Keyword search can feel like a mystery gatekept by technical wizards, and truthfully? It is probably both more and less complex than you might think. There are lots of free and paid tools online that can help you find competitors’ keywords, but how do you know which ones are surfacing accurate results?
Here we are going to unfold the mystery a little, help you understand which research tools are useful and point you in the right direction when it comes to beating the competition for your market share.
We are going to start by defining what keywords are and where they are best applied to ensure that your website ranks and your ads hit the mark.
What Are Keywords?
Keywords are the words and phrases people type into search engines when they are looking for information, products, services, locations or answers. They can be short and broad, such as “accountant”, or more specific, such as “small business accountant Auckland”.
In digital marketing, keywords help connect your business with the people already searching for what you offer. They are used across website pages, blogs, Google Ads campaigns, landing pages, metadata, product descriptions and local SEO strategies.
When used well, keywords do more than help search engines understand your website. They help you understand your customers. The words people search can reveal what they want, what problem they are trying to solve, where they are in the buying journey, and how ready they are to take action.
Why Finding Out Competitor Keywords Matters
Your competitors’ keywords can show you where other businesses in your industry are gaining visibility. By looking at the terms they appear to be targeting, you can identify gaps in your own content, find new page opportunities, refine your Google Ads strategy and better understand the language your customers are using.
This does not mean copying your competitors. In fact, that is rarely the best move. Instead, finding out keywords of competitors helps you see the broader search landscape and make smarter decisions about where your business can compete, where it can stand apart, and where it may be missing out on valuable traffic.
For example, if a competitor is ranking well for a service you offer but have not yet promoted prominently, that may indicate a content gap on your site. If they are running paid ads for certain phrases, it may suggest those search terms are commercially valuable. If several competitors are targeting the same keyword cluster, it may be worth exploring how your business can approach that topic with a clearer, more useful or more local angle.
How To Find Competitors’ Keywords
There are several ways to find out keywords of competitors, and the right approach usually combines tools, manual checks and good judgement.
Start With Manual Search Research
Before using keyword tools, it helps to complete a manual search review. Search Google for your main services, products, suburbs, regions and common customer questions, then record which businesses appear across organic results, map listings and paid ads.
Pay attention to the language competitors use in their page titles, headings, meta descriptions and service page content. You can also review Google autocomplete, “People also ask” results and related searches to understand the phrases and questions Google connects with your topic.
This early presearch will not give you a complete keyword strategy, but it can help you identify visible competitors, common search patterns and potential keyword themes before moving into deeper SEO analysis.
Use Keyword Tools to Build on Your Findings
Once you have completed your manual search research, keyword tools can help validate and expand your ideas. Google Keyword Planner can be useful for reviewing search volume, competition levels and suggested keyword variations based on your seed terms.
If you are running Google Ads, Auction Insights can also help show whether other advertisers are competing for similar keywords and how visible they are in paid search. Combined with manual search research, this gives you a stronger picture of both organic and paid search opportunities.
Use Paid SEO Tools
Tools such as Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz, and similar platforms can help you identify competitor keyword opportunities in much more detail. These platforms can analyse estimated organic rankings, paid search activity, backlinks, keyword gaps, content performance, and ranking changes over time.
One of the main benefits of paid SEO tools is that they allow you to see which keywords competitors may already be ranking for. You can review their top-performing pages, identify the terms bringing in estimated traffic, and compare those results against your own website. This can help highlight gaps in your current content, as well as opportunities to create new service pages, location pages, blogs, guides, or FAQs.
Many tools also allow you to compare several competitors at once. This can be useful for finding shared keyword themes across the market. If multiple competitors are ranking for the same group of terms, it may suggest that those keywords are important to your audience. You can also identify where competitors have built strong visibility around specific suburbs, services, products, or informational search queries.
Look for Patterns, Not Perfect Data
Paid tools can also support backlink and authority research. By reviewing which websites link to your competitors, you may uncover directories, industry websites, local partnerships, media mentions, or supplier relationships that could be relevant to your own SEO strategy.
However, it is important to remember that this data is still estimated. Search volumes, traffic numbers, ranking positions, keyword difficulty scores, and competitor traffic figures can vary between platforms. For this reason, paid SEO tools should be treated as research aids rather than exact reporting sources.
The value lies in the patterns. If a keyword appears across several competitors, if a page is attracting strong estimated traffic, or if a search term appears in both paid and organic results, that information can help guide your strategy. From there, you can decide which keywords are worth targeting based on relevance, search intent, competition, location, and the value of the enquiry they are likely to generate.
How To Analyse Competitor Keywords
Finding competitor keywords is only the first step. The real value comes from deciding which terms are worth pursuing.
Start by asking whether each keyword is relevant to your business. A competitor may rank for a phrase that brings traffic, but if that traffic is not aligned with your offer, it may not be worth chasing.
Next, consider search intent. Is the person looking for information, comparing options, searching locally, or ready to buy? A keyword like “what is SEO” may suit a blog, while a term like “SEO agency Auckland” may suit a service page. Understanding intent helps you place each keyword in the right part of your website.
You should also look at difficulty. Broad, high-volume keywords are often more competitive, while specific long-tail phrases may be easier to rank for and more likely to bring qualified enquiries. A balanced strategy will usually include both.
When it comes to commercial intent keywords, you also need to compare their Value Propositions with yours and sort them in the right bucket. For keywords that you have a higher competition advantage, you can list them in the “Potential Winning” bucket to construct a winning position and angle. When your products feel like they offer less value than competitors’, you will need to set them lower priority and review your target market again.
Look For Keyword Gaps
A keyword gap is a search term your competitors appear for, but your website does not. These gaps can reveal missing service pages, underdeveloped blogs, weak local content, limited FAQ coverage, or opportunities to improve existing pages.
For example, you may discover that competitors are ranking for suburb-specific searches, comparison-based terms, question-led searches or industry-specific service phrases you have not yet covered. You may also find that they have dedicated pages for services you only mention briefly, or blogs that answer customer questions your website does not yet address.
Keyword gaps are useful because they give your content strategy direction. Instead of guessing what to write next, you can build pages and blogs around real search behaviour. This helps you prioritise content that has a clearer purpose, whether that is attracting local enquiries, explaining a service, supporting a product category, or answering common questions before a customer gets in touch.
Prioritise the Gaps That Matter
Not every gap will be worth targeting. Some keywords may have the wrong intent, be too broad, be outside your service area, or attract visitors who are unlikely to become customers. The goal is to find the gaps that are both relevant and commercially useful.
Once you have identified keyword gaps, group them into themes. Some may suit new landing pages, some may belong in existing service pages, and others may work best as blog topics or FAQ additions. This makes it easier to turn your research into an organised content plan rather than a disconnected list of keywords.
Use Competitor Keywords For Google Ads
Competitor keyword research is not just for organic SEO. It can also help with Google Ads planning.
Note: many refer to “competitor keywords” as “competitor brand name keywords.” This is a tactic in which competitors in the same market try to gain impression share at each other’s expense. This is a grey area where some bad actors try to circumvent big players – this is against Google’s policies
If competitors consistently advertise certain phrases, that may indicate commercial value. However, it does not automatically mean you should bid on the same terms. Some keywords may be expensive, too broad or poorly matched to your offer.
The goal is to identify which terms are likely to attract people who are ready to act. Once you understand that, you can create more focused ad groups, stronger landing pages and clearer messaging that speaks directly to search intent.
SEO and Google Ads can work especially well together when they share keyword insights. Paid search can test which terms convert, while SEO can build longer-term visibility around proven topics.
Turn Research Into Better Content
Once you have a clear list of competitor keywords, the next step is to turn that research into useful, original content.
Avoid stuffing keywords into a page just because a tool says they matter. Instead, use them to shape your structure. A strong page should answer the questions your audience is asking, explain your service clearly, address concerns, support local relevance and guide people towards the next step.
This might mean creating new service pages, expanding thin content, improving headings, adding FAQs, writing blog posts, refreshing metadata, or building internal links between related pages.
Competitor keyword research should help you become more useful, not more repetitive.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
One common mistake is chasing every keyword your competitors rank for. Not every keyword is valuable, and not every high-volume search will bring the right visitors.
Another mistake is relying on a single tool without cross-checking the results. Keyword tools are useful, but they do not replace strategy. You still need to consider your audience, offer, location, website quality and business goals.
It is also important not to copy competitor content. Search engines reward helpful, original content that meets user intent. If your page simply mirrors what already exists, it is unlikely to give users or search engines a strong reason to choose you.
Ready To Build A Smarter Keyword Strategy?
Learning how to find competitors’ keywords can give your business a clearer view of the search landscape. It helps you understand what your competitors are targeting, what your audience is searching for, and where your website may have room to grow.
The best results come from combining research with strategy. Competitor keywords can point you in the right direction, but the way you use them matters most.
If you want help turning keyword research into stronger rankings, smarter content, and more effective Google Ads, contact The Web Guys now. We build highly effective tailored SEO and paid search strategies designed to connect your business with the people already searching for what you do.
