Keyword Research Without Expensive Tools

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

Required Input

Ask the user for:

1. Niche/Industry - What space are you in?
2. Target Audience - Who are you writing for?
3. Business Goal - Traffic, leads, sales, authority?
4. 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

1. Identify Primary Keyword - High-traffic, high-intent topic in your niche
2. Brainstorm 3 Sub-topics - Related themes that support the primary
3. 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

| Priority | Topic | Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Opportunity |
|----------|-------|---------|--------|------------|-------------|
| 1 | [topic] | [keyword] | [vol] | [1-10] | [score] |
| 2 | [topic] | [keyword] | [vol] | [1-10] | [score] |
| 3 | [topic] | [keyword] | [vol] | [1-10] | [score] |

## 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)