How to Use Ahrefs for Keyword Research: Step-by-Step Success

Solo founders and new entrepreneurs are often overwhelmed by the endless options in SEO—especially when every platform claims to make keyword research easier, yet learning the ropes can still drain hours from your week. If you’re launching a new site or managing growth with limited hands on deck, choosing and mastering a single tool like Ahrefs could make or break your organic strategy.

This guide breaks down exactly how to use Ahrefs for keyword research, from understanding key features to hands-on workflows and real-world examples. You’ll learn what sets Ahrefs apart, why its keyword capabilities matter, and walk away with actionable steps to surface keywords tailored to your site's unique growth stage.

What Is Ahrefs Keyword Research? A Clear Definition

Ahrefs keyword research refers to the process of using Ahrefs tools to discover, evaluate, and prioritize keywords for SEO. This data-driven approach helps site owners and marketers find opportunities to rank higher in search engines and attract targeted traffic.

Ahrefs and SEO Tools Explained

Ahrefs is an SEO platform that provides a suite of tools centered around search visibility, keyword tracking, and competitor analysis. Its keyword research features allow users to identify which phrases people search online and assess the potential of ranking for these terms.

SEO tools like Ahrefs work by crawling massive amounts of web data to surface metrics on search trends and keyword competition. In practice, these platforms are widely used by website owners who want to understand which topics and search phrases can realistically drive organic traffic to their site.

Having spent time running keyword research in Ahrefs, the actionable insights—such as evaluating competitors' top pages or finding keyword gaps—make it easier to set clear SEO priorities without guesswork.

Key Terms: Search Volume and Keyword Difficulty

Search volume is the average number of times a keyword is searched within a set timeframe, usually monthly. Keyword difficulty in Ahrefs estimates how challenging it will be to rank on the first page of Google for a specific term, typically based on backlink data and other ranking signals.

Based on common implementation patterns, these two metrics form the foundation of nearly any keyword strategy with Ahrefs. It’s often practical to create shortlists by filtering for keywords with moderate search volume and lower difficulty scores, making them more achievable for newer sites.

Understanding these terms can help users avoid targeting overly competitive terms that might not deliver results, especially for smaller or newer websites.

Understanding Keyword Metrics in Ahrefs

Ahrefs keyword research includes metrics beyond search volume and difficulty, such as clicks, traffic potential, and parent topic. Each metric provides a different angle on the value of a search phrase:

• Clicks: Estimates how many times searchers actually click on results for a keyword.
• Traffic Potential: Projects the total traffic a page could get by ranking for a keyword and related terms.
• Parent Topic: Identifies broader topics that may also be worth optimizing for.

In actual use, reviewing these detailed metrics has helped refine content plans—for instance, by focusing on keywords that not only have high search volume but also a good click rate. This approach can surface less obvious opportunities that align closely with user intent.

Info: Prioritizing keyword metrics like search volume and difficulty ensures your SEO work targets realistic opportunities rather than overly competitive or low-traffic terms.

Why Ahrefs Keyword Research Matters for SEO Wins

Effective keyword research is essential for any SEO strategy, and Ahrefs offers advanced tools that help users uncover new opportunities, analyze competitors, and make informed content decisions. Understanding how to use Ahrefs for keyword research can directly impact organic traffic and ranking outcomes.

Key Benefits of Using Ahrefs

Ahrefs provides actionable keyword insights that make SEO decision-making data-driven and efficient. The platform’s features allow users to:

• Identify keywords with realistic ranking potential
• Analyze comprehensive backlink profiles associated with particular terms
• Track shifts in search volume and competition over time

In practice, working with Ahrefs often brings clarity when deciding which keywords to prioritize. For example, using the Keyword Difficulty (KD) metric, you can quickly filter out terms that require significant resources to rank, focusing instead on more attainable wins. This is especially valuable for smaller sites seeking growth with limited budgets.

Besides metrics, Ahrefs is well-regarded for its interface, which makes discovering long-tail keyword ideas and search intent more accessible. Based on typical use, being able to view content gaps and compare your site's keyword footprint to competitors can uncover opportunities not apparent from basic keyword lists.

Common Use Cases for Website Growth

Website owners use Ahrefs for several core objectives that support ongoing growth. The most common use cases include:

1. Finding low-competition keywords: Users enter seed terms and filter results using keyword difficulty and search volume. This helps target topics likely to bring organic traffic without competing with stronger domains.
2. Assessing competitor strategies: By analyzing which keywords competitors rank for, users can pinpoint valuable topics they have yet to cover.
3. Tracking progress over time: Ahrefs’ data allows users to monitor ranking improvements and traffic shifts as new content is published.

In practice, it is common to begin research by identifying "quick win" keywords that match the site's current authority. Over time, targeting more competitive terms becomes feasible as the site grows. This approach aligns Ahrefs research directly with phased SEO goals, from initial rankings through to expanding reach in a niche.

Expert Insight: Many site owners observe the largest SEO gains when combining Ahrefs keyword research with frequent re-evaluation, ensuring content strategies adapt to shifting search trends and evolving competitor tactics.

Tip: Regularly revisiting Ahrefs keyword research ensures your strategy adapts to changes in both search patterns and your site's authority over time.

Core Ahrefs Keyword Research Features You Need to Know

Understanding the main features of Ahrefs is essential if you want to maximize your results when doing keyword research. By exploring how the tool scores keyword difficulty, reveals competitor keywords, and spots content gaps, you can find valuable opportunities that support real SEO growth.

Keyword Difficulty Scoring: Finding Feasible Targets

Keyword difficulty scoring in Ahrefs measures how challenging it is to rank for a specific term based on backlink data and SERP analysis. This metric is displayed as a number, usually from 0 to 100, indicating the relative competition for each keyword. Low difficulty often means fewer or less authoritative backlinks are required to rank.

In practice, many users check keyword difficulty before committing resources to a topic. For those new to SEO or with lower authority sites, prioritizing keywords with manageable difficulty can lead to quicker wins. Based on common implementation patterns, filtering by difficulty helps avoid wasted time on terms dominated by major brands.

• Higher difficulty → more powerful sites dominate
• Lower difficulty → more achievable for new or niche sites
• Medium difficulty → balance of opportunity and challenge

First-hand, it’s helpful to test the tool against your own site’s authority: even small shifts in the keyword difficulty filter can change your target list dramatically. This feature speeds up decision-making, especially compared with the manual checks some tools require.

Competitor Analysis: Stealing Organic Search Ideas

Competitor analysis in Ahrefs allows you to uncover keywords that drive traffic to similar sites, offering inspiration for your own content strategy. With this feature, you can enter a competitor’s domain and instantly view top-performing keywords they rank for, including terms you might not have considered.

Users often start by exporting competitor keyword lists to spot gaps or overlaps with their own site. In practice, this method reveals terms where a competitor’s ranking is strong, but your domain is absent, helping you map new topics worth pursuing. It’s common to use these findings to prioritize new content, analyze why competitors succeed, and adapt your approach to outrank them.

Hands-on, seeing actual keyword positions for competitors provides insight that even extensive brainstorming can miss. If you have multiple competitors, comparing several at once can surface recurring terms relevant to your niche.

Content Gap: Spotting Missed Keyword Opportunities

Content gap analysis in Ahrefs identifies keywords your competitors rank for, but your site does not, highlighting missed opportunities for targeted content. This feature compares your domain with selected competitors, generating a list of topics currently generating traffic for others but missing from your portfolio.

Typical workflows involve running a content gap report, reviewing the keyword list, and noting high-potential terms for immediate action. In practice, this process short-circuits manual research, making it clear which valuable keywords deserve attention. Many teams use these insights to inform editorial planning and fill holes in their SEO strategy.

From first-hand use, content gap analysis reveals patterns—such as a recurring search intent or a group of semantic terms—that a manual approach would rarely surface. This can lead to quick content wins and stronger topic authority across key areas.

Tip: Revisit content gap analysis regularly as competitor strategies and new keywords emerge over time.

Tip: Revisit content gap analysis regularly as competitor strategies and new keywords emerge over time.

How to Use Ahrefs for Keyword Research: Complete Walkthrough

Learning how to use Ahrefs for keyword research allows you to uncover profitable topics and better understand what your audience is searching for. This walkthrough breaks down the key steps to identifying, filtering, and saving effective keyword targets inside the Ahrefs platform.

Starting with Keywords Explorer: Step-by-Step Process

The Keywords Explorer tool in Ahrefs is the primary starting point for keyword research.

To begin, log in and select Keywords Explorer from the dashboard. Enter your seed topic or keyword into the search bar, choosing the target search engine (such as Google) and region if needed. Hit 'search'.

Ahrefs will process this input by collecting a broad range of keyword ideas related to your query, including phrase matches, questions, and terms using similar modifiers. In practice, many users start with broad, top-level topics to generate the maximum variety of suggestions. For example, search terms like “financial software” or “eco-friendly products” often surface unique subtopics and related long-tails.

Next, review the high-level summary metrics: search volume, keyword difficulty, parent topic, and traffic potential. This initial snapshot helps you decide if your starting point is aligned with your content or business goals.

Analyzing Results: Filters, Trends, and Metrics

Ahrefs provides robust filters and trend data to prioritize keywords effectively.

When analyzing your results, pay attention to:

• Keyword Difficulty (KD): This metric indicates how challenging it may be to rank for a specific query.
• Search Volume: Shows estimated monthly searches for each keyword in your target market.
• Traffic Potential: Reflects the expected organic traffic if you reach the top position for that keyword.
• Trends: Charts display whether a keyword is gaining or losing popularity over time.

In practice, using the filter panel (KD, volume, word count, included/excluded words) helps narrow the list to manageable, actionable options. Many researchers experiment with different filter settings and scan trend charts to avoid chasing keywords with declining interest. Combining multiple filters leads to a focused, relevant keyword set tailored for your website’s reach and goals.

Building an Actionable Keyword List

To build an actionable keyword list in Ahrefs, select your chosen targets and export them for later use.

First, choose keywords that balance realistic ranking difficulty and reasonable search volume. You can add these to a dedicated list inside Ahrefs or export as a CSV for collaboration or content planning. The aim is to end up with:

• Keywords matching your site’s current authority
• Topics directly relevant to your audience
• Questions that suggest strong searcher intent

In practice, most users keep their primary keyword list tightly focused, supplementing with secondary opportunities as new content is planned. Regularly revisiting and refining this list ensures you are responsive to changing trends and ongoing site growth.

Tip: When organizing your keyword list, group related terms to streamline future content mapping and avoid duplicate targeting across pages or posts.

Tip: When organizing your keyword list, group related terms to streamline future content mapping and avoid duplicate targeting across pages or posts.

Ahrefs Keyword Research vs Other SEO Tools: Key Differences

Comparing Ahrefs with other SEO tools reveals important variations in capabilities, interface, and practical results. Knowing these distinctions helps users choose the right keyword research platform for their website’s needs.

Core Feature Comparison Table

Ahrefs and other major SEO tools (such as Semrush and Moz) differ not just in the features offered, but also in user experience and focus. The table below outlines how each tool handles keyword research fundamentals:

Feature	Ahrefs	Semrush	Moz Pro
Keyword Difficulty	Custom metric, widely trusted for filtering feasible targets	Available, uses its own scale, often paired with intent analysis	Available, calculated differently, less granular for some terms
Competitor Analysis	Offers Site Explorer, deep competitor keyword data	Strong competitor analysis with domain comparison	Basic site comparisons, less extensive than others
Search Volume Estimates	Direct from clickstream plus 3rd-party, regular updates	Aggregated volume, updated frequently	Relies more on 3rd-party, less frequent updates
Content Gap Tools	Dedicated tool for finding gaps	Offers Keyword Gap and Topic Research	Lacks automated content gap feature
SERP Analysis	Detailed SERP overview and history	Includes SERP features tracking	Basic SERP snapshot
Interface Complexity	Advanced, data-dense, suited to regular users	Can be busy, but workflow focused	Simpler, beginner-friendly, fewer layers

In practice, Ahrefs stands out for its vast index and reliable data granularity. However, users often observe that Semrush’s interface can streamline certain processes, especially for those managing multiple domains, while Moz excels at simplifying fundamentals for those newer to keyword research.

Strengths and Weaknesses Reviewed

The primary strength of Ahrefs for keyword research is its large, up-to-date backlink and keyword databases, supporting thorough competitor analysis and accurate keyword metrics. Ahrefs’ filtering options, content gap insights, and SERP histories are designed for users needing deep dives into competitive spaces.

Semrush’s competitive edge is its integrated platform, offering keyword tracking, site audits, and content marketing tools side-by-side. For users juggling campaigns across paid and organic channels, Semrush provides a unified dashboard with workflow automations. Moz Pro, on the other hand, is easier for newcomers, providing clear actionable scores and guidance, though with less depth and smaller data sets.

Based on common implementation patterns, teams balancing limited time and technical skill often prefer Moz for its approachable interface, while those seeking granular research rely on Ahrefs. In practice, advanced filters and keyword intersection analysis in Ahrefs allow experienced users to target very specific keyword clusters that aren’t as easily surfaced elsewhere.

Tip: Before investing deeply in any tool, assess your project’s scope and typical research patterns. Some platforms deliver efficiencies for agencies or at-scale projects, while others are better matched for focused, single-site research.

Real-World Ahrefs Keyword Research Examples

Understanding how to use Ahrefs for keyword research becomes clearer when looking at practical, real-world scenarios. These examples highlight how different organizations—whether a niche blog, a growing eCommerce business, or a digital agency—can apply Ahrefs’ keyword research tools to support distinct goals.

Example: Niche Blog Seeking Easy Wins

A niche blog aiming for easy wins can use Ahrefs' Keyword Explorer to identify low-competition keywords that offer a realistic path to ranking.

Starting with a broad topic in their field, the blog owner applies filters such as keyword difficulty and minimum search volume. Ahrefs simplifies discovery by ranking keywords based on competitiveness and opportunity. The process typically involves:

• Entering the main niche topic into Keyword Explorer
• Setting a low keyword difficulty threshold (e.g., under 15)
• Reviewing keyword suggestions that match the blog's expertise

In practice, bloggers often skip high-volume, high-competition terms, focusing instead on "long-tail" keywords. These may yield less traffic per keyword but are easier to rank for, accelerating early audience growth.

Based on common implementation, a niche blog might prioritize publishing new content around these terms, closely monitoring performance through Ahrefs' position tracking feature.

Example: eCommerce Store Expanding Product Reach

An eCommerce store can use Ahrefs keyword research to identify new product-related topics and expand its organic reach.

By analyzing competitor product pages in Ahrefs' Site Explorer, store owners can uncover keywords driving traffic to rival sites. The process often involves:

• Entering a competitor’s domain to surface their top-ranking pages
• Reviewing the "Organic Keywords" report for terms related to products not yet offered
• Exporting relevant keyword ideas for new category or product pages

In practice, many eCommerce teams build content strategies around trending or underserved search queries. Prioritizing keywords with commercial intent helps align research with actual purchasing behavior.

This targeted approach using Ahrefs supports ongoing growth, as new keyword lists directly inform site structure and product copy updates.

Example: Agency Running Competitor Analysis

An agency can apply Ahrefs for in-depth competitor keyword analysis when launching new SEO campaigns for clients.

The workflow typically starts with a domain comparison, using Ahrefs’ Content Gap tool to identify search terms competitors rank for but the client does not. Steps generally include:

1. Entering the client’s and several competitors’ domains
2. Running a content gap analysis to surface missing keyword opportunities
3. Filtering results by difficulty, intent, or traffic potential

In practice, agencies rely on these insights to build data-driven content roadmaps. Regular keyword gap analysis ensures they adjust strategies based on competitors’ ongoing activity.

Teams often present Ahrefs data in client reports to justify tactical changes, helping clients see tangible progress and market positioning.

Tip: When reviewing real-world Ahrefs keyword strategies, always prioritize intent—targeting terms that align with your site’s actual goals delivers results faster than chasing pure volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is keyword difficulty in Ahrefs?

Keyword difficulty in Ahrefs is a score that measures how hard it is to rank on the first page of Google for a specific keyword. It considers the strength and number of backlinks of the top-ranking pages. A higher score means more competition, while a lower score indicates easier ranking opportunities. This helps prioritize keywords in your research.

How does Ahrefs find low-competition keywords?

Ahrefs identifies low-competition keywords by analyzing the Keyword Difficulty (KD) score, which estimates how hard it is to rank for a term based on backlink profiles of top-ranking pages. It also filters keywords by search volume and competition metrics, highlighting those with low KD and realistic ranking potential. This helps users discover less competitive, actionable keywords for SEO campaigns.

Can Ahrefs identify competitor keyword gaps?

Yes, Ahrefs can identify competitor keyword gaps using its "Content Gap" tool. This feature reveals keywords competitors rank for but your site doesn't, helping uncover missed opportunities. By analyzing these gaps, you can target new keywords to improve your SEO strategy and capture more organic traffic.

Does Ahrefs show real search volume data?

Ahrefs provides estimated search volume data, not exact real search volumes. These estimates are based on clickstream data and other sources, offering useful approximations for keyword research rather than precise counts. This helps users gauge keyword popularity but should be combined with other insights for best results.

Is Ahrefs suitable for beginners in SEO?

Yes, Ahrefs is suitable for beginners in SEO because it offers an intuitive interface and comprehensive keyword research tools. It helps users find keywords, analyze competition, and track rankings with clear metrics. Beginners benefit from helpful tutorials and detailed data that make SEO learning practical and accessible.

What are some free keyword research tools for SEO?

There are several free keyword research tools available for SEO, including Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic, and Keyword Surfer. These tools help generate keyword ideas and provide basic SEO metrics without cost. They are great starting points for beginners to find search volume, keyword difficulty, and related terms to improve content strategy.

Can I use Ahrefs for free? Ahrefs pricing free trial

You can use some Ahrefs tools for free, but full access to all features requires a paid plan. Ahrefs offers limited free functionalities without a trial. For full access, a paid subscription is needed as they do not provide a traditional free trial. Pricing details vary by plan and are available on their website.

How do I check which keyword gets more traffic using keyword traffic analysis tools like Ahrefs?

To compare which keyword drives more traffic in Ahrefs, check the Search Volume and Estimated Traffic metrics for each keyword. Higher search volume usually means more potential traffic. You can also analyze keyword difficulty and look at the SERP overview to see actual traffic leaders. This helps you pick keywords that get the most visits and are realistic to rank for.

Conclusion

Mastering keyword research with Ahrefs unlocks a roadmap for founders who need both clarity and efficient results from their SEO efforts.

• Start by defining your goals and knowing your current domain authority.
• Explore Ahrefs’ Keyword Explorer to analyze search volumes, difficulty, and intent.
• Use keyword filters to identify strategic opportunities within your realistic reach.
• Review examples from your niche to refine your workflow and iterate with confidence.

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