SEO for Tech Blogs: Finding Keywords Without Expensive Tools

Ahrefs costs €99/month. Semrush €129. For a tech blog that doesn't have traffic yet, that's a lot of money. The good news: You can find the best keywords for free – if you know where to look.

Why Tech Blogs Need Different SEO Strategies

The Problem with Generic SEO Tips

"Write about topics with high search volume" – doesn't work for tech blogs:

• High competition: Mozilla, W3Schools, freecodecamp rank for "React Tutorial"
• Generic content: What everyone writes brings no traffic
• Missing focus: Tech is huge – you need a niche

The Tech Blog Strategy

Instead of: "React Tutorial" (500,000 searches, impossible to rank) Better: "React useEffect cleanup function" (2,000 searches, rankable)

Principle: Specific beats generic. Always.

Free Keyword Research: 7 Methods

Method 1: Google Autocomplete

The simplest and most underrated method:

1. Go to Google
2. Type your topic
3. See what Google suggests

Example: Type "n8n"

• n8n tutorial
• n8n vs zapier
• n8n self hosted
• n8n webhook
• n8n docker

Pro tip: Use underscore as wildcard:

• "n8n _ tutorial" → shows what's searched between n8n and tutorial
• "how to _ in react" → shows variations

Method 2: Google "People Also Ask"

Scroll down on a Google search:

Example: Search "workflow automation"

• What is workflow automation software?
• What are examples of workflow automation?
• Is workflow automation the same as RPA?
• How do I automate my workflow?

Each question is a potential blog post.

Method 3: Google "Related Searches"

At the very bottom of Google results page:

Example: Search "api integration"

• api integration tools
• api integration examples
• api integration best practices
• api integration testing

These keywords show related search intents.

Method 4: Reddit and Stack Overflow Mining

Where developers ask questions = Where search demand exists.

Reddit:

1. Search your topic on Reddit
2. Sort by "Top" (all time)
3. Note recurring questions
4. Write answers as blog posts

Stack Overflow:

1. Search for your tag
2. Sort by "Votes"
3. Frequently voted questions = high demand
4. Your blog post becomes more comprehensive than any SO answer

Example: [python] tag on Stack Overflow

• "How to check if a list is empty" (1.5M views)
• "How to merge two dictionaries" (900k views)

Method 5: GitHub Issues and Discussions

Strategy:

1. Go to popular repos in your niche
2. Read Issues and Discussions
3. Frequent problems = blog topics

Example: n8n GitHub Issues

• "How to handle API rate limiting"
• "Best practices for error handling"
• "Webhook security setup"

Method 6: Google Search Console

If you already have traffic:

1. Go to Search Console → Performance → Queries
2. See which keywords you already rank (poorly) for
3. Write better content for these keywords

Example: You rank at position 15 for "nextjs api routes" → Write a comprehensive guide, improve your ranking to top 5

Method 7: YouTube as Keyword Tool

YouTube is the second largest search engine:

1. Search your topic on YouTube
2. See which videos have many views
3. These topics also work as blog posts

Bonus: Video content often has less text competition.

The Keyword Quality Check

Not every keyword is worth writing about.

The KISS Check

K – Competition Who currently ranks on page 1?

• Only large sites → Hard
• Mix of large and small → Possible
• Small/medium sites → Good

I – Intent What does the searcher want?

• Information ("what is...")
• Tutorial ("how to...")
• Comparison ("X vs Y")
• Solution ("X not working")

S – Specificity The more specific, the better:

• "Python" → too broad
• "Python async" → better
• "Python async requests parallel" → perfect

S – Search Volume Are there even searches? Check: Google Keyword Planner (free with Google Ads account) Minimum: 100-500 searches/month for niche topics

Content Strategy for Tech Blogs

The Pillar-Cluster Strategy

Pillar Content: Comprehensive guide on a main topic Cluster Content: Specific articles linking to the pillar

Example:

Pillar: "n8n Automation: The Complete Guide" Cluster:

• "n8n Installation with Docker"
• "n8n Webhook Setup"
• "n8n Error Handling"
• "n8n vs Make.com Comparison"

Content Types for Tech Blogs

1. Tutorials (How-to)

• Step-by-step instructions
• With code examples
• Screenshots where needed

2. Comparisons (X vs Y)

• Objective comparison
• Clear recommendation at end
• Tables for overview

3. Troubleshooting

• Describe problem clearly
• Multiple solution paths
• "What if that doesn't work"

4. Concepts Explained

• Complex made simple
• Practical examples
• When do you need this?

5. Tool Reviews

• Honest evaluation
• Concrete use cases
• Who is it for?

On-Page SEO for Tech Blogs

Optimize Titles

Formula: [Keyword] + [Benefit/Hook] + [Year/Qualifier]

Examples:

• ❌ "n8n Tutorial"
• ✅ "n8n Automation: 10 Practical Workflows (2026)"

Meta Description

Formula: [What] + [For whom] + [Benefit] (150-160 characters)

Example: "Learn n8n from scratch. Step-by-step guide with concrete workflow examples for marketing, sales and HR."

Heading Structure

H1: Main keyword (only once)
  H2: Subtopic with keywords
    H3: Specific point
  H2: Another subtopic
    H3: Specific point

Optimize Code Examples

• Code in <pre> tags
• Specify language for syntax highlighting
• Comments for explanations
• Make copyable

Internal Linking

Link related articles:

• "More on this in our guide to X"
• In-text links to related concepts
• "Related Posts" section at end

Measurement and Optimization

What to Track?

When to Optimize?

Check after 3 months:

• Does the article rank? Where?
• Which keywords bring traffic?
• Where do users drop off?

Optimizations:

• Adjust title and meta description
• Expand content (longer ≠ better, but more comprehensive)
• Add internal links
• Add multimedia

Conclusion

SEO for tech blogs works differently than other niches:

1. Specific over generic – "React useEffect cleanup" instead of "React Tutorial"
2. Use free tools – Google, Reddit, Stack Overflow, GitHub
3. Solve developer problems – Where questions are asked, searches happen
4. Pillar-cluster strategy – Connected content builds authority
5. Think long-term – SEO needs 3-6 months for results

The most expensive tools are useless if you don't know what to look for. Start free, invest later – when you have traffic.

Want to optimize the technical side of SEO? Our Technical SEO Checklist shows you how to optimize Core Web Vitals, crawling and structured data.