Steal Keywords From Competitors – My Process

What’s up Savvy friends!

One of the most powerful ways to boost your SEO is by learning from your competitors.

Why reinvent the wheel when you can see what’s already working in your niche?

Over the years, I’ve developed a streamlined process to “steal” high-opportunity keywords that my SEO competitors rank for, but I don’t.

Today, I’m giving you the exact steps so you can do the same.

Why You Should Steal Keywords From Competitors?

Stealing might sound like doing something shady, but don’t worry. Stealing keywords is totally legal and is a smart SEO and marketing tactic when done right. 

Here’s why it’s a good move:

• They’ve Already Done the Research: Your competitors might have spent a lot of time and some amount of money to find the best-performing keywords. You can create a shortcut process and get a head start by analyzing what’s working for your competitors.
• You Discover What’s Driving Their Traffic: It’s a genius idea to reverse engineer their content to uncover which keywords drive traffic. Then, you can use those same search terms to attract some of that traffic to your website.
• Identify Content Gaps You Can Exploit: They may be ranking for a keyword, but you might find that their content isn’t that great. That’s your chance to swoop in with better, more in-depth content and outrank them.
• Find High-Intent, High-Converting Keywords: If your competitors are bidding on certain keywords (for paid ads), it’s likely because those terms convert into results. Targeting those keywords organically can bring in qualified leads. 
• Understand Their Strategy: Keyword analysis reveals much about your competitor’s content strategy, customer targeting, and product positioning. It’s like reading their already-hit playbook.

When you consider all this, it’s not really stealing; it’s more of a competitive analysis. You’re using public information to make better marketing decisions. It’s how smart brands win in the digital space.

How I “Steal” Keywords From Competitors

Well, now you know why stealing keywords is important and is not illegal. It is one of the smartest ways to find content opportunities. You just have to look at the keywords your competitors rank for, and you don’t (yet).

Here’s my go-to method for uncovering high-value keywords and turning competitor research into traffic gains:

1. Log in to Ahrefs.

2. Go to my website’s SEO data.

3. On the left hand menu, go to “Content gap”.

• A tool to analyze SEO competitors.

• Compared to your keyword rankings.

4. Enter 3-5 SEO competitors.

• Aim for 1-3 niche & 1-2 top competitors.

5. Toggle on “At least 1 should rank top 10”

6. Click “Show keywords”

• This gives you all kw’s your comp ranks for, but you don’t.

7. Analyze & save

• Order by KD then volume and analyze.

• Pick out high-opportunity KWs for your biz

• Save them to a list or your own KW sheet.

• Go through ALL the keywords mentioned.

8. Repeat with different competitors.

9. Work the KWs into your content plan.

Thoughts

I LOVE this function of Ahrefs.

It saves me hours of time researching keywords.

And gives me a quick view into what’s working for my competition.

So I can get my company into the mix for those keywords too.

I run this every time I’m auditing a new site.

And every quarter for my own companies.

Keyword research GOLD.

How to Find Out What Keywords Competitors Are Using with SERP Data

Finding out what keywords your rivals rank for can elevate your SEO game. 

The SERP data (Search Engine Results Pages) is like a treasure map, which can show you exactly where your competitors are getting traffic from and what keywords they’re dominating. 

Here’s how you can track your competitors’ keywords:

1. Start by Identifying Your Competitors

Before diving into the SERPs, you need to know who you’re against. Make a list of the top competitors in your niche. 

These people rank for similar terms and have a target audience similar to yours. 

2. Use SERP Analysis Tools

You’ll need the right tools to analyze the SERP data. As mentioned in the above section, Ahrefs works best for competitor analysis, but you can also use Semrush or Moz. 

These tools can pull up SERP data directly and show which keywords your competitors rank for. 

3. Search Your Target Keyword and Analyze the Results

Start by entering your target keywords into a SERP tool. Then, look at your results and see which of your competitors rank for those keywords. 

Check if they’re ranking for long-tail or specific keywords, and pay attention to the meta descriptions and titles they’re using. This will give you insights into how they’re positioning themselves.

4. Check for Keyword Variations

Competitors often rank for variations of your target keyword. So, think of synonyms, different phrasing, or related terms. 

Look for these variations in the SERPs. Tools like Ahrefs can help you identify keyword variations and show you which ones are driving traffic.

5. Spy on Featured Snippets

Featured snippets are those little boxes that pop up at the top of Google search results. 

If your competitor is in a featured snippet for a specific keyword, that’s a massive opportunity to steal traffic. You can analyze how they structured their content and see how you can improve it to rank for the same keyword. 

6. Analyze Paid vs. Organic Keywords

Some competitors may be bidding on specific keywords through Google Ads. You can analyze which keywords they target in paid ads and see if they align with their organic rankings. 

If they’re bidding on high-converting keywords, it might also be worth considering those for your SEO strategy. 

7. Leverage Content Gap Analysis

Tools like Ahrefs and Semrush offer a content gap feature where you can find what keywords your competitors are ranking for that you’re not. 

This will help you spot opportunities to create fresh content or optimize your existing content to compete for these valuable terms. 

8. Keep Track of SERP Changes 

Just like Google’s algorithm updates, SERPs are constantly changing. Competitors may shift around in rankings, and new opportunities might pop up. 

Set up alerts and monitor changes in SERP data to keep your strategy fresh and competitive. 

How to Find Competitor Sites in Your Niche 

Finding competitor sites in your niche is easier than you think. And fun. 

Here’s how you can do it:

• Start with a Simple Google Search: Type in one of your main keywords, something your audience would actually type in, and look at who’s showing up on the first page. You need to do this not just once but across multiple related searches. 

• Use Google’s “Related” Search Trick: This one’s very underrated: type “related:example.com” into Google (replace “example” with a known site in your niche). Google will show you other websites it thinks are similar, and you’ll get your list of competitors.

• Let SEO Tools Do the Heavy Lifting: Once you’ve got a few URLs, plug them into tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Ubersuggest. Most of them have a competitor domain report, which can give you a site ranking for similar keywords. 

• Check Out Niche Communities: For a second, go beyond Google and look into places like Reddit (learn Reddit keyword research), Quora, industry forums, or even Facebook to find out who’s being talked about the most.  

Best Competitor Keyword Research Tool

Now, you know that it’s essential to spy on your competitors when trying to climb the ranks on Google. But to do that, you need the right SEO competitor analysis tools. And there are a lot of options out there.

So, instead of giving you a long list, I’ve created a list of tools that are worth considering:

Ahrefs 

Ahrefs is a platform that sets the standard for keyword research tools. It gives you everything, from the keywords your competitors rank for and the pages driving their traffic to backlinks data and content gaps you can jump in. 

It’s built for people who want to go deep, not just dabble. Ahrefs doesn’t come cheap, but the insights can yield tenfold results. 

Semrush

Semrush does a bit of everything, like SEO, content, PPC, social, and even brand monitoring. The organic research tool is excellent for discovering which keywords your competitors rank for and tracking how their positions change over time. 

Where Semrush shines is strategy. It’s great if you’re juggling multiple sites or channels and want everything in one place. 

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest doesn’t go as deep as the big players, but it covers the basics well. You can pop in a competitor’s domain and get keyword rankings, traffic estimates, and top pages without a full-blown subscription. 

It’s a good starting point if you’re a sole entrepreneur, content creator, or small business owner trying to gain momentum without blowing the budget. 

SpyFu

SpyFu is specifically designed to get competitive intel, not just for SEO but also for paid search. You can figure out the keywords your competitors are bidding on, the ones they’ve ranked for organically, and even what their ad copy looks like. 

It’s a great tool if your strategy includes both organic and paid, or you just want to see what’s working across the board. 

Combine Google Tools and SERP Data

Don’t have a budget to spend on tools? No problem. You can still get a lot of value by combining Google keyword planner with SERP research. Search your target keyword, check who’s ranking, and analyze their content. 

Tools like Keyword Surfer or SEO Minion can give you extra data right in your browser, and they’re totally free. 

It’s a little more manual work, but it gets the job done if you’re hands-on and willing to dig around.

Action Items

Knowing how to find your competitors’ keywords is important, but it’ll only work if you act on it. 

Turn insights into action with these quick next steps:

1. Set up Ahrefs and run the “Content gap” tool for your site.

2. Save high opportunity keywords and add them to your SEO plan.

Use these steps to uncover new opportunities and keep your SEO strategy ahead of the game.

Best,

Connor

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

Here are some commonly asked questions that might interest you:

How Often Should I Perform Competitor Keyword Research?

Ideally, you should check in on your competitors at least once a quarter but monthly is even better if you’re in a fast-moving niche or publishing content regularly. 

Keyword rankings change swiftly, new players enter the space, and strategies evolve. Keeping tabs helps you stay ahead instead of playing catch-up.

Can I Use Free Tools for Competitor Keyword Tracking?

Yes, but only to a point. Tools like Ubersuggest, Keyword Surfer, and Google Search can give you a good starting point. But if you want deeper insights, like traffic estimates, historical keyword data, or side-by-side domain comparisons, you need a paid tool like Ahrefs or Semrush. 

Think of free tools as your entry-level gear and paid ones as your upgrade when you’re ready to scale. 

Is It Legal to Spy on Competitors’ Keywords?

I can guarantee you that spying is 100% legal. You’re not hacking into anything or breaking any rules; you’re just using publicly available data and SEO tools to analyze what’s already visible online. 

This is a fair game, which is pretty much expected in the SEO space. 

Conclusion

In the end, I’d say that competitor keyword research isn’t about copying; it’s about being strategic.

You’re just using real data to understand what’s working in your niche, where the gaps are, and how to create even better content that ranks. 

Once you can build this into your regular SEO routine, you will stop working on guesswork and start moving with intention. You’ll know what keywords to chase, what content to improve, and where your biggest opportunities live.

So go ahead, run that content gap analysis, dive into SERPs, spy a little smarter, and start turning those insights into rankings. 

If you don’t want to spend much time on SEO, work with me so that I can take care of your SEO requirements, and you can focus on building your brand. 

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