Uncovering Hidden Google Suggest Keywords
By Dan Published Updated 2 min read
Quick answer
With the Google Suggest search type in KeySearch, you can put an underscore where a word would go, like cheap _ for sale, and Google suggests phrases that fill the gap. Google doesn't fill in every underscore today, so try a few variations.
Key takeaways
- Choose the Google Suggest search type and put an underscore where a word would go.
- Google suggests phrases that fill the gap, like cheap laptops for sale or cheap iphones for sale.
- Google doesn't fill in every underscore today, so try several patterns.
- The underscore trick only works with Google Suggest, not other search types.
One relatively unknown feature of KeySearch is the ability to use an underscore as a wildcard for Google Suggest searches. What this means is wherever you place an underscore, Google Suggest will automatically fill in the underscore with relevant keyword phrases that you would most likely not have found otherwise. I personally love this technique and it is a great way to generate keyword ideas when I am having a bit of trouble coming up with ideas on my own. So let’s take an example.
Using The Underscore To Get Ideas
In this example, let’s say I am looking to target products. Normally I would generate ideas by searching Google Suggest for things like cheap TVs for sale, cheap phones for sale, or something like that. Now those would be specific searches and I’d probably need to do a lot of them to find some winners. With this technique, we are just going to replace the 2nd word with an underscore. So “cheap _ for sale”. Now, let’s take a look.
You’ll see that Google automatically filled in the underscore with many high traffic keyword phrases without us needing to be specific in what we’ve searched. Now, how cool is that!
Update: Google doesn’t fill in every underscore these days. For some searches it treats the underscore like a space, so you may get fewer filled-in ideas than shown above. Try a few different patterns to see which ones work best.
I think you can start seeing just how valuable a feature like this is. Not only for generating keyword ideas but also for drilling down specifically and finding great hidden keywords in your niche. There are really infinite possibilities as to how you can use this feature. It opens up tons of keyword research opportunities that you just wouldn’t find with a regular Related Keywords search.
We are basically using Google’s brainpower to help us find great hidden keywords. Keep in mind that this feature is exclusive to Google Suggest and won’t work with the other search types.
