Uncovering Hidden Keyword Gold

Lachlan Reed

Alright, g'day everyone! Welcome back to The Digital Edge. I’m Lachlan, currently sweating it out in my backyard shed in Sydney, and joining me is my mate Simon. You ready to uncover some hidden gem keywords today, mate?

Simon Carver

Oh, absolutely, Lachlan! I mean, this is the stuff I geek out over. Everyone's stuck in their keyword tools, but there’s a whole world out there if you just dig a little deeper. You ever just read through the comments section on a random YouTube gardening video and think, “No one’s actually looking here”?

Lachlan Reed

Yeah, too right! It’s like fossicking for gold. I reckon most marketers just stick with the obvious sources, but sometimes the purest user intent is buried in Reddit threads or the bottom half of a dodgy forum page. Seen some real clangers in those, but also some nuggets. You got any tricks, Simon, for actually pulling ideas out of, say, Reddit without going cross-eyed?

Simon Carver

Oh man, I mean, it can get wild down there! Here’s what I do: I’ll use the Reddit search function but tack on longer, super-specific phrases. Plus, you can organize by “Top” to surface what folks actually upvote week after week. For a client’s gardening blog, I literally found a thread titled “What’s the best way to keep squirrels from eating my tomatoes?” Tons of variations rolled in underneath—like “natural squirrel repellent” or “guarding tomato planters”—that I would never have come up with just by running a keyword tool.

Lachlan Reed

I love it. Bloody squirrels—always the real enemy of the backyard gardener! Actually, for Aussies, it’s usually possums, but same idea. For me, digging into “People Also Ask” on Google sometimes gets you side doors into what folks are curious about. Like, you start with “how to fix a flat bike tire” and suddenly get rabbit-holed into “why does my bike tire keep popping?” which sounds dumb at first, but turns out, heaps of searches there. I always think, if you see a clunky question, mate, someone probably needs the answer in plain English.

Simon Carver

No, totally. And those autofill suggestions? Half the phrases look like someone was texting with mittens on, but those mis-typed or “weird” questions can actually point you to stuff your competition just isn’t thinking about. The language isn’t polished, but it’s real. That’s the gold.

Simon Carver

So if we shift gears a bit… There’s this idea I keep bumping into: it’s not just about “informational” versus “commercial” searches anymore. I mean, user intent is like, way more subtle now, right?

Lachlan Reed

Spot on. Sometimes it’s not just “I want to buy” or “I want to know”—it’s stuff like “I need to fix this weird rattle on my old trail bike and I’m so frustrated I’ll click anything that looks remotely promising.” I actually stumbled into a goldmine of troubleshoot-style keywords on, wait for it, an old Facebook group. Just folks venting about their busted bikes and sharing quick fixes. That’s where you get the really juicy, pain-point keywords. No one’s searching for “best bike parts” there—it’s more like “how to stop rear derailleur clicking on Shimano, 2009 model.”

Simon Carver

I love that example, man. That’s, like, ultra micro-intent, right? Where folks need a solution so specific. And you know what—have you ever read through Google reviews for local businesses, or even skimmed transcripts from customer support chats? I know, it sounds boring, but sometimes there’s this language—people saying exactly what the problem is or what they wish worked better. Nobody’s optimizing content for “cafe Wi-Fi drops when it rains,” but it’s totally a thing.

Lachlan Reed

Yeah, that’s a crack-up but true, mate. I reckon listening in on that kind of stuff is like eavesdropping at the hardware store—you catch what really bugs people. A lot of SEOs chase the big fish keywords, but all these little pain points and comparison shopper queries, like “is X better than Y for allergies”, are out there waiting. People are just chatting honestly and sometimes you snag a keyword cluster no one else even knows exists.

Simon Carver

And those clusters can drive thousands of visitors, even if you think “this is way too niche.” So yeah—don’t just hunt the big two buckets of intent. Look at the weird, wonderful, in-between stuff, and you’ll find all sorts of hidden opportunities.

Lachlan Reed

Alright, let’s yarn a bit about competitor gaps. I feel like folks love to chase what’s already ranking, but overlook all the stuff competitors missed—like the “nearly made it” type keywords buried in user engagement.

Simon Carver

Yeah! And don’t get me started on internal site search logs. It sounds super unglamorous, but if you peek inside what people are searching for on your own site, you sometimes spot things none of your competitors ever target. I remember, for an ecom client with a pet supply store, I was poking around the site search data—quiet day, just curious—and there were all these queries like “rabbit water bottle dripping fix.” None of the top-ranking guides even mentioned this, but customers clearly cared!

Lachlan Reed

Mate, you’re making me want to dig through my own bike parts blog right now, ha! It's amazing—sometimes your best keyword research is hiding in plain sight. And it’s not just site search, hey, I had a mate run analytics on internal chat logs and found whole clusters of questions about a particular model no one had even written about. That’s competitor gap analysis with a bit of DIY spirit, yeah?

Simon Carver

Totally. And I mean, reverse-engineering what competitors are missing is so satisfying. Tie those queries to engagement numbers, like which keywords actually lead to comments, shares, or repeat visits, and you get this secret roadmap for your own content. It’s not always about beating someone at their own game, sometimes it’s about playing a whole new one.

Lachlan Reed

That’s the real digital edge, right? So, if you’re listening and stuck in a keyword rut, try poking around those overlooked nooks and crannies—whether it’s rabbit water bottles or dodgy old bike groups. There’s gold out there if you know where to dig.

Simon Carver

I love it, mate. Can’t wait to see what odd search terms folks find next week. Hey, Lachlan, always a blast sparring ideas with you.

Lachlan Reed

Cheers, Simon—good yarn as always. Alright folks, we’re wrapping up, but there’s loads more untapped digital goodness coming your way soon. Take it easy, everyone!