If you want your content to rank and drive traffic, you don’t have to spend hours buried in SEO research. The secret? Low-hanging fruit SEO. 🍏
Low-hanging fruit SEO consists in quick, high-impact optimizations that get results fast. Instead of chasing ultra-competitive keywords and waiting months (or years) for rankings, you can use keyword research tools to focus on easy wins that move the needle right away.
But what exactly is low-hanging fruit SEO? How to find these juicy opportunities? What steps to take to turn them into rankings? We are going to answer all of these questions in this article.
Let’s take a closer look to learn! 👀
What is Low-Hanging Fruit SEO?
Low-hanging fruit SEO refers to easy-win keywords that require minimal effort to rank but still drive meaningful traffic. These search terms are the perfect targets for quick SEO gains.
Instead of spending months battling for ultra-competitive keywords, low-hanging fruit lets you rank faster and start seeing results sooner.
These keywords typically share these characteristics:
- Ranking potential: Easier to rank without aggressive link-building.
- Low competition: Fewer websites are targeting them.
- Moderate search volume: Enough searches to be valuable but not oversaturated.
- High relevance: Directly connected to your business or content.
- Specificity: Often long-tail keywords that address niche topics or user needs.
Most low-hanging fruit keywords have a low difficulty score, old or poorly optimized content in the first page of the SERPS, making them prime opportunities to boost visibility without heavy SEO lifting.
What are the Benefits of Low-Hanging Fruit Keywords?
Low-hanging fruit SEO is the perfect way to get those early victories without exhausting yourself in the process. 😌
For anyone just starting out with a new website or business, this strategy is a total lifesaver. When resources are tight, you need a way to build momentum and get the ball rolling.
Here’s why low-hanging fruit SEO is worth your time:
- Budget-Friendly: It’s an affordable SEO strategy, making it ideal for businesses with limited SEO budgets.
- Less Time and Effort: With minimal SEO work, you can still see strong results.
- Better Conversions: Specific, intent-driven searches lead to more sales and sign-ups.
- Higher Rankings: Because they’re easier to rank for, you have a better shot at landing top search positions.
- More traffic: While search volume may be lower, these keywords attract visitors who are more likely to engage.
- Stronger Authority: Ranking for easier terms builds credibility, making it easier to rank for tougher keywords later.
Low-hanging fruit SEO isn’t a shortcut or a cheat code. It’s a smart, sustainable way to grow your search visibility.
What Are the Types of Low-Hanging Fruit Keywords?
Not all low-hanging fruit keywords are the same. Some are great for attracting curious searchers, while others target people ready to buy. By identifying different types, you can fine-tune your SEO strategy and bring in traffic that actually converts.
Here are the main types of low-hanging fruit keywords:
- Commercial Keywords: These attract people actively comparing options before making a decision. Example: “15 Best SEO Content Tools.”
- Question-Based Keywords: Searchers use these when looking for explanations or solutions. Example: “What Is Content Syndication?”
- Local Keywords: Perfect for businesses targeting specific areas. Examples: “Best coffee shop in Austin” or “Plumber near me.”
- Branded Keywords: Keywords that include brand names, often from users comparing options. Examples: “Surfer SEO vs. Semrush” or “10 Similarweb Alternatives.”
- Transactional Keywords: Show strong purchase intent, usually containing words like buy, discount, or price. Examples: “Buy standing desk online” or “Nike running shoes sale.”
Each type serves a different purpose, but they all have one thing in common: they’re easier to rank for and can drive meaningful traffic to your site.
6 Easy Steps for Winning at Low-Hanging Fruit SEO
You don’t have to be an SEO pro to start using low-hanging fruit keywords. It’s actually easier than you might think!
And you can even use an automated tool to make it all even simpler. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through that in a bit. For now, let’s dive into these six easy steps to kick off your low-hanging fruit SEO strategy and start seeing results!
1. Use a Keyword Research Tool to Spark Content Ideas
The first step is to brainstorm a list of potential keyword ideas. You can use a blog idea generator to spark some inspiration and jot down your initial thoughts. 💡
From there, start listing your main keywords. These could be related to your competitors, key themes in your industry, or even local keywords that apply to your business.
Next, you’ll want to use a keyword research tool.
This will help you see the search volume for each keyword, the difficulty to rank, and even show you variations and commonly asked questions around your topic.
If you’re focusing on Local SEO, make sure the tool you’re using lets you select your specific location, like the city where your business is based. For example, if you’re a dentist in Nashua, you can narrow the search to the city level.
This helps you see search volume, competition, and other key metrics specific to your area, ensuring you target the right local audience.
2. Find Related Keywords to Expand Your Strategy
Once you’ve got your initial list of keywords, the next step is to dive deeper using a tool like the Keyword Magic Tool.
Just type your main keywords and scroll down or jump some pages to find keyword variations with lower search volume. While there isn’t a fixed number to aim for, these variations tend to be long-tail keywords, which are longer, more specific phrases that people are searching for.
For example, instead of just “types of wine,” you might target “types of wine glasses for red wine.”
Click on each keyword to receive more information about them, such as search intent, difficulty, related terms, and questions.
3. Analyze Competitors’ Keywords to Uncover Gaps
The third step is to spy on your competition. 🕵️
Use keyword gap and competitor analysis tools to check out what keywords your competitors are ranking for. You can uncover gaps in their content that you can easily fill with more targeted, detailed information.
There are lots of ways to find your competitors’ keywords, using different tools and features. As you check out their content, keep an eye on:
- The keywords they’re targeting
- The topics they’re covering
- How well their content is performing
- If there’s anything they’ve missed that you can address
Let’s say you’re in the skincare niche and your competitor ranks for “best anti-aging serums.” But they’re not targeting “best budget anti-aging serums.” You can create content around that keyword, filling the gap and attracting a different, but valuable, audience.
4. Keep an Eye on Emerging and Seasonal Trends to Stay Ahead
The fourth step is to keep an eye on trending keywords and seasonal changes. By tracking emerging search patterns, you can jump on low-hanging fruit keywords before your competitors even notice.
For example, if you’re in the fashion industry, you might notice searches for “summer dresses” spike every year in June and July.
By identifying these patterns, you can create content ahead of time to capture that traffic.
Other tools like Google Trends can help you spot rising topics and see how often certain keywords are searched at different times of the year.
For example, the keyword “best winter jackets” hits the highest interest in the first week of December.
You can even set up notifications on Google Trends to alert you when certain keywords start gaining traction, so you’re always in the loop and ready to adjust your content strategy accordingly.
To find emerging keywords, use the same keyword research tool to get key insights. For example, tools can show if a keyword like “best gaming chair 2025” is gaining popularity.
Or if interest in “iPhone 15 review” is declining.
Monitoring these trends helps you target rising topics and avoid outdated ones, keeping your content fresh and competitive.
5. Analyze the SERPs to Spot Ranking Opportunities
The fifth step is to take a close look at the SERPs for your target keyword.
In the keyword research tool, you can scroll down and check out the SERP results, without needing to search the keyword in Google.
Check out the content on the first page and ask yourself a few questions: Is the content poorly written, shallow, or outdated? Or does it lack detail, actionable advice, or miss the mark on user intent?
If you spot any of these issues, you’ve got an opportunity! 🎉
Let’s say you’re searching for something like “best camping gear for beginners” and the top results come from smaller or niche sites that don’t provide solid information.
You can swoop in and offer better, more comprehensive content that answers users’ questions more effectively.
6. Make a List of Low-Hanging Fruit Keywords to Maximize Quick Wins
Now that you’ve gathered all this data, it’s time to create your list of low-hanging fruit keywords!
Most keyword research tools, like the Keyword Magic Tool, let you select keywords and add them directly to a keyword list or rank tracker.
This way, you can easily keep track of your best opportunities and monitor how they perform over time.
Go through your list, test different variations, and start building a solid foundation of easy-win keywords to target!
How Do You Turn Low-Hanging Fruit Keywords Into Traffic?
Got your keywords? Now it’s time to put them to work. 🔧
You can create new content or update existing pages, but ranking takes time, sometimes weeks or months. The trick is to automate the process. With the right tools, you can track performance, make quick adjustments, and see results in days or even hours instead of waiting around.
Use AI to Create Content Faster
Writing content for low-hanging fruit SEO doesn’t have to be a grind. Using an SEO content assistant like Content Genius is like having an SEO-savvy co-writer who helps you create content that ranks and reads naturally.
It studies top-ranking pages and gives you smart suggestions, including outlines, must-have keywords, NLP terms, and even internal links. If your content needs a boost, it pinpoints areas for improvement and helps tweak them automatically.
And if you don’t want to start from scratch? You can generate entire articles using AI models like ChatGPT or Claude. 🤖
Instead of spending weeks figuring out what works, AI helps you get optimized content live in days or even hours, so you can focus on growing your site instead of obsessing over rankings.
Update Old Pages to Boost Visibility
Updating old content with low-hanging fruit SEO is a smart and efficient way to give your rankings a boost without having to rewrite everything.
With Content Genius, this process becomes even easier. Its “Term Assistant” feature allows you to naturally add your keywords and related terms to your existing content.
It’s a helping hand that guides you to insert keywords where they make sense.
Monitor Your Results to Improve Performance
Keep track of how your updates are impacting your rankings with ease using a keyword rank tracking tool.
If you see a keyword like “quick healthy meals” climbing up, that’s a win! But if it’s not moving, no worries, just tweak your approach. For example, you can add some internal links to other related content or freshen up your meta descriptions.
You can also use a customizable reporting tool to automate all your tracking, including data from Google Analytics (GA4), Google Search Console (GSC), and more.
This way, you don’t have to constantly check everything manually, everything is organized for you. The key is to stay flexible, test out new strategies, and keep refining your content to see what really works.
Ready to Rank? Automate Your Low-Hanging Fruit SEO
Low-hanging fruit SEO is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to rank on page one, or even reach the top positions.
But keep in mind, it’s not completely effortless. ❗
You still need to create better content than what’s already ranking and match the user intent. This means going beyond just targeting easy keywords and ensuring your content stands out with value and relevance.
That’s where tools like Search Atlas come in. With Search Atlas, you can easily create high-quality, SEO-optimized content, even adding images to enhance your pages.
Plus, there’s OTTO, the first AI SEO agent in the industry, which automates much of your SEO work, from technical SEO to on-page optimizations and link building. This gives you more time to focus on strategy and research, rather than getting bogged down in manual tasks.
Start leveraging low-hanging fruit. Try the platform out with a free trial. No commitment, cancel anytime.
