How to Do Keyword Research Without Expensive Tools
Most keyword research guides assume you have a $200/month subscription to Ahrefs or SEMrush. You don't need one. Here's how to find the right keywords for your small business using free methods that actually work.
Start with Google's own suggestions
Google literally tells you what people search for, if you know where to look:
Google Autocomplete: Start typing your service in Google's search bar and see what it suggests. These are real, active search queries. Try variations. "plumber near me," "plumber for," "how to find a plumber," "plumber cost." Each variation reveals different searcher intent.
People Also Ask: Search for your main service and look at the "People Also Ask" box. These are questions real people are asking Google. Each one is a potential content topic.
Related Searches: At the bottom of every search results page, Google shows related searches. These reveal adjacent topics and variations you might not have considered.
Use Google Search Console (free, and better than paid tools for your own site)
If your site is already live, Google Search Console shows you exactly what queries you currently appear for. This is gold, it tells you where you already have some traction and where small improvements could produce big gains.
Look for queries where you rank between positions 5-20. These are your "striking distance" keywords: pages that are already somewhat relevant but need optimization to break into the top positions.
Free tools that are actually useful
Google Keyword Planner (free with a Google Ads account, even if you don't run ads), shows search volume estimates and related keywords
Answer the Public (free tier): visualizes questions people ask around any topic
AlsoAsked.com (free tier): maps out the People Also Ask tree for any query
Google Trends: shows whether interest in a topic is growing, declining, or seasonal
Ubersuggest (free tier): basic keyword suggestions and difficulty estimates
The competitor spy method
Look at the businesses ranking on page one for your target keywords. What content do they have? What topics do they cover? What questions do they answer? You're not copying them, you're understanding what Google already considers relevant for those searches, then doing it better.
Think in customer language, not industry language
The biggest mistake small businesses make is optimizing for the terms they use internally instead of the terms their customers actually type. A dentist might think "endodontic therapy" but patients search "root canal." An HVAC company might think "refrigerant recharge" but homeowners search "AC not cooling."
Spend time on Reddit, Facebook groups, and review sites reading how real people describe their problems. That language is what you should be targeting.
Build your keyword list
Here's the practical process:
List your 5-10 core services
For each service, use the methods above to find 10-20 related search queries
Categorize them by intent: informational (researching), navigational (looking for a specific business), or transactional (ready to buy)
Prioritize transactional keywords for service pages and informational keywords for blog content
Check Search Console for keywords you already rank for and optimize those pages
This process takes about 2-3 hours and gives you a keyword foundation that most small businesses never bother to build.
References & Further Reading
Google Search Central
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