Tracking keywords is the cornerstone of a solid long-term SEO strategy.
It involves monitoring your ranking for specific keywords in search results and assessing the traffic they generate. There’s no point in targeting specific keywords without consistently monitoring and reporting on their performance. On top of that, SEO continues to foster a highly competitive environment in the SERPs. That’s why understanding your position is only half the battle.
The other half? Keeping a close eye on your competition.
Keeping an eye on your competitors’ keywords is more than just a strategy. It’s a secret weapon that helps you find ways to outrank them, improve your own search engine rankings, and boost your online visibility.
Competitive keyword research and tracking allows you to:
Whether you’re new to keyword tracking or looking to refine your process, this guide will walk you through the essentials and demonstrate how to analyze your competitors’ keywords. We recommend using Seobility for this purpose, as it is an excellent SEO tool for monitoring your competitors. However, you can use any tool you prefer that offers similar features.
This competitor keyword guide will still be useful even if you don’t choose Seobility. It offers free tools and plans, so we encourage you to explore it.
Ready to transform your SEO game? Let’s dive in!
Step 1: Open Seobility’s keyword research tool and click “competitor analysis.”
Step 2: Fill in the required information. Click “Gap” if you want to see untapped keyword opportunities (what you’re yet to rank for) and intersections if you want to see keywords that you and your competitors rank for. We selected “Gap” for this tutorial.
Step 3: Now, you should see a list of keyword ideas. Export this list as a CSV file.
Step 4: Log into your Keyword.com dashboard. Enter your competitor’s URL, then copy and paste the keywords list from your CSV file. Keyword.com gives you suggestions of related keywords you can track.
Step 5: Set the data parameters for granular keyword tracking. You can specify the location, device (whether mobile or desktop), and other information. Next, click “Add keywords.”
Step 6: Now, you can see a competitor’s performance for those keywords over time. Keyword.com also shows you its current SERP ranking, competition, and search volume for these queries.
This dashboard updates automatically in real time so that you can see historical and current competitor performance for these keywords.
You don’t need to rely solely on SEO tools for your competitor keyword research. There are other free methods for spying on your competitors’ keywords and seeing what content they prioritize.
Use social media monitoring tools—like Hootsuite and Talkwalker—to track your competitors’ keyword usage on social media platforms. This covers hashtags, mentions, and other keywords they use in their social posts.
Example: If you own a vegan store and a competitor’s post using the hashtag #VeganDesserts gains traction, consider creating vegan dessert recipes.
Google Alerts is a free tool that can help you monitor your competitors’ keyword usage. You can set up alerts for specific keywords and receive notifications whenever your competitors use those keywords online. This can help you stay up-to-date on your competitors’ online activities and identify new opportunities to improve your SEO strategy.
Tip: Use Boolean operators in Google Alerts (like “vegan food” AND “trends”) to get more relevant alerts.
Study your competitors’ paid ads using Google Ads Auction Insights. this will help you discover the keywords they’re targeting, gain inspiration from their ad copy, and identify valuable keywords you might be overlooking.
Example: If a competitor often advertises for “fresh vegan food,” you can target long-tail keywords related to this topic.
Check customer reviews on competitors’ websites, Google Business Profile, and platforms like Trustpilot. You can also explore industry forums like Reddit and Quora to find keyword-rich discussions. Reviews often reveal real customer needs, while forums present long-tail keyword opportunities based on user questions and concerns.
Example: If you notice customers frequently mention phrases like “cruelty free” in competitor reviews, you can target similar phrases if they apply to your business.
Now that you’ve done your competitor keyword search and know which keywords to target, let’s review some best practices for ongoing competitor keyword tracking.
You don’t have to prioritize every keyword your competitor ranks for — otherwise, you’ll be deemed a copycat brand. Rather, use these insights to improve your content strategy.
Say your competitor ranks top for broad keywords like “search engine optimization” or “AI for SEO.” In that case, you could target narrower keywords with similar intent, lower difficulty, and a reasonable search volume — such as “how SEO works.” This way, you can rank for a relevant keyword and drive targeted traffic while limiting the competition in the SERP.
Keyword tracking data can also be used to find new channels for content distribution. Suppose the social listening data shows that your competitors gain lots of traction for money keywords on Twitter. In that case, you can make Twitter a major content distribution channel to get your content (and brand) in front of a wider audience.
Not all competitor keywords are worth pursuing, so how do you choose the right ones to target?
We recommend focusing on your business’s most relevant and achievable keywords first. Create clusters with your target keywords and start building your content from there. This will help improve your rankings without straining your resources.
To narrow down your target keywords, assess these aspects when reviewing competitor keyword data:
You may have noticed that staying updated on competitors’ keyword performance can be overwhelming. By finding the right frequency for tracking, you’ll stay informed without wasting time or resources.
Analyze your competitors’ keywords monthly or quarterly, depending on your industry. Fast-paced sectors like e-commerce or tech should check monthly, while more stable industries can do so quarterly. Use tools like Seobility or Keyword.com to automate updates and get alerts for important changes.
Finding your competitors’ keywords is just the first step—how can you effectively use them in your strategy? The following tips can help you improve your search visibility and engage your audience more effectively.
Here’s how you can use search competitor keywords:
Manually tracking competitors’ keywords can be tedious and error-prone, but with the right tools, you can automate data collection and focus on strategy instead of grunt work.
Some of the best competitor keyword research tools on the market include Seobility and Keyword.com.
