Intermediate
How to do keyword research on Ahrefs
Quick Answer
Ahrefs keyword research involves a 3-step process: generate ideas using Keywords Explorer with seed keywords, filter for high-potential terms by KD ≤30 and volume ≥100, then analyze competitors via Site Explorer for gaps and rankings. Group by parent topic and intent, prioritizing long-tail keywords with traffic potential. Always verify KD scores manually against SERPs as they can be misleading.
Prerequisites
- Active Ahrefs account with Keywords Explorer access
- Basic SEO knowledge of metrics like KD, DR, and search volume
- Your website domain or competitor URLs
- Google Search Console for verification
1
Log in and access Keywords Explorer
Navigate to the Ahrefs dashboard and select
Keywords Explorer from the top menu or search bar. Enter 1–3 seed keywords (e.g., online course) separated by commas, choose Google as the search engine and your target country (default: United States), then click search to view the All tab with ideas sorted by volume descending.[1][4]Tip
Toggle
AI ideas for generated suggestions and note defaults: KD 0–100, volume >0.2
Explore idea reports and apply filters
Switch to tabs like
Matching terms (phrase or terms match), Questions for top-of-funnel queries, or Related for semantic matches. Filter via top bar: KD ≤30 for low competition, Volume ≥100, exclude branded terms with Exclude 'brand name'. Group by Parent topic for clusters and save with Save to list.[1][3][4]Tip
Use phrase match for exact inclusions; terms match for any word order. Limit: 10,000 ideas.
3
Analyze your rankings in Site Explorer
Go to
Site Explorer, enter your domain, and select Organic Keywords report. Filter by position (e.g., 1–20), Volume >50, KD ≤30; export top keywords. Check metrics like Traffic and Clicks, removing branded terms via Exclude filter.[1][3][5]4
Find content gaps with competitors
In
Site Explorer > Content Gap, enter your URL + up to 10 competitors. Select Missing tab for keywords they rank for (top 3 positions) but you don't. This reveals market opportunities and overlooked keywords.[1][3][4][5]Tip
Start by Googling niche keywords to identify similar competitors for input.
5
Refine using advanced metrics and SERP
Filter by
Traffic Potential (high volume/low KD), Clicks >10%, KD 0–30, and intent: Include 'how/what/why/tutorial/tips/best/vs/review'. Check SERP Overview for top 10 results and historic changes. Prioritize long-tail keywords (4+ words, KD <20).[1][3][4][6]Tip
Metrics: KD (0–100, lower better); Volume (monthly searches).
6
Group and prioritize keywords
Export filtered list as CSV via
Export. In spreadsheets or Saved lists, group by Parent topic (semantic clusters for one page), user intent (Google the keyword to check SERP: informational vs. commercial), and business value (traffic, conversions, backlinks).[1][3][4]Tip
Avoid keyword cannibalization by clustering related terms.
7
Verify search intent and competitor pages
Google promising keywords to analyze SERP: match content type to intent (e.g., guides for 'how-to'). In Ahrefs, review top pages' DR/UR via
SERP Overview to ensure feasibility against your site's authority.[1][2][3]8
Build content strategy from keywords
Categorize clusters for content types (blog posts, videos). Plan calendar prioritizing high-potential terms. Track in Ahrefs lists for ongoing optimization.[1][4]
Tip
Combine with Google Search Console for real performance data.
Troubleshooting
Inaccurate Keyword Difficulty (KD) scores
KD only analyzes backlinks to top 10 pages (UR), ignoring DR, on-page optimization, internal links, and site count. Manually check SERP: if top pages have higher DR than yours, it's harder than shown. Example: 'dyson airwrap warranty' KD 1 but competitors had millions of links.
Overlooking domain authority distribution
Compare your DR to SERP competitors; high-DR dominance means low KD underestimates difficulty. Use Site Explorer for accurate DR/UR checks.
Missing keyword opportunities from competitors
Always run Content Gap and Organic Keywords on 3–5 competitors to uncover gaps; filter out branded terms.
Irrelevant keyword ideas
Use strict filters (KD ≤30, volume ≥100, phrase match) and group by parent topic; verify intent by Googling.
Low traffic despite low KD
Prioritize Traffic Potential and Clicks % over volume alone; target intent-matching long-tails.
Ready to get started with Ahrefs?
Put this tutorial into practice. Visit Ahrefs and follow the steps above.
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