Getting to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) takes time and constant effort. To stay there, you must know what your competition is doing and how it’s working for them.
This is where competitor keyword analysis comes into play. It allows you to identify keywords that your competitors are targeting, and then target them yourself.
1. Keyword Research
Keyword research is a crucial part of any successful SEO strategy. It helps you determine which keywords are most important to your business, which are most relevant to your target audience, and which ones you can rank for with little or no competition.
Basic keyword research can be completed in a few hours, but it should be an ongoing process to monitor trends and create new lists as your business needs change.
Start with your keyword research by brainstorming which topics are most important to your target audience on their customer journeys. This can be done by talking to your customer-facing team (e.g., those in sales or customer service) about the terms they use when they’re searching for your products or services.
Next, look at what your competitors are doing in the space. This can be done by researching the keywords they are ranking for, as well as their content strategy.
Often, these keyword lists will be very similar to what you have planned, and this can be a big advantage to you.
Another way to find good keyword ideas is by going to sites such as Reddit and looking for topic buckets that are a good match for your business. For example, if your business is selling organic dog food, you may want to find a list of related topics such as dog food allergies.
Once you’ve found some great keywords that are relevant to your business, you can then check out how much search volume they have and how often people are using them to find a product or service like yours. This can give you a good idea of how competitive they are and what kind of traffic you can expect.
If you’re in a niche where there are a lot of other companies who sell the same products or services as you, it can be very difficult to beat them in the search results. This is why it’s so important to do thorough keyword research before you go out and start writing any content.
2. Competitor Analysis
Competitor analysis is a vital component of any marketing plan. It enables you to identify any gaps in your market and analyze how well you’re performing against your competitors. It also helps you identify new opportunities that could lead to increased sales.
It’s a good idea to conduct competitor analysis at least once per year to keep track of any changes that may affect your business. This will ensure that your strategies are based on the latest information available and that you’re not missing out on any opportunities.
Competitive analysis can be done in a variety of ways, but the most common way is to perform a simplified SWOT analysis. It enables you to determine your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats using a grading system.
A competitive analysis is a great way to find keyword ideas that will beat your competition and help you rank higher for search terms relevant to your business. It can also be a powerful tool for determining your content strategy.
The first step in conducting a competitive analysis is to gather data about your key competitors. You can do this in a number of different ways, including through research, social media, and online communities.
Another option is to use a competitive analysis tool like SEMrush or AccuRanker. These tools can provide detailed insights into your SERP rivals, including their top ten aggregated keywords. You can even see trends over a 6-month period to get an idea of whether your competitors are growing or declining in popularity.
Regardless of the method you choose to conduct your competitive analysis, make sure you record your findings in a spreadsheet. This will enable you to reference the information later on as you plan your next marketing campaign.
Once you have a list of your competitors, start researching their content. This is a vital part of competitor analysis, as it enables you to understand the type of content they produce and how it’s being shared by their audience.
Ideally, you want to look at a broad range of content types. Some examples include blog posts, case studies, and premium content. You can also check out the structure of their website and their overall design to get an idea of how they’re presenting themselves to their target audience.
3. Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research tools are a great way to find keywords that will help your business grow. These tools can also help you create content that will rank for those keywords and beat your competition.
There are a number of free and paid keyword research tools out there that can help you get started. Some of these tools will be more powerful than others and provide a wider range of features.
For example, Moz’s SEO tool is packed with out-of-the-box keyword recommendations and search volume data. While it doesn’t share the same range of data points as more advanced SEO tools, it offers a user experience that is easier for beginners to use without skimping on the metrics they need.
Another popular tool is Soovle, which provides suggested keywords from Google, YouTube, Bing, and Yahoo as well as Amazon. It also provides keyword data by location and is easy to use.
Some of the best keyword research tools can be used on mobile devices as well. This makes it a perfect choice for digital marketers who want to target users on the go.
The Google Keyword Planner tool is a popular keyword research tool that has a free version and a Pro version that is integrated with AdWords. The Pro version has many more features including the ability to track competitor rankings and create keyword lists.
SEO PowerSuite is a comprehensive suite of digital marketing and keyword research tools. It is customizable with white-label options and offers automation features for sending client reports.
You can use it to create keyword research reports for clients that include relevant keyword data and a keyword difficulty score, along with other important SEO factors. The company is also known for its robust data visualization features that allow you to quickly view and understand a variety of metrics.
Semrush’s keyword research tools are a great option for anyone looking to carry out a more in-depth analysis of their keywords. Its suite of keyword research tools includes a Keyword Magic Tool for exploratory keyword research, a competitive keyword gap tool, and a full range of position tracking and organic traffic insights.
4. Competitor Analysis Tools
There are a variety of competitor analysis tools available to help you with keyword research. These tools will allow you to find keywords that will beat your competition and drive targeted organic traffic to your website.
In addition to finding quality keywords, these tools also offer a range of other useful information about your competitors that you can use to improve your own SEO strategy. This includes things like how competitive their content is (which topics they cover) and what types of backlinks they have.
Another great tool is SpyFu, which gives you a detailed look at your competitors’ paid keywords and what they rank for. The site also offers an excellent PPC analyzer, extensive historical data, and powerful reporting capabilities.
When it comes to social media, Buzzsumo is a great way to keep an eye on your competitors’ shares and tweets. The service also allows you to see who is mentioning your competitor, which networks they are on, and the content that is getting shared.
For more comprehensive keyword research, AccuRanker is a great tool that helps you segment and filter keywords to find the best ones for your site. It also lets you easily share this data with your team for easy decision-making.
There are a few different ways to track your competitors’ keywords, but one of the easiest and most convenient is Google Alerts. This free service lets you set up email alerts whenever your competitors are mentioned online.
Other great competitor analysis tools include Hootsuite Streams, which lets you track all your competitors across social media platforms in one place. It’s a great option for small businesses that don’t have the resources to invest in a full-blown marketing plan, and it also makes it easy to see what competitors are doing in your niche and how they are performing.
It’s also important to analyze your competitors’ content, especially when it comes to their blog posts. This will give you valuable insights into what types of content resonate with your target audience. This will help you build a stronger content strategy for your website that will ultimately improve your rankings and drive more traffic to your site.