Unlock SEO Success by Analyzing Competitor Keywords

Discovering your competitors’ keywords is a crucial step in crafting a winning SEO strategy. Why? Because it reveals what’s already working for others in your niche, highlights untapped opportunities, and exposes gaps in your own approach.

At Appture Digital, we’ve gained valuable insights by analyzing the keywords of industry leaders like Ahrefs, Moz, and Semrush for years. This has led to numerous opportunities for growth.

For instance, we found that Ahrefs receives an estimated 2.5k monthly organic visits from the keyword “website authority checker.”

But that’s just a small piece of the puzzle.

The entire page targeting this term actually ranks for over 1.7k keywords, driving an estimated 30k monthly organic visits.

This clearly demonstrates significant user interest.

So, what did we do? We launched a free tool with a supporting blog post on the very same topic. Now, our page ranks for 1,000 queries and receives over 13k monthly clicks from Google.

That’s the power of competitor keyword research.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

1. What competitor keywords are and their role in SEO
2. A step-by-step process for finding and analyzing these keywords
3. How to integrate them into your content and SEO plans

The Strategic Advantage of Competitor Keyword Analysis

Uncovering your competitors’ keywords is about more than just seeing what they rank for. It’s about gaining a comprehensive view of their overall SEO strategy.

Here’s how it helps you boost your SEO:

1. Identify Gaps and Opportunities: Spot patterns in your competitors’ keyword choices and capitalize on areas they’re neglecting. For example, if a competitor targets “best vegan protein powder” but ignores budget-conscious consumers, you can swoop in with keywords like “affordable vegan protein powder.” This allows you to capture overlooked market segments.
2. Understand Their Focus: Are they targeting broad, high-traffic terms or niche, long-tail keywords? If a competitor focuses on top-funnel keywords like “online course platforms,” you could target bottom-funnel queries like “how to create an online course for free” to reach users ready to buy.
3. Inform Your Content Plan: Competitor keyword research provides a wealth of ideas for your content calendar. Use these insights to plan topics, choose content formats, and create content that surpasses the competition in meeting your audience’s needs.

Now, let’s dive into the techniques for finding competitor keywords.

Step 1: Identify Your True SEO Competitors

Focus on SEO competitors – websites competing for the same keywords and rankings as you. These might not always be your direct business competitors.

Method 1: Manual Search

1. Brainstorm Relevant Keywords: Think of terms your potential customers would use. For example, in the crypto space, it could be “best crypto platforms 2024.”
2. Search on Google: Enter your keyword into Google.
3. Note the Top-Ranking Sites: Identify the websites ranking for this keyword. These are your content competitors (e.g., Investopedia, Alchemy, NerdWallet in our example).
4. Explore “People Also Ask”: Use this section for additional keyword and content ideas.

Method 2: Using Semrush

1. Create a Free Semrush Account: Sign up for a free account.
2. Use the Organic Research Tool: Navigate to the Organic Research tool.
3. Enter Your URL: Input your website’s URL and click “Search.”
4. Find “Main Organic Competitors”: Scroll down to this section.
5. View All Competitors: Click the “View all [number] competitors” button.
6. Check the “Com. Level” Column: This percentage shows your keyword overlap with each competitor. Higher percentages indicate closer SEO competitors (e.g., Ahrefs with 35% and Moz with 25% overlap for Appture Digital).

Step 2: Uncover Competitor Keywords with the Right Tools

Now that you have your competitors, let’s analyze their keywords using tools. This will reveal the specific terms they target and how you can potentially outrank them.

Using Semrush’s Organic Research Tool (Continuing with Appture Digital’s Competitor, Moz):

1. Enter Competitor’s URL: Input your competitor’s URL (e.g., Moz) into the Organic Research tool and click “Search.”
2. Review Overview Data: The “Overview” section provides key metrics like total keywords ranked, traffic volume, and estimated traffic cost.
3. Click the “Positions” Tab: This gives you a detailed list of keywords.
4. Analyze Key Data Points:
   • Keyword Positions: Where your competitor ranks for each term.
   • Intent: The user’s goal behind the search query.
   • Traffic: Estimated traffic from the keyword.
   • Keyword Volume: Average monthly searches.
   • Keyword Difficulty (KD%): How competitive the keyword is.

How to Leverage This Information:

• Identify High-Value Keywords: Look for keywords with high search volume but relatively lower keyword difficulty.
• Use Filters to Refine Your Search:
  • Position Filter (Top 10): Focus on keywords where your competitors rank well, but you don’t.
  • Volume Filter (101-1,000 searches/month): Target keywords with decent traffic potential.
  • Keyword Difficulty (KD%) Filter (Possible): Find keywords you can realistically rank for without excessive backlink building.

These filters help you pinpoint keywords with a good balance of traffic and achievable competition. For example, “SEO terms” with 1K monthly searches and a KD% of 46 could be a good target. Your goal is to create better content and optimize it to outperform your competition.

Step 3: Expand Your Keyword Horizons with In-Depth Research

Refined research allows you to target audience-focused keywords more effectively and expand your keyword database in alignment with your strategy.

Advanced Techniques for Finding Competitor Keywords:

• Customer Feedback Analysis:
  • Source of Unique Keywords: Customer reviews often contain natural language and phrases not found in standard keyword tools.
  • How to Use It: Analyze reviews on platforms like G2, Trustpilot, or Google Reviews. Look for pain points and specific language customers use. For instance, a review mentioning “Monday.com prevents copying and pasting data without exporting” reveals a long-tail keyword opportunity.
  • Example: Searching for “project management software with data import/export” shows that content creators are addressing this user pain point. If your software offers this feature, create content targeting this specific need.
• Private Communities:
  • Goldmine for Insights: Competitor’s private communities (Facebook Groups, Slack channels, Discord servers) offer direct access to user questions, problems, and natural language.
  • How to Use It: Join relevant communities and observe discussions. For example, in fitness groups related to Nike Training Club, you might find users asking about “best bodyweight exercises for beginners” or “affordable fitness gear.”
  • Leverage Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool:
    1. Enter a relevant keyword (e.g., “home workout equipment”).
    2. Refine with filters: Set “Volume” to 101-1,000 and “Keyword Difficulty” to “Possible.”
    3. Identify promising keywords like “compact home gym equipment” or “essential home gym equipment” that have decent search volume and are not overly competitive.
• Google Search Operators:
  • Powerful for Competitor Analysis: Use the site: operator followed by the competitor’s domain and a keyword (e.g., site:competitor.com "keyword") to see what content they’ve created around that topic.
  • Example: site:https://www.ouroilyhouse.com/ "natural face moisturizer" will show you pages on Our Oily House’s website related to that keyword.
  • Identify Patterns: Look for topic clusters or content hubs they’ve built. For instance, are they focusing on natural skincare, organic ingredients, or DIY beauty tips?
  • Use Keyword Overview: Tools like Semrush’s Keyword Overview can help you assess the search volume, difficulty, and intent of these keywords (e.g., “skincare kits”).

Step 4: Evaluate Your Competitors’ Keywords

Now that you have a list of competitor keywords, it’s time to assess their value.

• Analyze Search Intent: Understand the user’s goal behind the keyword. Is it informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional? This informs the type of content you should create. For example, “best online course platforms” has commercial intent, suggesting a comparison post or landing page would be suitable.
• Assess Keyword Relevance: Focus on keywords that align with your business goals and offerings. For instance, if you offer course creation tools, prioritize keywords like “best course software” over broader terms like “passive income from online courses.”
• Evaluate Search Volume and Difficulty: Ideally, target keywords with high search volume and moderate to low keyword difficulty. Use tools like Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to filter and find these gems. For instance, “best online course platforms” and “best platform to sell online courses” are both strong targets with commercial intent.

Step 5: Prioritize Your Competitor Keyword List

Compare the competitor keywords you’ve found with your existing keyword targets.

• Identify Gaps: Are there high-volume keywords you’re overlooking?
• Spot Opportunities: Are there terms your competitors rank for that you could also target?
• Find Areas for Improvement: Are there keywords you’re already targeting but could rank higher for?

Use a Scoring Framework to Prioritize:

We’ll use a simple spreadsheet (template provided later) to illustrate this.

1. Export Keyword Data: Export your keyword data from Semrush (or your preferred tool) into a CSV or XLSX file.
2. Import into Google Sheets: Create a new Google Sheet and import the data.
3. Use VLOOKUP Formulas: Use VLOOKUP formulas to automatically populate “Search Volume” and “Ranking Difficulty” scores based on your raw data.
4. Assign Scores:
   • Ranking Difficulty:
     • Under 30: Low competition (score = 1)
     • 30-60: Medium competition (score = 2)
     • Over 60: High competition (score = 3)
   • Business Value (Manual Assessment):
     • 3 (High): Keyword strongly aligns with your product/service.
     • 2 (Medium): Keyword is relevant but not a perfect fit.
     • 1 (Low): Keyword is barely relevant.
   • Search Volume:
     • Over 800 searches/month: High volume (score = 3)
     • 500-800 searches/month: Medium volume (score = 2)
     • Under 500 searches/month: Low volume (score = 1)
5. Calculate Total Score: The spreadsheet will automatically calculate a total score for each keyword based on your inputs.
6. Prioritize: Focus on keywords with high volume, low difficulty, and high business value.

Example:

• “vegan protein powder”: High volume, low difficulty, high business value = Top Priority
• “affordable vegan protein powder”: Lower volume, higher difficulty = Lower Priority

Remember: This framework is a starting point. Consider market trends, customer feedback, and customer lifetime value as well.

Step 6: Transform Competitor Keywords into Content

Now, it’s time to create content around your prioritized keywords.

• Develop a Content Strategy: Consider your resources and strengths. If you’re a smaller brand competing with giants, focus on lower-competition, niche keywords where you have expertise.
• Example: If “vegan vitamins” is a high-priority keyword with commercial intent, and your customers frequently ask about it, create a comprehensive landing page listing various vegan vitamins. Ensure it provides more value than competing pages.
• Repeat for Each Keyword: Apply this process to each of your prioritized keywords.

Get a Strategic Head Start

Competitor keyword research is a powerful tool for creating a laser-focused SEO strategy. Remember to be strategic in your approach, prioritizing keywords that align with your business goals and offer the best opportunities for growth.

By following these steps and using the right tools, you can gain a competitive edge, improve your rankings, and attract more organic traffic. Good luck!