How to Find Competitor Keywords for Local SEO

Finding competitor keywords for Local SEO helps you discover the search terms competing businesses rank for, identify relevant keyword gaps, and uncover opportunities to improve your own search visibility. The process involves analyzing competitor websites, organic keyword data, Google Maps results, and local search intent, then prioritizing opportunities that align with your services and business goals.

However, successful competitor keyword research involves more than copying the keywords another business uses. You need to understand why its pages appear in search results, what customers expect to find, and whether your website can provide a better, more relevant answer.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to identify the right competitors, discover their organic keywords, investigate Google Maps visibility, find keyword gaps, compare research tools, and turn your findings into a practical Local SEO strategy.

What Is Competitor Keyword Research in Local SEO?

Competitor keyword research in Local SEO is the process of identifying and evaluating the search queries, content topics, and service-related keywords associated with competing businesses. The goal is to discover relevant opportunities that can improve your website’s organic visibility and support your broader local search strategy.

For example, a plumbing business might discover that its competitors rank for searches related to emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, water heater repair, and specific plumbing problems. These discoveries can reveal services that need better website coverage or customer questions that existing content does not adequately address.

Competitor keyword research helps answer several important questions:

• Which relevant search terms are competing websites ranking for?
• Which competitor pages attract visibility for important services?
• What topics are competitors covering that my website has overlooked?
• Which searches trigger Google Maps or the Local Pack?
• Should I improve an existing page or create a new one?
• Which keyword opportunities are most likely to support meaningful business outcomes?

The objective is not to reproduce a competitor’s entire keyword list. It is to identify useful opportunities and decide which ones deserve attention.

Competitor keywords vs. traditional local keyword research

Traditional local keyword research begins with your services, customers, locations, and the language people use to find businesses. Competitor keyword research adds another layer by examining how competing businesses appear for relevant searches.

These approaches complement each other.

Together, these methods help you move from keyword discovery to a more informed Local SEO strategy.

Organic competitor keywords vs. Google Maps visibility

Local search requires two related but distinct research approaches.

Organic competitor keyword research examines the keywords for which competitor websites rank in Google’s regular organic results. It can help you understand which service pages, location pages, and informational resources attract search visibility.

Google Maps and Local Pack competitor research examines which business profiles appear for selected local queries and how their visibility changes across search locations.

An organic competitor may not appear in the Local Pack for the same query, and a business with strong Maps visibility may not have the highest-ranking organic page. Therefore, analyze both separately rather than assuming that one report explains every aspect of local search competition.

What Should You Prepare Before Finding Competitor Keywords?

Before using SEO tools, establish what your business offers and which search opportunities would actually be useful.

Define your services and target market

List your main services, supporting services, customer needs, and the locations the business genuinely serves.

For example, an electrical services business might offer electrical repairs, lighting installation, electrical inspections, and emergency services.

Each service represents a different potential search intent. Customers looking for an emergency repair may have a different need from those researching a planned installation.

For businesses serving multiple locations, research each relevant market separately where necessary. Do not assume that the same keywords, competitors, or search-result patterns apply everywhere.

Create a seed keyword list

Seed keywords are the initial terms used to discover related queries and competitor opportunities.

Start with your core services and expand into closely related customer needs.

For example:

These are illustrative examples, not verified search-volume data.

Use customer enquiries, sales conversations, existing website content, and your own keyword research to expand the list. Include natural wording variations where they reflect different needs.

Set up a competitor research worksheet

A spreadsheet makes it easier to compare findings without collecting disconnected keyword lists.

Include these columns:

• Competitor name and website
• Target query
• Ranking URL or visible business profile
• Research source and observation date
• Search intent
• Relevance to your business
• Estimated demand or other available metrics
• Keyword gap or opportunity
• Recommended action

Keep organic website findings separate from Google Maps observations. This distinction makes your analysis easier to interpret.

Step 1: How to Find Your Actual Local SEO Competitors

The first challenge is finding competitors that matter for search visibility.

Businesses in the same industry are not necessarily competing for the same searches. One may focus on emergency services, while another specializes in commercial contracts. Their keyword opportunities may differ considerably.

Search your core services on Google

Begin with your seed keywords and examine the current search results.

For each query:

1. Search for the service or customer problem.
2. Review the organic results.
3. Record recurring competitor domains and ranking pages.
4. Inspect the Local Pack or Google Maps results when relevant.
5. Note whether the result satisfies an informational, commercial, or transactional need.
6. Repeat for other important services and queries.

Use consistent search conditions when comparing competitors. Local results can vary with the searcher’s location and the query being tested, so a single search should not be treated as a complete picture of the market.

Identify recurring organic competitors

Look for websites that repeatedly appear for relevant service-related queries.

Pay attention to the actual pages ranking, not just the website names.

For example, a competitor might rank through a dedicated service page for an installation query but through an informational article for a troubleshooting query.

That distinction helps you understand what kind of page is performing well and what a useful alternative would need to accomplish.

Identify Google Maps and Local Pack competitors

Repeat your research for local search queries.

Record businesses that repeatedly appear for relevant searches, then note their visible business information, website links, categories where available, and apparent service relevance.

Do not assume that every business in the Local Pack is a direct competitor for every keyword. Evaluate each result against the actual query and customer need.

Separate business competitors from search competitors

A business competitor sells similar services. A search competitor appears in the search results for a query you want to target.

Sometimes they are the same business. Sometimes they are not.

An industry directory, marketplace, specialist publisher, or large national company might compete with your website in organic search even if it does not compete with you in precisely the same way commercially.

Choose competitors according to the search opportunities you want to understand.

Your output from this step: A shortlist of relevant organic competitors and Maps competitors, with the services and queries that make each one worth analyzing.

Step 2: How to Find Keywords on Competitors’ Websites

After identifying your search competitors, investigate their pages to understand what they cover and where potential opportunities exist.

Analyze competitor service and location pages

Start with the pages most closely related to your services.

Look for:

• Core service pages
• Supporting service pages
• Relevant location pages
• Product or service category pages
• Frequently answered customer questions
• Problem-solving articles
• Service comparisons and buying guides
• Links between related pages

These pages can reveal how competitors organize their services and respond to customer needs.

For businesses serving specific geographic markets, location pages may also reveal how competitors organize their geographic coverage. However, a page should be considered an opportunity only if it serves a genuine purpose and provides useful information.

Review page titles, headings, URLs, and content

Inspect the page title, H1, subheadings, URL, and main content.

These elements help you understand the page’s topic and likely purpose. They can also provide ideas for keyword variations, related services, and unanswered customer questions.

However, do not assume that a phrase appearing in a heading is a proven ranking keyword. Verify important opportunities with search results or an appropriate keyword tool.

Examine competitor pages for topic gaps

Imagine that a competitor has separate pages for drain cleaning, blocked drains, and emergency drain services, while your website has only one general plumbing page.

This does not automatically mean you need three new pages.

First, investigate whether the search intent differs meaningfully across the queries. Then assess whether your existing page satisfies those needs and whether additional pages would provide distinct, useful information.

The goal is to find genuine gaps in your website’s coverage, not simply imitate another website’s structure.

Step 3: Use SEO Tools to Find Competitor Keywords

Manual research is useful, but dedicated SEO tools make it easier to inspect ranking keywords and compare multiple competitors.

Tools such as Ahrefs and Semrush offer competitor analysis capabilities, although their specific features, databases, and reporting interfaces differ.

Use organic keyword reports

The general process is straightforward:

1. Enter a competitor’s domain into the tool.
2. Open its organic keyword or ranking report.
3. Review the queries associated with its ranking pages.
4. Filter out irrelevant terms.
5. Identify queries related to your core services and customer needs.
6. Record the associated ranking URLs.
7. Validate important findings against current search results.

For more detail on this approach, see the Ahrefs guide to competitor keyword research.

The resulting keyword data can reveal opportunities that are difficult to discover manually, particularly when competitors rank for many long-tail searches.

Remember that third-party SEO platforms estimate keyword visibility using their own databases and methods. They do not provide a complete, guaranteed record of every query or visit a competitor receives.

Use keyword gap analysis

A keyword gap report compares the keyword visibility of multiple websites.

Depending on the tool, it may help identify:

• Keywords competitors rank for when your website does not
• Keywords for which your website ranks less prominently
• Topics covered by several competitors
• Queries associated with competitor pages
• Potential opportunities for further research

The most useful question is not simply, “Which keywords are missing?”

It is:

Which relevant keywords and topics represent realistic opportunities for my business that my current website does not address effectively?

That distinction prevents you from wasting time on unrelated or impractical terms.

Filter out irrelevant and branded keywords

A competitor’s keyword report may include its business name, employee names, unrelated services, and topics that do not align with your business.

Treat competitor-branded queries separately. They may reveal brand interest or comparison opportunities, but they are not automatically appropriate targets for another business.

Focus on non-branded service keywords and customer needs where your business can genuinely provide a relevant solution.

Examine the ranking URL for every important keyword

A keyword without its associated page provides incomplete context.

Suppose a competitor ranks for a query about repairing a specific appliance. Inspect the page to determine whether it is a dedicated service page, a troubleshooting article, or a general category page.

Then review the actual search results to determine what users appear to expect.

This allows you to decide whether to improve an existing page, create a different resource, or leave the keyword alone.

Interpret keyword metrics carefully

Search volume, traffic estimates, and keyword difficulty can help compare opportunities, but they should not be treated as exact measurements or guarantees.

A specific service query with modest estimated demand may be commercially valuable if it attracts relevant customers. A broader query with a larger estimated volume may be less useful if it attracts people looking for something your business does not offer.

Use metrics as supporting evidence, not as a substitute for judgment.

Step 4: How to Find Competitor Keywords in Google Maps

Google Maps competitor research is an essential part of a Local SEO analysis because organic website rankings alone do not explain local business visibility.

Analyze the searches that trigger the Local Pack

Search for the most important services and review the businesses appearing in local results.

For each query, record:

• The search term
• The businesses that appear
• The approximate location and conditions of the search
• The website linked to each listing
• Any clear differences in service relevance
• The date of the observation

Repeat the process for relevant queries rather than drawing conclusions from a single search.

If possible, use a local rank-tracking tool to monitor selected queries across multiple geographic points. This helps reveal patterns in local visibility that a single manual search might miss.

Review competitors’ public Google Business Profile information

Inspect the profile information that is publicly available and relevant to the research.

Depending on what is displayed, this may include business categories, service information, business descriptions, website links, and customer reviews.

Use these observations as clues about how competitors communicate their services and what customers discuss.

For example, recurring language in genuine reviews may reveal the problems customers experience or the outcomes they value. However, review wording does not prove that a specific search query generated the customer.

Do not copy competitor descriptions or treat every visible profile element as a ranking factor.

Use local rank-tracking tools

Tools such as Local Falcon and BrightLocal offer local search visibility or rank-tracking capabilities. Review each tool’s current features and pricing before choosing one.

These tools can help you test selected queries at different geographic points and compare visibility over time.

A local ranking grid should be interpreted as a snapshot of selected searches under specific conditions. It does not measure every query customers use or explain every reason one business appears above another.

Understand the limitations of competitor Google Business Profile data

You generally cannot access a competitor’s complete Google Business Profile search-query history through a public report.

Google’s Business Profile performance documentation explains how eligible owners and managers can review searches and interactions associated with their own profiles.

For competitor research, combine public listing observations, website analysis, selected-keyword rank tracking, and other available evidence. Do not present inferred keywords as the competitor’s confirmed private search-query data.

Remember the three primary local ranking factors

Google explains that local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and prominence. You can read its explanation in the official Tips to improve your local ranking on Google documentation.

• Relevance concerns how well a business profile matches what someone searches for.
• Distance concerns the distance between a business and the searcher or the location associated with the query.
• Prominence concerns how well-known a business is, with signals such as links and reviews contributing to this picture.

These factors help explain why keyword research alone cannot guarantee a stronger Maps ranking. Your strategy also needs to consider the real business, its location, the website, the competitive environment, and the quality of the information available.

For a broader look at this work, explore Google Maps SEO and Google Business Profile Optimization.

Step 5: How to Find Local Competitor Keyword Gaps

Once you have collected competitor keywords and ranking pages, compare those findings with your own website.

Compare competitor keywords with your own performance data

Use Google Search Console to review the queries that generate impressions and clicks for your website. Its Performance report documentation explains how to examine search-performance data.

Compare your findings with competitor keyword reports.

Look for three main categories:

1. Relevant topics for which your website already has visibility.
2. Relevant topics for which your website has weak or missing visibility.
3. Competitor topics that do not match your services or customer needs.

Your own Search Console data provides a baseline for your website. It does not reveal competitors’ private search-performance data, so keep the sources separate in your analysis.

Identify missing service and content coverage

A competitor keyword gap may indicate that your website needs better coverage of an important service or customer problem.

For example, you might find that several competing websites cover a particular repair service while your website discusses only the broader category.

Investigate whether customers have distinct needs related to that service and whether your current content addresses them.

A useful gap analysis looks for missing information and weak intent alignment—not just missing words.

Separate keyword gaps from page gaps

Not every keyword gap requires a new page.

If an existing service page already satisfies the same intent, improving that page may be more appropriate than creating another URL.

Consider these questions before making a decision:

• Does a relevant page already exist?
• Does it satisfy the intent of the target search?
• Is important information missing?
• Would a separate page serve a genuinely different purpose?
• Could a new page overlap with an existing page?
• Is there enough unique value to justify the additional content?

This process also reduces unnecessary keyword cannibalization, where multiple pages may compete to address essentially the same topic.

Build a competitor keyword opportunity list

After filtering your findings, create a shortlist of actionable opportunities.

A useful keyword gap record includes the query or topic, supporting competitor URLs, your existing page if applicable, the likely intent, evidence of relevance, and recommended next action.

The aim is a manageable set of useful opportunities—not the largest possible spreadsheet.

Step 6: How to Prioritize Competitor Keyword Opportunities

Finding relevant competitor keywords is only the beginning. You also need to determine which ones deserve attention first.

Evaluate six important factors

1. Business relevance: Does the query match a service or solution the business actually provides?
2. Search intent: Does the current search result suggest that the user wants a service, an explanation, a comparison, or another kind of resource?
3. Search demand: Is there evidence of meaningful interest in the topic? Consider available search data alongside customer enquiries and other business evidence.
4. Competition: How relevant and useful are the competing pages? Do not rely exclusively on a third-party difficulty score.
5. Commercial value: Could visibility for the query realistically support enquiries, bookings, sales, or another meaningful outcome?
6. Implementation feasibility: Can you improve an existing page or create genuinely useful content for the opportunity?

A keyword that scores well across these factors may deserve attention before a broader, less relevant term with a higher estimated search volume.

Use a simple opportunity matrix

The following fictional example illustrates how to prioritize findings without treating the ratings as an objective prediction of rankings.

You can adapt this framework to your own business, but the decision should remain tied to relevance, search intent, and realistic implementation.

Prioritize business outcomes over keyword counts

The purpose of competitor keyword research is not to prove that you have collected hundreds or thousands of keywords.

It is to decide where the website needs to become more useful, relevant, and competitive.

A small number of well-chosen opportunities can produce a clearer action plan than a large list of unfiltered queries. The value of the work comes from the decisions it supports and the quality of implementation that follows.

Step 7: Turn Competitor Keywords into a Local SEO Strategy

Once you’ve prioritized the gaps, translate them into specific website and local search actions.

Decide whether to improve an existing page or create a new one

Use the search results and your existing website to guide the decision.

Improve an existing page when it already addresses the right service or topic but needs clearer explanations, more complete coverage, stronger relevance, or better organization.

Create a new page when the topic has a distinct purpose, users need a separate resource, and your business can provide meaningful information that the existing site does not offer.

Create no new content when the keyword is irrelevant, unsupported by the business, or too similar to an existing page to justify duplication.

Group keywords by topic and search intent

Keyword clustering helps organize related search terms into logical groups.

For example, a group of queries about the same repair service might belong on one service page if the queries express essentially the same intent. A separate troubleshooting guide may be appropriate when users want instructions rather than a service provider.

The exact decision depends on the current search results and what the audience needs.

Map each keyword group to the right page

A keyword map connects relevant search themes to the pages intended to serve them.

This approach clarifies page purpose and helps reduce duplication. It also gives internal links a natural role in the wider site structure.

Use competitor findings appropriately in Google Business Profile

Keyword research can inform your understanding of customer terminology, services, and local search intent. Where relevant, those findings can help you evaluate whether your own profile accurately represents the business.

However, do not insert unrelated keywords into the business name, select inaccurate categories, create false locations, or add misleading service information. Profile details should reflect the actual business.

Google’s local ranking guidance explains that a Business Profile’s relevance is only one part of local ranking, alongside distance and prominence.

Strengthen contextual internal linking

Connect relevant supporting resources with the service pages they help readers understand.

For example, an informational article about a specific service problem can link to the relevant service page when readers need a professional solution. A broader guide can link to a more detailed supporting article when readers need additional information.

Use descriptive, natural anchor text rather than repeating the same exact-match keyword everywhere. Google’s SEO link best practices provide guidance on crawlable links and contextual link text.

Avoid keyword cannibalization and unnecessary pages

Before publishing another page, check whether an existing URL already serves the intended search.

Several near-identical pages targeting small variations of the same query can create a confusing user experience and may fall under problematic doorway-page practices if designed primarily to manipulate search results.

Google’s Search spam policies discuss doorway abuse, scaled content abuse, and other practices to avoid.

The right objective is to develop useful, distinct content that serves real needs—not to create a page for every keyword in a competitor report.

Which Tools Are Best for Local SEO Competitor Keyword Research?

The best tool depends on whether you need basic keyword discovery, organic competitor analysis, or geographic visibility tracking.

Can you find competitor keywords for free?

Yes. You can begin with manual Google searches, Google Maps, competitor websites, and the performance data available for your own website and eligible Business Profile.

These sources help you identify competitors, understand page topics, and observe which businesses appear for important searches.

Paid tools become more useful when you need to compare many competitors, inspect large keyword datasets, or track selected local searches at scale.

You do not need to purchase every tool listed in this guide. Select tools according to the decisions you need to make and validate important findings before acting on them.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Finding Competitor Keywords

1. Choosing competitors only because they sell similar services

A business may be commercially similar but absent from the search results you want to analyze. Prioritize competitors that appear for relevant queries and satisfy comparable search intent.

2. Copying every keyword competitors rank for

A competitor keyword is evidence to investigate, not an instruction to publish another page. Evaluate business relevance, intent, competition, and whether you can offer a useful answer.

3. Prioritizing search volume above everything else

Volume estimates do not measure the full business value of a query. A specific, relevant service search may be more useful than a broader query that attracts the wrong audience.

4. Confusing Maps rankings with organic website rankings

The two require related but different research methods. A competitor’s organic keyword profile does not fully explain its local listing visibility, and one Maps observation does not establish a complete local ranking pattern.

5. Trusting tool estimates without checking the search results

Use competitor tools to identify opportunities, then examine the ranking URLs and actual search results. This confirms whether the keyword and page type fit your intended strategy.

6. Creating a separate page for every keyword variation

Closely related searches may belong on the same page. Create separate resources only when they serve distinct user needs and provide enough unique value to justify their existence.

7. Ignoring business accuracy and local search policies

Do not fabricate locations, use misleading profile information, or add irrelevant keywords to a business name. Stronger research should support accurate business representation rather than shortcuts designed to manipulate rankings.

How to Measure Whether Competitor Keyword Research Is Working

Competitor research produces hypotheses. Your own performance data helps determine whether the resulting actions are working.

Monitor organic visibility

Use Google Search Console to review changes in impressions, clicks, queries, and relevant landing-page performance.

Compare appropriate periods and account for changes in seasonality, demand, and the broader search environment where possible.

Average position can be useful context, but it should not be treated as a universal measure of business success.

Monitor local visibility consistently

Where local rank-tracking tools are suitable, monitor the same relevant queries and geographic sampling points over time.

Record major changes in competitors, profile information, website content, and other relevant factors. This helps make comparisons more meaningful, although it does not establish the cause of every ranking change.

Measure qualified enquiries and conversions

When tracking is available, connect search performance with meaningful actions such as qualified leads, calls, bookings, purchases, or other business outcomes.

A keyword that attracts visits but no relevant enquiries may not be as useful as a more targeted query that brings visitors with a genuine need for the service.

Remember that results depend on several factors, including competition, the quality of implementation, website usability, and the relevance of the offering. Keyword research alone cannot guarantee rankings, traffic, or conversions.

Review and refine your research

Repeat competitor analysis when your services change, new competitors emerge, target markets expand, or performance data reveals new opportunities.

A quarterly review can be a reasonable starting point for many businesses, but the right schedule depends on the market and campaign. The important thing is to use consistent methods and act on meaningful evidence rather than repeating the same research without a clear purpose.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I find competitor keywords for Local SEO for free?

Yes. Start with Google Search, Google Maps, competitor websites, Google Search Console for your own site, and Google Business Profile performance for your own eligible profile. These sources provide a useful starting point for manual research. Paid SEO tools can extend the analysis by estimating competitor ranking keywords and comparing website keyword gaps at scale.

2. Can I see the exact keywords that trigger a competitor’s Google Business Profile?

You generally cannot access a competitor’s complete private Business Profile search-query report. You can observe the searches for which its listing appears, inspect public profile information, and use local rank-tracking tools to test selected queries. Google Business Profile performance data is available to eligible owners and managers for their own profiles.

3. How many competitors should I analyze for Local SEO keyword research?

Start with a manageable group of businesses that repeatedly appear for your most important service queries. Expand the sample when additional competitors reveal distinct services, useful page types, or new opportunities. There is no universally correct number; the appropriate scope depends on the business, its services, the competitive environment, and the depth of analysis required.

4. Should I target every keyword my competitors rank for?

No. Target a competitor keyword only when it aligns with your services, customer needs, search intent, and realistic optimization opportunities. Some discoveries will justify improving an existing page, others may support a genuinely distinct resource, and many should be excluded. Competitor rankings provide evidence for strategic decisions, not a ready-made content plan.

5. How often should I repeat local competitor keyword research?

Review competitor research when your services, target markets, competitors, or website strategy change. A quarterly review can be a useful starting point, but more competitive or rapidly changing markets may require more frequent checks. Compare consistent queries and conditions, then use your own search and conversion data to decide which opportunities deserve further work.

Conclusion: Turn Competitor Keywords into Actionable Local SEO Opportunities

Finding competitor keywords for Local SEO is not simply about discovering what other businesses rank for. It is about understanding which searches matter to your customers, how competing websites and local listings address those needs, and where your own business has realistic opportunities to improve.

Start by identifying genuine search competitors. Analyze their organic keywords and ranking pages, investigate Maps visibility separately, compare their coverage with your website, and prioritize the gaps that align with your services and business goals.

Then map the selected opportunities to the appropriate pages, strengthen relevant content, and measure the results using your own performance data.

The best competitor keyword strategy is not necessarily the one with the most keywords. It is the one that turns reliable research into clear, useful, and measurable SEO actions.

Need Help Finding Competitor Keywords for Your Local SEO Strategy?

If you need a structured way to identify competitor keyword opportunities, evaluate search intent, uncover content gaps, and map relevant keyword groups to the right pages, explore my Local Keyword Research service.

I’m Tawhid, an SEO Expert & Consultant at Freelancer Tawhid. I started working with Local SEO in 2020 and approach keyword research as part of a broader strategy involving services, website structure, local search visibility, and business objectives.

For businesses that need help with a wider local search strategy, you can also explore my Local SEO services or Google Maps SEO services.

You can contact me to discuss your SEO requirements and determine which research or optimization work is appropriate for your business.