How to Find Low-Competition Keywords With AI

The short answer: use AI to brainstorm a long list of narrow, specific search phrases, then check every phrase in free tools that see real data (Google Search Console, Google Trends, autocomplete). After that, read page one of Google yourself. A low-competition keyword is one where the pages already ranking are old, thin or from small sites, and you can write something clearer. AI is good for ideas but should not be trusted for search numbers, because it can make them up.

You found a keyword. It looks great. Then you search it, and page one is full of giant websites that have been around for ten years. Your little blog does not stand a chance there.

I know that sinking feeling is common for beginners. The good news is that you don’t have to fight those giants. You can pick smaller topics that fewer sites cover well. These are often called low-competition keywords.

AI can help you find them. But there is one big catch, and I want to tell you about it early. Let’s walk through the whole process together, step by step. (If you are brand new to keyword research, start with how to use AI for keyword research. This guide goes one step further: finding the phrases a small site can actually win.)

What does “low competition” really mean?

It means few strong pages already answer that search well. A keyword is just the words someone types into Google. “Low competition” means not many strong pages already answer that search well.

Notice the word strong. A search can have lots of pages and still be easy to join, if those pages are old, thin or off-topic. A search can have only a few pages and still be hard, if each one is excellent.

So there is no magic number. You are really asking one question: can I write something clearer and more helpful than what is already there?

New sites have a harder time with short, broad searches like “SEO” or “make money online.” Longer, more specific searches usually give a small site a better chance. For example, “keyword research steps for a new hobby blog” is narrower than “keyword research.” Fewer people search it, but you can speak to them directly.

Can AI tell you how many people search a keyword?

No. Here is the part many beginners miss. Chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude do not have a live feed of Google search data. If you ask, “How many people search this each month?”, they may still give you a confident number. That number can be made up.

SpyFu, a company that sells keyword data, wrote about this. Their example had a chatbot guessing thousands of monthly searches for a phrase that really had a few hundred. The number looked tidy and sure of itself. It was wrong.

So here is the rule I follow on this site: use AI for ideas and thinking, never for numbers. Numbers come from real tools. AI helps you before and after that step.

Think of AI as a friend who brainstorms well but has never seen your analytics. Great for “what else could I write about?” Not great for “how many people search this?”

Step 1: Ask AI for a long list of narrow ideas

Start by giving AI some context about you. The more it knows, the less generic the list will be. Try something like this:

I run a beginner blog about [your topic]. My readers are people with no experience who feel overwhelmed. Give me 40 specific search phrases they might type into Google. Make them long and narrow (5 to 9 words). Mix questions, comparisons and “for beginners” phrases. Do not include search volume numbers.

That last sentence matters. It keeps the AI from inventing data.

You can also ask it to group the list by what the reader wants. Some people want to learn. Some want to compare. Some want to fix a problem. This helps you see gaps in your own site.

You should now have a long list. Much of it will be average. That is fine. You are only collecting raw material.

Step 2: Check the real numbers with free tools

A note on links: I’m not an affiliate for any of the brands below, so nothing on this page pays me either way.

Now take your list to tools that actually see search data. You can do a lot without paying anything.

Google Search Console

If your site is already connected, this is gold. Its Performance report shows which searches already show your pages, with clicks, impressions and your average position. Google’s own help page lists these four measures.

Look for searches where you appear on page two or three. You are already close. A better, more focused article can move you up. This is real data about your site, which no AI can give you.

Google Trends

Google Trends does not give exact counts. It shows whether interest in a topic is rising, flat or falling. It also lets you compare two phrases side by side. Use it to choose between two ideas, or to spot a topic that is slowly fading.

Google Keyword Planner

This tool lives inside Google Ads. You need a Google Ads account to open it, and Google may ask you to finish account setup first, which can include billing details. Check the current steps on Google’s Keyword Planner help page before you start. You do not have to run any ads to look at ideas.

One warning. The “competition” column in Keyword Planner is about advertisers bidding on the phrase. It does not tell you how hard it is to rank in normal search results. Beginners mix these up all the time. I would treat that column as a side note only.

Autocomplete and “People also ask”

Type your phrase into Google and watch the suggestions. Scroll to the “People also ask” box too. These are real questions real people type. They cost nothing and often show gaps that paid tools miss.

From all this, make a short list. Keep phrases that show some real interest. Cross out phrases with no sign of anyone searching. Some very small searches are still worth writing for, if they match what your reader needs.

Step 3: Look at page one with your own eyes

This is the step that tells you the truth. Search each phrase on your short list and read the first page of results. Ask yourself:

Who is ranking? If you see forum threads, small blogs or question pages on page one, that is a good sign. Big brands on every line is a harder fight.
How old are the pages? Look at dates. A result from three or four years ago may be out of date. That is your opening.
Is the answer thin? Short posts that skip steps, or never say what the reader should do next, leave room for you.
Does it match what people want? If the phrase is “how to,” and results are all product pages, the search may not suit a blog post.
Can I add something real? A checklist, a plain example, a mistake to avoid, or a story from an actual owner or reviewer all count.

Tool scores can help, but nobody outside Google fully knows how hard a search is. Your own eyes on the results page are still a check you can trust. A tool score is a guess. The page in front of you is real.

Step 4: Ask AI to find the gaps

Here is where AI becomes useful again. Copy the titles and headings from the first five results into a chat. Then ask:

Here are the titles and headings of the pages ranking for “[phrase].” What questions do they leave unanswered? What would a complete beginner still be confused about after reading them? Suggest 5 things I could cover that they do not.

Use the reply as a prompt for your own thinking, not as a plan to copy. Check each idea against what you know. If you can’t back it up, leave it out.

Please do not paste whole articles from other sites and ask AI to rewrite them. That is not helpful for readers, and it is not fair to the writers.

Step 5: Pick one and score it

You now have a few good candidates. Give each one a quick score. Answer yes or no:

Does real data show some interest, even a small amount?
Are page-one results old, thin or from small sites?
Can I write something clear and useful about it?
Does it fit my site and lead to a next article?

Pick the phrase with the most yes answers. Then write the article. If two are tied, choose the one that is closer to what you want readers to do next.

What did this look like on my own site?

Search Console showed me that a search can bring impressions and still be out of reach. Here is what I found in this site’s report for 7 September to 4 October 2026.

One older post of mine, a collection of “what is your why” quotes, showed up 90 times for the search “why statement examples”. Its average position for that search was about 94, which is page ten. Nobody scrolls that far. Those impressions looked nice in a report, but I could not win that search with that page. The same post sat between position 10 and 33 for the quote searches it was actually written for. Those were the searches worth working on.

In the same month, a post about AI niches for beginners had 90 impressions at an average position of 18.4. That is page two. No AI tool could have told me that. Only my own data could. A page-two search like this one is exactly the kind of low-competition target this guide is about. The page already half-works, and a clearer, more focused answer can move it up.

The lesson I took from it: sort by position, not by impressions. A big number at position 90 is noise. A small number at position 15 is an opening.

Mistakes I would avoid

Trusting an AI search number. Always check with a real tool.
Chasing tiny phrases that no one needs. Low competition is not useful if nobody wants the answer.
Skipping the page-one check. This takes ten minutes and saves weeks.
Writing for the keyword and forgetting the person. Answer the question quickly, then go deeper.
Expecting fast results. New sites often take months to rank. No tool or prompt can promise a date.

A small plan for this week

If this feels like a lot, here is a gentle plan. You can do it in one evening.

Ask AI for 40 narrow phrases (use the prompt above).
Check them in Google autocomplete and Google Trends. Cut the list to ten.
Read page one for each. Cut it to three.
Score those three. Choose one.
Write it in plain words. Give a short answer first, then the details.

That is it. One keyword, picked with care, is better than twenty picked in a rush.

Once the article is live, keyword choice is only half the work. People still have to find the page. My guide to getting traffic to a new website when Google is ignoring you covers the next part. For the bigger picture of where this fits, see how to use AI to build an online business.

Questions people ask

Is AI good for keyword research?

It is good for ideas, grouping and spotting gaps. It is not good for search volume or difficulty numbers, because it can invent them. Pair it with real data.

Do I need a paid tool?

Not to start. Search Console, Google Trends, autocomplete and your own reading of page one cover a lot. Paid tools can save time later, once you know what you need.

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

It varies a lot. It depends on your site, the topic and the pages already there. I would not trust anyone who gives you an exact date.

Is the Keyword Planner “competition” column the same as ranking difficulty?

No. That column measures how many advertisers bid on the phrase in Google Ads. It says nothing about how hard it is to rank in the normal results. Read page one yourself instead.

What if my site is too new to have Search Console data?

Connect it anyway, because the data starts building from that day. In the meantime, use autocomplete, “People also ask”, Google Trends and your own reading of page one.

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