Competitor keyword analysis in SEO Fundamentals - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Competitor Keyword Analysis

📖 Scenario: You are managing a website and want to improve its search engine ranking. To do this, you need to analyze the keywords your competitors are using on their websites.This project will guide you through the basic steps of competitor keyword analysis using simple data and methods.

🎯 Goal: Build a simple keyword comparison list that shows which keywords your competitors use and which ones you might want to target.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a dictionary of competitor websites with their top keywords

Add a list of your own website's keywords

Compare competitor keywords with your keywords to find missing opportunities

Summarize the keywords that competitors use but you do not

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Competitor keyword analysis helps website owners find new keywords to target for SEO, improving their search rankings and attracting more visitors.

💼 Career

SEO specialists, digital marketers, and content creators use competitor keyword analysis to plan content strategies and optimize websites.

1

Create competitor keywords data

Create a dictionary called competitors with these exact entries: 'siteA.com': ['seo', 'marketing', 'content'], 'siteB.com': ['analytics', 'seo', 'ads'], 'siteC.com': ['content', 'branding', 'seo'].

SEO Fundamentals

# Create the competitors dictionary with given websites and keywords
# Your code here

Hint

Use a dictionary with website names as keys and lists of keywords as values.

2

Add your website keywords

Create a list called my_keywords with these exact keywords: 'seo', 'content', 'social'.

SEO Fundamentals

competitors = {
    'siteA.com': ['seo', 'marketing', 'content'],
    'siteB.com': ['analytics', 'seo', 'ads'],
    'siteC.com': ['content', 'branding', 'seo']
}
# Create the my_keywords list with given keywords
# Your code here

Hint

Use a list to store your website's keywords.

3

Find competitor keywords not in your list

Create a set called competitor_keywords that contains all unique keywords from all competitors. Then create a set called missing_keywords that contains keywords in competitor_keywords but not in my_keywords.

SEO Fundamentals

competitors = {
    'siteA.com': ['seo', 'marketing', 'content'],
    'siteB.com': ['analytics', 'seo', 'ads'],
    'siteC.com': ['content', 'branding', 'seo']
}
my_keywords = ['seo', 'content', 'social']
# Create competitor_keywords set with all unique competitor keywords
# Create missing_keywords set with keywords competitors have but you don't
# Your code here

Hint

Use a loop to add all competitor keywords to a set, then subtract your keywords set.

4

Summarize missing keywords

Create a list called missing_list from missing_keywords sorted alphabetically.

SEO Fundamentals

competitors = {
    'siteA.com': ['seo', 'marketing', 'content'],
    'siteB.com': ['analytics', 'seo', 'ads'],
    'siteC.com': ['content', 'branding', 'seo']
}
my_keywords = ['seo', 'content', 'social']
competitor_keywords = set()
for keywords in competitors.values():
    competitor_keywords.update(keywords)
missing_keywords = competitor_keywords - set(my_keywords)
# Create missing_list sorted alphabetically from missing_keywords
# Your code here

Hint

Use the sorted() function to create an alphabetically ordered list.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of competitor keyword analysis in SEO?

easy

A. To find keywords that competitors use to improve your own SEO

B. To copy all content from competitor websites

C. To increase website loading speed

D. To design a new website layout

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand competitor keyword analysis

   It involves studying the keywords your competitors use to find opportunities.

2. Step 2: Identify the main goal

   The goal is to find keywords that can help improve your own SEO strategy.

3. Final Answer:

   To find keywords that competitors use to improve your own SEO -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Competitor keyword analysis = find competitor keywords [OK]

Hint: Focus on keywords competitors rank for to improve your SEO [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it means copying content
• Confusing with website design tasks
• Assuming it improves site speed

2. Which of the following tools is commonly used for competitor keyword analysis?

easy

A. Microsoft Excel

B. Google Analytics

C. Adobe Photoshop

D. Google Keyword Planner

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify tools for keyword research

   Google Keyword Planner is designed to find and analyze keywords, including competitor keywords.

2. Step 2: Eliminate unrelated tools

   Google Analytics tracks website traffic, Photoshop edits images, Excel manages data but is not specialized for keyword analysis.

3. Final Answer:

   Google Keyword Planner -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Keyword research tool = Google Keyword Planner [OK]

Hint: Use keyword tools, not design or general data tools [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing Google Analytics for keyword analysis
• Confusing design software with SEO tools
• Assuming Excel is a keyword tool

3. If a competitor ranks well for the keyword "best running shoes" but your site has low authority, what is a smart keyword strategy?

medium

A. Target the exact same keyword immediately

B. Ignore that keyword and pick unrelated keywords

C. Find related, less competitive keywords like "affordable running shoes"

D. Stop SEO efforts altogether

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze competitor keyword difficulty

   High-ranking keywords by strong competitors are often hard to rank for if your site is new or low authority.

2. Step 2: Choose related but easier keywords

   Picking related keywords with less competition helps you rank faster and build authority.

3. Final Answer:

   Find related, less competitive keywords like "affordable running shoes" -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Low authority = target easier related keywords [OK]

Hint: Pick related, easier keywords if main ones are too competitive [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to rank immediately for very competitive keywords
• Ignoring competitor keywords completely
• Giving up on SEO efforts

4. You used a competitor keyword tool but got a list of irrelevant keywords. What is the most likely mistake?

medium

A. Ran the tool without internet connection

B. Entered competitor website URL incorrectly

C. Selected the wrong language in the tool settings

D. Used the tool on your own website

Solution

1. Step 1: Check input accuracy

   Entering the wrong competitor URL leads to irrelevant keyword results.

2. Step 2: Consider other causes

   Using the tool on your own site or wrong language can cause issues, but irrelevant keywords mostly come from wrong competitor input.

3. Final Answer:

   Entered competitor website URL incorrectly -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Wrong URL input = irrelevant keywords [OK]

Hint: Double-check competitor URL before running analysis [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring URL input errors
• Assuming tool works offline
• Not checking language settings

5. You want to improve your website's SEO by using competitor keyword analysis. Your competitor ranks for "organic skincare products" and "natural face creams". Your site is new and has limited content. What is the best approach?

hard

A. Focus on long-tail keywords like "best organic skincare for sensitive skin" and create quality content

B. Copy competitor content exactly to rank faster

C. Ignore competitor keywords and use only generic terms like "skincare"

D. Buy paid ads instead of doing keyword research

Solution

1. Step 1: Assess site status and competitor keywords

   Your site is new with limited content; competitor targets broad keywords.

2. Step 2: Choose long-tail keywords and quality content

   Long-tail keywords are more specific and easier to rank for, especially for new sites.

3. Step 3: Avoid copying content or ignoring keywords

   Copying content is unethical and risky; ignoring keywords wastes SEO opportunities.

4. Final Answer:

   Focus on long-tail keywords like "best organic skincare for sensitive skin" and create quality content -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   New site = use long-tail keywords + quality content [OK]

Hint: Use specific long-tail keywords and quality content for new sites [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Copying competitor content
• Using only broad generic keywords
• Skipping keyword research