How do I see which keywords my competitors are targeting?

Press Competitors on the rail, then Their keywords. It lists the searches each competitor is likely going after, with your own position beside each one, so you can see what they want and decide whether to compete. It is on every paid plan and in your trial.

#Where the keywords come from

Every search on the page has a label saying why it is there:

• Ranking: they show up on Google for it. This comes from their list of ranked searches (refreshed once a month, the same list the Competitors overview and Keyword gap use) and, for the searches you track, from the rank check every two weeks.
• Their page: one of their pages is written for it. We read their pages every Sunday and look at the places a page names its search: the title, the main heading (H1), the web address, the meta description and repeated headings. Hover over the label to see which places named it. A guess from one place only is left out.

A search can have both. A search with only Their page is one they are aiming at but do not rank for yet, which is often the most useful thing on the page: it shows what they are working on next.

#Pick a competitor

Use Competitor at the top to see one competitor, or All competitors to see every search once, with the competitor that ranks best for it.

#The figures at the top

• Searches they target: how many searches are listed.
• They rank, you don't: searches they show up for and you do not.
• Aiming at, not ranking yet: searches their pages are written for that they do not rank for yet.
• New since last month: searches on their list this month that were not on last month's. This fills in from the second month.

#Their top themes, strongest pages and new searches

• Their top themes groups their searches into up to eight topics, with how many searches and how many searches a month each has. Press a theme to see only its searches.
• Their strongest pages are the pages that bring them the most visits from Google, estimated from each search's volume and their position.
• New since last month lists the biggest new searches. Press Show only the new ones to filter the table to them.

#The table

• Search, with its Ranking or Their page label and New when it is new this month.
• Their position (or Best competitor in All competitors). Not in top 20 means the rank check looked and they were not there; Not ranking yet means they are aiming at it and we have no position for them.
• Searches a month.
• Share of their traffic: of their estimated visits from Google, the share this search brings (in All competitors: Their visits, the estimated visits a month).
• You: your position. Hover to see where it came from: the rank check, your Search Console, or your own monthly list.
• Difficulty: how hard it is to reach page one, 0 to 100, an estimate.
• Intent: what the person searching wants to do (find information, compare, buy, or reach a site).
• Verdict: They rank, you don't, Both rank, they're ahead, You're ahead or They're aiming at it.

Filter by theme, verdict, their position, searches a month, or type part of a search. Press a column heading to sort by it; a heading that cannot change the order (every row the same) says so. Export CSV downloads what is shown.

#What you can do with a search

• Track this keyword adds it to your tracked searches, so its position is checked every two weeks.
• Plan content puts a post for it in your blog plan, or opens the Writer if you have no plan yet.
• Add to keyword gap keeps it on your keyword gap even if nothing else lists it there. Press Added by you on the keyword gap to see only these.

#How often it updates

Their list of ranked searches once a month, for your first three competitors, fetched the first time you open the overview, the keyword gap or this page that month. Their pages every Sunday. Positions every two weeks. There is no button to check again by hand.

#Questions people ask

#Why do I only see searches marked Their page?

Their ranked searches need a paid keyword database. While it is not switched on for your account, the page shows what their pages are written for and their positions on the searches you track.

#Why is New since last month empty?

It needs last month's list to compare with, so it fills in from the second month after you add a competitor.

#Is this their real traffic?

No. Visits and shares are estimates from each search's volume and their position, the same way other SEO tools estimate them.