How to find and verify competitors’ keywords using free tools

Part of our guide on seo tools se ranking ubersuggest

See exactly which keywords your competitors rank for and verify them yourself with practical free tools and simple manual checks.

What you need

To audit competitors’ keywords effectively, gather a few essential tools and information first.

You will need access to free or freemium SEO tools that allow domain analysis, a spreadsheet for data organization, and knowledge of your main competitors’ website URLs.

Knowing the industry or niche of your competitors also helps tailor your keyword audit effectively. For instance, keywords valuable in e-commerce differ from those in local services or informational blogs. Gathering competitor URLs from a variety of sources, including social media profiles, review sites, and industry directories, ensures a comprehensive list for analysis.

It is also useful to have baseline data about your own site's current keyword rankings and traffic sources. This allows you to compare competitor strengths against your own and identify specific keyword gaps. Ensure you have the patience and time to regularly repeat audits, as keyword landscapes shift frequently and ongoing monitoring yields better strategic insights. There is more on keyword research tools free in a separate guide.

• Free SEO tools: Ubersuggest, Google Search Console (for your site), Moz Link Explorer (limited free use)
• Spreadsheet software: Excel, Google Sheets, or similar
• Competitor URLs: The exact domain names you want to audit
• Browser with incognito mode for manual Google searches

How to locate competitors’ keyword reports

Most free SEO tools let you enter a competitor’s domain and generate an at-a-glance keyword report showing the top keywords they rank for.

Ubersuggest is a popular free option that provides a basic keyword overview for any domain, including estimated search volumes and top-ranking pages.

Another method is to use Google Search itself by querying site:competitordomain.com combined with keyword ideas to find indexed pages and infer keywords. People in this spot often ask about easy seo progress tracking as well.

Some free tools might limit the number of queries or keywords you can view per day, so plan your research to prioritize your most important competitors and keyword groups. If you want a broader view, combine multiple tools, as each may have strengths in different areas or databases.

While Ubersuggest is easy to use, Google Trends can also provide insight into keyword seasonality and popularity shifts. After identifying keywords from competitor reports, checking their monthly search volumes and trends helps prioritize which to target or monitor.

Exported keyword lists often include estimated traffic and difficulty scores. These metrics are rough but useful benchmarks to decide which competitor keywords represent realistic opportunities or formidable challenges. For example, a keyword with 10,000 monthly searches and low difficulty could be a good target, while one with 100,000 searches and very high difficulty might be out of reach initially. If that sounds like your situation, read up on audit tool steps and testing next.

1. Open Ubersuggest and enter the competitor’s domain in the search box.
2. Review the keyword overview tab for a list of top ranking keywords, volume, and position.
3. Export or copy this list to your spreadsheet for further analysis.
4. Optionally, perform a site:competitordomain.com query on Google and note top results related to your target keywords.

How to see which keywords competitors rank for

Competitors’ ranking keywords can be seen by analyzing their visible page titles, meta descriptions, and URL structures in free tools or manually via Google searches.

Tools like Screpy (recommended later) can track up to 100 keywords per project, which lets you monitor competitor keyword rankings over time directly.

Manual Google searches for specific keywords can confirm whether competitors rank on page one or beyond. There is more on site audit procedure in a separate guide.

Competitors may rank for some keywords only temporarily, due to recent updates, paid campaigns, or localized results. Tracking keyword rankings over several weeks can reveal whether their visibility is stable or fluctuating.

An example: a competitor ranking #3 for 'organic dog food' on page one but #15 for 'natural pet treats'. This suggests they focus more on the former keyword in their content strategy. You can confirm this by checking their page titles and content depth on those topics.

If you use tools with historical ranking data, look for patterns such as keywords where competitors gained or lost rankings after publishing new content or site changes. This can hint at effective tactics or risks to avoid. We cover does 303 redirect pass seo value in its own article.

1. Use a keyword research tool to extract competitor keywords and note their estimated search volumes and rankings.
2. Check competitors’ page source for meta keyword tags or headings to find targeted keywords.
3. Search Google for key phrases and see if competitors appear in the first two pages of results.
4. Record keywords where competitors have strong positions or content relevance.

How to analyze competitors’ keyword targeting strategies

Understanding a competitor’s keyword strategy means identifying the intent behind their ranking keywords and how they structure content to target them.

Look for patterns in keyword types: are they focusing on high-volume generic terms, long-tail niche phrases, or branded keywords?

Analyze the competitor’s top pages for keyword density, placement in titles and headers, and the type of content offered: blog posts, product pages, or guides.

Some competitors rely heavily on branded keywords, which may not be useful to target unless you have brand recognition yourself. Differentiating between brand-driven and generic keywords helps focus on attainable goals.

Keyword targeting strategies also vary by how competitors handle user intent. For example, ranking for 'buy running shoes online' indicates transactional intent, while 'best running shoes for flat feet' targets informational searchers. Recognizing these distinctions guides your own content creation to fill gaps.

Look for how competitors integrate keywords into several on-page elements, such as meta descriptions, alt text for images, and internal linking. A competitor might, for instance, rank well for 'budget smartphones' because they have dedicated category pages optimized with those terms and related product reviews.

1. Group competitor keywords by search intent: informational, navigational, transactional.
2. Evaluate top-ranking competitor pages for content length and keyword prominence.
3. Check if competitors use clusters of related keywords on a single page or spread them across multiple pages.
4. Monitor how frequently competitors update content around key topics.

How to see keywords competitors competitors audit

The phrase ‘how to see keywords competitors audit’ means finding and verifying what keywords competitors are targeting and ranking for by conducting a competitor keyword audit.

The practical way is to combine free tools like Ubersuggest for keyword discovery with manual Google searches for verification.

You can confirm the accuracy of data by checking search engine results pages (SERPs) regularly and tracking competitor rankings for selected keywords.

Sometimes competitors use keywords that don’t appear in their visible content but are embedded in metadata or alt attributes, which can be discovered by inspecting the page source or using SEO browser extensions.

When auditing, consider the geographic focus of keywords. Competitors might rank for locally targeted keywords that appear irrelevant at first glance but dominate regional search results. Verifying keyword rankings with location settings or VPNs can uncover these nuances.

Another verification method is to check if competitors appear in rich results like featured snippets, local packs, or knowledge panels for target keywords. These enhanced listings significantly impact visibility but might be missed by tools showing only traditional rank positions.

1. Collect competitor keyword lists from free SEO tools.
2. Manually search key terms in Google incognito and note competitor rankings.
3. Use a tracking tool to monitor keyword position changes over weeks or months for trending insights.

How Screpy helps analyze and verify competitor keywords

Screpy integrates Google Search Console data, enhancing accuracy for your site and offering a way to compare it with competitors.

It is not a magic fix for SEO issues but saves time consolidating keyword tracking and technical audits into one platform.

Common mistakes when auditing competitor keywords

• Relying solely on free tools: These often provide incomplete, outdated, or inaccurate data; always verify manually.
• Ignoring keyword intent: Ranking for a keyword doesn’t mean it drives valuable traffic; analyze intent carefully.
• Not tracking keyword rankings over time: Keyword positions fluctuate; one-time checks miss trends and competitor moves.
• Skipping manual SERP checks: Automated reports miss nuances like rich snippets or local pack results affecting rankings.
• Focusing on too many competitors at once: Narrow your audit to 3-5 key competitors to keep insights manageable.

Questions people still ask

I use both free tools and manual searches daily to keep my SEO strategies grounded in reality and current trends.