20 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
20 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

How to do quick keyword competition research

by petemcal
17 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Here's a quick guide for beginners on how to roughly check the amount of webmasters targeting a keyword, which can be balanced against the search volumes.


Get your keyword(s) and find out the [exact] global searches per month (if it's not a local/nationally based search term) via Google's keyword tool.

Then go to google and search for

allinurl:your keyword - note down the number of results

allintitle:your keyword - note down the number of results

Now calculate -> Exact searches / (allinurl results + all in title results).



  • This will give you a figure of the level of pages actively targeting the term versus the amount of monthly searches. The higher the resulting number the better.

  • Use this to compare all of your potential keywords you are thinking of targeting. This way you can see which term is the softest (has the highest number) and you are most likely to get good SERP results on.
BONUS TIP:

Here's how to speed up the process so you don't need to manually search for all of your data in Google

You can use the site http://urlopener.com to open multiple links simultaneously. You can use this to perform multiple google searches at once (hence get our data faster).

to perform a google search for your allinurl: / allintitle: data use the following strings:

http://www.google.com/search?q=allinurl%3A+your+keyword

http://www.google.com/search?q=allin...A+your+keyword

Note: just copy the first part and change the your+keyword part for all of your keywords.

Now copy/paste this list of search strings into urlopener.com and hey presto you've got semi-automatic google keyword research!
#competition #keyword #quick #research
  • Profile picture of the author Tiiberiuss
    The bonus tip is really cool! Real time saver.
    Signature
    Do you need kick in the SEPRs?
    These *magic* links will do just that for you!
    --> CLICK HERE <-- to find out more!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7047292].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    This method only has one flaw. It still tells you nothing about the level of competition.

    Since that was the idea behind the method though, it's kind of a big flaw.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7047425].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author petemcal
      Originally Posted by MikeFriedman View Post

      This method only has one flaw. It still tells you nothing about the level of competition.

      Since that was the idea behind the method though, it's kind of a big flaw.
      It's more of an indicator of the amount of people targeting the term than the level of competiton. Sorry if I made it seem that way.

      Obviously if you want to know the level of competition you'll want to factor in things like the metrics of the site's that are currently on page 1 such as domain age, inbound links, PageRank, if they're home/deep links etc.

      But it does have some value I think because it lets you roughly know the active level of targeting by other webmasters for a keyword. Which can then be balanced against the search traffic. Doing this for a batch of keywords can give you an indication of which ones may be softest.

      It's a good start for people who don't have Market Samurai / SEO analytics tools. So I'm sorry but I have to stand by my advice.
      Signature
      Follow Pete on Twitter #SEO #Marketing
      "It's like if Einstein did SEO"
      "Much shorter than Shakespeare"
      "I would follow Pete over Jesus Christ himself"
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7047784].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JamesFeat
    Or, if you actually want to assess the competition - use a tool like Market Samurai.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7047480].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
      Originally Posted by JamesFeat View Post

      Or, if you actually want to assess the competition - use a tool like Market Samurai.
      Or you could use something useful instead. Market Samurai is pretty much worthless for analyzing the competition.

      Use SEO SpyGlass, Opensite Explorer, and Ahrefs to assess the backlink profile of the top 3 competitors. Take the links from OSE and Ahrefs and import them into SpyGlass for a complete analysis.

      Then take a look at their onsite page and link structure.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7047506].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author seoposter
        Originally Posted by MikeFriedman View Post

        Use SEO SpyGlass, Opensite Explorer, and Ahrefs to assess the backlink profile of the top 3 competitors. Take the links from OSE and Ahrefs and import them into SpyGlass for a complete analysis.
        To add to this list of great SEO tools for analysis, you can also use SEOlytics and TrafficTravis. I even use LinkDiagnosis. These are very simple to use tools yet the information they provide about your competition really makes you see where your website stands and how much you site needs to improve in order to beat them.
        Signature
        Professional Search Engine Optimization Services | Website Development Services
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7048718].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author aadi144
        Originally Posted by MikeFriedman View Post

        Or you could use something useful instead. Market Samurai is pretty much worthless for analyzing the competition.

        Use SEO SpyGlass, Opensite Explorer, and Ahrefs to assess the backlink profile of the top 3 competitors. Take the links from OSE and Ahrefs and import them into SpyGlass for a complete analysis.

        Then take a look at their onsite page and link structure.
        Ahrefs are a good way to do the keyword competition research job.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7058794].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    The problem is people do not realize that you have the same number of competitors for EVERY keyword.... 3

    The top 3 are all that matter. It doesn't matter how many people are "targeting" something if they are all doing it lousily. And I would argue further that those techniques really do not tell you who is and who is not targeting the keyword. You just need to analyze the top 3. If you can beat #3, the keyword is viable.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7048002].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author petemcal
      Originally Posted by MikeFriedman View Post

      You just need to analyze the top 3. If you can beat #3, the keyword is viable.
      I would agree with this, but in some cases it is necessary to know the volume of targeting overall. For example if you like to target trending keywords or "fad" niches then it's good to know the volume of targeting.

      In these cases the nobody will have a large monopoly or stronghold yet. But you can still see how popular the keyword is in terms of targeting from other SEOs/Webmasters. This gives an indication of where the market might go (or not).

      But I wholeheartedly see your point that the strength of top 3 is more important than volume of competitors as it's these positions that gain you traffic and money.
      Signature
      Follow Pete on Twitter #SEO #Marketing
      "It's like if Einstein did SEO"
      "Much shorter than Shakespeare"
      "I would follow Pete over Jesus Christ himself"
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7048213].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author LXRMarketplace
    You may want to test SEO Competitor Analysis tool in LXRMarketplace. Basic but useful.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7048358].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mikecorso
    2 things: first, Google's FREE keyword tool; second: SEcockpit
    Signature

    Mike Corso
    Cool Site of the Day
    Boost Your Website Visibility

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7048884].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author petemcal
    Hi all, thanks for your software suggestions. I'm fully aware there are a TON of programs out there that automate this sort of thing (I use them myself). However I was just wanting to post up a quick tip for beginners or people that don't do a lot of SEO.

    In these cases I think they're better just doing a quick bit of data mining than downloading software (a lot of which is paid).
    Signature
    Follow Pete on Twitter #SEO #Marketing
    "It's like if Einstein did SEO"
    "Much shorter than Shakespeare"
    "I would follow Pete over Jesus Christ himself"
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7052217].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mikecorso
    Pete,

    Understood.

    As I recently told a prospective client, it doesn't matter WHAT your idea is, all that matters is that you build content around keywords THAT PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING FOR. Which ones are getting traffic and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, for which of those keywords do you have a chance of appearing on PAGE 1 of Google??

    I force my clients to FOCUS on keyword research INTENSELY (it saves hours/days/months/years of heartbreak). THEN, they will know if their idea/direction makes any sense.
    Signature

    Mike Corso
    Cool Site of the Day
    Boost Your Website Visibility

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7054551].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author farabi
    [DELETED]
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7056017].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jose Princely
    Opensite Explorer and SEO moz Keyword tools are my most used tools recently. Comfortable with those..
    Signature
    Magento development Services | Prestashop modules
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7060050].message }}

Trending Topics