Conducting Competitive Analysis

Competitive analysis is an essential component of keyword research. It helps you understand your SEO competitors, analyze their keyword strategies, and identify opportunities for your own keyword targeting. This article will guide you through identifying your SEO competitors, analyzing their keywords, and using competitor analysis to inform your keyword strategy.

Identifying Your SEO Competitors

Why Identifying Competitors is Important:

• Knowing who your competitors are helps you understand the landscape of your industry.
• Analyzing competitors allows you to identify gaps and opportunities in your own strategy.

Steps to Identify Your Competitors:

1. Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs):
   • Perform searches using your primary keywords and note the websites that consistently appear in the top results.
2. Competitor Analysis Tools:
   • Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz to identify websites ranking for your target keywords.
3. Industry Research:
   • Identify key players in your industry by reviewing industry reports, publications, and forums.
4. Customer Feedback:
   • Ask your customers about alternative solutions or products they considered before choosing yours.

Analyzing Competitors’ Keywords

Methods to Analyze Competitors’ Keywords:

1. Using Ahrefs:
   • Steps:
     1. Enter your competitor’s domain into Ahrefs Site Explorer.
     2. Navigate to the “Organic Keywords” section.
     3. Analyze the list of keywords for which your competitor ranks, focusing on search volume, keyword difficulty, and position.
   • Example:
     • Competitor: ExampleCompetitor.com
     • Top Keywords: “digital marketing tips,” “SEO strategies for beginners,” “content marketing tools”
2. Using SEMrush:
   • Steps:
     1. Enter your competitor’s domain into SEMrush Domain Overview.
     2. Go to the “Organic Research” section.
     3. Review the list of keywords and their metrics such as search volume, position, and traffic percentage.
   • Example:
     • Competitor: AnotherCompetitor.com
     • Top Keywords: “best social media platforms for marketing,” “how to use Google Analytics,” “email marketing best practices”
3. Using Moz:
   • Steps:
     1. Enter your competitor’s domain into Moz Link Explorer.
     2. Navigate to the “Top Pages” and “Top Keywords” sections.
     3. Evaluate the keywords driving the most traffic to your competitor’s site.
   • Example:
     • Competitor: CompetitorSite.com
     • Top Keywords: “ecommerce SEO,” “local SEO tips,” “SEO audit checklist”

Using Competitor Analysis to Inform Your Keyword Strategy

Steps to Use Competitor Analysis Effectively:

1. Identify Keyword Gaps:
   • Compare your keyword list with your competitors’ to identify keywords they are ranking for that you are not.
   • Use tools like Ahrefs’ “Content Gap” and SEMrush’s “Keyword Gap” to find these opportunities.
   • Example:
     • Your Site: Missing keywords like “advanced SEO techniques,” “SEO for voice search”
     • Competitor: Ranking for these keywords
2. Evaluate Keyword Performance:
   • Assess the performance of your competitors’ top keywords by looking at their search volume, ranking position, and traffic potential.
   • Identify keywords with high potential that are underutilized by your competitors.
   • Example:
     • Competitor: Ranking for “SEO tips 2024” but not utilizing “SEO trends 2024” which has high search volume
3. Analyze Content Strategies:
   • Review the types of content your competitors are producing for their top keywords (e.g., blog posts, guides, videos).
   • Determine how you can create better or more comprehensive content around those keywords.
   • Example:
     • Competitor: Blog post on “SEO basics”
     • Your Strategy: Create a comprehensive guide with infographics and video tutorials on “SEO basics”
4. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords:
   • Identify long-tail keywords your competitors are targeting and evaluate their potential for your strategy.
   • Look for keywords that align with your content strengths and audience needs.
   • Example:
     • Competitor: Ranking for “best SEO tools for small businesses”
     • Your Strategy: Target related long-tail keywords like “top SEO tools for startups” or “affordable SEO tools for small businesses”

Example Table: Competitor Keyword Analysis

Competitor	Top Keywords	Search Volume	Position	Traffic %
ExampleCompetitor.com	digital marketing tips	12,000	1	25%
AnotherCompetitor.com	best social media platforms	8,500	3	15%
CompetitorSite.com	ecommerce SEO	10,000	2	20%

Competitive analysis is a powerful tool in keyword research. By identifying your SEO competitors, analyzing their keywords, and using these insights to inform your own strategy, you can uncover new opportunities and stay ahead in the search rankings. The next article in this series will focus on organizing and prioritizing keywords to create a structured and effective keyword list for your content strategy.