In September 2026, a founder posted on r/SaaS that Google was not ranking their new site even though they had done the "basic SEO" work: meta titles, descriptions, indexing. Search Console showed 159 impressions and 1 click in 28 days, with an average position of 48. One of the most useful replies pointed out that people only search an app's name once they already know it; the real demand sits one step earlier, in someone describing the job they want done.
That is the core problem with keyword research for a first SaaS. If you built your app with Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable, Bolt, Replit or v0, you probably wrote pages about your product, in your words. Customers type their problem, in their words. This guide shows you how to find those words with free tools, check which ones a brand-new site can win, and turn them into a short list of pages to write.
Quick glossary
- Keyword (or query): the exact words someone types into Google, like "how to send invoice reminders".
- Search intent: what the person actually wants. To learn something, compare options, buy something, or go to a specific site.
- Search volume: roughly how many times per month people search a keyword. Every tool estimates this differently.
- Keyword difficulty (KD): a score from a tool that guesses how hard it is to reach page one. It is a guess, not a rule.
- Long-tail keyword: a longer, more specific search with fewer searches, like "late payment reminder email template for freelancers". Easier for new sites.
- SERP: search engine results page. The page Google shows after you search.
- Impressions: how many times your site appeared in Google results, even if nobody clicked. You see this in Google Search Console.
Step 1: Write down your customers' problems in their words
Do not open a keyword tool yet. Start a text file of phrases real people use to describe the problem your app solves. Look in:
- Your support emails, chat messages and signup survey answers.
- Reddit threads where your users hang out. Search for the problem, not your product category.
- Posts and replies on X complaining about the problem.
- 1-star to 3-star reviews of bigger competitors. Complaints are full of search phrases.
Copy phrases exactly. This guide uses a hypothetical example, an invoice tool for freelancers, whose notes might contain "client keeps paying late", "how do I remind a client to pay without sounding rude" and "invoice template that adds tax automatically".
An AI assistant can pull phrases out of messy notes. Just do not let it invent data:
Below are raw notes from support emails, Reddit threads and reviews about
[PROBLEM YOUR APP SOLVES]. My customers are [WHO THEY ARE].
1. Extract every distinct phrase a customer used to describe their problem
or goal. Keep their original wording.
2. Add 10 more phrases a beginner in this audience might type into Google,
and mark these clearly as "AI guess".
3. Do NOT include search volumes, difficulty scores or any numbers.
I will check demand myself with real tools.
Notes:
[PASTE NOTES HERE]
Aim for 20 to 40 phrases. These are your seed keywords.
Step 2: Expand your seeds with free tools
Now check what people actually type. All of these are free as of October 2026:
- Google autocomplete: type a seed into Google slowly and note the suggestions. Google's help page says predictions reflect real searches, but they also depend on your language, location and past searches. Use a private window.
- People Also Ask and related searches: the question box on the results page and the related searches near the bottom. Each question is a possible section or page.
- Google Trends: compare two or three phrases to see which is more popular and whether interest is growing. Google says Trends shows relative interest scaled from 0 to 100, not search counts, and very low-volume terms show as 0. So "0" does not always mean nobody searches it.
- Google Keyword Planner: free inside a Google Ads account. Google's help says you must enter billing information to use "Discover new keywords", but you do not need to run a campaign. Expect volume ranges like "100-1K" instead of exact numbers if you are not spending; Google introduced this limited view for lower-spend accounts, and Google Ads community experts still describe it the same way. Ranges are fine for comparing ideas.
- Bing Webmaster Tools Keyword Research: free with a Bing Webmaster Tools account. Enter a root keyword and get related keywords, question keywords and the top ranking URLs, filtered by country, language and device for any period in the last six months. The numbers are Bing data, so use them to compare phrases, not to predict Google traffic.
- Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator: free, no account. Enter a seed and get keyword ideas, including questions, with estimated volumes.
- Semrush free account: 10 keyword research queries per day, no credit card, per Semrush's own free-account page. Enough to check a shortlist.
Add everything relevant. In the hypothetical invoice example, you might add "how to politely ask for payment" and "what to do when a client doesn't pay". A list of 50 to 150 phrases is normal; the next steps cut it down.
Step 3: Check search intent by looking at the results page
A keyword tool cannot tell you what Google thinks the searcher wants. The results page can. For each promising phrase, search it in a private window and look at the top 10 results:
- Mostly blog posts and guides? The intent is learn. You need a helpful article.
- Mostly "best X tools" lists? The intent is compare. You need a list or comparison page.
- Mostly product homepages and pricing pages? The intent is buy. Your landing or feature page fits.
- Mostly templates, calculators or generators? People want a tool or template, not an essay.
Write the intent next to each keyword. If Google shows templates and you planned a long essay, the essay will struggle to rank.
Step 4: Judge whether a new site can compete
Most beginners skip this. A brand-new domain has no history and few links, so it cannot beat huge sites on broad terms. On the same results page, look for these signals.
Good signs (opportunity):
- Reddit, Quora or forum threads in the top 10. Google could not find a great dedicated page.
- Small blogs, personal sites or tiny tools ranking.
- Results that only half answer the query or are outdated.
Bad signs (skip for now):
- Every result is a big brand, a huge publisher or a well-known tool.
- The top results are recent, excellent guides that answer everything.
Treat keyword difficulty as a hint; the SERP is the real test. Mark each keyword "go", "maybe" or "skip".
Step 5: Pick long-tail problem keywords and map one main keyword per page
Now pick your first 5 to 10 pages. Choose keywords that are:
- Marked "go" in Step 4.
- Close to your product. Someone searching it has the problem you solve.
- Specific. Long-tail problem phrases beat broad category words for a new site.
For the hypothetical invoice tool, "invoicing software" is a skip (big brands everywhere), while "payment reminder email template for freelancers" could be a go if forums and small blogs rank.
Give each page one main keyword and a few close variations. If two keywords show almost the same top 10 results, they belong on the same page. If the results are different, they need separate pages.
AI can draft this grouping if you give it your real data:
Here is my keyword list with the intent and the "go/maybe/skip" verdict I
noted from looking at Google's results myself:
[PASTE ROWS: keyword | intent | verdict | volume range if I have one]
Group these into page ideas:
- One main keyword per page, plus up to 5 close variations.
- Put keywords together only if they share the same intent.
- Suggest a page type (guide, template, comparison, landing page).
- Ignore anything marked "skip".
- Do NOT invent or estimate search volumes or difficulty. Use only the
numbers I gave you; leave blanks blank.
Output a table: page idea | main keyword | variations | page type | why.
Check its work against the real results pages, then keep everything in one sheet:
keyword,source,intent,verdict,volume_range,main_or_variation,target_page,status,date_published,gsc_impressions_28d,gsc_avg_position
payment reminder email template for freelancers,autocomplete,learn/template,go,(from your tool),main,/templates/payment-reminder-email,draft,,,
how to politely ask a client for payment,people also ask,learn,go,(from your tool),variation,/templates/payment-reminder-email,draft,,,
invoicing software,keyword planner,buy,skip,(from your tool),,,,,,
The rows above are hypothetical. Fill in volume ranges from Keyword Planner, Bing or another tool, and leave the Search Console columns empty until Step 7.
Step 6: Write each page to answer the query
You are not writing "SEO content". You are writing the best answer to one question. A simple checklist for each page:
PAGE CHECKLIST
[ ] Main keyword (or a natural version of it) in the title and the H1
[ ] First 2-3 sentences answer the question directly
[ ] Format matches what Google shows (template, steps, list, tool)
[ ] Covers the People Also Ask questions for this keyword
[ ] Includes something real: a screenshot, an example, your own steps
[ ] Clear, specific meta description written for humans
[ ] Links to 1-2 related pages on your site, and from your homepage or blog
[ ] Soft, relevant mention of your product where it actually helps
[ ] Page is indexable (not blocked, not noindex) and in your sitemap
If AI drafts the page, give it your notes, real examples and the questions you collected, then edit hard. A page that sounds like every other AI article adds nothing new.
For the hypothetical invoice tool, the reminder page would open with a ready-to-copy template, add first, second and final reminder versions, and only then mention the app can send them automatically.
Step 7: Measure in Google Search Console and iterate
Wait a few weeks after publishing; new pages take time to be crawled. Then open Google Search Console, go to Performance, and use:
- Queries tab: the actual searches where your site appeared. Google's help explains you can switch metrics on for clicks, impressions, CTR and average position.
- Pages tab: click a page, then open Queries to see which searches it shows up for.
- Date range: the default is the last three months. Compare the last 28 days with the previous period.
What to look for:
- Queries with impressions but position 8 to 20: improve that page. Add the missing section, make the answer clearer, link to it from other pages.
- Queries you never planned for: these are new keyword ideas from real data. Add them to your sheet.
- A page with zero impressions after several weeks: check it is indexed, then check the intent again in Step 3.
Update the sheet once a month and pick your next batch of pages from what you learn.
Common mistakes
- Starting with your product category. Broad category words are owned by big brands. Start with problem phrases.
- Trusting one volume number. Every tool estimates differently, and Keyword Planner often shows only ranges. Use numbers to compare, not to predict traffic.
- Skipping the results page. Intent and competition are visible in the SERP, not in a spreadsheet.
- Letting AI invent volumes. If an AI gives you exact search numbers without a data source, they are made up.
- One keyword per blog post, ten posts on the same topic. Similar keywords with the same results belong on one strong page.
- Giving up after two weeks. New sites need time.
Your action summary
- Collect 20 to 40 customer phrases from support emails, Reddit, X and competitor reviews.
- Expand them with autocomplete, People Also Ask, Trends, Keyword Planner, Bing and one free keyword generator.
- Search every promising phrase and write down the intent.
- Mark each keyword "go", "maybe" or "skip" based on who ranks.
- Pick 5 to 10 long-tail problem keywords and give each page one main keyword.
- Write each page to answer the query in the format Google already shows.
- Check Search Console Performance after a few weeks and plan the next batch.
You do not need an expensive SEO tool to find your first keywords. You need your customers' words, an honest look at the results page and one small spreadsheet, so pick five problem phrases today and write the page that answers the first one this week.#seo #saas #beginners #marketing #software #coding #development #engineering #inclusive #community
How to Find Keywords Your New SaaS Can Actually Rank For: A 7-Step Free Keyword Research Guide for Beginners