By Surendar Kumar ·

Keyword Research for Beginners Using Free Tools

Keyword research sounds like something you need a paid tool and a three-day course for. For most freelancers and small business owners in Pakistan or India, you don't.

You need a list of the questions your customers already ask, a sense of which ones are worth writing about, and a habit of checking real search data before you spend a weekend on a post nobody wants.

In this guide I'll walk you through a free workflow I actually recommend: start with people, then use Google autocomplete, People Also Ask, Search Console, Google Trends and Keyword Planner. Every claim about how those tools work comes from Google's own help pages.

What keyword research is (and isn't)

Keyword research is just answering three questions:

  1. What do people type (or ask) when they need what I offer?
  2. Which of those can I help with better than the current results?
  3. Which ones are realistic for my site right now?

It is not:

  • Stuffing a phrase into every heading.
  • Chasing only the biggest volume number.
  • Paying for a tool that dumps 5,000 terms you never write about.

Google's helpful content guidance keeps reminding site owners to write for people first. Your keyword list should serve that goal, not replace it.

Step 0: Steal your first list from real life

Before you open any tool, open:

  • WhatsApp chats with customers
  • Instagram and Facebook DMs
  • Call notes
  • The questions your sales team hears every week

Write down the exact phrases people use. In South Asia that often means a mix of English and local language, city names, and practical filters: "under 5000," "female doctor," "same day," "near Clifton," "for O Levels."

Those phrases are better than any tool's first suggestion, because they're already how your market talks. Tools come next to expand and check that list, not to invent it.

Step 1: Google autocomplete

Go to google.com, start typing a seed phrase like ac repair, chartered accountant, digital marketing course or google reviews, and watch what Google suggests before you hit Enter.

Google's help page on how autocomplete predictions work says:

  • Predictions reflect real searches people have done on Google.
  • Systems also consider language, location, trending interest and (when you're signed in) past searches.
  • Predictions can be unique to a place or time.
  • Autocomplete is not the same as Google Trends, and it shouldn't be compared as a pure popularity ranking, because filtering and policies remove some predictions.

How to use it for research:

  1. Type your seed word, then add a space and go through a–z (ac repair a, ac repair b…) for a few minutes.
  2. Add your city (dentist gulberg, salon dha phase 5).
  3. Add intent words: near me, price, for beginners, whatsapp, pakistan, india.
  4. Try the search in an Incognito window, and try it with location set to the city you care about, because location changes predictions.

Copy useful phrases into a sheet. Don't obsess over whether a suggestion is "number 1." Autocomplete is a brainstorming tool, not a volume report.

Step 2: People Also Ask and the results page

Search one of your phrases and look at:

  • People Also Ask boxes (expand a few; more questions often appear)
  • Related searches at the bottom
  • The headings on the top results (what they cover, and what they skip)

You're hunting for gaps. If every result is written for the US, or skips WhatsApp, COD, local payment issues or your city, that's your angle.

This is also where AI Overviews sometimes appear. They don't replace keyword research, but they remind you that longer questions matter. I explain what small businesses should do about that in Google AI Overviews: what small business owners should do now.

Step 3: Google Search Console (your real queries)

If you already have a website, Google Search Console is the most honest keyword tool you'll get, because it shows how your site already appears in Search.

Google's Performance report help says you can use it to see how search traffic changes, which queries are most likely to show your site, which pages get clicks, and more. Default view covers recent clicks and impressions; you can switch dimensions to Queries and Pages.

A simple weekly habit:

  1. Open Performance → Queries.
  2. Sort by impressions.
  3. Find queries where you get impressions but a weak click-through rate, or where you rank for a question your page barely answers.
  4. Export the list and mark: "already covered," "add a section," or "new post."

One warning from Google: even if a query appears in your list, you might not see your site when you run the same search yourself, because results depend on time, place, device and recent history.

If you don't have Search Console yet, set it up while you use the other free methods. It's free, and it becomes your best source of content ideas over time. I also list it in my free AI tools for digital marketing stack, because pairing the export with an AI assistant (to group topics) saves time.

Step 4: Google Trends (timing and comparison, not exact volume)

Google Trends is free and useful when you want to know when interest rises, or which of two phrases is relatively stronger in your country.

From Google's Trends FAQ:

  • Trends uses a sample of searches, normalized so you can compare interest.
  • Numbers are scaled from 0 to 100 based on a topic's proportion to all searches.
  • Different regions with the same interest score don't always have the same total search volumes.
  • Terms with low search volume appear as 0.
  • Trends is not a scientific poll.
  • Autocomplete and Trends differ; autocomplete has extra filtering, so it isn't always a mirror of the most popular terms.

Practical uses for beginners:

  • Compare digital marketing course vs SEO course for Pakistan or India.
  • Check seasonality for things like AC repair, Eid dress, admission test.
  • Confirm that a phrase that shows 0 in Trends might still be worth writing about if Search Console or customer chats prove people ask it. Low volume in Trends means "too few for Trends to show," not "nobody cares."

Step 5: Google Keyword Planner (volume ranges and ideas)

Keyword Planner lives inside Google Ads. It's built for advertisers, but beginners use it for ideas and rough demand.

Google's Use Keyword Planner help says you can:

  • Discover new keywords related to your products, services or website.
  • View estimates of monthly searches and cost to target them.
  • Start with keywords, or start with a website URL.

Important access note: Google says you must complete account setup by entering billing information to access basic features like "Get ideas for new keywords." That doesn't mean you have to run ads, but you should expect to add billing details to unlock idea generation. If you're not ready for that, lean on autocomplete, People Also Ask, Search Console and Trends first.

From Google's Keyword Planner forecasts / historical metrics help:

  • Avg. monthly searches are averages for a keyword and close variants, based on the month range plus your location and Search Network settings. By default they're averaged over 12 months. Historical average monthly searches are shown for exact matches.
  • Competition is about advertisers (how many showed on that keyword relative to all keywords), shown as low, medium or high for your selected location and network. It is not a direct score of how hard it is to rank organically.
  • Search volume stats are rounded and move with seasonality and events.

How beginners should read it:

  • Use Discover new keywords with 3–5 seed phrases from your WhatsApp list.
  • Set location to Pakistan, India or your city targeting if available.
  • Prefer specific phrases you can actually write a useful page about.
  • Treat competition as "ad competition," not "SEO difficulty."
  • Don't write a post only because a number looks big. Write it because you can add something the current results miss.

Sensitive categories (Google mentions health and finance in its Keyword Planner FAQs) may not return ideas because of personalized advertising and privacy policies. For those niches, lean harder on Search Console and customer questions.

A free weekly workflow you can copy

Do this once a week for 45–60 minutes.

  1. Collect 10 phrases from chats and DMs.
  2. Expand each one with autocomplete and People Also Ask (5 minutes each).
  3. Check Search Console for related queries you already get impressions for.
  4. Spot-check Trends for seasonality if the topic is seasonal.
  5. Optional: drop the shortlist into Keyword Planner for avg. monthly searches and related ideas (if billing setup is done).
  6. Pick 1–2 topics where:
  7. people clearly ask the question,
  8. you can add local or first-hand detail,
  9. the current top results feel thin or foreign.
  10. Outline the post around the reader's questions, then draft. If you use AI for drafting, follow a research-first workflow like how to write SEO blog posts with AI.

Save everything in one Google Sheet with columns: phrase, source (chat / autocomplete / GSC / Trends / Planner), intent (learn / compare / buy / local), notes, status.

Pakistan and India tips that generic guides skip

  • Language mix. People search in English, Roman Urdu/Hindi, and local scripts. Check autocomplete in the language your customers actually type.
  • City + service. "Dentist" is huge and competitive. "Dentist for kids in Nazimabad" or "CA for freelancers in Bangalore" is closer to how people buy.
  • WhatsApp intent. Phrases with whatsapp, price list, home service and same day often map to real revenue, even when Trends shows a low number.
  • Don't build doorway spam. A unique page for a branch or a service you truly offer is good. Fifty copy-paste city pages are not. Google's spam policies call out doorway-style city pages, and I cover the safer approach in my local SEO checklist.
  • Your own brand terms. Rank for your name and business name too. Keyword tools under-report those; Search Console and branded search still matter. See how to rank for your own name on Google if you're building a personal brand.

Common beginner mistakes

  • Starting in Keyword Planner and never talking to customers. Tools without context produce generic blogs.
  • Treating ad competition as SEO difficulty. They're different.
  • Ignoring a 0 in Trends. It often means low volume for Trends, not zero demand.
  • Writing one giant page for twenty unrelated keywords. Pick a clear question per page.
  • Never revisiting Search Console. Your best ideas after month three usually come from queries you already almost rank for.
  • Buying a keyword tool before publishing anything. Publish helpful pages first. Tools get more useful once you have Search Console data.

If you're freelancing and want to sell SEO or content, this free workflow is also a service offer: "I'll build your topic list from Search Console + customer language." Here's how to start freelancing in digital marketing with no experience.

You'll find more guides on my blog, and more about me on my home page.

FAQ

What are the best free keyword research tools for beginners?

Start with Google autocomplete, People Also Ask, Google Search Console, Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner. Autocomplete and People Also Ask are free with no account. Search Console and Trends are free. Keyword Planner is free inside Google Ads, but Google says billing information is required for basic features like getting keyword ideas.

Is Google Keyword Planner free?

You can use Keyword Planner through a Google Ads account without having to run a campaign, but Google's help pages say you must enter billing information and complete account setup to access basic features such as "Get ideas for new keywords."

What does competition mean in Keyword Planner?

Google defines Competition there as how many advertisers showed on each keyword relative to all keywords across Google, for your selected location and Search Network settings. It shows as low, medium or high. It measures advertiser competition, not organic SEO difficulty.

Why does Google Trends show 0 for my keyword?

Google's Trends FAQ says Trends only shows data for popular terms, so low-volume search terms appear as 0. That doesn't prove nobody searches the phrase. Check Search Console, autocomplete and customer chats before you drop it.

How do I find keywords without any paid tools?

Talk to customers, mine autocomplete and People Also Ask, review Search Console queries if you have a site, compare timing in Trends, and optionally use Keyword Planner once Ads billing setup is complete. Then write pages that answer those questions better than the current results.

Keep reading

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Surendar Kumar is a digital marketing consultant and founder. He started PixelTrackMedia (acquired), is building Reviewtor for online reputation management, and runs All AI Directory and TalkToKrishna. He talks about AI, digital marketing and entrepreneurship.

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