What counts as low-hanging fruit?
A search is low-hanging fruit when people genuinely search for it, the current results are beatable, and the topic fits your site. All three need to be true.
They are often longer, more specific searches, such as “invoice template for freelance photographers” rather than “invoice template”. Fewer people search for them, but big sites are less likely to have a page that matches exactly.
How do you find low-hanging fruit?
Filter a keyword list for real demand and low competition, then check the results by hand.
- 1Build a list of searches around your topic with a keyword research tool.
- 2Keep searches with some monthly volume and a low keyword difficulty score.
- 3Search each one yourself and look at the pages on page one.
- 4Keep searches where the top results are thin, old, from forums, or answer a slightly different question.
- 5Drop searches that do not fit what you sell or know about.
Why does low-hanging fruit matter for small sites?
Small sites rarely have the links needed to rank for broad, popular searches. Ahrefs’ keyword difficulty scores are based on how many websites link to the pages already ranking, and at the high end those pages have thousands of linking sites.
Winning a group of smaller searches builds traffic and topical depth that can later help with harder ones. It is also how a new site gets its first steady visitors from search.
What does a low-hanging fruit shortlist look like?
Here is an example for a small site about home coffee brewing.
| Search | Searches a month | Difficulty | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| best coffee grinder | 22,000 | 68 | Too hard for now |
| how to clean a burr grinder | 1,300 | 9 | Good target |
| aeropress ratio for iced coffee | 320 | 3 | Good target |
| coffee grinder | 40,000 | 74 | Too hard for now |
Frequently asked questions
Is low-hanging fruit the same as striking distance?
No. Striking distance keywords are searches you already rank for just off page one. Low-hanging fruit are easy searches you may not rank for at all yet.
Is low search volume a reason to skip a keyword?
Not on its own. A specific search with a few hundred searches a month can bring better visitors than a broad one, and is far more winnable.
Can I trust a low difficulty score?
Use it as a first filter only. Scores vary between tools, so always look at the actual results before deciding.
How many low-hanging fruit pages should I write?
Enough to cover the topic properly. Grouping related searches into one page each, and linking those pages together, usually works better than one page per tiny variation.