Keyword Research Without Expensive Tools

Find content topics and prioritize them using free tools and systematic frameworks.

Required Input

Ask the user for:

• Niche/Industry - What space are you in?

• Target Audience - Who are you writing for?

• Business Goal - Traffic, leads, sales, authority?

• Existing Content - Do you have a site/blog already?

The 6 Circles Method

Generate 13 content ideas from a single seed keyword using nested topic clusters.

Structure

                ┌─────────────────────┐
                │   PRIMARY KEYWORD   │  ← 1 pillar topic
                │   (Largest Circle)  │
                └─────────────────────┘
                          │
        ┌─────────────────┼─────────────────┐
        ▼                 ▼                 ▼
 ┌───────────┐     ┌───────────┐     ┌───────────┐
 │ Sub-topic │     │ Sub-topic │     │ Sub-topic │  ← 3 supporting themes
 │     A     │     │     B     │     │     C     │
 └───────────┘     └───────────┘     └───────────┘
        │                 │                 │
  ┌─────┼─────┐     ┌─────┼─────┐     ┌─────┼─────┐
  ▼     ▼     ▼     ▼     ▼     ▼     ▼     ▼     ▼
 [1]   [2]   [3]   [4]   [5]   [6]   [7]   [8]   [9]  ← 9 content pieces

Process

• Identify Primary Keyword - High-traffic, high-intent topic in your niche

• Brainstorm 3 Sub-topics - Related themes that support the primary

• Generate 3 Pieces per Sub-topic - Specific articles addressing aspects of each

Content Types for Supporting Pieces

Type Example

How-to Guide "How to [achieve outcome] with [method]"

Comparison "[Option A] vs [Option B]: Which is better for [use case]"

List Post "[Number] [adjective] ways to [achieve result]"

Case Study "How [persona] achieved [result] using [approach]"

Trend Analysis "[Topic] trends in [year]: What's changing"

Expert Roundup "[Number] experts share their [topic] strategies"

Beginner Guide "[Topic] for beginners: Everything you need to know"

Tool Review "Best [category] tools for [audience/use case]"

Problem-Solution "Why [problem happens] and how to fix it"

Free Tool Arsenal

Demand Research

Tool Use For How to Access

Google Keyword Planner Volume ranges, competition ads.google.com (free account, no spend)

Google Trends Seasonality, rising topics trends.google.com

Ahrefs Free Generator 150 suggestions with difficulty ahrefs.com/keyword-generator

Ubersuggest 3 searches/day with metrics neilpatel.com/ubersuggest

Intent Discovery

Tool Use For How to Access

Google Autocomplete Real-time user queries Type in Google search bar

People Also Ask Question-based content Scroll down in Google SERP

Answer the Public Visual question maps answerthepublic.com (limited free)

AlsoAsked PAA clustering alsoasked.com (limited free)

Community Mining

Source What to Extract

Reddit Pain points, questions, terminology

Quora Question patterns, answer gaps

Industry Forums Niche-specific problems

YouTube Comments Objections, confusion points

Amazon Reviews Customer language, unmet needs

Research Protocol

Step 1: Seed Generation (50-100 keywords)

Seed Keywords for [Niche]

From Google Autocomplete

• [keyword] + a-z variations
• "how to [keyword]"
• "best [keyword] for"
• "[keyword] vs"

From People Also Ask

• [question 1]
• [question 2]
• [question 3]

From Reddit r/[subreddit]

• Top posts this month: [themes]
• Common questions: [list]
• Pain points mentioned: [list]

From Answer the Public

• Questions: [list]
• Prepositions: [list]
• Comparisons: [list]

Step 2: Competition Assessment (Manual SERP Analysis)

For each target keyword, analyze top 10 results:

Signal What to Look For Opportunity If...

Content Depth Word count, comprehensiveness Top results are thin (<1000 words)

Freshness Publication date, last update Top results are 2+ years old

Format Match Does format match intent? Results don't match searcher need

Authority Gap Domain strength of rankers Small sites ranking (not all big brands)

Content Gaps Missing subtopics, unanswered questions PAA questions not covered

Step 3: Prioritization Matrix

Score each keyword 1-10:

Keyword Demand Competition Intent Fit Opportunity

[keyword] [1-10] [1-10, lower=easier] [1-10] Demand - Competition

Prioritize: Opportunity score >3, Intent fit >6

Sweet Spot Targets

Site Stage Monthly Search Volume Competition Level

New site (0-6 months) 100-500 Low

Growing site (6-18 months) 500-2,000 Low-Medium

Established site (18+ months) 1,000-10,000 Medium

Output Format

Keyword Research: [Niche/Topic]

6 Circles Content Plan

Primary Keyword: [keyword]

• Monthly searches: [range]
• Competition: [low/medium/high]
• Intent: [informational/commercial/transactional]

Sub-topic A: [theme]

1. [Article idea] - [target keyword] - [volume]
2. [Article idea] - [target keyword] - [volume]
3. [Article idea] - [target keyword] - [volume]

Sub-topic B: [theme]

4. [Article idea] - [target keyword] - [volume]
5. [Article idea] - [target keyword] - [volume]
6. [Article idea] - [target keyword] - [volume]

Sub-topic C: [theme]

7. [Article idea] - [target keyword] - [volume]
8. [Article idea] - [target keyword] - [volume]
9. [Article idea] - [target keyword] - [volume]

Prioritized Content Queue

Quick Wins (Low Competition, Decent Volume)

• [keyword 1] - [rationale]
• [keyword 2] - [rationale]
• [keyword 3] - [rationale]

Content Gaps Found

• [gap 1] - competitors missing [what]
• [gap 2] - outdated content on [topic]
• [gap 3] - no good [format] exists for [query]

Reddit/Community Insights

• Top pain point: [description]
• Common question: [question]
• Terminology used: [terms]

Next Steps

1. Create pillar content for [primary keyword]
2. Write [specific article] targeting [quick win keyword]
3. Research [sub-topic] deeper for more ideas

Reddit Mining Protocol

Search Queries

site:reddit.com "[niche]" + "how do I" site:reddit.com "[niche]" + "help" site:reddit.com "[niche]" + "struggling with" site:reddit.com "[niche]" + "recommend" site:reddit.com "[niche]" + "vs"

What to Extract

• Questions asked repeatedly → Content opportunities

• Complaints about existing solutions → Angle differentiation

• Terminology and slang → Keyword variations

• Recommended resources → Competitor analysis

• Upvote patterns → Topic demand signals

Integration with Other Skills

After This Skill Use For

content-planner

Detailed outlines for prioritized topics

bofu-keywords

Bottom-of-funnel conversion keywords

content-calendar

Scheduling the content queue

content-writer

Writing the actual content

What This Skill Does NOT Do

• Provide exact search volume (use Keyword Planner for ranges)

• Guarantee rankings

• Replace comprehensive SEO audits

• Analyze existing site performance (use Google Search Console)