Most businesses in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and across the UK are sitting on organic search potential they are not using. Not because the competition is too fierce, or because Google has made it impossible, but because they are chasing the wrong keywords and ignoring the ones that could actually move the needle this quarter.
This post covers the realistic, actionable side of SEO: the lower-competition opportunities that still carry meaningful search volume, why most business owners do not know they exist, and what getting in front of them actually looks like in practice.
First, What Does “Low Hanging Fruit” Actually Mean in SEO?
The phrase gets used loosely. In keyword strategy, it means search terms with enough monthly search volume to be worth targeting, but with low enough competition that a well-optimised local or independent website can rank without needing years of authority-building or a serious budget.
The sweet spot is typically a difficulty score under 45 (on a 0-100 scale) combined with genuine search volume. These are not obscure niche phrases – some of them get hundreds or thousands of monthly searches. They are just less obvious, less saturated, and less chased.
Most SEO agencies go after the trophy terms. The high-volume, high-visibility keywords that look impressive in a pitch deck. The problem is, those terms take 12-18 months to move, and you are competing with national brands that have been investing in their domain authority for a decade.
The smarter play, especially early in an SEO campaign, is to build ranking wins from the bottom up.
The Opportunities in This Data
Using keyword research data from a recent content planning exercise, here are the clusters where the opportunity is clearest right now.
1. “How to Get Your Website on Top of Google”
Average difficulty: 34. Combined cluster volume: 3,000+ monthly searches.
This is the top opportunity in the dataset. Search terms in this cluster include:
- how to get your website on top of google — 590 searches/month, difficulty 21
- how to get my website on top of google search — 590/month, difficulty 22
- how to get top on google search — 590/month, difficulty 33
- ranking a website on google — 440/month, difficulty 38
- how to get your website on google search — 320/month, difficulty 34
These are real questions from real business owners and marketing managers. The intent is commercial-informational: people researching what it takes, often before deciding to hire someone. That makes these terms valuable far beyond the click volume. A page that ranks for this cluster is working as a lead generation asset, not just a traffic driver.
The difficulty scores here are low because most big SEO players are not producing targeted content around these phrases. They are targeting “SEO services” or “search engine optimisation” – generic, competitive, expensive terms. The informational long-tail is underserved.
What a page targeting this cluster looks like: A practical, authoritative guide covering what Google actually rewards, what factors affect ranking (content quality, technical health, local relevance, backlinks), and what realistic timelines look like. Not a glossy overview – a genuinely useful resource that demonstrates expertise. That is what ranks.
2. “What Is Search Marketing” and the SEM/SEO Crossover
Average cluster difficulty: 44. Volume: 4,500+ monthly searches.
This cluster includes:
- what is search marketing — 590/month, difficulty 53
- sem agencies — 480/month, difficulty 14 (the standout low-difficulty term in the whole dataset)
- seo and sem marketing — 480/month, difficulty 47
- search engine optimization and search engine marketing — 480/month, difficulty 44
The “sem agencies” keyword is worth flagging specifically. 480 monthly searches, difficulty score of 14. That is the equivalent of a barely-locked door. If you are an agency running both SEO and Google Ads, or a business comparing the two channels, this is exactly the kind of term you can rank for relatively quickly with a focused, well-structured page.
The broader cluster speaks to a genuine information gap. Plenty of people know “SEO” exists, but the difference between SEO and paid search is still genuinely unclear to a large portion of the audience. A page that explains the distinction clearly, gives real-world context about when each channel makes sense, and points toward an actionable next step has real commercial value.
What it takes to rank here: Authority on the topic (demonstrated through depth and specificity, not just word count), internal links from related pages, and a title/URL structure that matches the search intent. The low competition means technical basics plus good content is often enough.
3. “Business SEO” and “SEO for Businesses”
Difficulty range: 28-38. Volume: 480-590 searches/month per keyword.
Specific terms here:
- search engine optimisation business — 480/month, difficulty 34
- business search engine optimisation — 480/month, difficulty 28
- seo for businesses — 480/month, difficulty 38
- search engine optimization business — 480/month, difficulty 35
This cluster is talking to business owners specifically – not developers, not marketing students. The intent is “I run a business and I need to understand this properly.” That is a commercial audience. These are people who might hire an agency, book a consultation, or engage with a service.
The difficulty is low here relative to volume because most SEO content is written either for consumers or for practitioners. There is a real gap in content written for the business owner who wants to understand the decision-making landscape without wading through 5,000-word technical tutorials.
The content angle that works: Case-led, plain-language content. What does SEO actually look like for a service business? What does it cost, what are the realistic timelines, what levers matter most? Include specifics – not case study fluff but actual data and context. That is what resonates and what ranks.
4. “How to Get My Website on Google” (Local/DIY Intent)
Difficulty range: 27-40. Volume: 260-590/month.
- how to make your website appear in google — 260/month, difficulty 27
- how do i get my website on google — 320/month, difficulty 40
- how to make your website appear on google — 260/month, difficulty 34
- how to increase seo — 480/month, difficulty 40
- increase seo for website — 260/month, difficulty 39
Some of these will convert directly to enquiries; some will not. But as a content cluster, they represent a core question that early-stage businesses and new website owners are asking. Getting in front of this audience while the intent is still informational builds brand recall and trust. When they are ready to hire, you are already in their head.
This is especially strong for agencies that target SMEs or new businesses, and for web design companies that also offer SEO.
How to approach it: A genuinely useful how-to page or guide. Do not oversimplify – that is patronising and thin content does not rank. Do not over-complicate – that loses the audience. The goal is to answer the question comprehensively while making the reader feel informed rather than overwhelmed.
5. “SEO Content Strategy” and Related Content Marketing Terms
Difficulty: 34-43. Volume: 390-590/month.
- seo content strategy — 390/month, difficulty 36
- content marketing seo — 390/month, difficulty 34
- search engine optimization content — 480/month, difficulty 43
- search engine optimised content — 480/month, difficulty 48
Content strategy is one of the clearest areas where businesses know they should be doing something but often do not know where to start. The search intent here ranges from educational to commercial. Someone searching for “seo content strategy” might be a business owner trying to build one, a marketing manager comparing approaches, or someone evaluating whether to outsource.
A well-structured page that explains what an SEO content strategy actually involves – keyword research, content clusters, content types, publishing cadence, measurement – can rank well at this difficulty level while also functioning as a strong commercial page for any agency or consultant.
The E-E-A-T consideration: Google’s quality guidelines reward Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. For content strategy, that means including real examples, specific tool references, actual data from campaigns where possible, and a clear author or company attribution. Generic “content is king” posts do not compete on these terms any more. Specificity is what ranks.
6. “Technical SEO” and “SEO Check” – Underrated Mid-Difficulty Wins
Difficulty: 56-58. Volume: 660-990/month.
- seo check — 990/month, difficulty 56
- technical seo — 660/month, difficulty 58
These sit slightly higher in difficulty but carry enough volume to be worth the investment. Technical SEO is a term people search when something feels wrong with their site. It is also a term marketing managers search when briefing suppliers. A page that explains what technical SEO means, what it covers (crawlability, page speed, Core Web Vitals, schema, internal linking, indexing), and how to audit it will capture multiple sub-intents in a single piece of content.
For agencies and consultants, this is strong mid-funnel content. Not the top-of-funnel “what is SEO” question, not the bottom-of-funnel “hire an SEO agency” query – but the very specific moment when someone is trying to understand whether their technical setup is holding them back.
What This Means for Your SEO Strategy
Looking at the data as a whole, a few things stand out.
The highest-volume terms are also the hardest. “SEO” as a standalone keyword sits at difficulty 76. “Engine optimisation” at 96. These are dominated by national platforms, news sites, and brands with enormous authority. Targeting them without significant domain authority is expensive and slow.
The real opportunity is in intent-specific, difficulty-balanced content. The terms above are actively being searched by people who need real answers. They are not obscure. They are just less glamorous than headline keywords, which is why most content strategies ignore them.
Volume stacks. A page that targets a cluster of 8-10 related low-difficulty terms does not just rank for one phrase – it ranks for all of them. A well-built content page targeting the “how to get your website on Google” cluster could realistically capture 2,000-4,000 relevant visits per month if it ranks on page one. Across multiple pages and clusters, that compounds quickly.
Timing matters. Low-difficulty terms do not stay low forever. As more sites recognise the opportunity and produce content, difficulty scores increase. The businesses that move first build authority while the competition is still low.
The Process Behind This – How It Works in Practice
At GoBig Digital, we do not just run keyword research and hand over a spreadsheet. We map clusters to content types, assess what the client’s site is realistically capable of ranking for given its current authority, and build a sequenced content plan that prioritises quick wins without abandoning longer-term strategy.
We have done this for tree surgery companies, roofing businesses, print repair specialists, finance firms, and professional services practices. The principles are consistent: identify where competition is beatable, produce content that genuinely serves the searcher, build technical foundations that allow Google to index and rank it properly.
The data in this post comes from a real content planner – the kind we build at the start of every SEO engagement. It contains 40+ keyword clusters, each mapped to volume, difficulty, CPC, and competition scores. The low-hanging fruit identified here represents the first 90 days of a well-sequenced content strategy.
If your site is generating some organic traffic but you know it should be doing more – or if you have been told SEO “takes time” without any clear plan attached to that claim – the starting point is usually this kind of keyword audit.
Quick Summary: The Low-Difficulty Opportunities
The standout keywords from this dataset – genuine volume, beatable competition:
| Keyword | Monthly Searches | Difficulty |
| sem agencies | 480 | 14 |
| advantage of search engine optimization | 320 | 20 |
| how to get your website on top of google | 590 | 21 |
| how to get my website on top of google search | 590 | 22 |
| business search engine optimisation | 480 | 28 |
| content marketing seo | 390 | 34 |
| seo content strategy | 390 | 36 |
| seo for businesses | 480 | 38 |
| competitor analysis for seo | 590 | 43 |
| search engine optimization content | 480 | 43 |
These are not theoretical wins. They are achievable with focused content, basic technical hygiene, and a realistic timeline. Most sites with even modest authority can rank in the top 10 for difficulty-20 terms within a few months of publishing targeted content.
The businesses that treat SEO as a long-term asset rather than a quick fix are the ones that compound those gains. Start with what is beatable. Build from there.
GoBig Digital is a full-service digital marketing agency based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. We work with businesses across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and nationally on SEO, Google Ads, and web design. If you want to know where your site sits against the opportunities in your sector, get in touch.