How to Analyse Competitor Keywords for SEO

Your competitors are already doing half the work for you. They’re out there ranking for keywords, testing search terms, and essentially handing you a roadmap to their SEO success. The trick is knowing how to read that map properly.

I’ve spent years watching businesses struggle with keyword research, throwing darts in the dark when their competitors’ strategies are sitting right there in plain sight. It’s like trying to find buried treasure when someone’s already marked the spots with big red X’s.

So let’s talk about how to properly analyse what your competition is doing & turn their keyword strategies into your competitive advantage.

Finding Your Real SEO Competitors

Here’s where most people get it wrong straight away. Your business competitors aren’t necessarily your SEO competitors. That local bakery down the street might be your biggest business rival, but if they’re not ranking for anything online, they’re irrelevant for this exercise.

Your SEO competitors are the websites that show up when you search for terms related to your business. Start with a simple Google search using your main keywords. Who’s dominating those first page results? Those are your real opponents.

I like to think of it this way – if someone’s looking for what you sell & they type it into Google, whose websites are they seeing before yours? Those sites are stealing your potential customers, whether you know the company names or not.

Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to get a clearer picture. These platforms will show you which domains are competing for similar keyword spaces. Sometimes you’ll discover competitors you never knew existed. Big surprise – that random blog that’s been consistently outranking you actually has a solid content strategy.

Don’t limit yourself to direct competitors either. If you sell running shoes, fitness blogs might be ranking for keywords you want to target.

Essential Tools for Keyword Spy Work

You’ll need proper tools for this job. Free options exist, but they’re like trying to perform surgery with a butter knife – technically possible, but why make life harder?

Ahrefs remains my go-to choice. Their Site Explorer feature lets you punch in any domain & see exactly what keywords they’re ranking for. You can sort by position, search volume, difficulty – it’s like having X-ray vision for SEO.

SEMrush offers similar functionality with their Organic Research tool. The interface feels different, but the data quality is solid. Their Keyword Gap tool (which we’ll cover later) is particularly handy.

Don’t sleep on free options though. Google Keyword Planner still provides valuable insights, especially for search volumes. Ubersuggest has a limited free tier that can give you a taste of competitor analysis.

SpyFu deserves a mention too. The name says it all really – it’s built specifically for competitive intelligence. Their historical data goes back further than most tools.

Whatever tool you choose, learn it properly. Each platform has its quirks & shortcuts that can save you hours once you know them.

Uncovering Their Keyword Goldmine

Now comes the fun part. Time to see what keywords your competitors are actually ranking for.

Start with their homepage, but don’t stop there. Most tools will show you the top pages by organic traffic. These are usually their money pages – the ones bringing in the most search visitors. Pay attention to these.

Look for patterns in their keyword strategy. Are they targeting long-tail phrases? Going after high-volume competitive terms? Focusing on local search? You’ll start to see their approach emerge from the data.

Here’s something I’ve noticed over the years – successful sites often have a mix of different keyword types. They’ll have some high-volume competitive terms for visibility, medium-competition phrases for steady traffic, & long-tail keywords that convert well.

Don’t just look at their top keywords either. Sometimes the real gems are buried deeper in their ranking list. That keyword sitting at position 15 might be one they’re not optimising for properly – an opportunity for you to swoop in.

Export the data. Most tools let you download keyword lists. You’ll want to analyse this stuff properly, which means getting it into a spreadsheet where you can sort, filter & compare.

Pay special attention to keywords where they’re ranking in positions 4-10. These represent opportunities where they’re close but not quite dominating.

The Art of Keyword Gap Analysis

This is where competitor keyword analysis gets really interesting. Gap analysis shows you keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t. Think of it as finding the holes in your own strategy.

Most major SEO tools have dedicated gap analysis features. You input your domain plus up to four competitor domains, & the tool shows you keywords they’re ranking for that you’re missing entirely.

But here’s the thing – not every gap is worth filling. Just because a competitor ranks for a keyword doesn’t mean you should chase it. Maybe it’s not relevant to your audience. Perhaps it’s too competitive for your current domain authority.

I prioritise gaps based on three factors. Relevance to my business (obviously). Search volume that justifies the effort. & keyword difficulty that matches my site’s current capabilities.

Look for what I call “low-hanging fruit” – keywords with decent search volume where your competitors are ranking but not dominating. If they’re sitting at position 6 or 7, there’s room for you to compete.

Sometimes the biggest opportunities are the most obvious ones. Keywords directly related to your products or services that somehow slipped through your initial research.

Interpreting Gap Analysis Results

The data can be overwhelming at first. Thousands of keywords, all screaming for attention. You need a system to make sense of it all.

Start by filtering for keywords with decent search volume. Anything under 100 monthly searches probably isn’t worth your immediate attention unless it’s highly targeted to your niche.

Next, look at keyword difficulty scores. These aren’t perfect, but they give you a rough idea of how hard it’ll be to rank. If you’re a new site, focus on easier targets first.

Content Opportunities from Competitor Research

Your competitor keyword research reveals more than just search terms – it shows you content gaps & opportunities you might have missed.

Look at the types of content that are ranking well for your competitors. Are they crushing it with how-to guides? Product comparison pages? Industry news? This tells you what search engines (& users) value in your space.

I often find that competitors are ranking for informational keywords that never appeared on my initial keyword list. These discovery moments can reshape your entire content strategy.

Pay attention to the search intent behind their ranking keywords too. Are people looking for information, trying to buy something, or comparing options? Your content needs to match that intent if you want to compete.

Sometimes you’ll spot glaring content gaps. Keywords where competitors rank but their content isn’t particularly strong. That’s your opening to create something better & steal their traffic.

Don’t just copy what they’re doing though. Use their success as inspiration, then make it better, more comprehensive, or more targeted to your specific audience.

Tracking Rankings & Progress

Competitor keyword analysis isn’t a one-time activity. Search results shift constantly, & your competitors are always adjusting their strategies.

Set up rank tracking for the keywords you’ve identified as opportunities. This lets you monitor your progress as you optimise & create content around these terms.

But also track your competitors’ movements. If they suddenly drop rankings for a valuable keyword, that’s your chance to pounce. Conversely, if they’re climbing for terms you’re targeting, you need to understand why.

Most SEO tools offer position tracking features. Set up campaigns to monitor both your rankings & your competitors’ for key terms. The data will help you spot trends & opportunities as they develop.

I recommend checking these reports weekly rather than daily. Daily fluctuations can be misleading & drive you crazy. Weekly trends give you a clearer picture of what’s actually happening.

Remember that rankings aren’t everything though. A keyword might be less valuable than the data suggests if it doesn’t convert visitors into customers.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Let me save you some time & frustration. These are the traps I see people fall into repeatedly when analysing competitor keywords.

First mistake – assuming bigger competitors are always doing everything right. Just because they’re ranking well doesn’t mean their keyword strategy is perfect. Sometimes they’re ranking despite poor optimisation, not because of great SEO.

Second – focusing only on high-volume keywords. Yes, ranking for terms with 10,000 monthly searches would be lovely, but those 50-search terms might convert better for your specific business.

Third mistake is trying to target everything at once. I’ve seen websites try to optimise for hundreds of competitor keywords simultaneously. It’s like trying to dig a hundred shallow holes instead of a few deep ones.

Don’t ignore search intent either. A keyword might look perfect on paper, but if people searching for it want something different from what you offer, you’re wasting your time.

Also, be wary of seasonal fluctuations. That keyword your competitor is crushing might only be popular during certain times of the year. Check the search trends before committing resources to it.

Finally, remember that correlation isn’t causation. Just because a competitor ranks well for a keyword doesn’t mean that specific term is driving their business success.

Building Your Action Plan

All this research means nothing without proper execution. You need a clear plan for acting on what you’ve discovered.

Start by categorising your opportunities. Quick wins that you can target immediately. Medium-term goals that need more substantial content creation. & long-term targets that require building your site’s authority first.

Prioritise based on potential impact versus effort required. That keyword with 5,000 monthly searches might look appealing, but if it’ll take six months to rank for it, those smaller opportunities might generate traffic sooner.

Create a content calendar that targets your chosen keywords systematically. Don’t try to optimise existing pages for every new keyword you’ve found. Sometimes you need fresh content that’s built around these terms from the ground up.

Consider the technical aspects too. Some keywords might require specific page types, better site speed, or mobile optimisation to compete effectively.

Set realistic timelines & expectations. SEO takes time, & ranking for competitive keywords that your established competitors dominate won’t happen overnight.

The Bottom Line

Competitor keyword analysis is detective work, really. You’re gathering clues about what works in your market & using those insights to inform your own strategy.

The tools make it easier than ever to peek behind the curtain of your competitors’ SEO efforts. But having the data is only half the battle. The real skill lies in interpreting what you find & turning those insights into actionable improvements for your own site.

I think the biggest value comes from discovering opportunities you never knew existed. Keywords that are profitable for competitors but somehow escaped your initial research. Content gaps where you can genuinely provide something better than what currently ranks.

Remember though – the goal isn’t to copy your competitors exactly. It’s to learn from their successes & failures, then build a keyword strategy that’s uniquely suited to your business. Use their work as a foundation, but make it your own.