Is looking for business ideas through SEO smart or a waste of time? - [I will not promote]

[u/merchanf]

This might sound a bit obvious, but it’s my first time seriously looking for business ideas (beyond the usual “solve a problem you already have” advice).

I’ve been considering using SEO as a starting point, basically digging into keywords that aren’t too competitive but still get solid traffic. Has anyone here tried using keyword research as a way to generate business ideas?

Also curious: are there other channels or methods (like SEO) that give you a sense of both demand (how many people are searching) and competition (how crowded the space is)?

If you’ve gone down this path before, I’d love to hear about your experience and if you have any favorite tools, resources, or tips to get started, even better.

[u/gorgeghamyan]

I don’t think it is a good idea (but I don’t say that it can not work)! If the problem (the pain) is already in the SEO keywords, it means that it is not so unique to solve it or it is not possible to solve it! (But maybe by searching you can find a specific pain between the lines!)

[u/tiln7]

SEO is smart for demand and competition but also check Google Trends and competitor ad spend. For content and backlinks later babylovegrowth is a good tool.

[u/OkMetal220]

I’ve actually gone down that path, and I don’t think it’s a waste of time at all. Keyword research can give you a really clear signal of both demand and competition... It’s almost like free market research if you approach it right. In our case at AltoValleIT, we used SEO not only to grow but also to validate ideas: digging into what people search, how often, and what kind of content already exists. That’s how we ended up building things like a free ebook and a small tool, which we knew had demand because the keywords were there.

The key is not to treat SEO as the whole strategy, but as one input. Pairing it with talking to actual potential users gives you the best picture.