Keyword research is one of the most essential parts of technical SEO, and Ahrefs is one of the best keyword research tools available. Why? Ahrefs offers all the SEO metrics you need to optimize your website and create content that ranks.
Here’s a complete guide on how to perform keyword research using Ahrefs for technical SEO. You'll understand how to generate keyword ideas, analyze search traffic, and improve your overall search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.
Step 1: Set Up Ahrefs and Define Your Goals
To begin, make sure you have an Ahrefs account, as it’s a paid tool but worth the investment for SEO professionals.
Identify your target audience and what topics they’re searching for. Ahrefs has multiple features, but we’ll mainly focus on Keywords Explorer, Site Explorer, and Rank Tracker.
Having a clear goal for your keyword research process will help you choose the right keywords, search suggestions, and prioritize relevant keywords for your content.
Step 2: Start with Seed Keywords
Your keyword research should start with seed keywords. These are broad topics related to your niche, like “fitness tips” if you run a fitness blog. Enter your seed keyword into Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer to get keyword ideas.
Here, you’ll see SEO metrics like global search volume, search intent, keyword difficulty, and cost per click (CPC).
- Search Volume: Shows the average monthly search volume of a given keyword.
- Keyword Difficulty (KD): Measures how competitive it is to rank for a keyword.
- Search Intent: Whether users want information, to buy, or to navigate to a specific site.
Step 3: Explore Keyword Suggestions and Related Keywords
Ahrefs provides various ways to generate keyword ideas, such as:
- Phrase Match: Keywords that contain your seed keyword.
- Matching Terms: Shows more search suggestions that could be relevant.
- Related Keywords: Ahrefs’ algorithm suggests related search terms for your seed keyword.
These tools help you identify long-tail keywords with less competition, increasing your chances of ranking on the first page of search results.
Step 4: Analyze Keyword Metrics and Target Keywords
After collecting keyword suggestions, prioritize them based on important SEO metrics. Look for keywords with a balance of keyword difficulty and monthly search volume that suit your goals.
Ahrefs’ SERP overview shows the top ranking pages for each keyword, along with metrics like Domain Rating (DR) and URL Rating (UR).
This helps you see which sites rank for specific keywords, how strong their domains are, and whether your own site can realistically compete.
Look for traffic potential and search traffic estimates to determine how much traffic a target keyword might bring.
Step 5: Conduct Competitor Research with Ahrefs Site Explorer
The Ahrefs Site Explorer feature allows you to research competing domains. Enter the URLs of your competitors' websites to see which keywords bring them the most traffic.
You can perform a content gap analysis to find keywords they rank for but that your site doesn’t target.
Additionally, check out backlink analysis for top ranking pages to see what other websites are linking to your competitors.
This data helps you understand what it takes to compete for these keywords and improve your content quality and page title to attract similar backlinks.
Step 6: Track Your Keywords with Rank Tracker
Once you’ve identified your target keywords and integrated them into your content, use Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker to monitor your ranking positions over time.
The rank tracker is a feature lets you track specific keywords to see how they perform on search engines.
By regularly checking your rankings, you can see which keywords bring more traffic and adjust your SEO strategy if needed.
Step 7: Use Google Search Console and Site Audits for Optimization
While Ahrefs is powerful, pairing it with Google Search Console gives you deeper insights into how your site performs.
Conduct regular site audits with Ahrefs’ Site Audit tool to identify broken links, technical SEO issues, and content gaps.
Using GSC ensures your site stays optimized for search engines and search engine optimization remains effective.
Step 8: Build a Keyword Strategy and Create High-Quality Content
Finally, all your keywords should be used to create a comprehensive keyword strategy. Plan how each keyword fits into your content goals, including the right keywords for each page or blog post.
Consider the content gap between your site and competitors’ websites. If they rank for specific high-value keywords, find ways to address similar topics while offering unique value.
Quality content, backed by the keyword research process from Ahrefs, can significantly improve your chances of ranking for specific keywords.
Extra Tips: Free Tools for Supplemental Research
Although Ahrefs is a powerful keyword research tool, you can supplement it with free tools like Google Keyword Planner.
Google Keyword Planner, while not as robust as Ahrefs, can provide additional insights into search volume and related keyword ideas.
Final Thoughts
Using Ahrefs for keyword research gives you a competitive edge in technical SEO.
With Keywords Explorer, Site Explorer, and Rank Tracker, you can find keywords that attract your target audience, analyze competing domains, and monitor your keyword progress.
By consistently refining your keywords and updating your content, you can improve your rankings, gain search traffic, and attract the target audience you want.
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