Keyword research in NitroShock starts from a seed keyword and returns related terms with the numbers you need to judge them: volume, difficulty, CPC, competition, 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 costs 10 credits; results cached within the last 30 days are free.
The Keyword Research tool works without a project:
- Enter your seed keyword - the topic or term your audience would type.
- Pick a country from the location selector.
- 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, go to the Keywords tab, then the Keyword Research view:
- Enter a Seed Keyword.
- Choose a Research Type: All Types (Comprehensive), Google Suggestions, Question Keywords, Related Terms, or Long-tail Keywords.
- Optionally open Advanced Options to set location, language, minimum volume, or maximum difficulty.
- Click Research.
Working inside a project has one big advantage: Add to Project sends selected keywords directly into the Rank Tracker.
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.
- Competition - Low, Medium, or High paid-search competition.
- 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:
- Add to Project - starts tracking them in the Rank Tracker on the target you choose.
- Export CSV - downloads the results for analysis elsewhere.
Use Select All / Deselect All for large result sets, and the results-per-page control to page through them.
FAQ
What does a search cost?
10 credits per fresh search. If the same query was researched within the last 30 days, the cached results are free.
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.
