Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: Easy Keyword Research to Make $10,000+/Month!

When I first got started with affiliate marketing, I made one mistake that cost me months of wasted effort: I created content without doing real keyword research. I was guessing what people searched for, and I was wrong. The competition crushed me in every niche I touched. What turned everything around was learning a handful of free and low-cost tools that showed me exactly what real people were typing into search bars, right now, today.

This post walks you through six core methods for finding keywords, plus two bonus approaches most beginners never hear about. Whether you are building a blog or a YouTube channel, these tools apply to both. If you are brand new, this is part three of a multi-part series on how to get started with affiliate marketing from the ground up. The previous parts cover picking a niche and selecting products. This one is about keyword research, because without it, none of the other steps matter.

What You’ll Walk Out With

A clear definition of domain authority and why it determines which keywords you can realistically target right now
The alphabet soup method, the fastest free technique for generating 30 to 50 keyword ideas in one session
How to use Google’s own People Also Ask and Related Searches sections to find niche-down topics without leaving the results page
Two free plugins, Keywords Everywhere and TubeBuddy, and exactly what each one tells you
The YouTube underscore trick that almost nobody talks about, which surfaces keyword variations the normal search bar misses
Answer the Public, Google Trends, Amazon, and social media search bars as keyword discovery engines
A repeatable system for building a list of 200 keyword ideas so you never run out of content, starting with finding your niche fit at finder.platformproof.com

Why Keyword Research Makes or Breaks Affiliate Marketing

Keyword research is not optional for affiliate marketing. It is the foundation. Without it, you are creating content for an audience that may not exist, or competing in spaces where you will never beat entrenched sites with years of publishing history behind them. I learned this the hard way. When I first started, I did not assess the competition properly, did not understand how search engines decide what to rank, and I struggled for a long time as a result.

The good news is that keyword research is learnable in an afternoon. The tools covered in this post range from completely free to low cost, and most beginners never use more than two or three of them. Using all eight sources gives you a significant edge over everyone else in your niche who is just guessing. Your keyword research is going to be based on two things: your competition and your domain authority. Both of those are manageable once you understand them.

Understanding Domain Authority Before You Search

Domain authority means how strong your website, YouTube channel, or online brand is relative to the competition in your market. A site like a major medical publisher has extremely high domain authority in the health space. A brand-new blog has almost none. This matters because domain authority determines which keywords you can realistically rank for today versus six months from now when you have more content published.

The strategy for beginners is called niching down. Instead of targeting a broad phrase like “how to lose weight,” which is dominated by high-authority sites, you look for longer and more specific phrases with less competition. Something like “how to lose ten pounds in ten days as a single parent” is going to be far less competitive than the short, broad version. You create content around lower-competition phrases, build domain authority gradually, and then after a few months you can start competing for harder keywords with more traffic attached to them.

Here is a number that changed how I think about niching down. There are 3.75 billion people on the internet. One percent of that is 37.5 million people. Even if you niche down into a very specific sub-topic, you are not talking to two people. You are still reaching hundreds of thousands of searchers who are actively looking for what you cover. Niching down does not shrink your audience to nothing. It makes your content visible to people who are actually searching instead of invisible to everyone on page ten of a broad keyword result.

Method 1: Google Alphabet Soup

This is the first method and the one most beginners can start using in the next five minutes with zero cost. Go to Google, type your primary keyword or phrase into the search bar, then add a single letter and see what the autocomplete suggestions show you. For example, type “how to lose weight” and then the letter Q. Google will suggest phrases like “how to lose weight quickly” or “how to lose weight quiz,” because those are what real people are actually typing in right now.

You go through every letter of the alphabet from A to Z and record every suggestion that could become a piece of content. Drop these into a Google Sheet or Excel file as you go. The goal from this one method is a list of 30 to 50 keyword phrases. The beauty of alphabet soup is that every suggestion comes directly from Google’s autocomplete data, which means real users are actively searching for those exact phrases. Google is handing you its own real-time search data for free. Not an estimate. Not a guess. Actual user behavior.

This method works for both Google blog post research and YouTube video research. If you are building a blog, run it in Google’s search bar. If you are building a YouTube channel, open YouTube and run the same process there. Both platforms have autocomplete driven by real user searches, so both return useful data from the same technique.

Method 2: People Also Ask and Related Searches

Google gives you two more free keyword research tools right on the results page, no plugins or accounts required. The first is the “People Also Ask” section, which appears partway down the results whenever you search almost any term. These questions are generated by Google based on real user behavior. When you click the dropdown arrow on any question, it expands and generates more related questions underneath it. You can keep clicking and produce dozens of question-based keyword ideas without ever leaving that one page.

The second is “Searches Related To,” which appears at the very bottom of the results page. Google puts this section there because users who search for your starting keyword also tend to search for these related phrases. “Searches Related To how to lose weight” might include “how to lose weight in 7 days” or “how to lose weight and keep it off.” These related searches are often naturally niched-down from your starting phrase, which makes them more approachable for a site that is still building authority.

Between alphabet soup, People Also Ask, and Related Searches, you have three solid keyword discovery methods without ever leaving the main Google results page. That is three ways, zero cost, five minutes of work. If you do nothing else from this post today, do this.

Method 3: The Keywords Everywhere Plugin

Keywords Everywhere is a free browser extension available for Google Chrome and Firefox. Once installed, it adds a sidebar to your Google search results page showing “Related Keywords” and “People Also Search For” suggestions alongside any search you run. This means every Google search you do from now on automatically comes with bonus keyword data on the side of the page at no extra effort.

The practical use here is pivoting. If your main keyword search is not turning up ideas you want to create content around, glance at the Keywords Everywhere sidebar and pick one of those related phrases as your next starting point. You can copy any phrase directly from the sidebar, paste it into the search bar, and immediately get a fresh set of autocomplete suggestions, People Also Ask questions, and another round of Keywords Everywhere related terms. This creates a research loop that runs as long as you need it to fill your content list. One starting keyword can branch into dozens of adjacent topic clusters with this approach.

Method 4: YouTube Alphabet Soup and the Underscore Trick

If your plan is to build a YouTube channel as part of your affiliate marketing strategy, doing keyword research directly inside YouTube is important. Open YouTube, type your primary keyword phrase into the search bar, and run the same alphabet soup process you used in Google. The results will differ because YouTube’s autocomplete is based on YouTube-specific search data, not Google search data. You will find angles and variations that Google’s autocomplete never surfaces.

Here is the trick most people never talk about: add an underscore character to your search. Instead of typing “how to lose weight q,” type “how to lose weight _q” and watch what changes. The underscore acts as a wildcard that forces YouTube to surface different autocomplete combinations than it would show without it. That means you get an entirely new set of keyword suggestions for the same letter. Run alphabet soup once normally, then run it again with the underscore, and you have effectively doubled the keyword output from the same starting phrase. I came across this myself from another YouTube video and it is not widely known.

One important note about YouTube keyword research: because YouTube has many ways for content to get discovered, including recommended videos, homepage feeds, end-screen clicks, and search, you do not have to be as strict about keyword difficulty as you are for blog posts. YouTube rewards engaging thumbnails, strong titles, and high watch time. That said, a combination of lower-competition keywords to build your channel authority and higher-level keywords for broader reach gives you the best of both worlds while your channel is growing.

Method 5: TubeBuddy Keyword Explorer

TubeBuddy is a YouTube-specific plugin available as a browser extension. There is also a competitor called VidIQ that covers similar functionality. Once installed and connected to your YouTube account, TubeBuddy adds a Keyword Explorer tool that assigns a data-driven difficulty score to any YouTube keyword you type in. This score tells you how hard it will be for your channel to rank for that term today.

The Keyword Explorer breaks the score down into three components. First is search volume, how many people search for the keyword per month. Second is competition, how many videos are targeting the same keyword. Third is optimization, how well existing videos have been optimized for that term. For the keyword “how to lose weight,” the data shows 60.7 million total videos in the search result and 3.89 million monthly searches. That is an enormous amount of competition for a small channel to enter against. The score came back as Poor, which means a new channel has almost no chance of ranking there.

When using TubeBuddy to evaluate keyword ideas, target scores in the 60 to 80 range on its 0-to-100 scale. The scoring display uses color coding, with yellow appearing around 60 and dark green at 80. That 60-to-80 window gives you enough search volume for meaningful traffic while still being winnable for a newer channel. Below 60 is generally too competitive unless you already have significant channel authority. TubeBuddy also suggests related keyword variations inside the tool, so you can browse alternatives until you find a term that scores high enough to pursue.

Method 6: Answer the Public

Answer the Public is a dedicated keyword research website that aggregates search queries from multiple search engines and presents them in an organized format. You type in a starting keyword, click Get Results, and the tool generates a list of questions people are asking, comparisons they are searching for, and alphabetical keyword variations. All of this data comes from real user searches across the web, not from guesses or sample panels.

For the keyword “how to lose weight,” Answer the Public returned questions like “how to lose weight while breastfeeding,” “how to lose weight after pregnancy,” “how to lose weight in 3 weeks,” “how to lose weight for kids,” “how to lose weight like a K-pop idol,” and “how to lose weight diet versus exercise.” Each one of those is a potential piece of content. The tool also generates alphabetical keyword variations. One limitation to be aware of: the free version caps you at two searches per day. That is enough to get started, but as your content strategy grows, you will want to use it alongside the other free methods covered here to maximize your daily research output.

Method 7: Google Trends for Timing and Comparison

Google Trends does not give you direct keyword phrases to create content around, but it solves a different problem: timing and competitive comparison. You can type any keyword into Google Trends and see how often it has been searched over the past 12 months, five years, or longer. For “how to lose weight,” Google Trends shows a spike every December and January driven by New Year’s resolutions, and a gradual decline after that. Knowing this, you would time your weight-loss content to publish in November and December when search interest is rising, not in June when it has already cooled off.

Google Trends also allows you to compare two keywords side by side. Entering “how to lose weight” versus “how to build muscle” shows which topic gets more search interest in your geography and time window. This helps you prioritize which niche to enter when you are choosing between two options. Google Trends surfaces about 25 related queries in its related section, which is far fewer than the hundreds you can generate with alphabet soup, so think of it as a validation and timing tool rather than a primary discovery tool.

Method 8: Amazon and Social Media Search Bars

Amazon is the third-largest search engine on the internet, and its search bar works for keyword research the same way Google’s does. Type your primary keyword into Amazon’s search bar and let the autocomplete fill in suggestions. “How to lose weight” in Amazon returns ideas like “how to lose weight in prison” and “how to lose weight during menopause,” which are keyword angles you might not find in Google because they are common book and product search queries on Amazon. As a bonus, Amazon also shows you the products people buy when they search those phrases, which is directly useful for affiliate marketing since you can identify products to promote in the same research step.

Social media search bars on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook work similarly, though with different strengths. Searching hashtags on Twitter can reveal how your niche audience describes their own problems, which is useful for writing headlines and content angles that resonate with real people. These platforms are better for finding general vocabulary and cultural angles than for finding exact keyword phrases to rank for in search engines. Think of social media search as a supplement to your main research, especially when you want to understand how your audience actually talks about the pain points your content addresses.

Not sure which niche to build your affiliate marketing keyword list around?

Take the free quiz at finder.platformproof.com to find your best-fit platform and niche based on your actual skills and schedule, before you spend weeks researching the wrong topic.

How to Build a Keyword List That Keeps You Creating

Running these methods once is not the goal. The goal is a repeatable system that produces enough keyword ideas to keep creating content without burning out or drawing a blank. Here is the step-by-step process from start to a full 200-keyword list:

Pick your starting niche or keyword phrase based on your interests and your current domain authority level.
Run Google alphabet soup for every letter A through Z and log every relevant autocomplete suggestion in a spreadsheet.
Check People Also Ask and Related Searches on the same Google results page and add those to your list.
Install Keywords Everywhere and use the sidebar to pivot into related keyword clusters you had not considered.
Repeat the alphabet soup process inside YouTube, then again with the underscore trick, for your top 10 to 15 keyword ideas.
Use TubeBuddy to score each YouTube keyword and prioritize the ones scoring between 60 and 80 on the difficulty scale.
Run your two daily free searches on Answer the Public and export the results as a CSV file to add to your master spreadsheet.
Check Google Trends to confirm seasonal demand patterns and pick the highest-demand months to publish your most competitive content.
Browse Amazon and social media search bars to find angle variations and product ideas that align with your keyword plan.
Keep building until you reach 200 keyword ideas. Plan to create content on roughly 50 of them, which is one out of every four keywords on your list.

The reason to build 200 ideas rather than just 50 is flexibility. Some days you will not want to write about the topic at the top of your list. Having a large backlog means you never sit down to create and draw a blank. A large keyword list also helps you spot patterns across your topic space, which shows you what your audience actually cares about most versus what you initially assumed they wanted.

How to Use the allintitle: Operator to Check Competition

Finding a keyword is only half the decision. Before committing to creating content around it, you need to check whether you can realistically rank for it given your current domain authority. For blog posts, this check is especially critical. For YouTube, it is important but somewhat less so since YouTube discovery works through recommendations and watch time, not only search rankings.

One free method is the allintitle: search operator in Google. Type allintitle:”your keyword phrase” into Google’s search bar and it returns only pages where the exact phrase appears in the page title. The total number of results tells you how many pages are specifically optimized for that phrase. A broad term like “how to lose weight” will return millions of competing results. A niched-down phrase like “how to lose 10 pounds in a week at home” will return far fewer, meaning a new blog has a realistic shot at ranking on the first page. Use this check before finalizing any keyword for a blog post. For YouTube, combine it with TubeBuddy’s difficulty score to get a fuller picture of the competition you are entering.

Find Your X

Keyword research tells you where to aim. But before you can aim, you need to know what you are actually selling and which platform fits the way you work and the hours you have available. Take the free quiz at finder.platformproof.com to find your best-fit online income path based on your current skills, schedule, and starting budget. Once you know your X, every keyword research session becomes focused and intentional instead of scattered across topics that may not convert for your specific situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free keyword research tool for affiliate marketing beginners?

Google’s own autocomplete is the best starting point because it costs nothing, works for both Google and YouTube research, and reflects real-time search behavior. Alphabet soup, People Also Ask, and Related Searches together can generate 50 to 100 keyword ideas in a single session without any account, plugin, or payment. Once you want more data layered on top, add the Keywords Everywhere browser extension, which is also free and adds a sidebar of related keyword suggestions to every search you run.

How do I know if a keyword is too competitive for my new site?

Use the allintitle: search operator in Google. Type allintitle:”your exact keyword phrase” and note the total number of results. Competitive niches like health, wealth, and relationships will return millions of results even for specific phrases. If you are just starting out, look for keyword phrases where the allintitle: count is in the thousands rather than millions. For YouTube specifically, use TubeBuddy’s Keyword Explorer and look for difficulty scores between 60 and 80 on the 0-to-100 scale. That range is where newer channels can realistically compete.

What does niching down mean in keyword research?

Niching down means narrowing your keyword from a broad phrase to a more specific one with lower competition. Instead of targeting “how to lose weight,” you might target “how to lose ten pounds in ten days as a single parent.” The specific phrase has fewer competitors, which means a new site or channel with low domain authority has a real shot at ranking. As you publish more content and your authority grows, you can compete for broader, higher-traffic keywords. Think of niching down as choosing a fight you can win now, not giving up on the bigger fight later.

Will niching down limit me to a tiny audience that never grows?

No. There are 3.75 billion people on the internet. One percent of that is 37.5 million people. When you niche down into a specific sub-topic, you are still reaching an audience of hundreds of thousands of searchers who are actively looking for exactly what you cover. The difference is that niched-down content is visible to those people instead of buried on page ten of a broad search result. Visibility in a smaller pond beats invisibility in the ocean when you are just getting started.

How many keywords should I research before I start creating content?

Build a list of at least 200 keyword ideas before you start creating. You will not produce content on all 200, but having that many options prevents creative burnout and content block. Plan to actually create content on roughly 50 of them, which is one out of every four keywords on your list. Having four times as many options as you need means you can skip topics that are not exciting on a given day and still maintain a consistent publishing schedule without forcing yourself to write something you hate.

Is TubeBuddy or VidIQ better for YouTube keyword research?

Both TubeBuddy and VidIQ offer keyword difficulty scores, search volume data, and related keyword suggestions for YouTube. TubeBuddy’s Keyword Explorer is highlighted here because its 0-to-100 difficulty score with color coding at specific ranges, yellow at 60 and dark green at 80, makes it straightforward to identify the right window for newer channels. VidIQ covers similar ground with slightly different data displays. Try the free version of both and use whichever interface makes more sense to you. Either is a significant upgrade over guessing which keywords to target.

Can I do YouTube keyword research without any paid tools at all?

Yes, absolutely. YouTube’s own search bar gives you alphabet soup autocomplete for free, and the underscore trick doubles your keyword output with no additional tools. You can build a substantial list using only YouTube autocomplete, the underscore variation, and Google’s People Also Ask and Related Searches sections. Answer the Public adds more depth with two free searches per day, and Google Trends is completely free for timing and comparison. None of these require a paid subscription to use effectively as a beginner.

What is the YouTube underscore trick and how do I use it?

When you type a keyword phrase into YouTube’s search bar and add an underscore character before the next letter or word, YouTube treats the underscore as a wildcard and returns different autocomplete suggestions than it shows without it. For example, “how to lose weight _q” produces different results than “how to lose weight q.” Running alphabet soup both without the underscore and then again with the underscore effectively doubles the number of keyword suggestions you get from the same starting phrase. This trick is rarely taught in beginner affiliate marketing guides and gives you a meaningful edge in the research phase when you are building your initial content list.

Sources

Google autocomplete and search suggestions, google.com
Keywords Everywhere browser extension, keywordseverywhere.com
TubeBuddy Keyword Explorer, tubebuddy.com
Answer the Public, answerthepublic.com
Google Trends, trends.google.com
Amazon search, amazon.com
Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: Easy Keyword Research to Make $10,000+/Month!, youtube.com/watch?v=_rSA0swkdaw