10+ Great Ways to Get Topic Ideas

Lana Rafaela
Updated on

You’ve found a good topic. The only problem is: you don’t know it inside-out. So when the time comes to generate content ideas, you could use a few extra seed keywords.

You don’t have to spend hours extracting seed keywords. There are 10 better ways to get more topic ideas.

Let’s dive in!

Breakdown: Best Methods to Find Seed Keywords 

MethodSpeedProsCons
Google ImagesFast to generate (slow to extract)Broad coverageDoesn’t work on all keywords,
can get pretty random
Google AutocompleteSlowEvery possible suggestionDown the rabbit hole you go!
People Also Search ForFastGreat topicsSometimes random
Related searchesFastGreat way to understand the searcher’s intentSometimes random
Google TrendsModerateSpot new topics before your competitors do, country-specific analysisIt can take a while to filter and find interesting topics
Online glossariesModerateWell structured, comprehensiveTakes a while to scrape manually
Social mediaSlowEvery question under the sunDown the rabbit hole you go!
Reddit & forumsSlow (without tools)Great resources for questions, problems, and insightsImpossible to scrape manually
Amazon & online storesSlowGreat gauge of product profitability, categories, and filtersOnly transactional queries

Get Topic Ideas with Google Images

Using Google Images to generate topic ideas is pretty simple. You just need to type your content topic idea into the Google Images page.

For example, I’ll use “gardening.”

 

Next, check out the image tags it suggests. Google considers these image tags as terms very closely related to what you typed in. They’re an excellent resource for finding informational and broader queries

In my case, it showed me possible topic + tag combinations for gardening, including:

  • Gardening vegetable
  • Gardening container
  • Gardening balcony
  • Gardening house
  • Gardening elderly

I can plug all of these into a keyword analysis tool like LowFruits to generate even more ideas.

Keep in mind that the Google Images search doesn’t work on all keywords. It’s best to use broad seed keywords.

Extract More Seed Keywords with Google Autocomplete

I wrote a separate article on extracting keywords with Google Autocomplete because there are numerous methods you can use. 

But to get started, you can simply start typing your main query, followed by different alphabet letters:

This can take you down the rabbit hole. If you use LowFruits, there’s no need to do this as it automatically extracts all Google autocomplete keyword ideas. 

In my case, I’d add the following keywords to my list:

  • Gardening tools
  • Gardening shears
  • Gardening for beginners
  • Gardening set for toddler
  • Gardening soil for plants

Find Ideas with “People Also Search For” 

Once you look up your main topic (“gardening”), you’ll see the “People Also Search For” section on the right-hand side of the results page. 

Similar to Google Images, these are pretty broad, but you can narrow them down with a keyword analyzer. 

 

It shows the most popular topics related to the topic or keyword you entered.

You can click on any topic to find new ideas and the “view more” option to see other possible combinations. 

For example, searchers who used “gardening” also searched for “horticulture” and “landscape architect.” I’d likely add the following two to my list and then further refine it with other methods:

  • Horticulture
  • Agriculture

The “People Also Search For”  section only appears for short-tail or popular (high-volume) keywords. It can help you find other sub-topics, but it’s best to plug them into a keyword analyzer to extract more specific keyword ideas.

Related Searches

Sometimes you’ll spot brands and people in Related Searches. They’re an excellent resource for understanding the topic in depth.

If you don’t see any brands in Related Searches, try using “[topic] brands” to see if any pop up.

In my case, I’ll add the following seed keyword ideas to the list:

  • Gardening tools
  • Gardening tips
  • Gardening gifts
  • Home gardening
  • Gardening for beginners

Google Trends

Looking for rising interests in your topic? Check out Google Trends.

Once you type in your main topic, you’ll get two options:

  • Research the search term
  • Refine your search with sub-topics

I recommend trying both. 

Then, set a particular region, time, category, and search type. 

Use the top menu to view rising and top queries. 

Rising queries can alert you to new interests within your topic. If your competitors haven’t spotted them, creating content that targets them can be an excellent way to increase your topical authority.

At the bottom of the search term query, you’ll find a list of related queries:

Pay attention to topics marked as ‘Breakout’ or which experienced a significant recent search volume.

In my case, I’ll pay attention to:

  • Gardening knee pad
  • Gardening thumb knife
  • Gardening gloves
  • Raised-bed gardening
  • Garden roses

Find Trends with Treendly and Exploding Topics

Treendly is like supercharged Google Trends. You enter your main topic and get monthly search volume, as well as:

  • Top and rising queries on Google
  • Top Amazon queries
  • Top YouTube queries
  • Latest forum discussions (and discussion volume)

Exploding Topics, on the other hand, has an algorithm that spots up-and-coming topics before they start trending. 

If you have their Pro subscription, you can start creating content, so you’re in position by the time your competitors discover the new keyword.

These two tools are a great source for more seed keywords. I’ll add the following to my list:

  • Container garden
  • Indoor gardening

Online Glossaries

You don’t need to know the terminology in your topic. You can just Google it. 

Online glossaries are a fantastic source. They break the topic down by sub-topics, so finding more seed keywords is pretty easy.

You can also check Wikipedia. When it comes to big topics like “gardening,” it’ll often have a list of sub-topics with an alphabetical index of all related articles:

I’ll definitely add the following broad seed keywords to my list:

  • Amateur gardening
  • Companion planting

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Social Media 

Nowadays, social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn host niche groups. People share and discuss interests, industries, and topics. 

Search for groups in your topics to find the ones where people discuss their questions or pain points.

For example, my simple LinkedIn search uncovers hundreds of groups, as well as people (influencers) who cover this topic in depth:

… and my list gets richer with a few extra broad seed keyword ideas:

  • Grow your own vegetables
  • Growing from seeds
  • Permaculture gardening

Reddit and Forums

If social media hosts niche groups, then Reddit is the home of niche forums. It’s unbelievably extensive and deep, with more than 1.2 million subreddits organized around topics. 

It’s a goldmine, and all you need to do is look up your topic. 

You’ll find posts and more than dozens of subreddits discussing specific niches within your topic:

I’ve found plenty of new ideas, from container gardening to homesteading.

Specialized Forums

Depending on your topic, you may find a specialized forum discussing it. 

Just look up “[your topic] + forum,” and you should find pretty good results:

Filter Forum Ideas with GummySearch

The problem with sourcing additional topic ideas from Reddit and other forums is the risk of going down the rabbit hole. You can realize you’ve spent five hours scrolling and jotting down ideas. 

The alternative?

Enter your topic into GummySearch, and it’ll synthesize the most important insights for you, including:

  • Popular posts
  • Frequent questions
  • Complaints about problems 

In my case, I found quite a few broad seed keyword ideas:

  • Overgrown garden
  • Composting bin
  • DIY greenhouse

Check Amazon for Products, Filters and Categories

Even though most people don’t think of it that way, Amazon is the world’s largest eCommerce search engine. 

It’s similar to Google Autocomplete. Whenever you start typing, Amazon suggests products frequently searched by other consumers. 

Comb through the suggested queries, and use the Alphabet Soup method (enter the topic/product + different alphabet letters). 

You can also check other shops. You’ll see plenty of profitable product ideas:

Make sure you check Amazon and other shops’ filters. 

Often, they can give you a good idea of which specifications people look for when searching. This should result in plenty of profitable long-tail keywords. 

Check brands and categories, too:

Using Amazon to explore a topic has one massively important benefit: the categories are personalized to each major topic. 

If you look up coffee, Amazon categorizes it by what searchers want to see: coffee regions, flavors, caffeine type, etc.

With gardening tools, you’ll see categorization by specific tool types. 

Ultimately, I get a great list of broad seed keywords that I can expand on later:

  • Gardening protective gear
  • Vertical gardening
  • Grow bags

You’ll also see how profitable certain products are, which leads me to my next point…

Is Your Topic Profitable?

Once you’ve found your (sub)topics, it’s time to determine if people are spending money on them.

Check the Cost per Click

Once you analyze the keywords, you should see the Cost per Click for each. The higher the Cost per Click, the more competition. And advertisers bid on profitable terms. 

Check the Number of Reviews on Amazon

Amazon is a great source for understanding what your audience spends money on. In addition to filtering by the popularity in each product category, you can also see the number of reviews for each product.

Products that get more reviews (100+) are more popular, so they could be worth targeting.

Check the Prices

Checking the prices gives you a good idea of the audience. 

Look at the most popular product categories and check what people are more willing to spend their money on. 

For example, people are more likely to try and land a good deal on disposable tools like trowels. 

On the other hand, they’re more willing to pay extra for a high-quality lawnmower.  

How to Find More Keyword Ideas

These methods will give you plenty of ideas you can use as broad seed keywords right away

These are just a few of mine; you’ll likely get a few hundred, if not thousands. 

  • Gardening vegetable
  • Gardening container
  • Gardening balcony
  • Gardening house
  • Gardening elderly
  • Gardening for beginners
  • Gardening set for toddler
  • Gardening soil for plants
  • Horticulture
  • Agriculture
  • Gardening tips
  • Gardening gifts
  • Home gardening
  • Gardening for beginners
  • Gardening knee pad
  • Gardening thumb knife
  • Gardening gloves
  • Raised-bed gardening
  • Garden roses
  • Container garden
  • Indoor gardening
  • Amateur gardening
  • Companion planting
  • Grow your own vegetables
  • Growing from seeds
  • Permaculture gardening
  • Overgrown garden
  • Composting bin
  • DIY greenhouse
  • Gardening protective gear
  • Vertical gardening
  • Grow bags

Then, it’s time to organize and analyze them in LowFruits!

Step 1. Organize Your Seed Keywords

Right now, you can have up to 3 seed keywords per search. I’ll use a few of my keywords to create a list of related keywords: 

Main keyword:Gardening toolsGardening protective gearIndoor gardening
Related keywords:Gardening shearsGardening glovesVertical gardening
Gardening knivesGardening knee padGrow bags

You can do the same with other keywords. I recommend using the cluster method: which keywords are directly related?

For example, ‘gardening shears’ is a sub-topic for ‘gardening tools.’

Step 2. Use LowFruits to Find Other Keyword Ideas

Then, I’ll run a keyword analysis on one of the groups above. 

You can analyze them with your Domain Authority in mind to see weak spots (SERPs where low-DA websites rank well). 

If you run a new website, they’re great for starting to grow your topical authority.

Recap: How to Get More Topic Ideas

  • Use Google Images
  • Find related queries with People Also Search For and Related Searches
  • Let Google Autocomplete finish your lines for you
  • Spot new and rising topics with Google Trends, Treendly, or ExplodingTopics
  • Use online glossaries
  • Dive into the Reddit and forum rabbit holes
  • Find social media groups and influencers
  • Check Amazon to find product ideas and evaluate profitability

It’s time to dive in!

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1 Comment

Jyotirmaya Mehra February 9, 2024

That’s fantastic I have applied these methods and found amazing ideas to write on my blog thank you.

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