How to Find Competitor Keywords: Approach and 6 Essential Toolsets

Struggling to rank higher in search results? Feeling like your competitors are always one step ahead? You’re not alone. Many businesses find it challenging to identify the right keywords to target and optimize their content effectively. The good news is that by understanding and leveraging your competitor's keyword strategies, you can uncover valuable opportunities to boost your own SEO performance.

This guide dives deep into how to find competitor keywords, offering a comprehensive approach and a curated list of essential toolsets to help you outmaneuver the competition. We’ll go beyond the surface-level advice often found online, providing actionable steps and insights to help you gain a strategic advantage.

What Are Competitor Keywords?

Competitor keywords are the terms and phrases that your rivals are ranking for in search engine results pages (SERPs). These keywords drive organic traffic to their websites and provide valuable insights into their SEO and content strategies. Understanding these keywords is crucial for several reasons:

• Identifying Opportunities: Discover keywords you may have overlooked, uncovering new avenues for content creation and SEO optimization.
• Understanding Market Trends: Get a better grasp of what your target audience is searching for and the language they use.
• Benchmarking Performance: Evaluate your own keyword performance against your competitors, identifying areas where you can improve.

• Content Gap Analysis: Spot topics and keywords that your competitors are covering, but you're not, revealing opportunities to create unique and valuable content.

Why Are Competitor Keywords Important?

Think of competitor keywords as a roadmap to success. They show you what's working for others in your industry and provide a foundation for building a stronger SEO strategy. Here’s a closer look at why they matter:

• Improved Search Rankings: By targeting the same keywords as your competitors (and doing it better), you can improve your website's visibility in search results.
• Increased Organic Traffic: Higher rankings lead to more organic traffic, which can translate into more leads, customers, and revenue.
• Informed Content Strategy: Understanding competitor keywords helps you create content that's relevant, valuable, and optimized for search engines.
• Enhanced Competitive Advantage: By staying informed about your competitors' strategies, you can adapt and refine your own approach to stay ahead of the curve.

Identifying Your SEO Competitors

Before you can start finding competitor keywords, you need to know who your SEO competitors are. These aren't necessarily the same as your direct business competitors. Your SEO competitors are the websites that rank for the same keywords as you, even if they offer different products or services.

Here's how to identify them:

• Google Search: Search for the keywords you're already targeting or want to target. The websites that consistently appear in the top results are your SEO competitors.
• Keyword Research Tools: Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to identify websites that rank for the same keywords as your site.
• Customer Surveys: Ask your customers which websites they use to find information about your industry or products.
• Industry Research: Look for websites and blogs that are influential in your niche.

Pro Tip: Don't just focus on the big players. Smaller, niche-focused websites can also be valuable sources of keyword ideas.

Tools for Competitor Keyword Research

Now that you know who your competitors are, it's time to start digging into their keyword strategies. Here are 6 essential toolsets for competitor keyword research:

• SEMrush: A comprehensive SEO platform that offers a wide range of features for competitor analysis, including keyword research, traffic analysis, and backlink analysis.
• Ahrefs: Another powerful SEO toolset that provides detailed insights into competitor keywords, backlinks, and content performance. Many users praise Ahrefs for its accuracy in link building.
• SpyFu: Focuses specifically on competitor keyword research, allowing you to see the keywords your competitors are buying on Google Ads and the keywords they're ranking for organically.
• Ubersuggest: A more affordable option that still offers valuable keyword research and competitor analysis features. While some users find it less accurate than Ahrefs or SEMrush, it's a good starting point for smaller businesses.
• Moz: A well-established SEO platform that provides a suite of tools for keyword research, rank tracking, and site audits.
• Google Keyword Planner: A free tool from Google that can help you identify potential keywords and analyze their search volume and competition.

Choosing the Right Tool: Many users feel that while tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush are powerful, they can be expensive. There's a desire for cheaper alternatives, but also concern about the accuracy of data from those alternatives. No single tool can track all elements of competitor analysis. A combination of tools and manual analysis is often necessary.

Approaches to Finding Competitor Keywords

There are several effective approaches to finding competitor keywords. Here are some of the most popular:

1. Content Gap Analysis:

• Goal:

• How to:
  • Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to compare your website's keyword rankings with those of your competitors.
  • Identify keywords that your competitors rank for, but you don't.
  • Analyze the content your competitors are creating around those keywords.
  • Create better, more comprehensive content that targets those keywords.

2. Top Pages Analysis:

• Goal:

• How to:
  • Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to identify your competitors' top-performing pages.
  • Analyze the keywords that those pages are ranking for.
  • Identify opportunities to create similar content or improve existing content.

3. Backlink Analysis:

• Goal:

• How to:
  • Use tools like Ahrefs or Moz to analyze your competitors' backlink profiles.
  • Identify the anchor text used in their backlinks.
  • Target those same keywords in your own link-building efforts.

4. Paid Keyword Analysis:

• Goal:

• How to:
  • Use tools like SpyFu or SEMrush to see the keywords your competitors are bidding on.
  • Analyze the ad copy and landing pages they're using.
  • Identify opportunities to target those same keywords in your own paid campaigns.

5. Manual Analysis:

• Goal:

• How to:
  • Review competitor websites, noting the language they use on product pages, blog posts, and other content.
  • Pay attention to header tags, meta descriptions, and image alt text.
  • Analyze competitor social media to see what topics and keywords they're using.

Expanding Your Keyword List

Once you've identified a list of competitor keywords, it's time to expand it. Here are some techniques to help you find even more relevant keywords:

• Long-Tail Keywords: Look for longer, more specific phrases that your target audience might be searching for. These keywords often have lower competition and can be easier to rank for.
• Synonyms and Related Terms: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Thesaurus.com to find synonyms and related terms for your target keywords.
• Question Keywords: Identify questions that your target audience is asking about your industry or products. You can use tools like AnswerThePublic or Quora to find these questions.
• Customer Feedback: Analyze customer reviews, surveys, and support tickets to identify the language your customers use to describe your products or services.

Evaluating Competitor Keywords

Not all competitor keywords are created equal. Some will be more valuable to your business than others. Here's how to evaluate competitor keywords and prioritize the most promising ones:

• Relevance: How relevant is the keyword to your business and target audience?
• Search Volume: How many people are searching for the keyword each month?
• Competition: How difficult is it to rank for the keyword?
• Search Intent: What is the user's intent when searching for the keyword? Are they looking to buy something, find information, or solve a problem?
• Business Value: How likely is the keyword to drive conversions and revenue for your business?

Prioritizing Competitor Keywords

Once you've evaluated your list of competitor keywords, it's time to prioritize them. Focus on the keywords that are most relevant, have a high search volume, low competition, clear search intent, and high business value.

Here's a simple prioritization framework:

• High Priority: Keywords that meet all or most of the above criteria.
• Medium Priority: Keywords that meet some of the criteria but have some drawbacks (e.g., high competition).
• Low Priority: Keywords that don't meet most of the criteria.

Turning Keywords into Content

Now that you have a prioritized list of competitor keywords, it's time to turn them into content. Here are some ideas:

• Blog Posts: Create informative and engaging blog posts that target your priority keywords.
• Landing Pages: Optimize your landing pages for your target keywords to improve your conversion rates.
• Product Descriptions: Use your target keywords in your product descriptions to improve your product visibility in search results.
• Infographics: Create visually appealing infographics that present information related to your target keywords.
• Videos: Produce videos that address topics related to your target keywords.

Conclusion: Strategic Advantage

Finding and leveraging competitor keywords is a critical component of a successful SEO strategy. By understanding what your competitors are ranking for, you can identify new opportunities, improve your search rankings, and drive more organic traffic to your website. Remember, it is important to create valuable, audience-resonant content.

By following the approach and using the toolsets outlined in this guide, you'll be well-equipped to outmaneuver the competition and achieve your SEO goals. Don't let your competitors have all the fun – start your competitor keyword research today!