Finding keywords that your competitors are ranking for can be a valuable exercise for several reasons. It can help you identify new opportunities for targeting specific terms or phrases, it can provide insight into the strategies that your competitors are using to drive traffic to their website, and it can help you assess the overall strength of their online presence. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to find keywords that your competitors are ranking for:
Step 1: Identify your competitors
The first step in finding keywords that your competitors are ranking for is to identify who your competitors are. This might seem obvious, but it’s important to take the time to carefully consider who you are competing against in the online space. Your competitors might be other businesses that offer similar products or services to yours, or they might be websites that target the same audience as you but offer different types of content.
To identify your competitors, start by thinking about the keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business. For example, if you sell running shoes, your competitors might include other online retailers that sell running shoes, as well as websites that provide information and reviews about running shoes.
Step 2: Use keyword research tools
Once you have identified your competitors, the next step is to use keyword research tools to find the keywords that they are ranking for. There are a number of tools available that can help you with this, including:
- Google Ads Keyword Planner: This is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to enter a keyword or phrase and see how often it is searched for, as well as related keywords and phrases. To use this tool, you will need to set up a Google Ads account, but you don’t have to run any actual ads to access the keyword data.
- Ahrefs: This is a paid tool that provides a range of keyword data, including the keywords that a website is ranking for, the traffic that those keywords are bringing in, and the difficulty of ranking for those keywords.
- SEMrush: This is another paid tool that provides a range of keyword data, including the keywords that a website is ranking for, the traffic that those keywords are bringing in, and the difficulty of ranking for those keywords.
To use these tools, simply enter the URL of your competitor’s website and let the tool do the rest. You should be able to see a list of the keywords that the website is ranking for, as well as other relevant data such as the search volume for those keywords and the estimated traffic that the website is getting from those keywords.
Step 3: Analyze the keywords
Once you have a list of the keywords that your competitors are ranking for, the next step is to analyze those keywords to understand what they mean and how they might be relevant to your business. Here are a few things to consider:
- Keyword relevance: Look at the keywords that your competitors are ranking for and consider whether they are relevant to your business. For example, if you sell running shoes and your competitor is ranking for the keyword “sneakers,” that might not be as relevant as the keyword “running shoes.”
- Keyword traffic: Consider the traffic that the keywords are bringing in. Are they high-traffic keywords that are likely to bring in a lot of visitors, or are they low-traffic keywords that might not be worth targeting?
- Keyword difficulty: Look at the difficulty of ranking for the keywords. Are they highly competitive keywords that will be difficult to rank for, or are they more attainable?
Step 4: Identify opportunities
Once you have analyzed the keywords that your competitors are ranking for, the next step is to identify any opportunities that might be relevant to you.
Step 5: Use the keywords in your own content
Once you have identified some keywords that you think might be worth targeting, the next step is to start using those keywords in your own content. This can help you improve your search engine rankings for those keywords and drive more traffic to your website.
Here are a few tips for using keywords in your content:
- Use the keywords naturally: Don’t stuff your content with keywords just for the sake of it. Instead, try to use the keywords naturally in the context of your content.
- Use variations of the keywords: Don’t just use the exact keyword that you are targeting. Instead, try to use variations of the keyword, such as different singular and plural forms, or different tenses.
- Use the keywords in your titles and headings: Using keywords in your titles and headings can help improve your search engine rankings and make it easier for users to find your content.
Step 6: Monitor your progress
Once you have started using the keywords that you identified in your own content, it’s important to monitor your progress to see how well you are doing. There are a few key metrics that you should track:
- Search engine rankings: Use a tool like Ahrefs or SEMrush to track your search engine rankings for the keywords that you are targeting. This will give you an idea of how well you are doing and whether your efforts are paying off.
- Traffic: Use Google Analytics or another traffic tracking tool to monitor the traffic that you are getting from the keywords that you are targeting. This will give you an idea of how well those keywords are performing for you.
- Conversions: Track the conversions that you are getting from the traffic that you are getting from the keywords that you are targeting. This will give you an idea of whether those keywords are driving qualified traffic to your website.
Step 7: Adjust your strategy as needed
Finally, it’s important to adjust your strategy as needed based on the results that you are seeing. If you are not seeing the results that you want, try experimenting with different approaches, such as using different variations of the keywords, optimizing your website for mobile, or using different types of content.
By following these steps, you should be able to find keywords that your competitors are ranking for and use those keywords to improve your own search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your website. Good luck!
