How to Find & Analyze Competitor Keywords

In this guide, you’ll larn however to heighten your hunt motor optimization (SEO) oregon pay-per-click (PPC) strategy with rival keyword research.

And yet get much high-quality postulation from hunt engines.

What Are Competitor Keywords?

Competitor keywords are hunt presumption that rival websites fertile for successful hunt engines similar Google. Either successful the integrated (unpaid) oregon sponsored (paid) results.

For example, if you vie with 1-800-Flowers.com, “flower delivery” is simply a rival keyword. 

Why?

Because radical searching for "flower delivery" are looking for a work that some you and your competitors offer. And they mightiness sojourn immoderate of your websites from the hunt results.

The process of uncovering and analyzing competitors’ keywords is known arsenic rival keyword research. And it tin assistance you:

• Understand what applicable audiences hunt for
• Identify opportunities to outperform rivals and divert postulation to your site
• Avoid targeting keywords that are excessively hard (or expensive) to look for
• Set benchmarks for your search motor marketing strategy

How to Find Competitors’ Keywords

To find competitors’ keywords, you request entree to a domain keyword database similar Semrush’s.

We urge that you hunt it with the Keyword Gap tool. Which lets you comparison your Google rankings against aggregate competitors’ rankings to spot the champion keyword opportunities.

Specifically, usage the instrumentality to compare:

• Organic keywords: Keywords that trigger a top-100 integrated effect for a tract successful your analysis. This enactment is champion if you’re doing keyword probe for SEO (i.e., to optimize contented connected your site).
• Paid keywords: Keywords that trigger a sponsored effect for a tract successful your analysis. This is the champion enactment if you’re doing PPC keyword research (i.e., uncovering keywords for Google Ads oregon different hunt motor advertizing campaigns).
• PLA keywords: Keywords that trigger a product listing advertisement (PLA) for a tract successful your analysis. This is the champion enactment if you’re readying to advertise through Google Shopping oregon similar.

Here’s what each effect benignant looks similar connected Google:

We’ll besides explicate however to get an in-depth look astatine a peculiar competitor’s organic, paid, and PLA keywords. 

Compare Your Rankings Against Competitors’ Rankings

To comparison your rankings against those of your competitors, spell to the Keyword Gap tool. 

Enter your domain and up to 4 competitors’ domains. And take which types of keywords you privation to look at.

Then, prime your people state and click “Compare.”

Scroll down to the array to spot your and your competitors’ keyword data.

Click the “Weak” tab to spot wherever you’re ranking little than each your competitors.

This means that searchers are apt to sojourn a rival implicit you. So, you whitethorn privation to effort to improve your rankings (we’ll speech much astir however to bash this later).

Click the “Missing” tab to presumption keywords that each rivals fertile for but you don’t. And the “Untapped” tab to spot keywords that astatine slightest 1 rival ranks for but you don’t.

In these sections, you whitethorn find applicable and invaluable keywords you’re missing retired on. 

The “Strong” tab shows wherever you’re ranking higher than each your competitors. While “Unique” shows wherever you’re the lone 1 of the radical ranking.

These keywords springiness you a competitory advantage. You mightiness beryllium capable to fortify this vantage by pursuing adjacent higher rankings for those hunt terms.

In the pursuing sections, we’ll explicate however to find organic, paid, and PLA keywords for a circumstantial competitor’s site. This is utile if you privation to behaviour a much in-depth analysis. 

After completing your keyword contention analysis, you’ll larn however to take the champion keywords for your marketing strategy.

Check Organic Keywords for a Rival Site

Check a competitor’s integrated keywords rankings with the Organic Research tool.

Just participate a rival’s domain, take your people location, and click “Search.”

Next, unfastened the “Positions” study and scroll down to the “Organic Search Positions” table.

The “Position” file reveals the site’s integrated ranking for each keyword.

For example, this “1” means the competitor’s effect appears successful the apical integrated presumption for “monthly angiosperm transportation service”:

If you spot an icon successful the “Positions” column, it means the tract has secured a peculiar diagnostic connected the hunt motor results leafage called a SERP feature.

For example, this shows that the competitor’s tract is featured successful the People Also Ask container for “daffodils”:

Here’s what that effect looks similar successful the search motor results leafage (SERP):

Later, we’ll explicate however to take the champion rival keywords to usage successful your ain SEO strategy.

Check Paid Search Keywords for a Rival Site

To spot which keywords are triggering (or person antecedently triggered) a competitor’s hunt ads, usage the Advertising Research tool.

Simply participate their domain, take your people location, and click “Search.”

Scroll down to the “Paid Search Positions” array to spot the afloat keyword breakdown.

The close broadside of the “Pos.” (position) file shows the competitor’s latest ranking successful the sponsored results.

For example, here’s what a No. 2 advertisement ranking looks like:

Later, we’ll explicate however to take the champion keywords for your PPC strategy.

Check PLA Keywords for a Rival Site

With the PLA Research tool, you’ll spot what keywords trigger (or person antecedently triggered) a competitor’s Google Shopping ads.

Enter a rival’s domain, take your people location, and click “Search.”

Then, scroll down to the “PLA Positions” table.

The close broadside of the “Pos.” file shows their presumption based connected the astir caller data.

For example, here’s what a No. 3 ranking looks like:

Next, we’ll explicate however to take the champion rival keywords for your campaigns.

How to Do a Competitor Keyword Analysis

A rival keyword investigation is the process of looking astatine metrics and SERPs for rival keywords. With the extremity of identifying the champion keywords for your ain selling strategy.

Below, we’ll spell implicit the steps to travel for the champion results.

Analyze Search Intent

To make contented and ads that execute good and pull target audiences, you indispensable recognize the search intent down each keyword (i.e., what the emblematic searcher is looking for).

For example, radical searching “types of flowers” usually privation to larn astir flowers. Not needfully bargain them.

This means the SERP is dominated by acquisition contented alternatively than merchandise pages and ads.

When you analyse rival keywords successful Semrush, you’ll spot the benignant of intent:

For further penetration into hunt intent, spot what results look connected the SERP itself.

View them successful your people determination via Keyword Overview (and immoderate different tools). Just click the “View SERP” fastener oregon the icon that looks similar this:

When conducting your SERP analysis, inquire questions like:

• What types of sites are ranking?
• What types of contented are ranking?
• Will resulting postulation lend toward my concern goals?

This volition assistance you find if your tract is simply a bully acceptable for the keyword. And vice versa.

Examine Search Volumes

Search volume is the mean fig of monthly searches a keyword receives. The higher the keyword’s volume, the higher a hunt result’s imaginable reach.

When you’re doing rival keyword probe successful Semrush, you tin easy find Google hunt volumes for your chosen location.

For example, our database shows that “pink tulips” gets 9,900 searches per period successful the U.S.:

While measurement is important to see erstwhile choosing keywords, you shouldn’t ever spell for the higher-volume keywords and disregard the lower-volume ones.

Why?

Sometimes, radical hunt for the aforesaid happening successful antithetic ways. This means the hunt request astir a peculiar taxable tin beryllium overmuch higher than 1 keyword’s measurement makes it seem. 

Plus, keywords with precocious hunt volumes thin to pull fierce competition. As we’ll sermon successful the pursuing sections.

Look astatine Keyword Difficulty Scores

Keyword difficulty (KD%) measures however hard it’ll beryllium to gain a precocious integrated ranking for a fixed keyword. 

It’s an important metric successful SEO. Because you don’t privation to discarded clip targeting keywords you’re improbable to fertile highly for. 

After all, the apical integrated effect gets an mean click-through complaint (CTR) of over 22%. But starting successful presumption 6, mean click-through rates driblet to little than 5%.

Semrush measures keyword trouble retired of 100. And splits scores into six categories:

Here’s what that information looks similar successful the Keyword Gap tool:

Generally, keyword trouble scores correlate powerfully with hunt volumes and the level of acquisition intent down the keyword. Because fashionable keywords that are apt to make income pull much competition. 

For example:

• “Flower delivery” has 246,000 monthly searches, commercialized intent, and a 74% keyword trouble score
• “July commencement flower” has 49,500 monthly searches, informational intent, and a 35% keyword trouble score

Check Personal Keyword Difficulty

Personal keyword trouble (PKD%) gauges however hard it volition beryllium for your circumstantial website to fertile successful the apical 10 hunt results for a peculiar keyword. 

This means you get a much close thought of whether you tin realistically fertile for a keyword.

PKD% is calculated utilizing an precocious AI algorithm. Which looks at:

• How applicable your website is to the keyword
• The contention for that topic
• How your website compares to the domains presently ranking connected the SERP

You’ll find PKD% successful the Keyword Magic Tool and Keyword Overview tool. 

Here, we’ll usage the Keyword Magic Tool.

Open the tool, participate your effect keyword, prime the location, adhd your domain, and deed "Search."

Check the "PKD%" column. Which shows however hard it is for your domain to fertile for that keyword. 

In this case, the analyzed domain is incredibly apt to fertile good for the archetypal 7 keywords listed.

This personalized information gives you a much realistic representation of whether you tin fertile for circumstantial keywords your competitors are ranking for. So you tin give your efforts to targeting the astir realistic opportunities.

Consider Cost Per Click

Cost per click (CPC) is however overmuch you’ll wage erstwhile a idiosyncratic clicks connected your ad.

The CPC estimates successful Semrush assistance you find which rival keywords are wrong your PPC selling budget.

But CPC is besides a utile metric successful SEO. Because it indicates however invaluable the keyword is. 

After all, advertisers are improbable to walk wealth connected clicks that don’t make a profit.

For example, “flowers delivered” has an estimated CPC of $4.09. Because radical who click done are comparatively apt to acquisition a bouquet.

On the different hand, “different types of flowers” has an estimated CPC of $0.24. Because radical who click done are improbable to marque a purchase.

So, a florist should astir apt people “flowers delivered” earlier “different types of flowers” for advertizing purposes.

Evaluate Competitive Density

Semrush’s competitory density (“Com.”) metric gauges however fashionable a keyword is among hunt advertisers.

It’s measured from 0-1, with scores supra 0.80 suggesting a precocious level of competition.

In PPC, a precocious competitory density people suggests it’ll beryllium harder to advertise connected the SERP. Because tons of sites are competing for the aforesaid advertisement space.

In SEO, a precocious competitory density people suggests that you’ll beryllium competing against tons of ads connected the SERP. And this whitethorn negatively impact the fig of integrated clicks you get.

But enactment that galore users similar integrated results implicit ads. 

How to Use Competitor Keywords

Here are 3 steps to travel aft selecting the rival keywords you privation to target:

1. Identify Topic and Keyword Clusters

You tin usage rival keywords to radical presumption into topic clusters—closely related pages that see a pillar (main) leafage connected a wide taxable and subpages connected much circumstantial topics. Which helps physique topical authority.

And each of those pillar pages and subpages tin people a keyword cluster—a radical of keywords with the aforesaid hunt intent—e.g., “flower delivery” and “flower transportation service.” Which makes it imaginable for 1 leafage to fertile for aggregate terms. 

To begin, make a structured database of keywords successful Keyword Strategy Builder. 

Open the tool, participate up to 5 keywords you identified earlier, and click “Create list.”

In the “Topics and pages” tab, the “Topical Overview” study shows keywords organized into a ocular representation of main topics (pillar pages) and their much elaborate topics (subpages).

Click connected immoderate taxable (a pillar leafage oregon subpage) to presumption its related keywords (the keyword cluster) and metrics similar hunt measurement and keyword difficulty. 

Scroll down to spot the accusation presented arsenic a table. 

Review the information to determine which topics to tackle first. And see prioritizing those with precocious hunt volumes and debased trouble scores to maximize your SEO impact. 

Look for the greenish “high ranking potential” tag to place these topics. 

If you’re much focused connected paid campaigns, look for keyword clusters (shown arsenic pillar pages oregon subpages) with chiefly commercialized and/or transactional intent. 

You’re present acceptable to commencement creating website contented oregon hunt ads for high-priority topics. 

2. Study Your Competitors’ Content

For the champion accidental of outranking your competitors, you request to make contented oregon ads that are amended than theirs.

Ideally, you privation to make contented that’s the champion of its kind. So first, spot what you’re up against.

Evaluating Organic Results

If you look up a rival keyword successful the Keyword Overview tool, you tin spot the top-ranking integrated results from the “SERP Analysis” section. 

Just click the icons that look similar this:

Then, analyse the prime of the contented by asking yourself questions similar these:

• Is the contented casual to work and understand? Is it close and up to date?
• What subtopics does the contented cover? What’s the connection count?
• Are HTML heading tags utilized to operation the page? What benignant of format does the contented follow?
• How are applicable keywords utilized crossed the page?
• Are determination internal links to different pages connected the site? Or external links to utile resources?
• Has the creator utilized slug points, images, charts, videos, etc. to assistance users sorb accusation much easily? Is determination a amended mode to contiguous this information?
• Do the title tag (the leafage title) and meta description (summary that tin look successful hunt results) see keywords? How tin you marque your effect basal isolated connected the SERP?
• Does the contented show Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T)?

This benignant of investigation helps you place strengths to emulate. And weaknesses to capitalize on.

For much proposal connected creating contented that ranks highly, cheque retired our usher to quality content.

Evaluating Paid Results

For presumption you privation to to usage for paid search, participate a rival keyword successful the Ads History instrumentality to spot what hunt ads person ranked good successful your people location.

The numbered boxes correspond each advertiser’s highest-ranking presumption by month. Click them to spot what ad copy was used.

Visit the ad’s landing page straight by clicking the bluish link. And usage what you spot to get much inspiration for your ain campaign.

To larn much astir earning precocious advertisement rankings, cheque retired our guides connected Quality Scores and keyword bidding.

3. Track Your Rankings

Once you’ve published your contented oregon launched your ads, way your rankings with our Position Tracking tool. And spot however your show compares against competitors’.

Here’s how:

First, travel our Position Tracking configuration guide to adhd your rival keywords and make your tracking report. 

Once it’s ready, click the “Add” nexus astatine the apical of the “Landscape” report.

Then, adhd oregon take the domains of up to 20 competitors. 

And click “Save changes.”

When you’re done, caput to the “Overview” report.

And usage the “Add domain” drop-downs to prime up to 4 competitors.

Now, you’ll spot however you’re performing against your chosen competitors.

You’ll spot integrated results by default. But you tin power to Google Ads information via the cogwheel icon successful the precocious right.

At the apical of the report, assorted graphs assistance you comparison your wide performance.

For example, the “Visibility” graph shows however prominently each tract ranks for the tracked keywords. (A people of 100% means a presumption 1 ranking for each keyword.)

To spot a breakdown of tracked keywords, scroll down to the “Rankings Overview” table. 

You’ll spot each site’s erstwhile and existent rankings for each term. There are besides icons to amusement ownership of SERP features. 

This makes it casual to spot whether you’re outranking your competitors. And what absorption each site’s rankings are going in.

Just retrieve that it tin take months to amended your SEO rankings. And it’s mean for positions to fluctuate.

Start Outranking Your Competitors

Take the adjacent steps to commencement outranking your competitors. 

First, place the keywords your competitors are targeting that you mightiness person missed. 

Then, usage our AI-powered Keyword Strategy Builder to program your pages and hunt campaigns. 

Try it today.