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Pick the right keywords before you write. Keywords Explorer gives you search volume, difficulty, intent, and related terms in one view — so you know what’s worth ranking for before you invest in content.
Path: Marketing > SEO > Tools > Keywords Explorer

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Three Ways to Research

AI Chat

Describe what you want in plain English

Keywords Explorer UI

Enter a seed keyword, browse ranked suggestions

Bulk research

Paste a list, get data for each
The fastest way. From any page, open the AI chat and describe what you want:
Find 20 low-difficulty keywords about web design for small businesses.
Minimum 100 monthly searches, KD under 40.
The AI pulls data, filters, and returns a ranked list you can add to your content calendar with one click.Follow up naturally:
  • “Group these into topic clusters”
  • “Show me the ones with commercial intent”
  • “Find another 10 related to local SEO”

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Understanding the Metrics

Not every keyword is worth chasing. These numbers tell you which ones are.
  • Search volume — average monthly searches. Shown globally or per country. Low-volume terms can still be valuable if intent is strong.
  • Keyword difficulty (KD) — a 0-100 score estimating how hard it is to rank on page one. Rough bands: 0-30 easy, 30-60 medium, 60+ hard.
  • CPC — average cost per click in Google Ads. High CPC usually means high commercial intent — advertisers pay for those clicks.
  • Search intent — what the searcher actually wants. Four buckets:
    • Informational — “how to design a logo”
    • Navigational — “hiveku login”
    • Commercial — “best web design agency”
    • Transactional — “buy web hosting”
Low-volume long-tail keywords (50-500 searches, KD under 30) are often easier wins than chasing high-volume competitive terms. Ten ranking pages at 200 searches each beats one page stuck on page three for a 10,000-search keyword.

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A Research Workflow for New Sites

1

Start with seed keywords

List 5-10 broad terms that describe what you do. These are your starting points, not your targets.
2

Expand with Keywords Explorer

Run each seed through the tool. Collect the related suggestions into a single working list (export to CSV as you go).
3

Filter by difficulty

New sites with little authority should target KD under 40. Established sites can push toward 60. Anything higher requires serious link-building and patience.
4

Filter by volume

Set a floor — typically 100+ monthly searches. Lower is fine for hyper-specific commercial terms, but don’t spend a 2,000-word article on a keyword nobody searches.
5

Group by topic clusters

Bundle related keywords into clusters of one pillar (broad, high-volume) plus 5-10 supporting (specific, long-tail). Each cluster becomes a content hub.
6

Export your plan

Download the final list as CSV. Use it to brief writers, plan your editorial calendar, and populate Rank Tracker once pages go live.

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Prerequisites

For best results, have Google Search Console connected first. GSC data layered onto keyword research shows where you’re already getting impressions — often the fastest route to first rankings is improving pages you almost rank for.

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Verify It Worked

Export a keyword list of 20-30 candidates. Spot-check three keywords by Googling them (incognito, correct country). The SERP should match the intent classification the tool assigned, and the competing pages should look beatable for the difficulty score given.

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Troubleshooting

The term may be too obscure or misspelled. Try broader variations — if quantum beekeeping supplies returns nothing, try beekeeping supplies and filter from there.
KD is an estimate based on backlink profiles of top-ranking pages. Always sanity-check by actually viewing the SERP. If top results are thin content from low-authority sites, the keyword is easier than the score suggests.
Volumes vary dramatically by country and locale. Double-check your country and language filters. Also note: seasonal keywords (e.g., halloween costumes) show annualized averages that understate peak-season volume.
Check the SERP features. If every top-10 position is Amazon, Wikipedia, or a major brand with a featured snippet, you’re unlikely to crack it regardless of KD score. Move on to long-tail variations you can actually rank for.
Our keyword index refreshes on a regular cycle. For very new trends (less than 30 days old), check Google Trends alongside the tool data.

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What’s Next?

Track Rankings

Monitor your positions for the keywords you just picked

Content Pillars

Turn your keyword clusters into a content strategy