Chances are, if you’re in business, you have competitors. While it can be tempting to ignore what others in your industry are doing, the smartest entrepreneurs use competitors keyword research as a strategic tool. By analyzing what keywords your rivals are targeting, you can uncover opportunities they may be missing out on.

Let’s break down a simple process for conducting competitors keyword research and how you can take action on what you find.

Step 1: Choose Your Competitors

Start by making a list of your top 3-5 direct competitors. These are companies that offer similar products or services to your own. You can find them by searching your industry keywords or browsing your website’s analytics for referral traffic sources.

Step 2: Research Their Keywords

Use keyword research tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs or Google Keyword Planner to see what keywords your competitors are ranking for in search engines. Pay attention to keywords driving a good amount of traffic that they rank on page 2 or lower for. These are potential opportunities.

Step 3: Analyze Keyword Gaps

Compare your competitors’ top keywords to the ones you’re currently targeting. Are there any they’re ranking for that you’ve overlooked? These “keyword gaps” are low-hanging fruit. You’ve also likely identified keywords that are in demand but not fully optimized for yet.

Step 4: Find Related Long-Tail Keywords

Drill down by exploring related long-tail keywords for the keywords your competitors are ranking for. Long-tail keywords have lower search volumes but are often easier to rank for. These can be a great way to get easier wins and round out your overall strategy.

Step 5: Assess Content Opportunities

Take inventory of the content your competitors have optimized for the keywords you’ve uncovered. Is there a need for additional or alternative content perspectives on those topics? Can you create better, more engaging content? This content analysis helps you identify actionable next steps.

Step 6: Prioritize New Keywords

Rank the new keywords you’ve found by factors like search volume, competitiveness and fit with your business. Prioritize the ones with the best combination of these attributes for your initial focus. You can expand from there over time.

Step 7: Optimize Your Site

Use the keyword opportunities you’ve uncovered to optimize your website, blog and off-site content. Write new pages, blog posts and off-site articles around your prioritized keywords. Be sure to naturally work those keywords into your text in a readable way.

Step 8: Monitor Your Progress

As you optimize for and promote your new keywords over weeks and months, keep an eye on your search performance. Monitor where you start to outrank competitors or see search traffic increases. This feedback loop helps refine your approach.

Benefits of Competitors Keyword Research

By taking the time to research what keywords your competitors are targeting, you gain valuable insights to help boost your own search engine optimization. Some key benefits include:

Uncovering low-hanging fruit opportunities they’ve overlooked or under-optimized for

Identifying in-demand longer tail keywords with less competition

Guiding your content strategy by analyzing topics they’ve focused on

Finding gaps in their approach that you can take advantage of through better content

Monitoring their efforts gives you a benchmark for tracking your own SEO progress

Staying on top of what keywords drive traffic to your industry keeps your strategy fresh

The Takeaway

Competitors keyword research should be a regular part of your ongoing SEO process. It provides a framework for continuous optimization, content development and traffic growth. By leveraging what you learn about your rivals’ approaches, you can strengthen your own online presence and outrank them over time for more valuable keywords. Keep the process simple but make it recurring for ongoing success.