Find Competitors Keywords: Ultimate Guide (2023)

Find Competitors Keywords (Competitor Keywords to Target and Not Target)

Any time I build a Zero-to-Hero keyword and SEO strategy part of my process is analyzing the keywords of competitors. To find competitor keywords you have to look at the keywords of two types of competitors:

• Direct Competitors: These are companies, agencies, and consultants that have products, services, and offerings similar to yours
• Organic Content Competitors: These are websites Google has deemed as credible and authoritative in your niche that are ranking for keywords relevant to your products, services, and offerings

You can maximize your organic search rankings and revenue growth by understanding which words will draw in customers searching for products or services similar to yours. As you find competitor keywords it’s important to consider not all keywords are created equal. The keywords that matter most for you are keywords that can be found within your customer journey and have some level of intent for what you offer.

As you find competitors keywords to add to your SEO strategy for the keywords to make an impact on your company’s growth they have to sit within your marketing funnel (i.e. customer journey):

• Informational/top of the funnel (TOFU)
• Decision-making/middle of the funnel (MOFU)
• Transactional/bottom of the funnel (BOFU)

If you haphazardly add any competitor keyword to your SEO strategy you’ll end up wasting a lot of time, money, and resources potentially targeting the wrong buyer persona. You could still see a growth in organic traffic but likely not see a growth in revenue because the people visiting don’t have interest or intent in what you have to offer.

To establish a strategic foundation to find competitors keywords that result in both organic traffic growth and conversions:

• Make a list of direct competitors
• Make a list of organic content competitors
• When you find competitors keywords (which you will learn how to do below) analyze the keyword and tag it with TOFU, MOFU, or BOFU, if you can’t place a tag on the keyword because it doesn’t have a place in your customer journey add it to a list of keywords the competitors are ranking for (for an understanding of the competitors strategy) but do not target the keyword as it will not produce direct conversions for what you have to offer (you could target the keyword for general brand awareness but with so many keywords that can drive both conversions and build brand awareness your efforts are better focused elsewhere)

Why Find Competitors Keywords

By understanding what keywords your competitors target, you can ensure you are not overlooking valuable opportunities to rank for a keyword potential customers are searching for.

Targeting competitor keywords that can drive organic traffic to your site and that have some level of intent for what you offer can result in:

• More brand awareness,
• Optimizing website content to fill-in content gaps,
• Reducing paid customer acquisition costs,
• Capturing more market share and increasing revenue, and
• Increasing profit margins overtime.

Additionally, by targeting competitor keywords, you can attract potential customers who know your competitor’s brand but have yet to discover your brand. When you rank for a competitor’s keyword and their existing customer clicks on your organic search placement you implement a very strategic, and long-lasting, way to build a competitive brand using Google (and other search engines).

Competitor Keywords to Target

Competitor keywords you should target:

• Are from a direct competitor or organic content competitor
• Are keywords a potential customer would search for in order to get general information about your products, services, and/or offerings
• Are keywords a potential customer would search for in order to make a decision about your products, services, and/or offerings
• Are keywords a potential customer would search for in order to purchase your products, services, and/or offerings

Competitor Keywords You Should Not Target

Competitor keywords you should not target:

• Are keywords that do not sit within your customer journey
• Are keywords from sites that are not direct competitors or organic content competitor

Find Competitors Keywords (Step-by-Step)

The steps below will help any business owner or marketing professional who wants to find competitors keywords build a strategic SEO strategy to stay competitive in organic search rankings.

Find Competitors Keywords (Steps)

1. Identify Competitors: Start by identifying who your main direct competitors and organic content competitors are
2. Use a Keyword Competitor Analysis Tool: Tools like SpyFu, Google Keyword Planner, and Ahrefs can be of immense help to find competitors keywords. Generally, the process is only a few clicks to uncover a detailed list of the keywords competitors rank for.
3. Analyze Competitor Content and Pages: Look at the keywords your competitors are using on their website meta tags, in their page titles, in their descriptions, and in their content. This can give you an idea of the keywords they are targeting. To do this:
   1. Simply right click on a web page and click “View Page Source”
   2. Use the control find function on your computer to identify the title, meta name/description, and H1 tags
   3. Add the H1 and meta information to a spreadsheet
4. Evaluate Keyword Relevance: Not all keywords that your competitors are using will be relevant to your business. Analyze and tag competitor keywords with TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU. If you can’t tag a competitor’s keyword then the keyword is highly unlikely to drive traffic to your website that converts into a customer.
5. Analyze Keyword Difficulty and Search Volume: Use SEO tools to analyze the difficulty and search volume of the keywords. Each keyword tool has a different way of scoring keywords. Take the scorings with a grain of salt. Their lack of reliability led to the development of my Zero-to-Hero keyword formula that identifies rankable keywords.
6. Optimize Your Content: Once you’ve identified keywords you want to target, naturally, and intentionally, incorporate them into your site content and meta tags. This can help you rank organically in Google and boost your organic traffic. Places to incorporate keywords are on landing pages, in articles you revise to target your competitors keyword, and new articles/blog posts.

Use the links below to jump to steps on how to use the top keyword competitor analysis tools to find competitors keywords:

• SpyFu
• Google Keyword Planner
• Ahrefs

SEO and ranking for competitor keywords needs continuous efforts and adjustments based on the evolving SEO landscape.

While it may be tempting to hope for quick results, remember that true success in SEO comes from a strategic and diligent approach. Over time, with the right keywords, the right tactics and perseverance, you’ll see your website climb up in Google’s search results, gaining visibility and attracting more organic traffic.

How Do I Find a Company’s Keywords?

Finding a company’s keywords may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Many tools such as SpyFu, Google Keyword Planner, and Ahrefs (mentioned earlier) can simplify the process of finding competitors keywords.

By just inserting the company’s URL into these tools, you can reveal the keywords competitors rank for. This valuable information can provide insights into the search terms you should also be considering for your SEO strategy. However, always remember to evaluate the relevance of those keywords to your business and check their search volume and competition level before deciding to target them.

Keyword Competitor Analysis Tool

A keyword competitor analysis tool is an indispensable asset in your SEO arsenal. These tools, including industry favorites like SpyFu, Google Keyword Planner, and Ahrefs. Each is designed to peel back the layers of your competitors’ SEO strategies, and reveal the keywords that are driving their success.

Armed with competitor keyword information, you can create a targeted and effective SEO approach that can help your website rank higher.

A keyword competitor analysis tool allows you to input a competitor’s URL and in return, provides:

• A comprehensive list of keywords a competitor is ranking for,
• Your competitor keyword positions,
• The search volume of the keyword, and
• Estimated monthly traffic a competitor’s keyword generates.

This intelligence not only reveals your competition’s strategy but also uncovers potential keyword opportunities that you may not have considered. The more you understand your competition, the better equipped you are to surpass them.

Keyword Competitor Analysis Tool Benefits for SEO:

• Competitor Edge: A keyword competitor analysis tool makes it very easy to uncover keywords competitors are targeting and how they are performing for the keyword, this information gives your business a competitive edge.
• Trends Discovery: A keyword competitor analysis tool can make it easy to discover trending keywords and stay ahead of the curve by promptly incorporating them into your content.
• Improve Content: A keyword competitor analysis tool can help you improve your content by revealing topics, phrases, categories, and questions your ideal customer is searching for. You can use this information to optimize existing content to match what people want.
• Cost-Effective: A keyword competitor analysis tool helps to ensure your SEO efforts are targeted and efficient, saving time and resources. When you target the wrong keywords or worse yet create content (such as thought leadership pieces) that target no keywords you waste thousands of dollars and miss opportunities to capture customers.
• Identify Gaps: A keyword competitor analysis tool helps to assist in identifying gaps in your keyword strategy that might be leading to missed opportunities. Enhance your editorial calendar with content that targets competitor keywords and that fills in gaps where your customer is conducting a search and your site is nowhere to be found in the organic search results.
• Informed Decisions: A keyword competitor analysis tool helps you to strategically analyze competitor keywords, their associated data, and make tactical SEO decisions that can boost organic traffic and revenue.
• Better Ranking: A keyword competitor analysis tool can help you to build targeted content pillars with strategic keyword cohorts that result in all your keywords ranking better, thus improving your visibility on search engines and increasing all the benefits of ranking.
• Performance Tracking: Most paid keyword competitor analysis tools have a feature to track your keyword performance and adjust your strategy as needed.
• Long-Term SEO Strategy: Using a competitor analysis tool is crucial for crafting a viable long-term, sustainable SEO strategy.
• Increased Traffic and Conversions: A keyword competitor analysis tool ultimately, helps to create a well-informed keyword strategy, a well-informed strategy can lead to increased website traffic and higher conversion rates.

Keyword Competitor Analysis Tools (Top 3)

There are various tools available that specialize in keyword competitor analysis. These include:

• SpyFu: As mentioned above, SpyFu is a powerful tool that provides comprehensive reports on your competitors’ keywords, rankings, and more.
• Google Keyword Planner: This free tool was created by Google to help find keyword ideas and to analyze the search volume and competition of keywords.
• Ahrefs: Ahrefs is known for its extensive database of backlinks and keywords, making it a valuable tool for competitor analysis.

In my opinion, there is no one keyword competitor analysis tool that is the end all be all.

I have used a myriad of tools to develop my Zero-to-Hero keyword formula that identifies easily rankable keywords.

Remember to use keyword competitor analysis tools in conjunction with each other for a well-rounded understanding of your competitors’ strategies.

Also, don’t be afraid to experiment and try out different tools to find the one that works best for your needs.

If you prefer to make it really easy on yourself to find competitors keywords I can help build you an editorial calendar of Zero-to-Hero keywords that include competitors keywords. To learn more, message me here or fill out the form below.

Spyfu (Keyword Competitor Analysis Tool)

What is SpyFu?
SpyFu is an advanced SEO tool designed to optimize your online visibility by analyzing your competitors’ strategies. It provides comprehensive data on the keywords your competitors are ranking for, their SEO rankings, pay-per-click (PPC) statistics, and much more.

SpyFu can provide invaluable insights to boost your SEO efforts and outperform your competitors. It’s a paid tool that starts at $16.99/month with an annual subscription.

How to Use SpyFu to Find Competitor Keywords?

Using SpyFu to find competitor keywords is a simple and straightforward process. Here’s how you can leverage its power:

• Enter a Competitor’s URL: Navigate to the SpyFu homepage and insert your competitor’s URL into the search bar. Then, hit ‘Enter’.

• Access Keyword Overview: SpyFu will present an overview of your competitor’s keyword performance, including their organic keywords and paid keywords.

• View Detailed Keyword Reports: Click on ‘Organic Keywords’ or ‘Paid Keywords’ to access detailed reports. These reports include the specific keywords your competitor is ranking for, their ranking history, estimated clicks per month, and more.

• Export Keyword Data: You can export this valuable data for further analysis and to inform your SEO strategy.

By leveraging SpyFu’s functionalities, you can gain a competitive edge, discovering not just what their competitors are doing, but how they can do it better. This crucial information can inform content creation, SEO tactics, and overall marketing strategy, leading to increased visibility, organic traffic growth, and ultimately, conversions.

Google Keyword Planner (Keyword Competitor Analysis Tool)

What is Google Keyword Planner?
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool offered as part of Google Ads. It’s designed to help businesses, marketers, and content creators discover new keyword ideas, analyze keyword trends, and understand how specific keywords might perform.

Google Keyword Planner is tailored to aid in creating Google Ad campaigns by providing insights into keywords’ estimated search volume, competition level, and potential cost-per-click. I however leverage its data for SEO purposes.

How to Use Google Keyword Planner to Find Competitors’ Keywords?

To use Google Keyword Planner to find competitors’ keywords do the following:

• Access Google Keyword Planner: First, sign in to your Google Ads account. Click on the ‘Tools & Settings’ icon, then under ‘Planning’, select ‘Keyword Planner’.

• Discover New Keywords: Click on ‘Discover new keywords’. Here you have the option to “Start with keywords” or “Start with a website.” The latter allows you to enter your competitor’s domain to see their keyword strategy.

• Enter Your Competitor’s Domain: In the “Start with a website” tab, enter your competitor’s website URL and choose the appropriate targeting settings regarding language and location. Click on ‘Get Results’ to proceed.

• Analyze Keyword Results: You’ll be presented with a list of keywords related to your competitor’s site and products. This list will include information about average monthly searches, competition level, and suggested bid amounts for each keyword.

• Export Keyword Data: If you find the information useful, you can export it to a spreadsheet for further analysis and implementation into your own SEO strategy.

Understanding how to use keyword competitor analysis tools like Google Keyword Planner to find competitors keywords can give you a significant edge in your SEO efforts, making it an essential strategy.

Ahrefs (Keyword Competitor Analysis Tool)

What is Ahrefs?
Ahrefs is a comprehensive, versatile SEO tool utilized by digital marketers and businesses across the globe. It offers a wealth of features designed to optimize online visibility and performance.

Beyond keyword research, Ahrefs provides website audits, competitor analysis, content exploration, and backlink checking. Its advanced keyword explorer combines a database of over 7 billion keywords with robust analytics, ensuring you have the insights needed to make informed decisions.

Ahrefs is a paid tool with subscriptions starting at $99.00 per month.

How to Use Ahrefs to Find Competitor Keywords?

Using Ahrefs to find competitor keywords is both efficient and effective. Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Enter a Competitor’s URL: Begin by navigating to the Ahrefs logged in homepage and inputting your competitor’s URL into the site explorer search bar, then click ‘Enter’.
2. Access Organic Keywords Report: In the left sidebar, from the domain’s overview page click on ‘Organic Keywords’ to access the report detailing which keywords your competitors are ranking for.



3. Analyze Keyword Data: The report generated provides valuable data such as keyword difficulty (KD), search volume, traffic, position in the SERPs, and more. This information allows you to identify potential keywords to target.



4. Export Keyword Data: If you find the information useful, or select keywords useful, you can export the data you want for further analysis and to help shape your own SEO strategy.

By using Ahrefs, you can uncover a wealth of competitor data, including their keyword strategy. This knowledge, in turn, helps to refine your own SEO efforts, strengthening your keyword strategy, improving website ranking, and ultimately, driving organic traffic and conversions.

Find Competitors Keywords (FAQs) 

Conclusion

When you find competitors keywords you uncover new opportunities that can potentially generate more organic traffic, and ultimately, grow your business to outperform your competition.

It’s worth investing time to learn how to effectively find competitors keywords and incorporate them into your SEO strategy. Knowing your competitors’ strategies is a huge competitive advantage.

Use the information in this article to start finding competitor keywords that will boost your SEO efforts.

If you prefer to save yourself time and want competitor keywords that will rank delivered on a silver platter send me send me a message I’m happy to help.