Keyword research
How people search for the brutal truth
Search demand and competition for the phrases that send people looking for honest, negative feedback about software. Numbers are Semrush estimates (US database) — your actual traffic mix will be broader.
Tracked terms
16
Combined volume
~1,120/mo
Easy targets (KDI <30)
12
Source
Semrush US
16 shown
| Keyword | Volume ↓ | Difficulty | CPC | Intent | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| negative reviews | 390/mo | 44/100 · possible | $3.70 | Broad | Biggest volume, but generic. Good for blog hubs. |
| real reviews | 260/mo | 73/100 · hard | $5.21 | Broad | High intent, but dominated by big sites. |
| 1 star reviews | 170/mo | 34/100 · possible | — | Brand-aligned | On-message and winnable. Strong target. |
| saas reviews | 140/mo | 16/100 · easy | $6.33 | Brand-aligned | Easy + commercial. Top priority. |
| product complaints | 50/mo | 80/100 · hard | — | Broad | Too competitive — skip or niche down. |
| honest software reviews | 40/mo | 19/100 · easy | — | Brand-aligned | Matches your hook directly. Easy win. |
| worst software | 20/mo | <1/100 · very easy | — | Brand-aligned | Tiny but trivially rankable. |
| bad app reviews | 20/mo | <1/100 · very easy | — | Brand-aligned | Fits the App Store / Play Store angle. |
| unbiased software reviews | 20/mo | <1/100 · very easy | — | Brand-aligned | Easy to own. Pair with 'honest'. |
| software complaints | 10/mo | <1/100 · very easy | — | Brand-aligned | Low volume but free real estate. |
| [product] complaints | — | <1/100 · very easy | — | Long-tail | Programmatic per-product pages. |
| [product] cons | — | <1/100 · very easy | — | Long-tail | High intent for buyers comparing tools. |
| is [product] worth it | — | <1/100 · very easy | — | Long-tail | Question intent — pair with FAQ schema. |
| [product] honest review | — | <1/100 · very easy | — | Long-tail | Direct match for the brand promise. |
| [product] 1 star reviews | — | <1/100 · very easy | — | Long-tail | Map to App Store / Play Store sources. |
| [product] problems | — | <1/100 · very easy | — | Long-tail | Captures support / churn intent. |
Long-tail rows with [product] are programmatic patterns — volume per individual product is small, but they aggregate into substantial traffic when generated across hundreds of tools.