people ask in relevant subreddits. Reddit reveals the real, unfiltered language your audience uses and the specific problems they struggle with. A question asked repeatedly on Reddit is almost always a keyword worth targeting. The key advantage over Google autocomplete is authenticity — these are questions people actually typed in moments of genuine confusion or need.
Answer the Public
AnswerThePublic.com offers a limited number of free searches per day. Enter your niche keyword and it generates a visual map of every question, preposition, and comparison query related to that keyword. Particularly useful for finding "how," "what," "why," and "can I" queries — the question-format keywords that tend to match featured snippet opportunities in Google.
Evaluating keyword difficulty without paid tools
Without Ahrefs or SEMrush, you evaluate keyword difficulty manually by examining the first page of Google results. Look for these signals of low competition: results from small independent sites rather than major brands; content that is thin, outdated, or poorly written; results from forums, Reddit, or Quora rather than dedicated sites; and a mix of domain types rather than one or two dominant authorities.
If the first page is dominated by Wikipedia, major news outlets, government sites, or established brands with millions of monthly visitors, that keyword is too competitive for a new site. If you see independent blogs and smaller sites, you have a real chance.
Building your keyword list
For a new micro site, target a mix of keyword types. Your main money keywords (high CPC, moderate search volume) become your cornerstone articles. Question-format long-tail keywords (lower volume but very specific intent) become your supporting articles. Comparison keywords ("X vs Y," "best X for Y") attract visitors close to making a decision — high commercial intent and strong AdSense performance.
Aim for a list of 30 to 50 keywords before you start writing. This gives you enough content ideas for your initial site build and shows you whether the niche has sufficient depth to sustain a long-term content strategy.