Here’s how I do keyword research in just 5 minutes when I’m in a rush or just need a few ideas.

Time is short, so let’s crack on.

Step 1: Pop my domain name into Ahrefs site explorer

After signing in to Ahrefs, I select my domain from the dashboard or enter a competitor domain into the Ahrefs Site Explorer tool.

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Step 2: Select organic competitors

Then I’ll select organic competitors from the left navigation, and 20 of my competitors will be displayed.

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Step 3: Click the pages dropdown and look for keywords I don’t currently target.

To view the top keywords, monthly search volume and ranking position, click the dropdown under each competitor’s page column.

Click shown more to reveal more keywords.

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Step 4: I only choose keywords I can quickly write about

As I scan the list of keywords in the top keyword column, I look for instructional keywords, as that’s the intent I like to target; you might want to look for more commercial keywords.

I can pick a keyword to target and start planning my writing at this stage.

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Step 5: Optional: Export to Google Sheets

If I wanted to do a more detailed analysis, I would export the list of all 20 competitors listed and drop them into a spreadsheet.

Ps: if you want to take your keyword analysis further, repeat the above steps with another domain name.

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Next Steps

Limit yourself to 5 minutes to find keywords that match the intent you want to target and those you can easily write about.

Or if you’re planning a new site or strategy, check out my guide on keyword clustering or all my keyword research guides.