Your competitors are ranking for keywords you should be ranking for. That’s not a guess—it’s practically a guarantee. But here’s the thing: the goal isn’t to look at what they’re doing and do the exact same thing. That’s a race to the bottom, and honestly, it’s boring. The real opportunity is figuring out which keywords they’ve found and then building something better—something that fits your brand, your audience, and your strengths.
Let’s walk through how to do exactly that.
First, Figure Out Who You’re Really Competing With
Before you start poking around in keyword data, take a step back. Your real competitors online aren’t always the businesses you compete with in person. The landscaping company three towns over might not be on your radar, but if they’re dominating Google for searches your customers are making, they’re your digital competitor.
Start by Googling the services you offer in your area. Who keeps showing up? Who’s running ads? Who’s appearing in the local map pack? Make a short list of four or five businesses that consistently pop up in the results you want to own. These are the competitors worth studying.
Use the Right Tools to See What They’re Ranking For
Once you know who your online competitors are, it’s time to peek behind the curtain. Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and SpyFu let you plug in a competitor’s domain and see exactly which keywords are driving traffic to their site. You can see what they rank for organically, what they’re bidding on in PPC, and even estimate how much traffic those keywords bring in.
This isn’t about copying their keyword list and pasting it into your own strategy. Think of it as market research. You’re looking for patterns. What topics are they covering? What questions are they answering? Where are they investing their ad spend? That intel tells you a lot about what’s working in your space.
Look for Gaps, Not Overlaps
Here’s where the magic happens. Instead of targeting the same high-competition keywords your competitor already dominates, look for the gaps—the valuable keywords they’re not targeting or where their content is thin and outdated.
For example, maybe a competitor ranks well for “plumber near me” but has zero content around “how to prevent frozen pipes” or “tankless water heater pros and cons.” Those informational keywords might not convert as directly, but they build trust, drive traffic, and fill the top of your funnel with people who will remember your name when they need a plumber.
A keyword gap analysis (which most SEO tools offer) will show you exactly where these opportunities live. It compares your domain against a competitor’s and highlights the keywords they rank for that you don’t. That’s your treasure map.
Build Better Content Around Those Keywords
Finding the right keywords is only half the battle. The other half is creating content that deserves to rank. And this is where you stop following your competitor’s playbook entirely.
Take a look at the content that’s currently ranking for your target keyword. Is it a 300-word blog post that barely scratches the surface? Is it outdated? Is it generic and clearly written to check an SEO box rather than genuinely help a reader? Good—that’s your opening.
Create something more useful, more detailed, and more aligned with what a searcher actually wants to know. Add original insights from your team’s experience. Include real examples. Answer follow-up questions before the reader even thinks to ask them. When you bring genuine expertise to the table, search engines and readers notice.
Don’t Forget About Their Paid Keywords
Competitor keyword research isn’t just for SEO. If a competitor is spending money on specific PPC keywords, that’s a strong signal that those keywords convert. They wouldn’t keep paying for clicks that don’t turn into leads or sales.
You can use this information in a few smart ways. First, you can bid on some of the same terms, but with a better ad, a stronger landing page, or a more compelling offer. Second, you can take those high-intent keywords and build organic content around them, so you’re earning clicks for free that your competitor is paying for. That’s a powerful long-term advantage.
Make It Your Own
The biggest mistake businesses make with competitor keyword research is treating it like a shortcut. They find a list of keywords, throw them on a few pages, and wonder why nothing happens. In reality, keywords are just a starting point. What matters is what you do with them.
Your brand voice, your expertise, your local knowledge, your customer relationships—those are your real competitive advantages. Use competitor keyword data to identify where to show up, but let your own strengths dictate how you show up. That’s the difference between copying a strategy and building one that actually works.
Ready to Uncover Your Keyword Opportunities?
Competitor keyword research can be a game-changer, but it can also be overwhelming if you’re not sure where to start or how to turn data into action. That’s where we come in.
At WSI Internet Partners, we help businesses like yours dig into the data, find the opportunities your competitors are missing, and build a search strategy that’s tailored to your goals. Whether you need help with SEO, PPC, content, or the full picture, we’d love to chat.
Get in touch with WSI Internet Partners today at 254-235-2452 or fill out our contact form, and let’s start turning your competitors’ keywords into your next customers.
Aaron Braunstein is the President of WSI Internet Partners, a Waco-based digital marketing agency that helps local businesses grow through strategy-driven SEO, Google Ads, and AI-powered solutions. A long-time member of the Waco business community, Aaron brings global expertise and local insight to every project. Connect with him on LinkedIn or learn more at WSI Internet Partners.
