Keyword research without a paid tool: five free sources that are enough

You only need five sources: your Search Console queries, Google’s autocomplete, People also ask and related searches, the results page itself, rivals’ sitemaps and titles, and Bing Webmaster Tools for volumes.

• Start in Search Console. Pull the queries you already appear for.
• Open Google and type stems to read autocomplete. Capture real phrases.
• Expand People also ask and note the follow ups. Grab related searches at the foot.
• Read the results page to see the intent Google shows, not what you wish it was.
• Scan rivals’ sitemap.xml, titles and a site: search to see what they target.
• Use Bing Webmaster Tools’ keyword research to assign rough volumes.

Cluster the phrases by intent and topic. Map clusters to one page each. Write the title from the main query and make the page fit the intent you saw on the results page.

Why it matters: it shows where you have a foot in the door. These are your lowest lift wins on a small site. Move from impressions to clicks by matching intent and tightening titles.

1. 1

   Open Search Console, Performance

   Set the last 28 days. Turn on Queries and Pages. Filter to your core pages if needed, like /pricing or /guides/.

2. 2

   Sort by Impressions, scan for near-misses

   Look for queries with many impressions and few clicks. Note those where your average position is between 5 and 20.

3. 3

   Group by page and theme

   Export and group queries by the page they hit and by topic. If two pages rank for the same query, note the cannibalisation risk.

4. 4

   Decide the target query per page

   Pick one main query per page from that group. Rewrite the title tag and H1 to fit that phrase and intent.

What a fix looks like: yourpage.com/guides/time-tracking-consultants with title “Time tracking for consultants: how to set billable hours” can move from page two to page one if the queries already show impressions.

Why it matters: autocomplete is what real users type, weighted by popularity and freshness. It varies by language, location and your own history, and it is filtered for policy. It is not volumes, it is phrasing and demand shape.

1. 1

   Strip your history and set location

   Use an incognito window. Set Google to your market. Use a clean browser profile to reduce personal bias.

2. 2

   Type stems and read the list

   Try “time tracking c…”, “consultant time…”, “best time tracking for…”. Note the full suggestions, including modifiers like “free”, “for Mac”, “without login”.

3. 3

   Capture long-tails and patterns

   Write down phrasing and repeated modifiers. Group similar suggestions. Do not remove small variants yet.

4. 4

   Expand with letters and prepositions

   Add a to z, and words like “for”, “with”, “vs”, “without”. Each reveals different intent families.

What to do next: seed these suggestions into your draft titles, H2s and FAQs. If you see “time tracking for consultants invoice”, plan a section that shows how to export invoices, not a generic feature list.

Why it matters: People also ask and the related searches at the foot of the page are drawn from queries Google associates with the one searched. They show the next questions a reader will have. You can answer them on page or as separate pages if they branch far enough.

1. 1

   Search your stems and open the accordions

   Enter “time tracking for consultants”. Click to open three or four People also ask items so Google reveals more. Copy the exact questions.

2. 2

   Note answer formats on the page

   Are the answers lists, tables, definitions, or videos? That hints at the content format Google tends to reward for that question.

3. 3

   Pick on-page vs new page

   Short, definitional questions fit on-page FAQs. Broad, how-to questions with different intent deserve their own guides.

4. 4

   Collect related searches at the foot

   Scroll to the bottom. Capture related searches. They make good H2s or subpages in the same cluster.

What a fix looks like: yourpage.com/guides/time-tracking-consultants gains an FAQ with “How do consultants track billable hours” and a step list. A separate page covers “time tracking vs invoicing software” if that related search appears and shows a comparison SERP.

Why it matters: intent classes drive the page you must build. Informational needs guides and videos. Transactional needs product and pricing. Commercial investigation needs comparisons and lists. The results page shows which one Google has assigned to a query in your market, as of 2026.

1. 1

   Search the exact query

   Use the market and device you want to serve. Look at the top ten and the features on the page.

2. 2

   Label the dominant intent

   If most results are guides and videos, label it informational. If they are product pages and shopping, it is transactional. If they are “best X” lists or “X vs Y”, it is commercial investigation.

3. 3

   Match your page type to that intent

   Do not try to rank a product page for an informational query. Build a guide. Do not write a how-to for a query filled with category pages and pricing.

4. 4

   Note SERP features that can cap clicks

   AI Overview, featured snippets, knowledge panels and video packs can soak up attention. Expect a lower click share even with rank.

What a fix looks like: if “best time tracking for consultants” is lists, publish your own comparison at /comparisons/best-time-tracking-for-consultants, not a sales page. Include criteria, pricing tables and links to rivals with no fluff. If “consultant time tracking software pricing” is transactional with pricing pages, make sure /pricing is clear, fast and complete.

Why it matters: a rival’s sitemap.xml lists what they publish and how they structure it. Their title tags say which queries they target. A site:rival.com search shows what Google holds of them. This is enough to map their topic coverage without a suite.

1. 1

   Open sitemap.xml

   Go to rival.com/sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml. Save the URLs for posts, docs, comparisons and pricing. Note patterns like /blog/, /guides/, /alternatives/.

2. 2

   Scrape titles quickly

   Paste 20 to 50 URLs into a simple bookmarklet or use your browser’s view source to read <title> tags. Write down the exact phrasing and modifiers.

3. 3

   Run site: searches

   Search site:rival.com "time tracking". Sort through the first three pages. Note which pages Google shows for core terms.

4. 4

   Spot gaps and overlaps

   If rivals have “X vs Y”, “X alternatives” and “best X” but you do not, plan those pages. If two rivals target the same long-tail, assume it has intent and some demand.

What a fix looks like: publish /comparisons/caltrack-vs-harvest and /alternatives/harvest-alternatives if that is the structure you see across rivals, and your product fits those comparisons. Use titles that state the products and the angle users search for, like “Harvest alternatives: 7 options for solo consultants”.

Why it matters: search volume is the estimate of monthly searches for a query in a market, averaged over the last twelve months. You need a sense of relative demand to order work. Bing Webmaster Tools’ keyword research gives volumes for free. Treat them as directional, not exact. Two tools will disagree and both are approximations.

1. 1

   Verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools

   Add your site and verify ownership. Open Keyword Research. Set the country you target.

2. 2

   Paste your shortlist

   Add your primary queries and key modifiers. Record the volumes. If a cluster has many close variants, sum them for the cluster’s demand.

3. 3

   Sense check against the SERP

   If a term shows high volume but the results page is thin or off-topic for your product, treat it with care. Aim for fit first, not the biggest number.

4. 4

   Mark AI-sensitive and snippet-heavy terms

   If the results page shows AI Overview or a featured snippet, discount your click expectations. Prioritise terms with cleaner result pages when you can.

The product: Caltrack, time tracking for solo consultants. You want queries that bring buyers, not just readers. You have a site with /, /pricing, /features, /guides/, and no blog yet. Here is the method end to end.

1. 1

   Start with Search Console

   You see impressions for “time tracking for consultants”, “billable hours tracker”, “consultant timesheet template”, with average position 9 to 18, low clicks. These map to / and /guides/getting-started.

2. 2

   Pull autocomplete

   Suggestions include “time tracking for consultants free”, “time tracking for consultants invoice”, “best time tracking for consultants”, “consultant time tracking app mac”, “how to track billable hours consulting”.

3. 3

   Open People also ask

   You see “How do consultants track billable hours”, “What is the easiest way to track time for clients”, “What is the difference between time tracking and invoicing”. Related searches list “consulting timesheet template”, “consultant time tracker app”.

4. 4

   Read the intent on the results pages

   “best time tracking for consultants” is commercial investigation with listicles. “how to track billable hours consulting” is informational with how-to guides and videos. “consultant time tracker app” is transactional, app store and product pages.

5. 5

   Scan rivals’ sitemaps and titles

   Rivals have /comparisons/best-time-tracking-for-consultants, /alternatives/harvest-alternatives, and “X vs Y” pages like “Toggl vs Harvest for freelancers”. Titles include modifiers like “billable”, “retainer”, “Mac”, “Google Calendar”.

6. 6

   Get volumes in Bing Webmaster Tools

   Add core terms and modifiers. Sum clusters like {“best time tracking for consultants”, “best time tracker for consultants”}. Mark AI Overview seen on generic “time tracking software” and avoid it early.

7. 7

   Map clusters to pages

   Publish: 1) /comparisons/best-time-tracking-for-consultants, 2) /guides/how-to-track-billable-hours-consulting, 3) /integrations/google-calendar-time-tracking, 4) /comparisons/caltrack-vs-harvest, 5) /alternatives/harvest-alternatives, 6) /templates/consulting-timesheet-template.

8. 8

   Write titles and H1s from the exact phrases

   Examples: “Best time tracking for consultants: 9 picks in 2026”, “How to track billable hours as a consultant”, “Google Calendar time tracking: Caltrack integration”, “Caltrack vs Harvest: which suits solo consultants”, “Harvest alternatives: 7 options for billable work”, “Consulting timesheet template, free Google Sheet”.

9. 9

   Align formats to the SERP

   Lists with filters and pricing tables for “best”. A step-by-step with screenshots for “how to”. A feature page with schema for the integration. A simple download and instructions for the template.

10. 10

    Close the loop in Search Console

    After publish, watch the new queries and impressions. Tighten titles to the phrasing that appears. Add internal links from /features and /pricing to the new pages.

What this yields: a set of pages that speak the user’s language, match intent, and cover the SaaS search families that matter, from “best X” to “X alternatives”, jobs to be done, and integrations. Your /pricing and /features get clearer anchors and new internal links that improve click-through from striking distance.

Why it matters: without a costed plan you will chase shiny terms. Clustering lets you build fewer, stronger pages. You avoid thin content and duplicate effort on a small site.

1. 1

   Cluster by same intent, same SERP

   If the top results are the same across two phrases, put them in one cluster. Use the main phrase as the title and the rest as H2s and FAQ items.

2. 2

   Sum the cluster volume

   Add the volumes of the variants to get the cluster size. Keep a separate note of modifiers that imply a different page type or audience.

3. 3

   Score each cluster on three axes

   1) Fit with your product and page type, 2) Estimated demand from Bing, 3) Current presence in Search Console. A simple 1 to 3 score per axis is enough.

4. 4

   Plan one page per cluster

   Give each page a URL, title, H1, angle and key sections. Add internal links you will use on publish, like from /pricing and /features.

What a fix looks like: a spreadsheet with a “Best time tracking for consultants” cluster holding five phrases, 1,200 summed volume, score 3 for fit, 2 for demand, 2 for presence. The page plan lists sections, a comparison table, and links from /features, /pricing and /guides/getting-started.

You can rank with the free method above. A paid suite adds speed and breadth when you scale. It is worth it when research time starts to cost more than a licence, or when you need competitor breadth and historical data.

• Bigger keyword databases and filters: faster discovery across many markets, still estimates.
• Difficulty scores: link-based proxies for how strong the top results are, tool-specific and not about intent fit.
• Competitive research views: see rivals’ paid and organic history at a glance.
• Rank tracking at scale: daily positions across many pages and markets.
• Site audits and crawlers: find technical issues that block your pages from indexing or performing.

As of 2026, Ahrefs is known for its backlink index and Site Explorer. Semrush is a broad suite with keyword, competitive and advertising modules. Moz offers Moz Pro with long-standing education and Domain Authority. SE Ranking positions itself as more affordable. Ubersuggest aims at beginners with a free tier. Screaming Frog and Sitebulb are desktop crawlers that surface issues but expect you to interpret results. Choose the one that matches your workload and your need for speed, not for a magic number.