a single source, nothing corroborates it

Take the queries whose top result answers nothing

A bad search result is an opening. Look for subreddit threads that rank on a question nobody in them answered, forum discussions dormant for years, and directory listings holding a slot where a piece of writing would serve the searcher better. Google has left those positions filled because it found nothing it would rather rank.

The method

1. 01

   Look at what individual subreddits rank for and pick the queries where the thread never actually answers the question.

2. 02

   Treat a bad search result as an opportunity rather than an annoyance, and go after forum threads that rank but have been dormant for years.

3. 03

   Where a directory listing ranks, beat it with an actual piece of writing rather than another list of the same businesses.

What it returned

• 15

  A succulents subreddit surfaced an intent-focused keyword with decent volume whose ranking Reddit page had only 15 comments, one repeating the question for another country, one deleted, and none answering it. RedditList is suggested for choosing which subreddits to examine, and a site's Today I Learned section is called out as ranking for useful queries in any niche.

• 2007

  MakeupTalk ranks for a question about whether a subscription box is worth it on a thread with no activity in four years. Another of its ranking threads carries feedback mostly from 2007, opening with a reply that just suggests checking for a date.

• Glen Allsopp endorses the point for local queries where Yelp ranks. He adds that on Quora he repeatedly sees top answers that are just people linking their own sites, which leaves the query open.

Sources

• Advanced Keyword Research: Four Tactics You're (Probably) Not Using - Detailed.comGlen Allsopp · detailed.com · Strategy #4: Reverse-Engineer ‘Weak’ Sites Which Probably Shouldn’t Rank · 2018-09-06