# Competitor keyword analysis by hand, with free data

You do not need a suite to see what rivals rank for. You need the right rivals, their sitemap, and a method. This guide shows how to find the queries they win, the ones you can take, and the pages to build.

Updated 2026-09-13 · Source: https://porteur.ai/guides/competitor-keyword-analysis

## Pick the right rivals for SEO, not sales

Your SEO rivals are the sites that take the clicks on the queries you want. They might not sell what you sell. They often are category guides, directories, and templates.

1. **Start from three core queries** Pick three non‑branded queries like "time tracking software", "timesheet template", "how to track billable hours". These span product, adjacent resource, and problem.
2. **Search in an incognito window** Use your country and device. Note the top 10 for each. Include comparison and list posts if they rank, like "best time tracking tools".
3. **List recurring domains** Any domain that shows up across your three queries is a rival for search. Add them to a sheet. Ignore obvious junk and global marketplaces unless they match your intent.

> Do not pick rivals because they share your words on their homepage. Pick them because they sit on the results you need.

Example: for yourproduct.com, "time tracking software" shows vendor sites and review lists. "timesheet template" shows template libraries. "how to track billable hours" shows guides. Your rivals span all three.

## Read their sitemap to map page families

A sitemap shows the site’s structure faster than clicking around. You want page families you can mirror, not one‑offs.

1. **Find the sitemap** Try /sitemap.xml, /sitemap_index.xml, or check robots.txt for a Sitemap: line. If there are multiple, open the one for pages, blog, or categories.
2. **Skim for patterns** Scan URLs. Note folders like /blog/, /use-cases/, /industries/, /integrations/, /templates/, /compare/, /alternatives/, /pricing/, /guides/.
3. **Group into families** Create rows: Templates, Use cases, Industries, Integrations, Comparisons, Alternatives, How‑to guides, Feature pages, Pricing. Add URL counts per family.
4. **Pick what fits your product** If you are a SaaS, Templates and Integrations often scale. If you are a store, Categories, Buyer’s guides, and Comparison pages matter.

A fixed plan looks like: 40 template URLs, 15 integration pages, 10 comparison pages, and 12 how‑to guides. You now see their content engine, not just a few posts.

> Screaming Frog SEO Spider can crawl up to 500 URLs free, then export a table you segment yourself. Use it if a rival hides or lacks a sitemap.

## Free sources that reveal their keywords

You cannot see a rival’s Search Console. You can infer their queries from public pages and the search results. Use free sources first.

| Source | What you get | How to use it quickly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Google results page | Titles, URLs, People also ask, related searches, snippets | Search your target query. Copy the top 10 URLs. Expand two People also ask trees. |
| Autocomplete | Long‑tails and modifiers | Type your seed. Note modifiers like "for contractors", "free", "template". Do A to Z if needed. |
| People also ask | Question clusters | Use AlsoAsked or expand PAA manually to map follow‑ups. |
| Site search operator | Indexed pages by theme | Search site:rival.com templates, or site:rival.com "time tracking" to find clusters. |
| Sitemap files | Canonical list of pages | Export and label families at scale. |
| Your Search Console | Your current queries and gaps | Pull your queries and pages. You will use this to subtract what you already cover. |

AnswerThePublic and AlsoAsked are handy for questions. They pull autocomplete and People also ask ideas into visual maps. Use them to confirm themes you already see.

Google Keyword Planner can size a theme. Treat its ranges as directional. You are picking page types and queries, not forecasting revenue.

> Suites like Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz and SE Ranking speed this up. They estimate rival keywords from big indexes. You still need to judge intent and fit.

## Find the queries they win and you do not

You need a manual gap list: a rival URL, its likely primary query, and whether you have an equivalent page. This is slow the first time and then fast.

1. **Choose 3 to 5 rivals from your list** Pick the ones that repeat across your core queries. Include one content site if it ranks in your space.
2. **Sample each page family** From their sitemap, open 10 URLs per family that fits your product. For example, 10 /templates/ and 10 /integrations/.
3. **Infer the primary query** Read each page’s title and H1. Search that phrase. If the rival URL sits on page one for it, log that as the primary query.
4. **Check if you have the page** Search site:yourproduct.com "that phrase". Or check your own sitemap. Mark Yes or No for an equivalent page.
5. **Subtract your coverage** If you have the page and rank on page one, skip it. If you have it but rank on page 2 to 3, mark as upgrade. If you do not have it, mark as new.

Your sheet now has three states: New page, Upgrade page, Ignore. That is your backlog, ordered by family and theme. Add a simple priority next.

> If a rival ranks with a directory or marketplace page, you can still target the informational side. Match the intent, not the brand power.

## Judge search intent and page type

A page ranks when it matches the dominant intent and format. You will see this by scanning page one for your inferred query.

- Commercial investigation: list posts like "best time tracking tools". Your page type: comparison or alternatives.
- Transactional: "time tracking software". Your page type: product or category page with features and proof.
- Informational how‑to: "how to track billable hours". Your page type: guide with steps and examples.
- Navigational or branded: "yourproduct vs rival". Your page type: comparison page with a clear table.

1. **Scan the top 10** Count page types. If 7 of 10 are templates, the winning format is a template library page, not a pure blog post.
2. **Note common blocks** See repeated blocks like pros and cons, pricing tables, FAQs, schema types. Your page should include the blocks that answer the query.
3. **Write a fit note** Add a one‑line intent note to your sheet: "Template intent, downloadable", or "Guide intent, step‑by‑step with screenshots".

A fixed page looks like: /templates/consulting-timesheet with the file, usage notes, variations, and internal links to your product and related templates.

## Turn the gap list into pages you can ship

Group your New and Upgrade items into small releases. Build families in runs to reuse layouts and speed up internal links.

1. **Pick one family to start** Choose the one with the most New items and a clear format. Templates, Integrations, or Alternatives are common starting points for SaaS.
2. **Draft structure once** Create one reusable page layout with H1, intro, key block, supporting blocks, FAQ, and links. Use it for all pages in the family.
3. **Name URLs cleanly** Keep them human. /integrations/slack, /alternatives/harvest, /templates/consulting-timesheet. Avoid dates and query stuffing.
4. **Write titles that match the query** About 60 characters. Include the head term and a useful modifier. Example: Consulting timesheet template, free Excel and Google Sheets.
5. **Link the family** Add a hub page and cross‑links. From each template to its siblings and to your product page where relevant.

For Upgrades, keep the URL and improve the page to fit the observed intent. Tighten the title and H1, add the missing blocks, and update internal links.

> Do not clone a rival’s copy. Mirror the structure that searchers reward, then write your own words and examples.

## Prioritise by effort and earliest wins

You do not need keyword difficulty scores to start. Judge by common sense: page type, your current authority, and production effort.

- Ship pages that exist in your product already: integrations, features, pricing, and comparison pages.
- Create templated assets next: calculators, templates, checklists, and glossaries that match queries you saw.
- Avoid head terms first if page one is all giants and marketplaces. Aim for long‑tail and modifiers like industry, role, or format.
- Upgrade anything you rank for on page 2 to 3. Those are striking distance queries you can pull up with better fit and links.

Use your own Search Console to spot upgrades. Filter by Position greater than 10 and less than 25. Map those queries to the nearest page and fix intent or titles first.

## Track outcomes without a paid suite

You can track this with free tools. It will not be perfect, but it is enough to see movement and double down on what works.

- Google Search Console: check the Performance report. Watch clicks, impressions, and queries for each new or upgraded page.
- Google Analytics 4: watch sessions and conversions from organic to those pages. It is post‑click, so numbers will not match Search Console.
- Manual rank checks: search your target queries in an incognito window weekly. Note rough positions. Do not obsess over daily noise.
- Simple annotations: keep a changelog of shipped pages by date. Compare 28‑day windows before and after for each page.

> Suites exist for scale. Ahrefs is known for its backlink index and Site Explorer. Semrush is a broad suite with keyword and competitive research and more. Moz has long‑standing education and Link Explorer. SE Ranking focuses on rank tracking, audit and competitive research. Pick one when manual work slows you down.

## Worked example: templates and comparisons for a SaaS

Say yourproduct.com is time tracking SaaS. Rivals on your core queries include a vendor, a template library, and a review list. You map their sitemaps and see two strong families: /templates/ and /alternatives/.

1. **List candidate pages** From rival sitemaps you pull: /templates/consulting-timesheet, /templates/contractor-timesheet, /alternatives/harvest, /alternatives/toggl, /integrations/slack.
2. **Infer primary queries** Search "consulting timesheet template", "harvest alternatives", "time tracking slack integration". Confirm rival URLs on page one and log them.
3. **Check your coverage** You have /templates/consulting-timesheet, but it is a short post. No /alternatives/harvest page. No /integrations/slack page.
4. **Plan the build** Upgrade the consulting template with files, variations, and FAQ. Create /alternatives/harvest with a clear table. Create /integrations/slack with setup steps and benefits.
5. **Ship and link** Publish the three pages. Link them from a /templates/ hub and /alternatives/ hub, and from the product page.

The fixed pages now match intent. The template ranks for the exact template term, the alternatives page for "harvest alternatives", and the integration page for "slack time tracking" variants. You track clicks in Search Console and conversions in GA4.

## Questions

### How do I choose which competitors to analyse for SEO?

Search the three non‑branded queries you care about. List the domains that repeat across them. Those are your SEO rivals. They might include content sites and directories. Ignore brands that rank only for their name.

### Can I do competitor keyword analysis without paid tools?

Yes. Use Google results, People also ask, autocomplete, site: search, and sitemaps to infer queries. Use your own Search Console to subtract what you already cover. Suites make this faster, but you can start by hand.

### How do I know the intent of a keyword?

Look at page one for that query. Count formats: lists, guides, templates, or product pages. The dominant format is the intent. Your page should match it while adding your angle and proof.

### What if a competitor has huge authority and I do not?

Avoid head terms they dominate. Target modifiers like industry, role, problem, or file format. Build page families you can scale, like integrations or templates. Upgrade pages that already sit on page 2 to 3.

### How often should I repeat this analysis?

Quarterly is fine for a small site. Update your rival list, rescan their sitemaps, and spot new page families. In between, work the backlog and track outcomes in 28‑day windows.

### Which paid tool should I consider when I grow?

Ahrefs is strong for backlink research and Site Explorer. Semrush covers keywords, positions, site audit and more in one suite. Moz offers Link Explorer and education. SE Ranking focuses on rank tracking and research. Pick based on the job you do most.

## Read next

- [Keyword gap analysis: the searches your rivals hold and you do not](https://porteur.ai/guides/keyword-gap-analysis): See how to find rivals’ search traffic you could win, filter it to your product, group it into pages, and turn gaps into briefs you can ship.
- [Search intent: what the results page tells you to build](https://porteur.ai/guides/search-intent): Learn the four intents, read intent from the results page, and fix pages that will never rank by changing their kind, not just the words.
- [People also ask: turning Google’s questions into sections](https://porteur.ai/guides/people-also-ask): See what People also ask is, where questions come from, how to collect them, write two-sentence answers, add FAQ markup, and track results.
- [Internal linking for a small site: which pages link to which](https://porteur.ai/guides/internal-linking-for-seo): Decide which pages rank. Build hubs, write clear anchors, fix orphans, and crawl your site to map links you control.
- [Striking distance keywords: the searches one page from the light](https://porteur.ai/guides/striking-distance-keywords): Find queries you already rank for at positions 11 to 20, fix the one page that’s close, and add links. Faster wins than writing a new page.
- [AnswerThePublic alternatives for finding questions](https://porteur.ai/alternatives/answerthepublic-alternatives): Free ways to find real questions from Google, plus tools that group them. What to use when, with steps you can run this afternoon.
- [Programmatic SEO](https://porteur.ai/glossary/programmatic-seo): Programmatic SEO is building many pages from one template using data. Learn when it earns, what to measure, and how to avoid spam policies.
- [How to analyse a competitor’s keywords, with and without a tool](https://porteur.ai/guides/analyze-competitor-keywords): A fast way to find competitor keywords you can win: read their sitemap and titles, then confirm gaps with a tool and pick only queries you can match.

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