Keyword research for free: Search Console, autocomplete and Bing

You can do useful keyword research for free. Start with Google Search Console, which shows the searches you already appear for. Add ideas from Google autocomplete and People also ask, and check rough demand in Bing Webmaster Tools’ keyword research tool. Then sort the keywords by intent and give each group one page.

Start with what Google already shows you for

Search Console is the best free source because the data is about your own site. Paid tools estimate; Search Console reports what really happened.

1. Open Performance → Search results.
2. Tick Impressions, Clicks, CTR and Average position.
3. Set the date range to the last three months (up to 16 months is available).
4. Open the Queries tab and sort by impressions.

Look for three kinds of keyword:

• Queries you rank for but barely mention. Google sees some relevance; a section on the topic could help.
• Queries in positions 11–20. Close to page one, and often the quickest wins. See striking-distance keywords.
• Questions. Filter queries containing how, what, why or can. These make good sections or FAQ answers.

Two caveats. Google hides some rare queries for privacy, so totals by query won’t add up to totals by page. And average position is an average across many searches, so treat it as a guide. The Search Console guide covers the reports in more detail.

OZMAICO’s SEO → Keywords view lays out every Search Console search with ready-made views such as “Almost page 1” for positions 11–20, “Pages competing” and “Questions”, if you would rather not set the filters by hand.

Google autocomplete

Type the start of a search into Google and note the suggestions. They are based on what people search for, so they show real wording.

Useful tricks:

• Add each letter of the alphabet after your topic: robots.txt a, robots.txt b…
• Put a question word first: how robots.txt, why robots.txt.
• Use * inside a phrase, such as block * in robots.txt, to see what people fill in.
• Use a private window, so your own history doesn’t shape the suggestions.

Autocomplete doesn’t show volumes, and Google filters some suggestions, so it tells you how people phrase things more than how many do.

People also ask and related searches

On the results page for your main keyword, look at:

• People also ask. Opening one question often loads more. These are the follow-up questions searchers have, and they make good subheadings.
• Related searches at the bottom of the page. These show other angles and longer versions of the search.

Also notice what kind of pages rank. If the top results are all how-to guides, a product page will struggle, and the reverse is true too.

Bing Webmaster Tools’ keyword research

Bing Webmaster Tools includes a free Keyword Research tool. After you add and verify your site (see the Bing Webmaster Tools guide), you can enter a keyword and see:

• an estimate of how often it is searched on Bing;
• related keywords and question keywords;
• trends over time, with country and language filters.

The numbers are for Bing, which has a smaller share than Google in most countries. Use them to compare keywords with each other rather than as Google volumes. If one phrase is searched ten times more than another on Bing, it is very likely more popular on Google too, though not by exactly the same ratio.

Google’s own Keyword Planner is another option. It needs a Google Ads account, and without active ad spend it usually shows broad ranges rather than exact numbers.

Work out the intent

Every keyword has a reason behind it. A common way to group them:

If your page type doesn’t match the intent, better wording won’t fix it. Look at what already ranks and match that format, then do it better.

Group keywords and give each group one page

You will end up with a long list. Don’t make a page for every phrase.

1. Group keywords that mean the same thing. xml sitemap limit, sitemap max urls and how many urls in a sitemap belong together.
2. Check the results. If two phrases show mostly the same top results, Google treats them as one topic, so they belong on one page.
3. Pick one main keyword per group for the title and H1. Use the others in subheadings and text where they read naturally.
4. Map each group to one page, either an existing page or a new one.
5. Avoid two pages for one group. They tend to compete. See keyword cannibalization.

A simple spreadsheet works: keyword group, main keyword, intent, target page, current position.

Then measure

Once pages are written or updated, give Google time. Check positions weekly if you like, but judge changes over a month or more, because rankings move around from day to day. Keep keywords that are slowly climbing; replace ones that show no sign of life after several weeks.

In short

• Start with Search Console queries: positions 11–20 and questions first.
• Use autocomplete, People also ask and related searches for real wording.
• Use Bing’s keyword tool to compare demand, not as exact Google numbers.
• Match each keyword to the right intent and page type.
• Group similar keywords and give each group one page.
• Measure over weeks, not days.