To improve your SEO strategy, it is essential to know how find the keywords of a competitor’s site. This approach lets you understand the levers your competitors use to attract traffic and optimize your own SEO. At Iliade Digital, we guide you step by step to leverage this analysis effectively and strategically.
Why analyze the keywords of competitor websites?
Analyzing competitors’ keywords gives you several key advantages. First, it allows you to identify positioning opportunities you haven’t yet exploited. Second, you can understand market trends and adapt your content accordingly. Finally, this analysis helps you anticipate your competitors’ moves and adjust your SEO strategy to stay competitive.
Tools for finding the keywords of a competitor's site
Free tools
Several free tools provide an initial overview of the keywords used by your competitors. Although their features are limited, they are a good starting point for a quick and cost-effective analysis.
- Google Keyword Planner: Google Ads tool that provides keyword ideas and search volume data.
- Ubersuggest: provides a basic keyword analysis of a competitor’s site with suggestions.
- The Rise in Popularity if you have access to a competitor's site (e.g. a partner), you can analyze its performance.
- Answer The Public: generates questions and expressions around a keyword, useful for long-tail targeting.
Paid tools
For in-depth and accurate analysis, paid tools are essential. They offer detailed data, comprehensive reports, and advanced features to optimize your competitive intelligence.
- SEMrush: one of the most comprehensive tools for analyzing keywords, traffic, and backlinks.
- Ahrefs: excellent for discovering competitors’ organic and paid keywords.
- Moz Pro: offers comprehensive SEO analysis with a focus on keywords and rankings.
- Sistrix: widely used in France, it allows you to track website visibility and their keywords.
Methodology for identifying relevant keywords
Long-tail keyword analysis
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that are often less competitive but highly qualified. They generate more targeted traffic and yield better conversion rates. To identify them, analyze the precise queries that drive traffic to competitor sites and integrate those phrases into your content.
English and multilingual keyword research
If your market is international or you are targeting a multilingual audience, it is crucial to research keywords in English and other languages. This allows you to tailor your content and SEO campaigns to different customer segments. Tools such as SEMrush and Ahrefs offer options to analyze keywords across multiple languages and countries.
Leveraging keywords to improve local SEO
Local SEO is a powerful lever for attracting geographically nearby customers. By analyzing the keywords used by your local competitors, you can identify expressions specific to your area (e.g., "plumber Paris 15th"). Integrating these keywords into your pages, Google My Business listings, and content will help you gain local visibility and capture qualified traffic.
Tips for integrating keywords into your SEO strategy
To make the most of the identified keywords, here are some practical tips:
- Prioritize relevance: choose keywords directly related to your business and goals.
- Vary your formats: integrate short-tail keywords, long-tail keywords, and local expressions.
- Optimize your content: titles, meta tags, body text, URLs, and images must contain your keywords.
- Monitor regularly: as SEO evolves, it is important to reassess your keywords and those of your competitors.
- Do not neglect user experience: good SEO also requires a fast, ergonomic, mobile-friendly site.
| Keyword type | Specifications | Advantages | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short-tail keywords | 1 to 2 words, highly competitive | High search volume, rapid visibility | Footwear |
| Long-tail keywords | Hostinger dashboard > | Less competitive, qualified traffic | domain is eligible for transfer |
| Local keywords | Include a geographic location | Attract a nearby clientele, high conversion rate | Running shoes Paris 10 |
| Multilingual keywords | In different languages depending on the target | Opening up to an international market | Running shoes women |
FAQ on how to find competitor website keywords in 2026
You can use free tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Answer The Public to get an initial list of keywords used by your competitors. These tools provide a basic but useful analysis to get started.
Paid tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz Pro, and Sistrix are the most powerful for a comprehensive and accurate analysis of your competitors' keywords, including volume, difficulty, and trends.
Short-tail keywords are generally very generic and competitive, while long-tail keywords are more specific, less competitive, and attract more qualified traffic — often with a better conversion rate.
If you are targeting an international or bilingual audience, incorporating English keywords can expand your reach. It is important to adapt the content and segment pages by language to optimize multilingual SEO.
Local SEO allows you to capture a geographically close audience, often more qualified and ready to convert. Analyzing your competitors’ local keywords helps you better target this clientele and improve your visibility in your service area.
