Keyword Research Tool - How to Use

Keyword research in NitroShock starts from a seed keyword and returns related terms with the numbers you need to judge them: volume, difficulty, CPC and intent. You can run it in two places - the standalone tool page, or inside a project where results feed straight into rank tracking. A fresh search charges credits, shown before you run it; results cached within the last 30 days are free.

The Standalone Tool

The Keyword Research tool works without a project:

1. Enter your seed keyword - the topic or term your audience would type.
2. Pick a country from the location selector.
3. Click Research. The cost is shown under the form before you run it.

You'll need a NitroShock account with credits when you hit Research; browsing the page is open to everyone.

Inside a Project

Open your project's Keywords tab and stay on the Keyword Research sub-tab:

1. Choose National or Local SEO. Local adds a state and city, and also searches variants such as "[keyword] near me" and "[keyword] [city]".
2. Enter a seed keyword and pick a country.
3. Choose the research type: Related Keywords, Autocomplete, Questions or YouTube.
4. Click Research.

YouTube pulls YouTube's own autocomplete suggestions at no charge. Volume, CPC and difficulty stay blank until you click Add search volume, which charges credits and shows Google search volume, not YouTube views.

Working inside a project means your picks can go straight into the Rank Tracker and your keyword lists.

Picking Seed Keywords

Start with the plainest version of your topic and let the results widen it: question keywords surface content ideas, long-tail variants surface easier targets, related terms surface angles you hadn't considered. For local businesses, include the location in the seed ("plumber chicago") so volume reflects the market you serve. Run separate searches per topic rather than one broad term for everything.

Reading the Metrics

• Search Volume - estimated monthly searches. High volume means demand, not opportunity; pair it with difficulty.
• Difficulty (KD) - a 0-100 score for how hard the term is to rank for. Newer sites win faster on lower-difficulty terms.
• CPC - what advertisers pay per click; a useful proxy for commercial value even if you never run ads.
• Intent - informational, commercial, transactional, or navigational. Match the content format to the intent: guides for informational terms, comparison and product pages for commercial and transactional ones.

The practical shortlist is usually keywords with real volume, difficulty your site can win, and intent matching a page you can build.

From Research to Tracking

Select the keywords worth pursuing, then:

• Push to Rank Tracker - starts tracking them on the target you choose.
• Add to List - saves them to a keyword list.
• Send to - opens them in the Content Writer, Content Brief, FAQ Generator, or the AI Overview Finder (up to 50 keywords).
• Export - downloads the results as CSV or Markdown.

Filter the results by text, intent and minimum volume, and sort by volume, difficulty, CPC or A-Z.

FAQ

What does a search cost?
Credits are charged per fresh search, and the cost is shown before you run it. If the same query was researched within the last 30 days, the cached results are free. If a search returns no keywords, the credits are refunded.

Do I need a project to use it?
No - the standalone tool page runs the same research. You need a project only when you want to track the keywords afterward.

Why do results differ between countries?
Volume, difficulty, and CPC are location-specific. Research the country you actually target.

Related Documentation

• Building Keyword Lists
• Rank Tracker: User Guide
• Adding Your First Keywords to Track