When I started my first blog in 2018, I had $50 in my bank account. I looked at the pricing for Ahrefs ($99/mo) and SEMrush ($129/mo) and realized: I can’t afford to be a ‘Professional SEO’.
So I got scrappy. I forced myself to learn how to find keywords without spending money. Six years later, I have access to agency-level tools. And you know what? I still use my free stack 80% of the time.
Why? Because paid tools make you lazy. They give you a “Keyword Difficulty” score, and you believe it. Free tools make you look at the search results. They force you to understand the human behind the search.
Here is the controversial truth: Paid tools show you what already worked. Free tools show you what people are looking for right now.
This is my complete, step-by-step guide to ranking on Page 1 with $0 software.
Part 1: The Psychology of Search (Before the Tools)
Before you open a tool, you need to understand Intent. Keywords are not just strings of text. They are questions.
- “Best running shoes” = Commercial Investigation (I want to buy, but I don’t know which one).
- “Nike Pegasus 39 review” = Transactional (I am about to buy this specific shoe).
- “How to lace running shoes” = Informational (I already bought shoes, I have a problem).
The “Broke SEO” Strategy: Paid tools target High Volume keywords. Free tools help you find the Specific Questions. As a new blogger, you cannot rank for “Best Running Shoes” (KD 90). You CAN rank for “Do Nike Pegasus 39 fit wide feet?” (KD 0).
That specific question might only have 50 searches a month. But if you rank #1 for it, you get 40 highly qualified visitors. If you write 100 such posts, you have 4,000 highly qualified visitors. That is a full-time income.
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Part 2: The “Zero-Dollar” Tool Stack
You don’t need 50 tools. You need 3 core ones and 1 secret weapon.
- The Source of Truth: Google Keyword Planner (GKP)
- The Mind Reader: AnswerThePublic (or “AlsoAsked”)
- The Live Pulse: Google Autosuggest
- The Secret Weapon: Keyword Surfer (Chrome Extension)
Let’s break down how to use each one like a pro.
Tool 1: Google Keyword Planner (The Hidden Goldmine)
Most bloggers ignore this because “it’s for ads.” Big mistake. This is the raw database that Ahrefs and SEMrush buy their data from. Why buy the resale version when you can go to the source?
The “Free Data” Hack
If you log in with a new account, Google hides the data. They show “10k-100k” searches. Useless. The Fix:
- Create a standard Google Ads account.
- Set up a “fake” campaign.
- Enter your credit card (don’t worry).
- Pause the campaign immediately.
- Boom. You now have access to exact search volumes (e.g., “14,500 searches/mo”) forever. Cost: $0.
How I Use It: Finding “The Gap”
I don’t look for “keywords.” I look for Discrepancies. I type in a broad term like “Podcast Hosting.” GKP shows me:
- “Podcast hosting free” - 10k searches (Too competitive)
- “Best podcast hosting” - 20k searches (Impossible)
- “Podcast hosting for students” - 100 searches (Bingo)
Ahrefs might tell you that “Podcast hosting for students” has 0 volume because their database is limited. Google knows the truth. I write that article, and I rank #1 because no one else saw it.
Tool 2: AnswerThePublic (The “Question” Engine)
Have you ever wondered exactly what problems your readers have? AnswerThePublic scrapes the “autocomplete” data from search engines and visualizes it.
Why it wins: It filters by WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY.
- Paid tool says: “Coffee maker” (Volume 50k)
- AnswerThePublic says: “Why does my Keurig taste like plastic?”
The first keyword is a product. The second keyword is a problem. As a new blogger, you cannot rank for products. You can easily rank for problems.
My Workflow:
- Enter my topic.
- Download the CSV.
- Filter for “Why” and “How” questions.
- These become my H2 headers.
💡 Pro Tip
The “Forum” Hack: If you run out of free searches on AnswerThePublic, go to Google and type: site:reddit.com "keyword". This shows you real threads. The thread titles are your keywords.
Tool 3: Google Autosuggest (The “Alphabet Soup” Method)
This is the most powerful SEO tool on earth, and it is the search bar itself.
The Alphabet Soup Method: Go to Google. Type your keyword, then type “a”.
- “Best running shoes a…” -> “…for arch support”
- “Best running shoes b…” -> “…for bad knees”
- “Best running shoes c…” -> “…for concrete”
Why this matters: These suggestions aren’t random. They are ordered by popularity. Google is literally telling you: “Hey, millions of people are typing this next.” Ahrefs takes 30 days to update its database. Autosuggest updates instantly. If a new shoe launches today, it will be in Autosuggest tomorrow. It won’t be in Ahrefs for a month.
The “Underscore” Trick:
Type your keyword, but put an underscore _ in the middle or beginning.
_ for running shoesbest running shoes for _
Google will fill in the blank. This is incredible for finding modifiers you never thought of (e.g., “best running shoes for heavy runners”).
Tool 4: Keyword Surfer (The Validator)
This is a free Chrome extension. It shows you the Search Volume right in the Google search bar.
Why I use it: It saves me from clicking back and forth to GKP. I type a query. It tells me “Volume: 2,400.” It also shows me “Similar Keywords” in a sidebar.
- Query: “SEO Tips”
- Sidebar: “SEO Tips for beginners” (Vol: 500)
It’s effortless data.
Part 3: The “Manual SERP Analysis” (Crucial Step)
The biggest mistake beginners make is trusting a tool’s “Difficulty Score.” A tool might say “Difficulty: Easy.” But if you look at the search results, the top 3 spots are:
- The New York Times
- Wikipedia
- Amazon
That is not easy.
Here is my Manual Validation Process: Before I write a single word, I Google the keyword. I look for Weak Spots.
A “Weak Spot” is:
- A Forum Thread: If I see Reddit, Quora, or a generic forum in the top 3, I start salivating. Google hates showing forums; it only does so when there is no good article. If I write a structured guide, I win.
- An Old Article: If the #1 result was published in 2019, I can beat it by publishing something “Updated for 2026.”
- Low Word Count: If the top result is 500 words and misses key details.
- Bad UX: If the top site is slow, loaded with ads, or hard to read on mobile.
- Relevance Mismatch: If I search “best shoes for wide feet” and the top result is just “best shoes” (generic), I can beat it by being specific.
Part 4: Case Study: The “Best Camping Pillows” Test
I wanted to prove that you don’t need money to rank. I launched a niche site about Camping Gear. My budget was $0.
The “Paid Tool” Strategy (Failed): I used a free trial of Ahrefs to find “Best Camping Pillows” (KD 15, Volume 4,000). I wrote a massive, 3,000-word guide. Result: Ranked #14. Stuck there for 6 months. Why: The top 10 results were REI, Outdoor Gear Lab, and NYT Wirecutter. I had zero authority. I couldn’t compete.
The “Free Tool” Strategy (Success): I went back to Google Autosuggest. I typed “Camping pillow for _”. I found: “Camping pillow for side sleepers with neck pain.”
I checked Ahrefs. It showed Volume: 0. But Google Autosuggest showed it. And I found a Reddit thread asking about it with 50 comments.
I wrote a specific article: “The Only 3 Camping Pillows for Side Sleepers with Neck Pain.” It was short (1,500 words). It was specific.
Result:
- Ranked #1 in 4 days.
- Drives 400 visitors/month.
- Conversion rate is 8% (vs 1% on the generic term).
- Revenue: ~$150/month from ONE article.
Lesson: The “Zero Volume” keyword made me money. The “High Volume” keyword wasted my time. Free tools help you find these “Zero Volume” gems that paid tools ignore.
Part 5: The Step-by-Step Workflow (Checklist)
Do this for every single post.
- Brainstorm (5 min): Write down 5 broad topics (e.g., “Protein Powder”).
- Expand (10 min): Use AnswerThePublic to find 50 questions about those topics.
- Validate (10 min): Plug those questions into Google Keyword Planner. Look for volume (even 10-100 is fine).
- Analyze SERP (10 min): Google the top 3 candidates. Look for “Weak Spots” (Reddit, Quora, old sites).
- Select: Pick the ONE keyword with the weakest competition.
- Outline: Use the “Alphabet Soup” method to find sub-headings.
- If main keyword is “Protein powder for women,” sub-headings might be “…for weight loss,” “…for muscle gain,” “…without bloating.”
Final Verdict: When should you pay?
I am not saying paid tools are useless. If you are an agency managing 50 clients, you need Ahrefs for efficiency. If you are doing technical audits of 10,000 pages, you need Screaming Frog.
But if you are a blogger trying to go from $0 to $5,000/month? You do not need to spend a dime on SEO software.
Spend that money on:
- Better hosting (Speed ranks).
- Better design (Trust ranks).
- Better content (Information ranks).
The best SEO tool is your brain, analyzing the Search Results, asking: “How can I help this person better than the current result?”
No software can do that for you. Start scrappy. Win big.