Your competitors are looking for the same customers as you. That means you can use online SEO research tools and the web address of your competitors to find hundreds of relevant keywords for your own SEO campaign. It’s a fantastic way to generate a huge amount of traffic, compete with direct competitors in the same marketplace, and take more market share.
Competitor keyword analysis finds you high-value keywords that your competitors already rank for but you don’t – yet.
If you don’t already use competitor keyword analysis as a key part of your search strategy then this guide will show you how to get started.
Defining your competitors
To start competitor keyword analysis you first need to define who your competitors are. It’s smart to focus on your direct competitors. Some competitors may solve a similar customer problem, but if they don’t use the same product or the method to help the customer as you, then you may be talking to a completely different audience.
If you don’t know who your direct competitors are, try using a tool like similar web to help identify other websites that are similar to yours by typing in your website URL and navigating to the section that says ‘Similar sites.’
Keyword research and competitor analysis helps you find high-value keywords you’ve overlooked and also offers valuable insights into the SEO strategies that are already working for your competitors.
Search
Now you have decided on your direct competitors, use them to search and find keywords and increase inbound traffic. To start all you need to do is select one of the great online tools and know the URL of your competitors.
Some of the most popular tools include Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, and Moz. Each platform lets you search a URL and find out what keywords the domain is ranking for.
Make use of the data
There are 3 main ways you or your marketing agency can take advantage of competitor keyword research to rank and outperform your rivals.
- Content Marketing – Create content on the competitor topics that are performing well to attract traffic.
- Paid Media – If you find keywords that are highly valuable then you can try to gain more traffic for that term by paid advertising.
- SEO – Adding competitor data and proven keywords into your target keyword list for on and off page SEO will deliver faster results.
Competitor keyword research can help you discover and fill content gaps that match your audience interests. The tools we previously mentioned can also provide you with content analysis of competitors and you can see which pages are the most popular on their website.
This is potentially very valuable information if you use it to create even better content for your customers on the same topic. Your competitors have shown you customers are interested in the topic and demand is there, so it makes sense to cater for the target audience and attract more of them to your website and away from your competitors.
Make sure you create brilliant content that delivers more value than your rival’s content. Try to do this for each keyword to give yourself the best chance of ranking and gaining a huge increase in traffic.
If you would like help with your brand messaging, advertising, and digital marketing in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Seattle, Washington, and everywhere in between, get in touch with Visual Caffeine to learn how we can help you.