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Competitor keyword research: what a useful list shows
Competitor keywords are the searches a rival's pages are built to answer. Competitor keyword research is the work of listing them, so you can see which ones you are missing, which ones the rival owns and which ones nobody covers. About 880 people in the US search for "competitor keyword research" every month, and the other wordings of the same need draw hundreds more.
A useful list is not a long list. It is a short table where each row is one need, has a number and has a link.
What competitor keywords are
A rival's site is a set of pages. Each page answers some searches. Those searches are the rival's keywords, and the list of them tells you what the rival is trying to win.
People ask for this list in many wordings: "competitor keywords", "competing keywords", "see competitor keywords", "keyword competitor analysis". They ask for one thing. A good list shows one row for that need, not a row for each wording.
What a finished list looks like
Here is an example for a business that sells search research, set against one rival. The searches and their US monthly searches are real figures. The rest of each row is made up, to show the layout.
| Search | US searches a month | Rival's page | Your site | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| market size | 1,900 | link | none | Write a page |
| keyword search volume | 880 | link | page | Compare and improve |
| search intent | 390 | link | none | Write a page |
| local keyword research | 140 | link | page | Keep |
The "link" in each row is a link to the page that answers the search. Without it you cannot see what the rival built, and you cannot judge whether it is worth beating.
How to read a competitor keyword list
- Volume decides the order. A row at 1,900 US monthly searches comes before a row at 140.
- Open the rival's page. A search a rival covers with a strong page is a bigger job than one it covers with a thin page.
- Ask what the searcher wants. The same words can come from a buyer and from someone who will never buy. The page you build should fit the first.
- Look at what none of them covers. The rows where every rival is silent are the cheapest to win. They are the competitor gaps the whole analysis exists to find.
- Put several rivals side by side. One site's list shows one site's choices. Several together show where the market agrees.
Why a column of phrases is not an answer
A long column of a rival's phrases repeats itself, because several phrases can mean one need. It mixes buyers with people who will never buy. And it does not tell you whether the other rivals cover the same search.
A useful list fixes all three on the page. It has one row per need, a number on each row, a link behind each, the wrong-audience searches marked, and a note of which rivals cover the search. A list that arrives as a column of phrases is closer to raw material than to an answer.
What to do with the list
- Sort the rows by US monthly searches and mark the ones your site has no page for.
- Write one page for each missing need, using the content gap analysis to decide which to write first.
- If you run paid search, move the rows with buyers in them into ad groups, and move the rows without into negative keywords.
- Keep the rows your rivals do not cover. Those are your best leads.
- Do the same for each rival you track. The list of who your competitors are decides which sites to read.
Mistakes to avoid
- Copying the whole list. A rival's list holds its mistakes too.
- Chasing their biggest numbers. The biggest rows can be the hardest.
- Treating one rival as the market. What one site covers is not what the market wants.
- Counting wordings instead of needs. Several wordings of one need are one row.
- Using a stale list. Rivals add and drop pages. A list from last year describes last year.
What to ask a provider
Ask for the US monthly searches and the link to the competitor page behind every row. The full list of asks is on the competitor gap analysis page.
Frequently asked questions
What is competitor keyword research?
It is the work of listing the searches a rival's pages are built to answer, then comparing that list with your own site. A useful result has a number and a link on every row.
How can I see which keywords my competitors use?
A list of a competitor's searches is only worth having with the US monthly searches and the link to the page behind each row. Without both you have words, not a plan. A delivered list from Querytally has both for every row, and a person checks each one before delivery.
Are competitor keywords the same as the keywords I bid on?
No. The keywords you bid on are chosen to trigger ads. Competitor keywords are the searches a rival's pages are built to answer. Some overlap, but the second list is not limited to what you chose to bid on.
Is a competitor keyword checker enough?
A column of phrases is a start. What decides what you build is a list with one row per need, a number, a link, and the wrong-audience searches marked. If the list you have lacks those, it is raw material.
See a list in the finished layout in the sample reports, or read how PPC teams use it.
Checked by a person and delivered within 24 hours, with a link and a search number behind every row.