Writing without keywords = writing for zero people. Google won’t rank you if nobody searches your topic.

In this tutorial, you'll do keyword research with free tools and find low competition keywords. Follow along and you'll target topics that actually get traffic in 2025.

Step 1: Understand Keyword Types 2025

Not all keywords are equal. Pick the wrong type = you’ll never rank.

  1. Short-tail: "blogging" - 100k searches, impossible to rank
  2. Long-tail: "how to start a blog in 2025 for free" - 200 searches, easy to rank
  3. Question keywords: "why is my blog not indexing" - High CTR, solves problem
  4. Buyer keywords: "best hosting for Blogger" - Low traffic but high AdSense RPM

Rule: Beginners should target long-tail keywords with 50-500 searches/month

Step 2: Free Tools for Keyword Research

You don’t need Ahrefs. These free tools work for Blogger.

  1. Google Search: Type topic → Check "People also ask" + "Related searches" at bottom
  2. Google Keyword Planner: ads.google.com → Tools → Keyword Planner → Free with Gmail
  3. Ubersuggest: neilpatel.com/ubersuggest → 3 free searches/day
  4. AnswerThePublic: answerthepublic.com → Shows question keywords

Image: Google "People also ask" section for keyword ideas

Step 3: Find Low Competition Keywords

MetricGood for BeginnersAvoid
Search Volume50-500 per month0 or 10k+ per month
SEO Difficulty0-20 in Ubersuggest50+ difficulty
Google ResultsForums, Reddit, Quora rankingAll top 10 = Big sites like Forbes
Word Count4+ words = long-tail1-2 words = short-tail

Step 4: Check If You Can Rank for Keyword

Before writing, test competition in 30 seconds.

  1. Search keyword in Google incognito mode
  2. If top 3 results = Reddit, Quora, Medium → You can outrank them
  3. If top 3 = Wikipedia, Forbes, NerdWallet → Skip keyword, too hard
  4. Check word count: Open top result → Ctrl+F "word" → If under 800 words, you can beat it with 1500+ words

Image: Google search results showing Quora ranking #1

Step 5: Keyword Placement Rules for Blogger 2025

  1. Title: Keyword at start. How to Start Blog 2025: Free Guide
  2. Permalink: /how-to-start-blog-2025 - No stop words like "a, the"
  3. First 100 words: Use keyword in first sentence
  4. H2 headings: Use keyword in 1-2 H2 tags
  5. Image alt text: how to start blog 2025 tutorial
  6. Search description: Use keyword once naturally
  7. Last paragraph: Use keyword again to close topic

Bad practice to avoid: Using keyword 50 times. Keyword density over 3% = Google spam penalty. Write for humans first.

Important: Do keyword research BEFORE writing. Writing first then finding keywords = waste of time. One post targets one main keyword + 3-5 related keywords.