How to Find Low-Competition Keywords for a SaaS Blog

Low-competition keywords are queries where the current search results are weak enough that a newer site with a genuinely useful page has a realistic chance to rank. For SaaS blogs without much domain authority, finding low competition keywords for SaaS is the fastest route to early organic traffic. Broad head terms are dominated by established sites with years of links, and a young blog competing for them usually waits a long time for nothing. Narrower queries with weak results let you earn rankings, traffic and topical credibility while your authority grows.

Keyword tools help with this work, but the most reliable way to judge competition is to look at the actual search results. This guide explains what low competition really means, five methods for finding candidates, how to evaluate the results page and how to turn the keywords you find into pages that rank.

What "low competition" really means

Most keyword tools assign a difficulty score based largely on the backlinks pointing to the pages that currently rank. That is a useful signal, but it is incomplete. Links measure how much authority the ranking pages have, not how well they satisfy the query. A keyword can carry a moderate difficulty score and still be very winnable if the pages ranking for it are poor matches.

Several patterns suggest that a keyword is more open than its score implies. The ranking pages might not directly answer the query, covering a related topic instead. They might be outdated, describing tools or practices that have changed. Forum threads and Q&A posts might appear on page one, which often means no dedicated page exists. The pages might be thin or low quality. Or large sites might be ranking with general pages that mention the topic in passing rather than focused articles about it. In each case, a well-made page on a smaller site can compete, because it is simply a better answer.

The useful question, then, is whether you can create the best page for this query. If the honest answer is yes, the keyword is worth pursuing even when a tool calls it moderately difficult.

Method 1: Search Console near-misses

If your site already gets some search traffic, Google Search Console is the best source of winnable keywords. Open the Performance report, switch to the queries view and filter to queries where your average position is roughly between 8 and 30. Then sort by impressions. The list that results contains queries Google already associates with your site, but for which you are not yet on page one or are near the bottom of it.

These are valuable because the hardest part of ranking, convincing Google that your site is relevant, is partly done. Look at which page currently ranks for each query. Sometimes an existing post mentions the topic briefly and could be expanded with a dedicated section. Sometimes the query deserves its own focused page. Either way, near-misses tend to move faster than brand-new targets.

Method 2: Long-tail modifiers

Broad topics become more specific, and often less competitive, when you add modifiers. Audience modifiers narrow the reader, such as "for startups," "for small teams," "for agencies" or "for B2B." Format modifiers describe what the searcher wants to receive, such as a template, checklist, example or spreadsheet. Situation modifiers describe constraints, such as "without a developer," "on a budget" or "for beginners." Comparison modifiers capture evaluation, such as "vs," "alternative" or "instead of."

Combining a core topic with one or two modifiers changes the competitive picture. "Churn analysis" is broad and dominated by large sites. "Churn analysis template for B2B SaaS" is specific, signals a clear need and often has weaker results. It is also more likely to attract a reader who is actively doing the work your product supports. Build a list of your core topics, then work through the modifiers systematically and test each combination in the search results.

Method 3: Autocomplete and People Also Ask

Google's own interface is a rich source of real queries. Type your topic into the search bar and note the autocomplete suggestions, then try adding letters or question words after the topic to surface more. Search the topic and expand the "People also ask" box, which grows as you click into questions. These features reflect what people actually search for, and they often reveal specific questions that established sites have not covered well.

People Also Ask is especially useful for structuring content. Questions that appear together usually belong on the same page, so a cluster of related questions can become the outline for a single comprehensive post.

Method 4: Community mining

Your buyers ask questions in public every day. Reddit communities related to your field, Slack and Discord groups, industry forums and Q&A sites are full of people describing problems in their own words. Spend time reading them with a notebook open. Note questions that come up repeatedly, the phrasing people use and the answers that seem unsatisfying.

Then search those questions on Google. If the results are weak, or if forum threads themselves are ranking, you have found a strong opportunity. A ranking forum thread usually means searchers want an answer and no strong dedicated page exists to give it. Community language also helps with titles and headings, since you are using the words real buyers use.

Method 5: Competitor gaps

Study competitors similar in size to you rather than only the market leaders. Tools can show the keywords a competitor ranks for, but even a manual review of their blog will reveal topics they cover and topics they have skipped. Similar-sized competitors are useful benchmarks because their rankings show what a site like yours can realistically win.

Large competitors are useful in a different way. Their content often covers broad topics at a high level, which leaves room for narrower, more specific pieces underneath. If a market leader has a general guide to customer onboarding, there may be room for a detailed piece on onboarding for a particular use case or team size that their general guide only touches.

How to check the search results

For each candidate keyword, search it in a private browser window and study page one carefully. Start with intent. Look at what kinds of pages rank, whether guides, product pages, comparisons, templates or tools. Your content must match the dominant intent, because Google is showing you what it believes searchers want. A guide will struggle to rank for a query where every result is a free tool.

Next, assess quality. Do the ranking pages directly answer the query? Are they detailed, accurate and current? Check specificity as well: are the ranking pages about this exact topic, or broader pages that mention it in passing? Look at the types of sites ranking, since forums, small blogs and user-generated content often signal an opening. Finally, consider freshness. In a topic that changes quickly, results that are several years old suggest room for something current.

If you see several weak or off-target results on page one, the keyword is likely winnable. If every result is a strong, focused, current page from an authoritative site, move on, however attractive the keyword looks.

Score and prioritize your keywords

A simple spreadsheet keeps the process disciplined. For each keyword, record a rough search volume from any tool, then score three things from one to three: relevance to your product, weakness of current results and your ability to answer better than what ranks. Relevance matters because traffic that never connects to your product does little for the business. Your ability to answer matters because some weak results stay weak for a reason, such as a topic that requires expertise you do not have.

Prioritize keywords with high relevance and weak results, even if the volume looks small. A keyword that scores well on all three dimensions is usually worth more than a higher-volume keyword with strong competition.

Don't ignore low-volume terms

Keyword tools often underestimate search volume for B2B queries, especially specific ones. A keyword showing only a handful of monthly searches may still bring qualified visitors who are actively solving a problem your product addresses. Those visitors convert at a higher rate than broad informational traffic because their intent is narrow and practical. Many low-volume pages together can add up to meaningful traffic, and a good page often ranks for dozens of related variations that the tool never showed you.

Create the best page

Finding the keyword is half the work. To rank, the page needs to be the best answer available. Answer the query directly near the top, so a reader who wants the short version gets it immediately. Then cover the related questions a searcher is likely to have next, using the People Also Ask questions and community threads you gathered. Use clear headings and concrete examples so the page is easy to scan and easy to trust.

Add something the current results lack. That might be a template the reader can use, a step-by-step process drawn from real experience, a worked example or an original insight from your product's vantage point. This unique element is what separates your page from a rewrite of what already ranks. Finally, connect the page to your site by linking to it from related posts and linking out from it to relevant pages, so both readers and search engines can see where it fits.

Track and iterate

After publishing, watch Search Console for the page's impressions and average position. New pages often start on page two or three and climb over several weeks as Google gathers signals. If a page stalls, revisit it. Expand thin sections, update anything outdated, improve the title to better match the query and add internal links from newer content. A page that ranks at position twelve is a near-miss, which brings you back to the first method.

The takeaway: build topical depth

Low-competition keywords work best as part of a cluster rather than as isolated wins. When you cover a topic thoroughly with several related pages, each linked to the others, search engines come to see your site as relevant for that whole topic. Over time, that depth helps you compete for harder keywords too. Start with near-misses in Search Console, add specific long-tail pages around your core topics and judge every candidate by the real search results rather than a difficulty score.