Ranking on the first page of SERP is not a random occurrence. It has to do with strategy.
The trick to executing that strategy is Keyword Competition Analysis.
It helps you to identify opportunities, outwit competitors and concentrate on keywords that are actually important.
Ask Yourself, Are you strategically targeting keywords? Or Are you competing mindlessly in a crowded field?
Let’s figure out by delving deeper into Keyword Competition Analysis..
What is Keyword Competition Analysis?
By definition, the process of analyzing the difficulty of ranking for a particular keyword on search engines is known as keyword competition analysis.
Based on how feasible ranking for certain keywords is, this helps in identifying which keywords are worth targeting.
This process analyzes factors like,
- Search Volume,
- Keyword Difficulty and
- The Strength of Competing websites.
To grasp the concept better, consider a Candle Business.
- It want to rank for the keyword “buy candles online”
- But this keyword is highly competitive. Because big websites like Amazon are ranking at the top of SERP for this keyword.
- So, instead they can target a less competitive long tail keyword like “buy soy candles online”.
- Because this keyword has lower competition and helps you to rank higher more easily.
Why Keyword Competition Analysis Should Be Your SEO Priority?
As the title says, Keyword Competition Analysis should be your SEO Priority. To lay the groundwork, you need to understand the competition of keywords.
Here is why? It allows you to,
- Set priorities for your efforts. It helps you to pay attention to keywords that have the highest ranking potential.
- It will boost your ROI. You can make the most of your budget and resources for high-impact results.
- It assists you in understanding the trends in your market. Based on that, you can adapt to the changing search behaviors and industry shifts.
How to Conduct Keyword Competition Analysis?
Next, let’s break down how to conduct keyword competition analysis, step-by-step.
Analyzing keyword competition doesn’t have to be overwhelming. To choose the right keywords, evaluate their complexity and develop a successful SEO plan, follow the below simple and actionable steps.
Let’s get started!
1.Identify Your Target Keywords
The first and foremost step is to brainstorm a list of potential keywords. These keywords should be relevant to your business, products or services.
To refine this list, make use of the following tools and techniques:
- Begin with researching the search terms your target audience will use to find your offerings.
- Next, leverage keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest or SEMrush. Then identify the related keywords, their search volumes and competition levels.
- Categorize the keywords based on their search intent.
- During this process, prioritize long tail keywords. Because these keywords are longer phrases with lower competition. But it has a higher conversion rate.
For a clearer perspective, Consider an “Online Fitness Store” as an example.
The target audience might search for,
“Best yoga mats for beginners, Buy resistance bands online, Home workout equipment”.
Expanding this list with the help of keyword research tools. Now the keyword variations will be
“Affordable yoga mats, Best resistance bands for heavy workouts, Compact home gym equipment for apartments”
2.Measure the Competition Metrics
Now you have the list of target keywords. The next step is to evaluate their competition with the help of key metrics. It helps you to understand the competition for each keyword.
Here are the competition metrics:
1.Search Volume – This indicates how frequently a keyword is searched for a period of time. Choose keywords that strike a balance between low competitiveness and a reasonable search volume.
2.Keyword Difficulty Score (KD) – It measures how challenging it is to rank for a keyword. Most of the tools like SEMrush, Moz and Ahrefs provide keyword difficulty scores, usually between 1 to 100. Here the lower score indicates easier ranking opportunities.
- Low KD → less than 30 →Easier to rank.
- Medium KD → between 30 to 70 → Moderate difficulty.
- High KD → greater than 70 → Very competitive and requires significant effort.
3.Cost Per Click (CPC) – When analyzing CPC, a mix of low and high CPC keywords help to balance your strategy. Because keywords with high CPC are commercially valuable. But they are highly competitive.
4.Trends – Look for seasonal and trending keywords. It helps you to identify patterns and take advantage of high points.
Bouncing back to the above example,
The Search Volume for
Best yoga mats for beginners → 8,000 searches/month
Buy resistance bands online → 3,000 searches/month
The Keyword Difficulty for,
Best yoga mats for beginners → KD – 45 , which is a moderate competition.
Compact home gym equipment for apartments → KD – 20 which is a low competition.
The Cost Per Click for,
Buy resistance bands online → CPC $2.50.
Yoga mats for meditation → CPC $0.80.
3.Analyze the Leading Competitors in the SERP
As a next step, search your target keyword on Google. Then analyze the top 10 results.
In that results, Look for:
1.Domain Authority (DA) – Use tools like Moz or Ahrefs to evaluate DA. High DA sites are tougher to outrank. So, look for keywords where competitors with low-to-mid DA are ranking high.
2.Page Authority (PA) – PA measures the ranking strength of individual pages. Strong backlinks and content are reflected in high PA pages.
3.Content Quality – Next review the quality of their content. Examine the quality of top ranking pages and content types like blog, product page etc. Evaluate their accuracy, depth and ability to address user intent.
4.User Engagement – Examine the user engagement metrics such as likes, shares and comments. Relevant and valuable information is shown by high engagement.
4.Analyze the SERP Features
In addition to analyzing the leading competitors in the SERP, analyze the below features in the SERP for your target keywords.
1.Featured Snippets – Look for the featured snippets. Though they are highly competitive but offer valuable visibility.
2.SERP Layout: Assess the layout of SERP. Observe if there are ads, videos or local packs that are pushing the organic results lower.
5.Find the Content Gaps
Identify areas where competitors are not meeting user expectations. Take advantage of these gaps as your opportunities.
- Look for unanswered questions. Search forums or communities for questions that competitors haven’t addressed.
- Figure out the outdated content. If you find any competitor’s page which is outdated, then create an updated and comprehensive version of yours.
- Format the gaps. To stand out, include interactive components, infographics and videos.
Returning back to the earlier example, For “Best yoga mats for beginners,” the top-ranking pages might lack
- A video demonstrating how to use the mats.
- User Reviews or Testimonials
- A comparison chart of mat sizes, materials and prices.
So, now you can create a blog post titled “Top 10 Yoga Mats for Beginners [With Reviews and Videos]” including all missing elements.
6.Inspect Backlinks of Competing Pages
One of the significant ranking factors is backlinks. Make use of tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyze the backlinks of competing pages.
- For Competing pages, analyze the number and quality of backlinks.
- Find out the domains that are linking to your rivals but not to you.
- To obtain backlinks, target those domains with superior content and unique insights.
7.Sort Keywords according to Priority
Now you have the data on opportunities and competition. As a next step, segment these keywords by priority.
Put the keywords into categories:
- Quick Wins → These are the low difficulty keywords with moderate search volume.
- Long term goals → It reflects high search traffic and high difficulty keywords.
- Content Opportunities → These are the keywords associated with content gaps in the SERPs.
Connecting back to the earlier example, the segments are
Low Competition and High-Relevance:
- Keyword → Compact home gym equipment for apartments
- Keyword Difficulty (KD) → 20
- It targets immediately with optimized content.
Moderate Competition and High-Relevance:
- Keywords → Best yoga mats for beginners
- Keyword Difficulty (KD) → 45
- Develop detailed content with strong SEO optimization.
High-Competition and High-Reward:
- Keywords → Buy resistance bands online
- Keyword Difficulty (KD) → 65
- Build domain authority and invest in a long-term strategy like link-building.
8.Content Strategy Optimization
As a final step, optimize your content strategy.
- Create comprehensive content. This means composing in-depth manuals, tutorials or lists that focus on the keywords you have selected.
- Employ the On-Page SEO best practices. Integrate your target keywords in headers, alt tags, meta descriptions and titles.
- Use internal linking to improve relevancy and navigation. Add the link to related pages on your site.
- Finally monitor the performance. Keep a close eye on rankings, traffic and engagement for your keywords.
Keyword Competition Analysis: What not to do?
It is clear to us that keyword competition analysis is crucial for a winning SEO strategy. But even minor mistakes will ruin your efforts.
So in this section, let’s get into the common mistakes to avoid in keyword competition analysis.
- Don’t focus only on high-volume keywords. Because these keywords are harder to rank for due to its intense competition.
- Never ignore Long Tail Keywords. This is because these keywords are less competitive and convert better. So, skipping these means losing out on easier wins.
- Never fail to update keyword research. Because the keyword trends change over time due to seasonality, evolving user behavior or industry shifts. Therefore sticking to outdated keyword data will hurt your rankings and relevance.
- Never neglect regional or local keywords. Because missing these regional terms will limit your local reach.
- Don’t skip trend analysis. Because emerging and seasonal trends will impact keyword relevance.
- Don’t overlook content optimization. Because even excellent keywords require high-quality content to rank.
- Never rely solely on keyword difficulty scores. Because these scores alone don’t reflect full competition.
- Don’t depend on one tool alone. Because different tools provide varied insights. So use multiple sources.
- Never forget to analyze competitors. Because skipping their strengths like backlinks and content quality will leave you unprepared.
- Never ignore search intent. Because misaligned keywords will lead to irrelevant traffic.
Next-Level Insights for Keyword Competition Analysis
Now, it’s time to take your keyword analysis to the next level. So are you ready to move beyond the basics…?
In this section, let’s explore the advanced techniques to supercharge your keyword competition analysis.
1.Make the most of clustered content strategies
- Group relevant keywords into content clusters supported by a core pillar page.
- This will improve topical authority and make it easier to rank for multiple keywords with less effort.
2.Emphasize Long Tail Keywords in Blog Posts
- Utilize blogs to target question-based keywords and long-tail keywords that rivals might miss.
- This will address specific user inquiries and improve search prominence.
3.Examine the Features of SERP
- Look for “People Also Ask” sections, local packs and featured snippets in search results.
- Make your content more visible and competitive for these spots.
4.Track the Paid Strategies of your Competitors
- Identify which keywords competitors are prioritizing by analyzing their PPC ads.
- This gives you ideas for phrases that will work well for organic initiatives.
5.Take Advantage of the Gaps in Your Competitors
- Determine the search terms your competitors rank for but you don’t.
- To find these gaps and fill them with relevant content, use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush.
6.Integrate Predictive Analytics and AI
- Analyze user behavior, keyword trends and predictive data with AI-powered tools.
- This makes it easier to spot opportunities that align with upcoming shifts in search intent.
7.Connect Keywords with User Intent Mapping
- Pay attention to terms that correspond with particular phases of the buyer’s journey like awareness, consideration and decision.
- Conversion rates and ranking possibilities are both enhanced by this.
8.A/B Test Keyword and Content Variations
- Experiment with different titles, meta descriptions and keyword placements.
- This determines what performs best for competitive terms.
9.Track Emerging Trends and Topics
- Keep an eye on seasonal trends and industry news to stay ahead of the game.
- To target keywords with future potential, use tools such as Exploding Topics or Google Trends.
10.Refine Your Internal Linking Strategies
- Direct authority to high-priority pages that target competitive keywords by using internal links.
- This raises rankings without depending entirely on backlinks from outside sources.
11.Pay Attention to Niche and Localized Keywords
- Give local keywords top priority for businesses that are location-specific.
- In a similar vein, niche-specific keywords draw in the targeted audience while lowering competition.
12.Optimize for Semantic Search
- Use natural language, synonyms, and related terms to align with Google’s interpretation of context and intent.
- This improves relevance for competitive keywords.
Conclusion: Take Action Now
In Conclusion, Keyword Competition Analysis is more than just numbers. It helps to find the ideal ratio of search volume, competition and relevance.
It is a strategic process that steers your content in the right direction.
So settle on the right keywords with realistic goals. As a result, it is possible to outsmart your competitors.
Within the realm of SEO, Ranking for every keyword is not the goal. The goal is to rank for the right ones.
So start today with a smarter analysis. Let your content stand out from the crowd ..!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
There isn’t one tool that works for everyone. However the popular options are:
- Ahrefs: It is excellent for backlink analysis and keyword difficulty.
- SEMrush: It offers comprehensive competitor insights.
- Google Keyword Planner: It is beneficial for search volume and trends.
- Moz: This tool is ideal for domain authority checks and keyword rankings.
- The high competition keywords have many competitors targeting them. It requires significant efforts like high quality backlinks and authority to rank.
- The low competition keywords are easier to rank for. It is often long tail or niche focused. It attracts targeted but lower search volume traffic.
- Keyword Difficulty (KD) is a metric calculated by tools. It estimates how hard it is to rank for a keyword.
- Keyword Competition is broader and includes the actual number of competitors and the quality of their SEO efforts for a keyword.