How to Do Keyword Research With Free Tools

You can do solid keyword research with free tools by combining four sources: the words your customers already use, Google's own suggestions (autocomplete, People also ask and related searches), the queries in your Google Search Console account, and demand estimates from Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends. Then look at the search results for each keyword to judge intent and difficulty, and group keywords so that each page targets one clear intent.

Paid tools are faster and more precise, but they do not replace judgement, and for most small and medium businesses the free tools are enough. This guide walks through the process and ends with a simple spreadsheet.

Start with your customers, not a tool

Keyword tools only expand on ideas you give them, so the quality of your starting list matters. Build a list of seed topics from the places where customers already describe their problems in their own words:

• Questions asked on sales calls, WhatsApp chats and enquiry forms
• Words customers use in Google reviews and on social media comments
• Questions your front desk or support team answers repeatedly
• The names of your services as customers say them, which are often different from your internal terms
• Problems that come before the purchase, such as "why is my AC leaking water" before "AC repair"

Aim for 10 to 20 short seed topics. The tools in the next steps will turn them into hundreds of variations.

Mine Google's own results

Google shows you what people search for every time you search. Use a private window so your own history has less influence; suggestions also vary by location.

• Autocomplete: type a seed topic slowly and note the suggestions. Then add each letter of the alphabet after it, or question words such as how, what, best and cost before it, to uncover longer phrases.
• People also ask: these boxes show related questions. Expanding one usually loads more, giving you material for FAQs and supporting articles.
• Related searches: the suggestions at the bottom of the results page, and in boxes such as People also search for, show how people refine their search.
• AI Overviews: when one appears, note the sub-questions it covers. They show what Google considers part of a complete answer.

Bing Webmaster Tools also has a free keyword research tool. Its volumes come from Bing, but the phrase ideas are often useful.

Use the queries you already get in Search Console

If your site is already live, the Performance report in Google Search Console is the most reliable free keyword source you have, because it shows real searches that already triggered your pages.

1. 1Open the Performance report, set the date range to the last three months and switch on all four measures.
2. 2Sort the Queries table by impressions to see what you are already being shown for.
3. 3Look for queries where average position is between roughly 8 and 20. These are close to the first page, and improving the matching page is often quicker than writing a new one.
4. 4Use the query filter with a regular expression to pull out questions, for example queries containing how, what, why, kya or kaise.
5. 5Click a query, then the Pages tab, to see which page Google shows for it. If several of your pages share the same query, note it for the grouping step later.

Estimate demand with Keyword Planner and Google Trends

Google Keyword Planner

Keyword Planner is part of Google Ads and is free to use. Google Ads often pushes new users towards creating a campaign straight away; look for the option to create an account without one, and make sure nothing is left running that could spend money. Inside the planner there are two starting points: discovering new keywords from seed words or a website, and getting volume for a list you already have.

• Set the location to Pakistan, or to a specific city, and set the language. The defaults may not match your market.
• Without active ad spend, volumes are shown as broad ranges, such as 100 to 1K or 1K to 10K. That is enough to compare keywords against each other, which is what matters.
• Keyword Planner groups close variants together, so singular and plural forms often show the same figure.
• The Competition column measures competition among advertisers, not how hard it is to rank organically. Ignore it for SEO.
• Top-of-page bid ranges are a useful signal of commercial value. Keywords advertisers pay more for are usually closer to a purchase.

Google Trends

Google Trends shows relative interest over time on a scale of 0 to 100, where 100 is the peak for the terms, period and region you selected. It does not show absolute volumes, but it is good for three things: comparing up to five phrasings to see which people use more, spotting seasonal patterns such as Ramadan, Eid, wedding season or admissions periods, and finding rising related queries. Set the region to Pakistan and check the breakdown by province or city. Very low-volume terms may not show enough data.

Classify search intent

Search intent is what the searcher is trying to achieve. Label each keyword with one of these:

• Informational: they want to learn something, such as "what is local SEO". Best served by a guide or article.
• Commercial investigation: they are comparing options, such as "best web hosting in Pakistan" or "Shopify vs WordPress". Best served by comparisons and detailed service pages.
• Transactional: they are ready to act, such as "hire web developer Islamabad". Best served by a service page with a clear way to get in touch.
• Navigational: they want a specific brand or site. These are mostly useful for your own brand name.

Many keywords also have local intent. If the results show a map pack, Google believes the searcher wants a nearby business, and your Google Business Profile matters as much as your website for that search.

Judge difficulty by looking at the SERP

Paid tools give a difficulty score, but you can make a sound judgement by searching the keyword yourself and studying the first page of results:

• Who ranks? If the first page is all national brands, large marketplaces and government sites, a small business will struggle. If you see forums, small local sites or thin pages, there is room.
• What type of page ranks? If the results are all guides and you planned a service page, the intent does not match and you should change the plan, not the keyword.
• How good are the results? If they are outdated, generic or miss obvious questions, a better page has a realistic chance.
• What takes up the space? Ads, a map pack, an AI Overview, videos and People also ask can push ordinary results far down the page, which means fewer clicks even at a high position.

Record your judgement as low, medium or high. It is subjective, but applied consistently it is useful.

Group keywords into pages

The aim is one page per intent, not one page per keyword. "Website design Islamabad", "web design company in Islamabad" and "website designers Islamabad" are the same need and belong on one page. A simple test: search two keywords and compare the results. If most of the top ten URLs are the same, Google treats them as one topic, so target them with one page.

1. 1Group keywords that share the same intent and largely the same results.
2. 2Choose a primary keyword for each group, usually the clearest phrase with the most demand, and use it in the page title and main heading.
3. 3Cover the other keywords in the group naturally within the page, in subheadings, body text and FAQs.
4. 4Check whether an existing page already targets the group before creating a new one.

Creating several pages for the same intent causes keyword cannibalisation: your pages compete with each other and often none of them ranks well. If Search Console shows two of your pages swapping places for the same query, consider merging them and redirecting the weaker one.

Urdu, Roman Urdu and local modifiers

People in Pakistan search in English, Roman Urdu and Urdu script, often mixing them in the same query. Each can behave differently in the tools and in the results.

• Roman Urdu phrases such as "website kaise banaye" or "sasta" are common for informational and price-led searches. Spellings vary, so check several versions.
• Urdu script queries usually show different competitors. Only target them if you can publish good Urdu content.
• Local modifiers matter: city names, areas such as DHA, Bahria Town, Gulberg or F-10, and phrases such as "near me" and "in Pakistan".
• "Price in Pakistan" is a very common pattern for products and services. If you cannot publish prices, a page explaining what affects cost can still meet that need honestly.
• Keyword Planner may show low or no volume for Roman Urdu terms. Use autocomplete and Search Console to confirm whether people really search that way.

Build a simple keyword spreadsheet

A Google Sheet keeps the research usable months later. Use one row per keyword with these columns:

• Keyword: the exact phrase
• Source: customers, autocomplete, People also ask, Search Console or Keyword Planner
• Volume range: as shown in Keyword Planner, or blank if unknown
• Seasonality: notes from Google Trends, such as peaks before Eid
• Intent: informational, commercial, transactional or navigational, plus local if a map pack appears
• SERP notes: who ranks and what type of page
• Difficulty: your low, medium or high judgement
• Business value: 1 to 3, based on how close the searcher is to becoming a customer
• Group and target URL: the page this keyword belongs to, existing or planned
• Status: planned, in progress, published or updated

Sort by business value, then difficulty, and start with high-value, low-difficulty groups. Revisit the sheet each quarter with fresh Search Console data. If you would like help turning research into a content plan, Parwaz Digital can help.