How to Use Semrush For Easy to Rank Low Competiton Long-Tail SEO Keyword Research

Last Updated Date: December 5, 2025

TLDR:

  • Start with a random or niche seed keyword, then plug it into Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool for your target country.
  • Apply the “very easy” keyword difficulty filter plus a word-count filter of 5+ words to surface long-tail phrases that are much easier to rank.
  • Evaluate candidates by checking search volume, keyword difficulty, SERP features, and especially whether top results have very few backlinks and low authority.
  • Use the Questions tab and informational intent filters to find high-volumes question-style keywords, then sort by volume to prioritize easy-win topics.
  • Reuse the same filters across different seed keywords and choose content formats (blog, image-rich post, or video) that match what already ranks in the SERP.

I often use the phrase How to Use Semrush For Easy to Rank Low Competiton Long-Tail SEO Keyword Research when I explain my process because that is exactly what I do: find low competition long-tail keywords that are easy to rank using Semrush. I’ll walk through the exact, live-style steps I take so you can reproduce them in your niche.

Table of Contents

How can I start finding random topic ideas before using the Keyword Magic Tool?

I like to begin with something random. I open a random word generator and click a couple of times until I find a word that catches my interest. For one example I landed on “beer” — I might say I run a beer blog and want low competition keywords under that topic. This random starting point gives me a fresh angle to feed into Semrush.

Random Word Generator showing the word 'beer' highlighted inside a magnifier
I landed on ‘beer’ — highlighted here — and use it as the seed keyword in Semrush.

How do I use the Keyword Magic Tool to filter for very easy competition long-tail keywords?

I type the seed keyword into the Keyword Magic Tool, select the target country, and click search. Then I switch the view to all keywords and apply the very easy difficulty filter. Everything is already set up for me inside Semrush, so that filter instantly narrows results.

SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool 'All Keywords' view showing a list of keywords and filter controls
I switch to ‘All Keywords’ to view the full long-tail list and apply difficulty and word-count filters.

Next I add a word-count filter. I want five or more words because I am hunting long-tail phrases that are easier to rank. With those two filters applied — very easy and word count: 5+ — I go from tens of thousands of results to a much more manageable list of keyword ideas with an average keyword difficulty around seven percent.

SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool with word count set to 5 and Apply button clicked, magnified cursor, presenter inset
I set the word-count filter to 5 and click Apply to focus on long‑tail phrases.

How do I evaluate a candidate keyword once Semrush returns results?

I pick a keyword that looks promising and open its SERP overview. I click Update Metrics to refresh Semrush data so I get the latest search volume and competition numbers. I look for:

  • Search volume — Is it worth targeting? (I control minimum volume if needed.)
  • Keyword difficulty — Very low numbers are what I want.
  • SERP features — Are images, videos, or snippets present? That can inform format choices.
  • Backlinks and page authority — If top pages have zero or very few backlinks and low authority, that tells me the keyword is easy to outrank.
Semrush Keyword Overview highlighting keyword difficulty of 11% and search volume for the target phrase
I check the Keyword Difficulty (11%) and volume to decide if this long-tail phrase is easy to rank.

For example, a phrase like “how to make beer in little alchemy 2” showed only 11 percent competition and the top-ranking pages had few backlinks and low authority. That tells me I could rank quickly with a well-targeted post or a short YouTube video.

How do I filter results to only show informational question-style keywords?

If I want content that naturally fits blog posts, I switch to the Questions tab inside Keyword Magic Tool. That filters out e-commerce intent and shows me informational long-tail queries like “How much are 12 packs of beer?” or “How much does it cost to rent a beer truck?”

SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool showing a list of question-style long-tail beer keywords and their metrics
Switch to the Questions tab to surface informational long-tail queries like ‘how much are 12 packs of beer’.

I can then add a minimum search volume (for example 200+) to focus only on questions that get meaningful traffic. With the questions filter applied, Semrush showed me hundreds of opportunities and an average keyword difficulty under ten percent.

How do I reuse filters for new seed keywords without reapplying them each time?

One neat thing is that once filters are active, they stay in the Keyword Magic Tool. I can swap the seed keyword — for example, switch from “beer” to “party ideas” or “investment protection” — and all my filters remain applied. That saves time and immediately produces a filtered list for the new seed keyword.

SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool with 'idea' as the seed and the 'Intent: Informational' filter highlighted
The Intent filter (Informational) highlighted while the seed keyword is set to ‘idea’, showing filters stay applied when switching seeds.

How do I prioritize keywords by volume and difficulty?

I sort the results by search volume to find the biggest opportunities that still have low difficulty. For instance, “ideas for 50th birthday cake” showed high search volume — 2,400 searches — with only 12 percent competition. When I inspect the SERP, I look at image results, Pinterest rankings, and the backlink profile of top pages. If most top pages have zero backlinks and low authority, I mark it as an easy win.

SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool with the Keyword Difficulty column magnified showing low KD values
Compare Keyword Difficulty (KD) next to volume to prioritize easy wins.

How do I turn these keyword finds into content ideas I can act on?

Once I find a long-tail keyword with low competition and decent volume, I decide the format. If the SERP is image-heavy, I create optimized images and step-by-step visuals. If YouTube results rank well, I consider a short video plus a supporting blog post. The main idea is to match the content format to what the SERP favors and to exploit low backlink counts and low page authority in the top results.

How to Use Semrush For Easy to Rank Low Competiton Long-Tail SEO Keyword Research in a few simple steps?

– Open a random seed or choose a niche seed keyword.
– Use the Keyword Magic Tool, set country, and search.
– Apply the very easy difficulty filter and a word-count filter for 5+ words.
– Switch to Questions when you want informational queries.
– Update metrics, inspect SERP features, backlinks, and page authority.
– Sort by volume and pick keywords that match the format you can produce quickly.

I rely on the very easy filter and word-count filter most of all — they give me long-tail keywords that are simple to rank for.

What filters should I use first to find easy long-tail keywords?

Start with the very easy keyword difficulty filter and add a word-count filter (five words or more) to focus on long-tail phrases that are simpler to rank.

How can I tell if a keyword is truly low competition?

Update metrics in Semrush, inspect the SERP for backlinks and page authority, and check whether top results have few backlinks and low authority. If so, the keyword is low competition.

Can I use the same filters for different seed keywords?

Yes. Filters in the Keyword Magic Tool persist when you change the seed keyword, so you can quickly apply the same criteria across different topics.

What content format should I choose after finding a keyword?

Match the format to the SERP. If images dominate, create image-rich posts. If videos rank, produce a short video plus a supporting article. Aim for content that fills gaps in the current top results.

There is a free trial for Semrush that I sometimes use to test ideas quickly. Using the approach above, I consistently find long-tail opportunities that are easy to rank and convert into fast content wins.

How to Use Semrush For Easy to Rank Low Competiton Long-Tail SEO Keyword Research is about being methodical: seed, filter, inspect, and then create content that fits the SERP. If you apply these steps, you will find repeatable opportunities in any niche.

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Senior Digital Marketing Manager BSF, SEO Expert & Teacher

Alston Antony is a Senior Digital Marketing Manager and SEO Expert with more than 15 years of experience helping businesses turn SEO into a predictable customer acquisition system. He holds an MSc in Software Engineering (Distinction) from the University of Greenwich and is a Professional Member of the British Computer Society (MBCS). As a practicing Digital Marketing Manager at BSF, Alston applies the same SEO strategies he teaches to real businesses, validating them in the field before sharing them publicly. More than 7,000 professionals follow him through his private community. He runs a YouTube channel with over 4,000 subscribers and has taught more than 20,000 students on Udemy. Alston created the BARS SEO System, which doesn’t just teach SEO theory. He engineers SEO systems that bring customers.

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