In today’s digital landscape, standing out from your competitors is important. One of the best ways to do this is through competitor keyword analysis. Analysing the keywords your competitors rank for allows you to discover which exact keywords are driving traffic to your competitors’ websites. This helps to identify opportunities to optimise your own content. Whether you’re running a blog, an eCommerce store, or a corporate website, understanding your competitors’ keywords can give you a serious advantage.
What Is Competitor Keyword Analysis?
Competitor keyword analysis is the process of identifying and analysing the keywords that your competitors rank for in search engines. By doing this, you can find opportunities to improve your own SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and attract more visitors to your site.
For example, if you’re running an online store selling organic and natural beauty products, you might find that a competitor ranks highly for “zero waste beauty products”. If you’re not targeting that keyword yet, it could be a good opportunity to create content around it.
Why Is Competitor Keyword Analysis Important?
Understanding your competitors’ keyword strategies can give you insights into what’s working for them. If a competitor ranks for high traffic keywords, you can either target those keywords yourself or find gaps they’re missing out on.
By knowing what keywords are bringing in traffic for your competitors, you can:
- Develop content around those keywords.
- Improve your chances of ranking higher than your competition.
- Identify gaps where competitors aren’t ranking, and target those keywords to gain an edge.
Identifying Your Competitors
Before diving into keyword analysis, you need to identify who your competitors are. These can be direct competitors (businesses offering the same products or services) or indirect competitors (those serving the same audience but with different offerings).
An Example:
- A direct competitor for an outdoor equipment shop might be another outdoor equipment shop.
- An indirect competitor could be a a department store that also has an outdoor equipment section.
You can use tools like Google Search, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to identify which websites are competing for the same keywords as you. Simply search for the keywords you want to rank for and note the top ranking sites.
Finding Competitor Keywords
Once you know who your competitors are, the next step is to find the keywords they rank for. There are several tools that can help with this, such as:
- Moz
- Ahrefs
- SEMrush
- SurferSEO
These tools allow you to input your competitor’s domain and see the keywords they rank for. Some tools will even show you their top pages and how much traffic those pages get from specific keywords.
For example, let’s say you run a running blog. By analysing a competitor who writes about similar topics like you, you might find that they rank highly for keywords like “stretching routines for runners routines” or “yoga for runners”. These insights can help you create similar or better content targeting those keywords.
What Is a Keyword Gap Analysis?
Keyword gap analysis is a technique used to compare your website’s keyword performance against your competitors’. The goal is to find keyword gaps – keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t.
For instance, you may find that your competitor ranks for the keyword “best foods for running,” which is a topic you haven’t addressed yet. This creates a valuable opportunity for you to develop content around this subject, helping you attract more search traffic and engage a broader audience.
Steps to Conduct a Keyword Gap Analysis
- Identify Your Competitors: Use tools like Google, Ahrefs, or SEMrush.
- Analyse Their Keywords: Input their domains into your keyword research tool to discover what they rank for.
- Compare with Your Keywords: Use a keyword gap tool or manually compare their list with your current keywords.
- Target Missing Keywords: Identify relevant keywords you’re not ranking for and create content targeting them.
Prioritising Keywords
Once you have a list of competitor keywords and have identified gaps, it’s important to prioritise them. Not all keywords are worth targeting, so consider factors such as:
- Relevance: Is the keyword directly related to your product or service?
- Search Volume: Is it worthwhile? Does the keyword have enough search volume to drive traffic?
- Search Intent: Does the keyword match the type of information your audience is looking for?
- Competition: How difficult will it be to rank for the keyword?
For example, if you sell running shoes, the keyword “best running shoes for marathon training” might be highly relevant and have decent search volume, making it a good target. On the other hand, “running benefits” may have higher search volume but is too broad and less aligned with your product. Additionally, covering such a topic might require making health related claims, which could be outside your expertise or qualifications.
Tools for Competitor Keyword Research
There are many tools available for analysing competitor keywords, each with its own strengths. Some of the most popular ones include:
- Moz: Provides a comprehensive view of your competitors’ keyword performance and offers keyword gap analysis tools. Sign up is required to see full results.
- SurferSEO: Combines competitor keyword analysis with page structure insights to help you create optimised content. This feature is available only through a subscription plan.
- Ahrefs: One of the most powerful tools for tracking keywords and backlink profiles of competitors. Basic keyword finder tools are available, but the better features come with a subscription plan.
- SEMrush: Also a very powerful tool that can provide a detailed overview of competitor keywords for businesses of any size. This tool is only available through a subscription plan.
These tools allow you to input your competitor’s domain and retrieve a list of keywords they’re ranking for. Many of them will also provide data like search volume, keyword difficulty, and CPC (Cost-Per-Click) to help you prioritise your efforts.
Actionable Strategies Based on Competitor Analysis
Once you’ve gathered your data, it’s time to put it to use. Here are some actionable steps to take based on your findings:
- Optimise Existing Content: If you find that competitors are outranking you for certain keywords, update your content with new sections or optimise for better keyword placement.
- Create New Content: If there are keyword gaps, create blog posts, product pages, or resources targeting those keywords.
- Monitor Performance: Use SEO tools such as Ahrefs or Google Search Console to track how your rankings change over time for the new keywords. This helps you adjust your strategy as needed.
Advantages of Competitor Keyword Analysis
Competitor keyword analysis isn’t just about copying your competitors; it’s about learning from their success and finding ways to differentiate yourself. However, you may gain:
- Increased Organic Traffic: By targeting the right keywords, you can increase your search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your site.
- Improved Content Strategy: You’ll be able to identify content gaps and areas where you can outperform your competitors.
- Better Conversion Rates: Focusing on the right keywords helps attract the right audience, leading to more conversions.
- Improved Customer Insight: By analysing the extra keywords your competitors rank for, you can gain clearer insights into what your target customers are searching for, helping you better align your content with their interests.
Conclusion
Competitor keyword analysis can help you improve your digital marketing strategy, attract more visitors, and stay ahead of your competition. By identifying the keywords your competitors rank for, analysing keyword gaps, and using the right tools, you can optimise your content for better results.