How to analyse a competitor’s keywords, with and without a tool

You want three outputs: a list of rival pages that earn search, the queries behind them, and the gaps you can fill with pages that fit your product.

• Pages to copy is not the goal. Pages to beat or flank is.
• Keep intent in view: informational, navigational, commercial investigation, transactional. The results page shows the intent Google assigned.
• Estimate potential by the cluster, not a single keyword. A query with an AI Overview or a featured snippet may send fewer clicks than its volume suggests.

1. 1

   List real rivals

   Name domains, not brands. For a SaaS, list the category leaders and the peers who pitch the same job. Add one adjacent tool that solves the job a different way.

2. 2

   Read their sitemap

   Open rival.com/sitemap.xml or rival.com/sitemap_index.xml. Note sections: /blog/, /guides/, /integrations/, /pricing/, /compare/, /alternatives/. This shows what they publish and how they structure it.

3. 3

   Scan titles for targets

   Load ten to twenty URLs from each key section. Note the title tag and H1. Titles say which queries they target. Example: "/compare/x-vs-y" or "/alternatives/z-alternatives".

4. 4

   Use site: searches to see coverage

   Run site:rival.com pricing, site:rival.com alternatives, site:rival.com vs. Add a term like your category name. This shows what Google holds and the patterns they scale.

5. 5

   Collect SERP cues from Google

   Type your category and your rivals into Google. Watch autocomplete for real searches people type, varied by your location and history. Open the page and scroll to People also ask and Related searches to expand the cluster.

6. 6

   Map each page to one intent

   Mark a page as informational, commercial, or transactional. If Google shows lists and comparisons for a query, treat it as commercial investigation. Do not plan a product page for it.

You now have a sheet with rival URLs, their likely queries, and the intent class. Highlight patterns you do not cover yet: "x vs y", "x alternatives", "how to do z", and integrations like "x with y".

Say you ship a workflow SaaS at yourproduct.com. A rival lists these in sitemap.xml: /pricing, /integrations/slack, /guides/how-to-automate-invoices, /compare/them-vs-zapier, /alternatives/zapier-alternatives.

• Titles: "How to automate invoices" is informational. "Them vs Zapier" is commercial. "Zapier alternatives" is commercial too.
• site:rival.com alternatives shows a folder of twenty "X alternatives" pages. You have none. Gap.
• Google’s People also ask under "zapier alternatives" includes "Is there a free alternative to Zapier" and "What is better than Zapier for Slack". Add these as subheads on your "/alternatives/zapier-alternatives" page.
• Autocomplete for "zapier vs" shows "zapier vs make", "zapier vs n8n". If you integrate with these, plan "/compare/yourproduct-vs-zapier" and "/compare/yourproduct-vs-make". If not, skip. Intent fit first.

Search volume is an estimate of monthly searches, averaged over the last twelve months. Two tools disagree and both are approximations. Use ranges to size bets, not to set promises.

• Google Ads Keyword Planner shows ranges to accounts without spend and figures to accounts with it. It groups close variants. Treat a cluster as the unit.
• Bing Webmaster Tools has keyword research free. Use it to sanity check a topic and find variants.
• Use Related searches and People also ask to round the cluster. Autocomplete lists what people type, weighted by popularity and freshness, but it is not volume.

Pick one tool you can learn and keep using. Ahrefs and Semrush are broad. SE Ranking positions itself as more affordable. SpyFu focuses on competitor research and keyword history. Moz has long-standing education with Link Explorer and DA. Choose for the job you need now, not the brand.

1. 1

   Get your rival’s ranked keywords

   In Ahrefs Site Explorer, Semrush Domain Overview, SE Ranking, or SpyFu, enter rival.com. Export their organic keywords with URL, position, and estimated volume. Filter to positions 1 to 20 first.

2. 2

   Pull your own ranked keywords

   Do the same for your domain, or use Google Search Console’s Performance report to export your queries and pages. This is pre‑click and shows where you already appear.

3. 3

   Run a gap or comparison

   Use the tool’s Keyword Gap or compare two domains. The goal: queries and pages they rank for that you do not. Group by URL, intent and topic, not just by keyword.

4. 4

   Check intent on the SERP

   Open ten gap queries in Google. Confirm the page type Google shows. If it is lists and comparisons, plan a comparison page. If it is how‑to guides, plan a guide. Skip navigational queries for their brand.

5. 5

   Cluster and size the bet

   Cluster close variants. Sum their volumes. Note if an AI Overview or featured snippet dominates. Mark quick wins: positions 11 to 20 you could move with a better page and links.

• Target gaps where your product fits the intent. For a SaaS, families that matter: category names and best‑of lists, "X alternatives", "X vs Y", jobs your product does, integrations, pricing and comparisons of rivals, and your own brand.
• Ignore pure navigational and off‑topic informational. "rival login" will not convert. "what is crm" is broad if you sell a niche workflow tool.
• Deprioritise gaps where the top ten are locked by government sites, docs, or giant publishers. Your cost to win is high.
• Skip mimicking thin pages. If a rival wins on a thin list, it is fragile. Build a better resource, or choose a more specific angle you can own.

A fixed page looks like this: "/compare/yourproduct-vs-zapier" with a table of differences that matter to your buyer, links to docs and integrations, and clear next steps.

1. 1

   Draft page list and owners

   Create rows for: "/alternatives/rival-alternatives", "/compare/yourproduct-vs-rival", "/guides/how-to-do-z", "/integrations/x-with-y". Assign a name and a date.

2. 2

   Outline to match intent

   For a comparison, include who each tool suits, where it falls short, and FAQs from People also ask. For a how‑to, include steps, screenshots, and when to use your product.

3. 3

   Write titles that reflect queries

   Keep about 60 characters. Example: "Zapier alternatives: 9 options for Slack workflows". Do not stuff variants. Add the main phrase once.

4. 4

   Link from relevant pages

   Link comparison pages from "/pricing" and "/integrations". Link guides from "/blog/" hubs and feature pages. Use anchor text that matches the query naturally.

5. 5

   Ship, then promote lightly

   Announce on your changelog or a newsletter. Add to navigation only if it answers a core job. Do not buy links you would not want to explain.

• Watch Search Console for impressions and clicks by page and query. Use the last 28 days once Google has crawled the page.
• A rise in impressions without clicks can be fine at first. It means you now appear. Improve the title and add internal links.
• If a query shows a featured snippet or AI Overview, your title needs to promise a reason to click. Answers on the page still matter for coverage.
• New queries appear all the time. Google has said about 15% of daily searches are new. Keep your cluster flexible.

• A tool shows huge volume but Google shows shopping carousels. That is transactional for retailers. If you are SaaS, skip.
• Your rival ranks for "{rival} pricing". You built "/rival-pricing" and it does not move. It is navigational. Kill it or noindex it.
• Keyword difficulty shows low, but all top results are government domains and docs. Cost to beat is still high. Pick a longer query or a different angle.
• You built ten "X alternatives" pages and none rank. Your category may be too broad. Start with the main brand alternatives page and build depth before long tails.