How to find competitor keywords for free

The most useful keyword list for a content site is often the one a competitor already ranks for. Those keywords have search demand, and a site like yours has already shown that Google will rank a page for them. Here are four ways to find them without a paid SEO suite.

1. Run a gap check

A gap check compares two domains and lists the keywords one ranks for and the other doesn’t.

1. Open the free competitor keyword analysis.
2. Enter your domain, such as yourblog.com.
3. Enter a competitor’s domain.
4. Select Find my gaps.

You get up to 20 keywords where the competitor has a page in Google’s top 20 in the United States and you don’t, with monthly searches, their position, and the page that ranks. Each visitor gets 5 checks a day, with no signup.

Start with the keywords that have searches and a competitor page in the top 10. If you have no post on that topic yet, it’s a candidate for your next one.

2. Read the results page yourself

Search for the topics you write about and note which competitor pages show up on page one. It’s slow, but it shows what a reader sees, including the videos and answer boxes that push articles down. Use a private window so your own history has less effect on the results.

3. List a competitor’s pages

Two sources show what a competitor has published:

• Their sitemap. Most sites publish one at /sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml, and the page addresses often contain the target keyword.
• A site: search. Search Google for site:competitor.com plus a topic, such as site:competitor.com sourdough, to see their pages on it.

This shows what they wrote, not where they rank. Pair it with method 1 or 2 to see which pages rank.

4. Read your own Search Console

Search Console shows the searches your own site already appears for, not a competitor’s. It still helps: a search where you sit on page two often has a competitor on page one, and a gap check against that competitor shows the keywords around it.

Keep watching after you find the gap

A gap list is a snapshot. Competitors publish, and positions move. To see the changes every week without running checks, GapDigest tracks your keywords daily and emails you on Monday with the keywords a competitor passed you on and the ones they rank for that you don’t. The free plan covers 10 keywords and 1 competitor. See pricing for bigger sites.