{"id":2771,"date":"2008-01-09T21:21:56","date_gmt":"2008-01-09T15:51:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/01\/find-top-keywords-sending-search-engine-traffic-to-competitors\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T10:12:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T04:42:42","slug":"find-top-keywords-sending-search-engine-traffic-to-competitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/01\/find-top-keywords-sending-search-engine-traffic-to-competitors\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find Competitor Keywords: 7 Free and Paid Tools (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Want to know which keywords send search traffic to other websites? In 2008 we used Compete Site Analytics, which showed the top five keywords for any domain. Compete shut down years ago, but finding <strong>competitor keywords<\/strong> is now easier and far more detailed. Here&#8217;s how to do it in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-64712\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/find-competitor-keywords-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Find competitor keywords\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/find-competitor-keywords-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/find-competitor-keywords-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/find-competitor-keywords-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/find-competitor-keywords-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/find-competitor-keywords.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Enter a competitor&#8217;s domain into an SEO tool such as Ubersuggest, Semrush, Ahrefs or SpyFu to see the keywords it ranks for, estimated traffic and ranking positions. For a free start, use Ubersuggest&#8217;s limited daily searches or Google Keyword Planner&#8217;s &#8220;Start with a website&#8221; option. Then run a keyword gap analysis to find terms competitors rank for and you don&#8217;t.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6adcf2066a4d5\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6adcf2066a4d5\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/01\/find-top-keywords-sending-search-engine-traffic-to-competitors\/#Best_tools_to_find_competitor_keywords\" >Best tools to find competitor keywords<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/01\/find-top-keywords-sending-search-engine-traffic-to-competitors\/#How_to_find_competitor_keywords_step_by_step\" >How to find competitor keywords step by step<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/01\/find-top-keywords-sending-search-engine-traffic-to-competitors\/#Tips\" >Tips<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/01\/find-top-keywords-sending-search-engine-traffic-to-competitors\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/01\/find-top-keywords-sending-search-engine-traffic-to-competitors\/#Can_I_see_competitor_keywords_for_free\" >Can I see competitor keywords for free?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/01\/find-top-keywords-sending-search-engine-traffic-to-competitors\/#How_accurate_are_competitor_keyword_tools\" >How accurate are competitor keyword tools?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/01\/find-top-keywords-sending-search-engine-traffic-to-competitors\/#What_is_a_keyword_gap_analysis\" >What is a keyword gap analysis?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_tools_to_find_competitor_keywords\"><\/span>Best tools to find competitor keywords<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/neilpatel.com\/ubersuggest\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ubersuggest<\/a>: free daily searches show a domain&#8217;s top keywords, positions and top pages.<\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/go\/semrush\/\" target=\"_blank\">Semrush<\/a>: Organic Research and Keyword Gap reports with a huge database; limited free account.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ahrefs<\/a>: Site Explorer&#8217;s Organic keywords and Content Gap; free Webmaster Tools for your own sites.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spyfu.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">SpyFu<\/a>: strong for both organic and paid (Google Ads) competitor keywords.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Google Keyword Planner:<\/strong> in Google Ads, choose Discover new keywords &gt; Start with a website and enter a competitor URL.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Similarweb:<\/strong> shows traffic sources and top search terms for larger sites.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Google itself:<\/strong> search your topic and note who ranks, what headings they use and &#8220;People also ask&#8221; questions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_find_competitor_keywords_step_by_step\"><\/span>How to find competitor keywords step by step<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>List your real search competitors:<\/strong> sites ranking for your main topics, not just business rivals.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pull their organic keywords<\/strong> in one of the tools above and sort by traffic.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check top pages<\/strong> to see which articles bring them the most visits.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Run a keyword gap:<\/strong> compare your domain with 2-3 competitors to find keywords they rank for and you don&#8217;t.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prioritise:<\/strong> pick keywords with clear intent, reasonable difficulty and a fit with your expertise.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Create or refresh content<\/strong> that answers the search better than what&#8217;s ranking.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips\"><\/span>Tips<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Traffic numbers in these tools are estimates; use them to compare, not as exact figures.<\/li>\n<li>Check your own real keywords in Google Search Console&#8217;s Performance report.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t copy competitors&#8217; content; find angles they missed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/11\/keyword-research\/\">the types of keyword research<\/a> and read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/08\/guru-guide-to-keyword-research\/\">the guru guide to keyword research<\/a>. Avoid targeting the same keyword with several posts: here&#8217;s how to fix <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/cannibalizing-your-own-keywords\/\">keyword cannibalization<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_see_competitor_keywords_for_free\"><\/span>Can I see competitor keywords for free?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, with limits: Ubersuggest, Semrush and Google Keyword Planner all have free options.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_accurate_are_competitor_keyword_tools\"><\/span>How accurate are competitor keyword tools?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Rankings are fairly reliable; traffic and search volumes are estimates.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_keyword_gap_analysis\"><\/span>What is a keyword gap analysis?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A comparison showing keywords your competitors rank for that your site doesn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n<p><em>Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. QuickOnlineTips may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to know which keywords send search traffic to other websites? In 2008 we used Compete Site Analytics, which showed&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":64712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-google","category-search-engine-optimization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2771"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67516,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2771\/revisions\/67516"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}