How to Find Easy Keywords to Rank For: The Back Door Strategy

Keyword research is the foundation of SEO. It's where every successful strategy begins.

Most businesses make the same mistake: they target the obvious, high-volume keywords that everyone else is fighting over. They're waiting in line at the front door while their competitors do the same.

We're going to show you how to go through the back door and skip that line entirely.

This guide will show you how to find keywords people are actually searching for that are easy to rank for—the ones your competitors are ignoring.

The Fundamental Question

Before you start optimizing for any keyword, ask yourself: Are people actually searching for this?

It doesn't matter how perfect your keyword sounds if nobody's typing it into Google.

Are they searching for "video marketing" or "video production"? "Digital marketing" or just "marketing"? "SEO services" or "ranking on Google"?

You need to know what actual humans are typing into search engines.

Start Broad, Then Get Specific

Always start with a broad keyword to see if there's an opportunity, then narrow down to what you can actually rank for.

Let's use an example: a video marketing business serving a local area.

Step 1: Check the Broad Keyword

Search for your main service—"video marketing" in this case.

Look at:

• Search volume: How many people search this monthly?
• Keyword difficulty: How hard is it to rank?
• Who's ranking: What kind of sites are in the top 10?

For most broad keywords, you'll find they're extremely competitive. That's okay—we're not going after these. We're using them to find easier opportunities.

Step 2: Look for Service Variations

Now look at variations like:

• "video marketing services"
• "video marketing company"
• "video production services"

These are slightly easier but still might be too competitive for a new or local business.

Step 3: Add Your Location

This is where it gets interesting. Add your city or service area to the keyword:

• "video marketing [your city]"
• "video production [your city]"
• "[your city] video marketing services"

Suddenly, you're looking at keywords with:

• Much lower competition (often difficulty of 0-10)
• Reasonable search volume (20-100 searches/month)
• Local intent (people actually looking for local services)

The Power of Low-Volume Keywords

Here's what most people get wrong: they see 20 searches per month and think "that's not worth it."

That's exactly why it's easy to rank for.

But here's what they miss: that one keyword usually represents a cluster of related searches.

The Keyword Cluster Strategy

Let's say your main keyword is "[your city] video marketing" with 20 monthly searches.

Now look at variations:

• "video marketing [your city]" - 10 searches
• "video production [your city]" - 30 searches
• "[your city] video marketing services" - 20 searches
• "video marketing company [your city]" - 10 searches

Suddenly, you're not targeting 20 searches—you're targeting 90+ searches for one optimized page.

And here's the reality: Even if you only convert 10% of that traffic, that's 9 potential clients per month. For most service businesses, that's more work than you can handle.

How to Identify Easy Keywords

Use a keyword research tool (SEMrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, or any similar tool) and look for:

1. Low Keyword Difficulty Score

Anything under 30 is generally accessible. Under 10 is very easy.

What this means: The websites currently ranking don't have many (or any) backlinks. You don't need to build a massive link profile to outrank them.

2. Low Authority Sites Ranking

Click through to see who's ranking. If the top results are:

• Sites with low domain authority scores
• Pages with no backlinks
• Poorly optimized content

You can easily compete.

3. Not Perfectly Optimized Results

If the ranking pages aren't even using the keyword in their URL or title tag properly, that's a green light.

Industry-Specific Keyword Opportunities

Don't just stop at your main service. Look for industry-specific variations:

For video marketing:

• "video marketing for [specific industry] [city]"
• "[industry] video production [city]"
• "promotional videos for [industry] [city]"

Examples:

• "video marketing for real estate Melbourne"
• "restaurant promotional videos Sydney"
• "healthcare video production Brisbane"

These ultra-specific keywords often have:

• Zero competition
• High intent (people know exactly what they want)
• Better conversion rates

You can create individual pages or blog posts targeting each industry you serve.

The Blog Post Opportunity

Every specific keyword variation is a blog post opportunity:

Instead of just service pages, create content like:

• "Benefits of Video Marketing for [Industry] in [City]"
• "How [Industry] Uses Video Marketing in [City]"
• "Video Marketing vs Traditional Advertising for [Industry]"
• "What [Industry] Should Know About Video Production"

These posts:

• Rank for long-tail keywords
• Answer specific questions
• Build topical authority
• Naturally link to your service pages

How to Check If a Keyword Is Worth Targeting

Once you've found a potential keyword, do this quick check:

1. Search It on Google

Look at who's ranking. Are they:

• Using the keyword in their title?
• Actually local businesses?
• Providing relevant content?

If the results aren't perfectly matched to the intent, you can create better content.

2. Check the Top-Ranking Page's Backlinks

Use your SEO tool to check how many referring domains the #1 result has.

What to look for:

• 0-5 referring domains = very easy to compete
• 5-20 referring domains = achievable with good content
• 20+ referring domains = you'll need backlinks too

3. Assess Content Quality

Is the top-ranking content:

• Comprehensive and helpful?
• Or thin and barely relevant?

If it's thin content, you can easily create something better and outrank it.

Australian Context: Location-Based Keywords

For Australian businesses, location keywords are goldmines:

Major cities:

• "video production Melbourne"
• "video marketing Sydney"
• "promotional videos Brisbane"

Suburbs and regions:

• "video production Richmond Melbourne"
• "North Shore video marketing Sydney"
• "Gold Coast promotional videos"

State-wide:

• "Victoria video production"
• "NSW video marketing services"

Google treats these as separate search opportunities. Someone searching "video production Melbourne" is different from "video production Sydney"—and you can rank for both if you serve multiple areas.

The Service Area Expansion Strategy

If you serve multiple areas, create location-specific pages:

Homepage: Target your main city Service area pages: Target surrounding suburbs/cities

Example structure:

• Homepage: "Video Marketing Melbourne"
• Service pages:
  • "Video Marketing Richmond"
  • "Video Marketing Fitzroy"
  • "Video Marketing Carlton"

Each page should have:

• Unique content about that area
• Local landmarks or references
• Specific examples from that location
• The location keyword in title, H1, and throughout content

Common Keyword Research Mistakes

Mistake #1: Only Going After High-Volume Keywords

Everyone wants the keyword with 10,000 monthly searches. That's why it's impossible to rank for.

Focus on the 20-100 search volume keywords that are achievable.

Mistake #2: Ignoring "Irrelevant" Keywords

You might think "video production" is different from "video marketing," but customers don't make those distinctions.

Someone searching for video production might need marketing videos. Test these keywords and see if they convert. If people engage with your content, it's relevant.

Mistake #3: Keyword Stuffing Landing Pages

Your homepage and landing pages should focus on conversion, not keyword stuffing.

Landing pages are for:

• Paid ads
• Email marketing
• Direct referrals

Service pages and blog posts are for:

• Organic search rankings
• SEO optimization
• Keyword targeting

Don't sacrifice conversion optimization trying to rank a landing page.

Your Step-by-Step Keyword Research Process

Week 1: Brainstorm and Research

1. List your main services
2. Add location modifiers
3. Check search volume and difficulty
4. Identify 10-20 easy keywords (difficulty under 30)

Week 2: Keyword Clustering

1. Group related keywords together
2. Decide which keywords deserve dedicated pages
3. Which keywords should be blog posts
4. Create a content plan

Week 3: Competitive Analysis

1. For each target keyword, check who's ranking
2. Analyze their backlink profile
3. Assess their content quality
4. Identify gaps you can fill

Week 4: Content Creation

1. Start with your easiest keywords
2. Create comprehensive, helpful content
3. Optimize properly (title, H1, meta description)
4. Include the keyword naturally throughout

Ongoing: Monitor and Adjust

1. Track rankings weekly
2. See which pages get traffic
3. Check which keywords convert
4. Double down on what works

Tools You Can Use

Free or Low-Cost:

• Google Keyword Planner
• Ubersuggest
• AnswerThePublic
• Google Search Console (to see what you already rank for)

Premium (Worth the Investment):

• SEMrush
• Ahrefs
• Moz

All tools work on the same principle: find keywords people search for that aren't too competitive.

The Long Game Strategy

Here's the truth about keyword research and SEO: it's a long game.

Start with easy keywords to:

• Build domain authority
• Get initial traffic
• Earn organic backlinks
• Establish topical relevance

As your site gains authority, you can target harder keywords. The traffic and backlinks from easier keywords compound over time, making it progressively easier to rank for more competitive terms.

The businesses that win are the ones that consistently target achievable keywords while everyone else is fighting over impossible ones.

Want to Master Keyword Research?

Keyword research is just the beginning. Once you know what to target, you need to know how to optimize your content, build authority, and convert that traffic into customers.

At 20 Minute Marketing, our digital marketing courses teach you the complete SEO framework, including advanced keyword research strategies, on-page optimization, and local SEO tactics specifically for Australian small businesses.

Learn how to identify opportunities your competitors are missing and build a sustainable SEO strategy that generates consistent leads.

The Bottom Line

Stop waiting in line at the front door with everyone else. Go through the back door.

Target the keywords with:

• Reasonable search volume (20-100+ searches)
• Low competition (difficulty under 30)
• Clear intent (people ready to buy)
• Local modifiers (your city/area)

Build content around these keywords consistently. Over time, you'll build enough authority to compete for bigger keywords.

But here's the secret: by the time you can rank for those big keywords, you won't need to. The "small" keywords will be generating more business than you can handle.

That's the back door strategy. That's how you win at SEO in 2025.

Ready to master keyword research and SEO strategy? Explore our digital marketing courses at 20 Minute Marketing designed for Australian small businesses.