Semrush<\/a>. Instead, I use GSC as my primary source of truth<\/b> for my own site, using external tools secondarily for market validation.<\/p>\nThird-party tools give you estimated, macro-level data<\/b>. They’ll tell you broad search volume for a keyword like “delete instagram account”<\/i>. But they can’t show you how your specific domain is performing for that topic.<\/p>\n
For example, here\u2019s the Ahrefs\u2019 keyword generator tool<\/b> that displays: Volume, Keyword Difficulty, keyword list<\/b>, and how recent the data is.<\/p>\n
![\"keyword](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-45.png\")
<\/p>\n
On the other hand, GSC<\/b> reveals exact, first-party performance metrics. For example, on my Delete Instagram Account<\/i> guide, GSC shows:<\/p>\n\n- Exact impressions and clicks<\/b> for primary and secondary queries<\/b> (e.g., “how to delete instagram account”<\/i>, “deactivate instagram account”<\/i>, “delete account instagram”<\/i>).<\/li>\n
- Underperforming CTRs and average position<\/b> drops that signal immediate optimization opportunities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here is an example from Google Search Console:<\/p>\n
![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-46.png\")
<\/p>\n
For finding low-competition keywords<\/b>, GSC is unmatched because it automatically uncovers:<\/p>\n\n- Emerging Opportunities:<\/b> Topics where your site is already gaining impressions despite having almost no clicks<\/b> yet.<\/li>\n
- Long-Tail Variations:<\/b> Exact user phrasing and intent variations (like niche variations for NYT puzzle answers) that third-party tools miss.<\/li>\n
- Optimization Gaps:<\/b> Pages that are already getting impressions but need stronger on-page targeting to push them into top rankings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Once I identify these first-party opportunities in GSC, I try some trusted third-party tools for the research to get more insights about volume, difficulty, and recency.<\/p>\n
Prerequisites Before Finding Low-Competition Keywords in Google Search Console<\/h2>\n
Before jumping into the actual process to find low-competition keywords, make sure your Search Console property is properly configured to capture meaningful trends.<\/p>\n
1. Make Sure You Have GSC Access & Minimum Requirements<\/h3>\n
To follow this workflow, you will need:<\/p>\n
\n- Verified GSC Access: <\/b>Full administrative or read-access to your domain property (I\u2019m using sc-domain:monktech.net<\/b>) so you can run your own GSC query analysis<\/b>.<\/li>\n
- Performance report<\/b> set to Search type: Web<\/b> with at least 12 months of data<\/b> available to analyze Search Console impressions and CTR<\/b>.<\/li>\n
- Ability to toggle between Queries and Pages<\/b>, and to use filters smartly for Google Search Console clustering<\/b>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You do not need hundreds of thousands of impressions to find useful keywords in GSC. Even a site getting 10K+ annual impressions<\/b> can uncover valuable opportunities.<\/p>\n
What matters more is that your GSC queries data actually reflects your content focus and audience problems<\/b>.<\/p>\n2. Sort the Data within GSC<\/h3>\n
After setting up your GSC account, the first practical step you should take is to sort the Performance report with these exact settings before analyzing your data:<\/p>\n
\n- Date range:<\/b> Last 12 months (as you can see in the screenshots above) to capture enough GSC keyword opportunities<\/b>.<\/li>\n
- Metrics:<\/b> clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position to evaluate Search Console impressions and CTR<\/b> per query.<\/li>\n
- Primary View:<\/b> Start on the QUERIES<\/b> tab (we will pivot to the PAGES<\/b> tab later in Step 5).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This gives me a clean base for Google Search Console keyword research<\/b> and GSC query analysis<\/b>:<\/p>\n\n- A comprehensive view<\/b> of every query touching my site.<\/li>\n
- A feel for which topics have real demand and strong GSC keyword opportunities<\/b> (NYT games, streaming, printers, social media, finance).<\/li>\n
- A starting point for Google Search Console clustering and intent mapping<\/b>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Step\u2011by\u2011Step: How I Find Low\u2011Competition Keywords in GSC<\/h2>\nStep 1: Read the 12\u2011Month Performance Report<\/h3>\n
I start by reading the high\u2011level numbers:
\n722 clicks, 233K impressions, 0.3% CTR, position 61.3<\/b>.<\/p>\n
Then I look at Top queries<\/b> to understand the topic mix.<\/p>\n
In our current 12\u2011month view, my Top queries by impressions<\/b> include:<\/p>\n\n- \u201cpeacocktv.com tv\/samsung\u201d<\/b> \u2013 4,959 impressions, 1 click.<\/li>\n
- \u201csudoku nyt\u201d<\/b> \u2013 3,303 impressions, 0 clicks.<\/li>\n
- \u201chow to cancel netflix\u201d<\/b> \u2013 3,253 impressions, 0 clicks.<\/li>\n
- \u201cnytimes sudoku\u201d<\/b> \u2013 1,400 impressions, 0 clicks.<\/li>\n
- \u201cnew york times sudoku\u201d<\/b> \u2013 1,142 impressions, 0 clicks.<\/li>\n
- \u201chow to delete instagram account\u201d<\/b> \u2013 1,660 impressions, 3 clicks.<\/li>\n
- \u201chow to change signature in outlook\u201d<\/b> \u2013 911 impressions, 2 clicks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And dozens of \u201cmini\u201d, \u201cstrands\u201d, \u201cconnections\u201d, and \u201cspelling bee\u201d queries<\/b> with hundreds of impressions each.<\/p>\n
This tells me:<\/p>\n
\n- I already rank in some capacity (even if at low positions) for extremely active daily\u2011search topics<\/b>: NYT puzzles, streaming activation codes, social account management, email workflows.<\/li>\n
- It shows my CTR is poor<\/b>, which usually means weak titles\/snippets or misaligned intent<\/b>, not necessarily impossible competition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Step 2: Export Query Data for GSC Query Analysis<\/h3>\n
Next, I export all query data by clicking the Export<\/b> button:<\/p>\n
![\"export\"](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-47.png\")
<\/p>\n
Export the full 12\u2011month dataset (up to 1,000 top queries as shown).<\/p>\n
I choose ‘Google Sheets<\/b>‘ for export. Note that Google Search Console creates separate tabs in the workbook (Queries, Pages, Countries, Devices). Make sure you select the Queries<\/b> tab to begin your analysis.<\/p>\n
![\"anaytic\"](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-48.png\")
<\/p>\n
This gives a facility to:<\/p>\n
\n- Sort by Impressions<\/b> to see the biggest GSC keyword opportunities<\/b>.<\/li>\n
- Sort by Position<\/b> to catch near\u2011wins.<\/li>\n
- Sort by CTR<\/b> to find where users ignore my snippets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Step 3: Filter Out Branded & Pure Navigational Queries<\/h3>\n
For low\u2011competition keyword hunting<\/b>,<\/p>\n
![\"spinonweb\"](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-43.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"peacock](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-44.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"spinonweb\"](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/averge.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"ctr\"](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-49.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"impression\"](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-50.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"spelling\"](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-51.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"sudoku\"](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-52.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"outlook\"](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-53.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"sudoku\"](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-54.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"queries\"](\"https:\/\/www.spinonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-55.png\")
<\/p>\n