There is a reason you clicked on this blog. Keyword Research tools are expensive these days, and it is impossible to survive without one (if you are a SEO guy like me).
If you are going to find out good keywords for blog posts or do SEO, you need powerful tools like Semrush or Ahrefs. Personally, I use them, not gonna lie, but the one problem with those is that they are costly. Like, who is going to spend around $130+ for doing just keyword research, which is one of the services they offer?
If you just want to research some good, qualitative keywords, you don’t need those expensive tools, honestly. What you only need is a Google Ads account. You can find really good keywords by using the Google Keyword Planner tool within Google Ads, which is mainly used for finding keywords for running ad campaigns, but it gets the job done!
Why Use AI for Keyword Research?
There are lots of good free keyword research tools out there; those are limited, obviously, but they serve the purpose. Then why would you want to use AI to research keywords? The answer is, AI is the future.
AI has a vast amount of data, which it uses to give users the answers they need. AI understands human search behaviour, and it answers according to them. AI offers speed, scale, and precision, and can predict trends faster than manual research. This allows business owners and marketers to create more targeted content that aligns with users’ needs, improves search rankings, and dominates the Answer Engine Optimization as well.
After going through this blog, you will have a Google Sheet or CSV file that will contain the main keywords, their monthly search volume, and even the cost per click data.
If you prefer watching a video, you can watch the one below. If you are a reader then continue…
My Step-by-Step Process of Researching Keywords with AI
You’re probably thinking that I am going to feed the AI a big essay to get the job done. NO, this is a really easy process, and you don’t need any kind of big prompts from me; however, I am going to give you those anyway at the end.
So, to do the actual research, I am going to use the AI named Perplexity. Why Perplexity? Because this is an AI-powered browser, and as I said earlier, this is the future of SEO. Perplexity is better for this kind of work, which involves web browsing and site crawling. You will need two things: a Perplexity account and a ChatGPT account. Both are free, and you don’t need the pro version of them.
As you know, there are some variations of keywords, such as short-tail, long-tail, questions, and NLP keywords, which stand for Natural Language Processing. This one is really important for voice searches because voice search on Google, asking questions through ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and other answer engines are becoming popular day by day. Let’s learn my step-by-step process of finding keywords for free with Perplexity.
Step 1: The Foundation
First, you need to find the main, high-level keywords to get started. This sets the stage and confirms the topic for the AI. Let’s assume I am finding furniture for a small room. So my main keyword will be furniture for small rooms.
Perplexity will give you the big ones, like “furniture for small space,” “space-saving furniture,” “compact furniture for apartments,” etc. It will even (hopefully) provide estimated search volume and CPC, pulling this from its search index. This is our starting map.
Step 2: Going Deeper
Now, we go one level deeper. Long-tail keywords are where you find the real opportunities. They have lower competition and much higher user intent.
This will give you gems like “space-saving furniture for small bedrooms with storage” or “multifunctional furniture for small bedrooms.” This is where I start to see real content ideas, not just broad topics.
Step 3: The Human Voice
This is my favorite part. How do people actually talk about your topic? This is how you optimize for voice search and AI, which are purely conversational. This is what “Answer Engine Optimization” is all about.
Now you get a list of questions like, “What is the best furniture for small spaces?” or “How to arrange furniture in a small space effectively?” This is exactly what people are typing and speaking into AI.
Step 4: The FAQs
This step is pure gold for content. You’re finding the exact, most common questions people have. You can literally use these as the H2s for your next blog post.
Now you’ll have 10-15 new article ideas, like “How can I maximize storage in a small room with furniture?” or “What are some affordable furniture options for small apartments?” This is your next 6 months of content, planned in 60 seconds.
Step 5: Find Your Next Topic Cluster
This is the final step to find topics you might have missed. It finds related ideas and concepts, not just keywords. This is how you build Topical Authority. I have discussed this in my last post about Optimizing Content for ChatGPT.
This will find concepts like “minimalist furniture,” “studio apartment furniture,” or “flexible furniture.” You just found your next set of topic clusters to target.
Step 6: Organizing Everything
Okay, so now you have a long, messy chat in Perplexity. This is where you organize everything you have.
- Copy Everything.
- Go to ChatGPT.
Use This “Organizer” Prompt:
4. Paste Your Chat.
In about 30 seconds, ChatGPT will code a perfect CSV file for you. You just click download and upload it straight to Google Sheets. You’ve just done hours of research and organization in about 5 minutes.
How to Use This Strategy Forever
Alright, this is where the real magic happens. This isn’t just a 5-minute trick; this is your new content strategy. Your expensive tool (like Semrush) might give you a giant list of 10,000 keywords, and you’re left to figure out how they connect. This new process lets you build your topic clusters instantly.
Look at the spreadsheet you just made. Let’s say you found an interesting keyword in there, like “minimalist furniture”
Now, you go back to Perplexity, start a new chat, and repeat the 5-step process (you can skip Step 1).
- Start with Prompt 2: “List detailed long-tail keywords related to minimalist furniture.”
- Then Prompt 3: “Identify NLP-optimized keywords… related to minimalist furniture.”
- …and so on.
You just used this free process to build an entire topic cluster around “obedience training.” You can do this for every single good topic you find. This is how you build that “topical authority” that Google’s new AI and ChatGPT are desperate to find. You’re not just finding keywords; you’re mapping out your expertise.
Conclusion
Look, this strategy isn’t about finding that “perfect” keyword with 10,000 searches and 2/100 difficulty. That’s a trap. That’s the “analysis paralysis” that those $130/month tools get you stuck in.
This strategy is about one simple thing: finding out what people are actually asking.
The future of SEO, this “Answer Engine Optimization” we’re all talking about, is not about tricking an algorithm with backlinks. It’s about being the best and clearest answer to a question.
Find the questions, answer them better than anyone else. Organize your content clearly. This free, 5-minute process does exactly that. It’s faster and, honestly, a lot smarter than any expensive tool I’ve ever used.