Mastering Competitor Keyword Research: Strategies & Techniques

This post was sponsored by SE Ranking. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.

Wondering why your competitors rank higher than you?

The key to your competitors' SEO success could be just focusing on the right keywords. If these keywords are working well for your competitors, there's a high possibility that they could also benefit your website.

Competitor Keyword Analysis Can Help You Excel in SEO Strategy

By conducting competitor keyword analysis, you can gain valuable insights to improve your own SEO strategy and even surpass your competitors in search engine result pages (SERPs).

Knowing the competitor keywords is important because they are the search terms your competitors use to rank high in search engines, either through organic results or paid ads.

By gathering the search terms your competitors focus on, you can benefit in the following ways:

1. Identify & Close Keyword Gaps.

The list of high-ranking keywords driving traffic to your competitors may include valuable search terms you’re currently missing out on.

Adapting to market trends and customer needs is key. To close these keyword gaps, consider optimizing your current content with these keywords or using them to create new content that can attract high traffic.

You might see changes in the keywords your competitors are focusing on for their content. This could indicate changes in market trends or what customers are looking for.

It's important to monitor these keywords so you can stay ahead of new trends and adjust your content strategy accordingly.

3. Improve Visibility & Rankings

By studying the keywords and pages that are performing well for your competitors, you can uncover valuable insights such as their content format, focus on user intent, and how often they update their content.

Study what works for your rivals (and why) to learn how to adapt these tactics to your website and achieve higher SERP positions.

How To Identify Your Competitors’ Keywords

There are many ways to find keywords used by competitors within their content. Let’s weigh the pros and cons of the most popular options.

Use SE Ranking

SE Ranking offers a comprehensive toolkit that provides valuable data insights to help SEO professionals create and manage successful SEO campaigns. Below are the benefits that the platform offers for both agency and in-house SEO professionals:

SE Ranking boasts one of the largest keyword databases on the web, with over 5 billion keywords spanning 188 regions. The number of keywords in their database continues to grow, with a 30% increase in 2024 compared to the previous year.

SE Ranking ensures reliable data by collecting keyword data, analyzing it, and calculating core SEO metrics using its proprietary algorithm. The platform also utilizes AI-powered traffic estimations that match up to 100% with GSC data.

Thanks to SE Ranking’s recent data quality update, the platform now offers even more up-to-date and precise information on backlinks and referring domains, including new and lost ones.

As a result of this update, SE Ranking is now able to provide highly accurate calculations of keyword difficulty by taking into account factors such as the website’s backlink profile, authority, and competitiveness in search engine results pages (SERPs). This helps users easily determine the likelihood of their website or page ranking at the top for a specific search query.

Broad range of features. In addition to competitive and keyword research, this tool allows you to track keyword rankings, conduct website audits, optimize on-page content, manage local SEO campaigns, and more.

Excellent value for the price. With premium features and ample data limits, this tool offers a fair price without sacrificing functionality. No need to compromise between affordability and performance.

Let's see how SE Ranking can help you find out the keywords your competitors are focusing on for both organic search and paid ads.

Start by going to the Competitive Research Tool and entering your competitor's domain name in the search bar. Choose a region and click Analyze to begin analyzing their website.

Image created by SE Ranking, May 2024

Head over to the left-hand navigation menu and choose between the Organic Traffic Research or Paid Traffic Research tab depending on your goal.

Once you've selected the tab, you'll find valuable data such as estimated organic clicks, total number of keywords, traffic cost, and backlinks.

Image created by SE Ranking, May 2024

When you scroll down this page, you will come across a table displaying the keywords that the website is ranking for. The table includes information such as search volume, keyword difficulty, user intent, SERP features triggered by keywords, ranking position, URLs ranking for the analyzed keyword, and more.

Image created by SE Ranking, May 2024

What’s more, the tool allows you to find keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t.

To do this, head to the Competitor Comparison tab and add up to two websites for comparison.

Image created by SE Ranking, May 2024

Within the Missing tab, you’ll be able to see existing keyword gaps.

Image created by SE Ranking, May 2024

While the platform has its advantages, it is important to note that there are also some drawbacks to consider. One of these is that certain features require higher-priced plans. For example, access to historical keyword data is limited to users with Pro and Business plans.

Data is limited to Google only. SE Ranking’s Competitor Research Tool only provides data for Google.

Use Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a free Google service, which you can use to find competitors’ paid keywords.

Here’s the list of benefits this tool offers in terms of competitive keyword analysis:

Keyword Planner is a free tool that is perfect for SEO beginners and businesses on a budget. It provides essential keyword data such as search volume, competition, and suggested bid prices for each keyword.

Keyword categorization is made easy with Keyword Planner. It enables you to group keywords into different categories, making it easier to create focused ad campaigns.

In addition, Keyword Planner provides access to four years of historical data. This allows you to track keyword performance over time and make informed decisions for your campaigns.

Once you log into your  Google Ads account, navigate to the Tools section and select Keyword Planner.

Screenshot from Google Ads, May 2024

Now, click on the Discover new keywords option.

Screenshot from Google Ads, May 2024

Simply start by selecting the "Start with a website" option and enter your competitor’s website domain, region, and language. Then, you can choose to analyze the entire site for more comprehensive insights or focus on a specific URL.

Screenshot from Google Ads, May 2024

And there you have it — a table with all keywords that your analyzed website uses in its Google Ads campaigns.

Screenshot from Google Ads, May 2024

Keyword Planner may have its benefits, but when it comes to finding competitors' keywords, it falls short in a few key areas. One major drawback is the lack of organic data. Instead, the tool primarily focuses on paid keywords, making it more ideal for advertising campaigns.

• The search volume data provided is broad, shown in ranges rather than specific numbers, making it challenging to accurately gauge the demand for the keywords you've identified.

• This tool lacks a keyword gap feature, which means you can't directly compare your keywords with those of your competitors. As a result, it may be harder to identify any missing keyword opportunities.

So, if you want to access more reliable and in-depth data on competitors’ keywords, you’ll most likely need to consider other dedicated SEO tools.

Use SpyFu

SpyFu is a comprehensive SEO and PPC analysis tool created with the idea of “spying” on competitors.

Its main pros in terms of competitor keyword analysis are the following:

SpyFu provides access to a database containing over 10 years of historical data. This feature is exclusive to the Professional plan, allowing users to track industry trends over time and make informed decisions.

One useful tool offered by SpyFu is the keyword gap analysis. With this tool, users can compare their keywords to those of their competitors using metrics such as search volume, keyword difficulty, organic clicks, and more. This helps in identifying opportunities for improvement and staying ahead in the competition.

Affordability. It’s suitable for businesses on a tight budget.

To explore competitor data, simply visit their website and enter your competitor’s domain in the search bar.

Gain valuable insights into their SEO performance, including estimated traffic, top-performing pages, and keywords. Simply go to the Top Keywords section and click on the View All Organic Keywords button to view the search terms they are ranking for.

In the screenshot of SpyFu from May 2024, the free version offers a glimpse of the top 5 keywords for a domain, including details such as search volume, rank change, SEO clicks, and more. For a more thorough analysis, upgrading to a paid plan is necessary.

When it comes to the tool’s cons, it would be worth mentioning:

Keyword data may be outdated. On average, SpyFu updates data on keyword rankings once a month.

Limited number of target regions. Keyword data is available for just 14 countries.

Wrapping Up

Finding your competitors' keywords can greatly enhance your content strategy and help you stand out in search engine results.

By following the simple steps outlined in this article, you can discover valuable keywords that you may not have thought of before.

Ready to start optimizing your website? Sign up for SE Ranking and get the data you need to deliver great user experiences.

Try SE Ranking For Free

Image Credits

Featured Image: Image by SE Ranking. Used with permission.

Editor's P/S:

The article provides valuable insights into the importance of competitor keyword analysis for improving SEO strategy. By understanding the keywords that competitors are ranking for, businesses can identify opportunities to close keyword gaps, improve visibility and rankings, and stay ahead in the competition. The article also highlights the benefits and drawbacks of using different tools for competitor keyword analysis, such as SE Ranking, Google Keyword Planner, and SpyFu.

It's important to note that the article is sponsored by SE Ranking, and the opinions expressed in the article are the sponsor's own. However, the information provided about the benefits and limitations of SE Ranking and other tools is generally accurate and helpful for businesses looking to conduct competitor keyword analysis. Overall, the article serves as a useful resource for businesses looking to improve their SEO strategy and gain a competitive advantage in search engine results.