How To Use Ahrefs Keyword Explorer

8Ahrefs Keyword Explorer: My No-BS Way to Find Keywords That Actually Rank

Let me keep it blunt.

Table of Contents

Ahrefs is pricey. I get that. If you’re bootstrapping or still figuring blogging out, it stings. But if you do have access — even for a week — you can squeeze out gold using just one feature:

👉 Keyword Explorer.

Now most SEO dudes will throw a course at you for this, or show 47 dashboards like you’re some data scientist.

Not here.

This is my raw way of using Ahrefs Keyword Explorer to actually find keywords I can rank for. Not ones that sound good, not ones with 80k volume — I’m talking the kind of stuff that gets clicks and sticks.

Let’s roll.

First, Open Ahref Keyword Explorer — But Chill

You don’t need a master plan.

Just type in a word that relates to your niche. Something real people would Google.

Example: I blogged about productivity once. So I typed:

“daily routine”

Ahrefs threw up a wall of numbers.

Cool. Most of it I ignore.

I only care about a few things:

Keyword Difficulty (KD)
Search Volume
Parent Topic
And the one everyone skips — Clicks

Volume Means Nothing if Nobody Clicks

This is the trap. You see a keyword with 30,000 searches and think, “Let me write a 3,000-word blog post and wait for traffic to roll in.”

Except… most of those searches never result in a click.

Why?

Because Google is answering it right on the SERP now. With AI overviews, featured snippets, definitions, and all that jazz.

So in Ahrefs — if I see a keyword has 25k volume but only 800 clicks?

👎 I’m skipping it.

Instead, I look for low-KD, mid-volume, high-clicks keywords.

Even if the volume is 300/month.

If 300 people actually click, that’s a keyword I can do damage with.

Use the Matching Terms Filter — It’s Your Goldmine

Okay, so you typed in your seed word.

Now hit “Matching Terms.”

This shows you every related keyword Ahrefs can find.

Here’s what I do next:

KD → Set max to 10
Word Count → Min 3 words (keeps it long-tail)
Volume → Min 100 (no point writing for 10 searches/month)

Now look at that list.

It’s full of weird, super-specific queries that people are actually Googling — and no one’s writing about.

Examples I found once:

best daily routine for night shift workers
time blocking for ADHD
sunday reset routine for working moms

None of those scream “viral” — but guess what?

They rank. They stick. And they convert.

Don’t Sleep on the Questions Tab

This one’s too easy.

Click “Questions” and now you’re staring at a list of actual Google searches.

I’ve used this tab to write titles exactly as they show up:

“What is the best routine for waking up early?”
“How to stick to a daily schedule without burnout?”
“What is the 5am club routine?”

You’re literally handed content ideas people are already searching.

Copy, tweak, write.

Don’t overthink it.

Check SERP Before You Write Anything

This is where most bloggers blow it. They find a nice keyword and rush into a post.

Stop. Hit that SERP Overview in Ahrefs.

You wanna know 3 things:

Are the top-ranking sites big brands? (like Forbes, HubSpot, Healthline — bad news)
Do they have tons of backlinks?
Are the titles boring or outdated?

If the SERP is full of Quora threads, Medium posts, or random blogs — game on.

That’s where I go in and write a better, sharper, more human blog post — one that sounds like someone actually sat down and cared.

Parent Topic = Extra Keyword Juice

When you open any keyword in Ahrefs, it shows a Parent Topic.

That’s what Google thinks the main idea is.

Let’s say you search:

“routine for freelancers working from home”

Parent topic might be:

“work from home productivity”

That’s your bonus keyword.

Now you can write a title like:

“Work from Home Productivity: My No-Fluff Routine as a Freelance Writer”

Boom. Covers the keyword and the parent topic. Natural, not forced.

Save Keywords in Lists (Yes, Be That Organized)

I know, I know. Feels extra.

But if you don’t save stuff, you’ll forget it by tomorrow.

Inside Ahrefs, just hit Save and throw it in a list.

I usually create lists like:

“Rankables under KD 10”

“Cluster: Productivity Hacks”

“To write this month”

Later when I’m stuck, I don’t waste time — I just pick something from the list and get to work.

YouTube Bonus: Change the Engine

Here’s a sneaky tip — you can change the search engine inside Keyword Explorer to YouTube.

That means if you’re also doing videos or Shorts, you can use this exact same process to find what people are watching, not just reading.

And since YouTube competition is often lower, some of those blog keywords also work as video titles.

Example:

Blog = “Time Blocking for ADHD: Simple Tips That Worked for Me”

YouTube = “How I Use Time Blocking With ADHD (No Overwhelm)”

Same vibe. Double the reach.

TL;DR — Here’s My Real Keyword Explorer Workflow

Let’s keep it clean and quick:

Seed keyword → plug it in

Filter: KD under 10, 3+ word count, 100+ volume

Use “Questions” for easy post ideas

Check Clicks vs Volume

SERP check — weak pages = go for it

Parent Topic = Bonus SEO juice

Save to list

Optional: check for YouTube versions

That’s it.

This is how I’ve found multiple posts that now rank on Page 1 without backlinks, drama, or AI overload.

Final Words (And Let’s Be Honest)

You don’t need 200 posts or fancy SEO degrees.

You need:

keywords that aren’t overused
topics real humans care about
titles that match how people talk
content that actually helps someone, not just fills space

Ahrefs Keyword Explorer helps — but only if you’re strategic.

And if you can’t afford it full-time?

Get a trial, borrow it, whatever. Use it hard for a week and you’ll have a content roadmap for the next 3 months.

That’s what I did. It worked. No fluff.