RankNest

Finding Keywords

Run a keyword search, read volume, difficulty, CPC, and intent, see where the client ranks, and check the live Google results.

A keyword search starts from a few seed terms and returns related keywords with market data for each. RankNest then adds what it already knows about the client: where the site ranks in Search Console, and whether the keyword is tracked, saved, or part of an SEO test.

  1. Open the client, click Keyword Research in the sidebar, and stay on the Research tab.
  2. Type your seeds into Seed keywords. Separate them with commas or new lines. You can use up to five. If you are not sure where to start, click one of the Try suggestions RankNest builds from the client's name and domain.
  3. Pick the Country the searches happen in. RankNest remembers your choice for this client.
  4. Choose what to Find:
    • Auto: a broad set of ideas around all your seeds. It is a good default.
    • Broad ideas: the same kind of search as Auto.
    • Suggestions (contains the seed): longer phrases that include your seed word for word.
    • Related searches: terms people search alongside your seed.
  5. Choose how many Results you want: 50, 150, or 300.
  6. Check the line above the Search button. It says how many research reports the search uses. Suggestions and Related searches run once per seed, so each extra seed adds to the count. If you don't have enough reports left this month, the line turns amber and says how many you have.
  7. Click Search, or press Ctrl+Enter (Cmd+Enter on a Mac) in the seed box.

When the results arrive, a summary line above the table shows how many keywords came back, how many already bring the site impressions, and whether the search used reports or was free from cache. Running the same search again within a day is free.

Read the metrics

Each row is one keyword. Click a column header to sort by it, and click again to flip the order.

  • Volume: average monthly searches in the chosen country. Hover for the exact number.
  • 12 months: search volume for each of the last 12 months as small bars, with the latest month in solid color. Hover to see each month's figure. Use it to spot seasonal keywords.
  • KD: keyword difficulty from 0 to 100, an estimate of how hard it is to reach the first page. The bar is green under 30 (easy), amber from 30 to 60 (medium), and red above 60 (hard).
  • CPC: the average cost per click advertisers pay for the keyword. A high CPC usually means the searches are worth money to businesses.
  • Intent: why people search the term, shortened to Info (informational), Nav (navigational), Comm (commercial), or Trans (transactional). Hover a chip for the full name.

A cell with a dash means there is no data for that keyword.

See where the client already ranks

The You rank column comes from the client's Search Console data, which RankNest refreshes daily:

  • # and a number is the site's average position in Google for that keyword, with its impressions underneath. It is green when the site is on page one. If several pages rank, you see the best one.
  • Shown means the site gets impressions for the keyword but has no position to report.
  • Not yet means Search Console has no data for the site on that keyword.

Hover a position for impressions and clicks. Sort by You rank to bring keywords where the site is close to page one to the top.

Tip: keywords at positions 11 to 20 with decent volume are often the fastest wins. The page already ranks, so a better title or a few internal links can move it onto page one.

Labels on a keyword

Small labels next to a keyword show what else in RankNest touches it:

  • Tracked: the keyword is already in one of the client's rank trackers.
  • Saved: the keyword is on the client's saved list.
  • In a test: the keyword is the primary keyword of one of the client's SEO tests.
  • Pages compete: two of the client's pages compete for this search in Search Console. See Working with Issues for how keyword conflicts are reported.

Filter the results

Filters sit above the table and never use reports:

  • Keyword contains: text search within the results.
  • Min volume and Max KD: hide keywords below a volume or above a difficulty.
  • Any intent: show one intent only.
  • Any status: show only keywords In a test or where Pages compete.
  • Not ranking yet: hide keywords the site already gets impressions for. Use it when you want new topics.

Click Clear filters to reset them all.

Act on keywords

Tick the checkbox on each keyword you want, or the checkbox in the header to select every keyword the filters show. The selection bar then shows:

  • Save: add them to the client's saved list. See Saved Keywords.
  • Track rankings: add them to a rank tracker. See Saved Keywords for how the dialog works.
  • Copy: copy the keywords to your clipboard, one per line.

Click Clear to drop the selection.

Each row also has Create SEO test. It is active when Search Console shows a page of the client's for the keyword. Clicking it opens SEO Testing with a new experiment for that page and the keyword filled in as its primary keyword. See Creating Tests.

Open a keyword's details

Click a keyword to open its details panel on the right. The top shows Volume with the 12-month trend, Difficulty with CPC and intent, and You rank. Below that are Save keyword, Track rankings, and Create SEO test when they apply.

Check the live Google results

The Google results section shows the current first page of Google for the keyword in the country you searched.

  1. Choose Desktop or Mobile.
  2. Click Show results. This uses 1 research report, or nothing if the keyword was checked in the last 12 hours.

The panel then lists the top results in order. Results that are not ordinary web listings carry a small label naming their type, and the features Google shows for the search appear as tags above the list. If the client's site is in the results, its row is highlighted and the line above the list shows its position. Otherwise it reads not in these results.

Reopening a keyword you already checked in the same session shows the saved results again without asking. Press Esc or click outside the panel to close it.

Open a search from elsewhere

Some links into Keyword Research, such as tasks, fill in the seed box with a keyword. They never run the search for you, because a search uses reports. Check the settings and click Search when you are ready.

Troubleshooting

"No keywords came back for those seeds." The seeds were too narrow for the chosen mode or country. Try broader seeds, or switch Find to Auto.

The Search button is greyed out. The seed box is empty, or it has more than five seeds. Remove seeds until the message under the box stops showing red.

The report count is amber. The search needs more reports than you have left this month. Use fewer seeds, fewer Results, or Auto mode, or see Limits & Add-ons to add more.

"Too many requests in a short time." Wait a minute and search again.

Create SEO test is greyed out. Search Console does not show a page of the client's for this keyword yet, so there is no page to test.

Last updated 2026-09-25