How To Use Ahrefs Keyword Explorer

Quick summary

Ahrefs Keyword Explorer helps SEOs discover keyword ideas through multiple reports — including Phrase Match, Terms Match, Questions, Related Terms, and Search Suggestions — all from a single search. Each report surfaces a different angle of keyword opportunity, giving content and SEO teams the data they need to build comprehensive, search-intent-aligned strategies.

Steps

1. Open Keyword Explorer and search for a relevant keyword.
2. Navigate to Keyword Explorer > Matching Terms in the left pane.
3. Review the Phrase Match Report, which shows keyword ideas containing your target keyword in the exact order entered.
4. Review the Terms Match report, which displays keyword ideas containing your target keyword regardless of term order.
5. Review the Questions Report, which displays keyword ideas phrased as questions to help identify informational queries.
6. Navigate to Related Terms in the left pane.
7. Explore keywords that top-ranking pages for your target keyword also rank for.
8. Explore keywords and phrases that top-ranking pages for your target keyword frequently mention.
9. Navigate to Keyword Explorer > Search Suggestions in the left pane.
10. Review autocomplete suggestions for your target query and related terms provided by the Search Suggestions report.