Competitor key phrases are the key phrases your rivals rank for in Google’s search outcomes. They could rank organically or pay for Google Advertisements to rank within the paid outcomes.
Understanding your rivals’ key phrases is the best type of key phrase analysis. In case your rivals rank for or goal specific key phrases, it may be value it so that you can goal them, too.
There isn’t any solution to see your rivals’ key phrases with no software like Ahrefs, which has a database of key phrases and the websites that rank for them. So far as we all know, Ahrefs has the biggest database of these keywords.
How to find all the keywords your competitor ranks for
- Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
- Enter your competitor’s domain
- Go to the Organic keywords report
The report is sorted by traffic to show you the keywords sending your competitor the most visits. For example, Mailchimp gets most of its organic traffic from the keyword “mailchimp.”
Since you’re unlikely to rank for your competitor’s brand, you might want to exclude branded keywords from the report. You can do this by adding a Keyword > Doesn’t contain filter. In this example, we’ll filter out keywords containing “mailchimp” or any potential misspellings:
If you’re a new brand competing with one that’s established, you might also want to look for popular low-difficulty keywords. You can do this by setting the Volume filter to a minimum of 500 and the KD filter to a maximum of 10.
How to find keywords your competitor ranks for, but you don’t
- Go to Competitive Analysis
- Enter your domain in the This target doesn’t rank for section
- Enter your competitor’s domain in the But these competitors do section
Hit “Show keyword opportunities,” and you’ll see all the keywords your competitor ranks for, but you don’t.
You can also add a Volume and KD filter to find popular, low-difficulty keywords in this report.
How to find keywords multiple competitors rank for, but you don’t
- Go to Competitive Analysis
- Enter your domain in the This target doesn’t rank for section
- Enter the domains of multiple competitors in the But these competitors do section
You’ll see all the keywords that at least one of these competitors ranks for, but you don’t.
You can also narrow the list down to keywords that all competitors rank for. Click on the Competitors’ positions filter and choose All 3 competitors:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
- Enter your competitor’s domain
- Go to the Paid keywords report
This report shows you the keywords your competitors are targeting via Google Ads.
Since your competitor is paying for traffic from these keywords, it may indicate that they’re profitable for them—and could be for you, too.
You understand what key phrases your rivals are rating for or bidding on. However what do you do with them? There are mainly three choices.
1. Create pages to focus on these key phrases
You may solely rank for key phrases when you’ve got content material about them. So, probably the most easy factor you are able to do for rivals’ key phrases you wish to rank for is to create pages to focus on them.
Nonetheless, earlier than you do that, it’s value clustering your competitor’s key phrases by Mother or father Subject. It will group key phrases that imply the identical or comparable issues so you possibly can goal all of them with one web page.
Right here’s tips on how to do that:
- Export your competitor’s key phrases, both from the Natural Key phrases or Content material Hole report
- Paste them into Key phrases Explorer
- Click on the “Clusters by Mother or father Subject” tab
For instance, MailChimp ranks for key phrases like “what’s digital advertising” and “digital advertising definition.” These and plenty of others get clustered beneath the Mother or father Subject of “digital advertising” as a result of folks trying to find them are all on the lookout for the identical factor: a definition of digital advertising. You solely have to create one web page to doubtlessly rank for all these key phrases.
2. Optimize present content material by filling subtopics
You don’t all the time have to create new content material to rank for rivals’ key phrases. Typically, you possibly can optimize the content material you have already got to rank for them.
How have you learnt which key phrases you are able to do this for? Attempt this:
- Export your competitor’s key phrases
- Paste them into Key phrases Explorer
- Click on the “Clusters by Mother or father Subject” tab
- Search for Mother or father Subjects you have already got content material about
For instance, if we analyze our competitor, we will see that seven key phrases they rank for fall beneath the Mother or father Subject of “press launch template.”
If we search our web site, we see that we have already got a web page about this matter.
If we click on the caret and verify the key phrases within the cluster, we see key phrases like “press launch instance” and “press launch format.”
To rank for the key phrases within the cluster, we will in all probability optimize the web page we have already got by including sections concerning the subtopics of “press launch examples” and “press launch format.”
3. Goal these key phrases with Google Advertisements
Paid key phrases are the only—look by the report and see if there are any related key phrases you would possibly wish to goal, too.
For instance, Mailchimp is bidding for the key phrase “tips on how to create a publication.”
In case you’re ConvertKit, you might also wish to goal this key phrase because it’s related.
In case you determine to focus on the identical key phrase by way of Google Advertisements, you possibly can hover over the magnifying glass to see the advertisements your competitor is utilizing.
It’s also possible to see the touchdown web page your competitor directs advert visitors to beneath the URL column.
Study extra
Try extra tutorials on tips on how to do competitor key phrase evaluation:
