How to find low-competition keywords using Semrush's keyword magic tool

Executive overview

Most keywords grow more competitive over time, making it hard for new or low-authority sites to rank. The fix is targeting low-competition keywords — specifically questions and "easy" difficulty terms — that have real search intent but less crowded results.

Filter for questions first, then set keyword difficulty to "easy" to find the best balance of intent and rankability.

Why questions are the best starting point

• Question keywords are generally lower competition than broad non-question terms
• Niche questions rarely attract many competing pages despite decent search volume
• Questions often carry commercial intent — someone asking "how" or "what is best" may be close to buying
• Basic "what is X" questions can still be competitive; the value is in specific, niche variants

Finding easy-difficulty keywords

• Sort by keyword difficulty and filter to "Easy" rather than starting at zero
• "Very easy" (zero difficulty) keywords are often low-value or nonsensical — not worth targeting
• "Easy" strikes the balance: some competition signals real content demand, but ranking is still achievable
• A difficulty of 5 vs 15 is effectively the same — both represent very little competition
• Look for high-intent, specific terms like "B2B content marketing audit" or "content marketing for manufacturers"