How to Track Competitor Keywords and Rankings

Track your competitors' keyword rankings to discover opportunities and stay ahead in search results.

**Note**: Competitor Tracking is available on Pro and Business plans.

What is Competitor Tracking?

Competitor Tracking in WeeklySEO lets you:

**Monitor** competitor rankings for keywords you track

**Discover** keywords competitors rank for that you don't

**Analyze** ranking movements and trends

**Identify** keyword gaps and opportunities

Adding Competitors

Manual Addition

Go to **Competitors** in the sidebar

Select your website

Click **"Add Competitor"**

Enter competitor domain (e.g., competitor.com)

Click **"Add"**

Automatic Discovery

WeeklySEO can automatically discover competitors:

Click **"Discover Competitors"**

AI analyzes your keywords and finds sites ranking for similar terms

Review suggestions and add relevant competitors

Understanding Competitor Metrics

Relevance Score

How relevant this competitor is to your business (0-100%).

**Based on:**

Keyword overlap (how many same keywords you both target)

Business similarity (industry, niche, audience)

Content overlap (similar topics and themes)

**High relevance (70-100%)**: Direct competitors worth monitoring closely

**Medium relevance (40-69%)**: Indirect competitors to check periodically

**Low relevance (0-39%)**: Loosely related, may not need tracking

Ranking Overlap

How many keywords you both rank for in top 20 positions.

**What it indicates:**

High overlap: Direct competition for same audience

Low overlap: Different keyword strategies or niches

Discovery Method

How the competitor was found:

**Manual**: You added them

**Keyword overlap**: Found through shared rankings

**Content similarity**: Similar topics and themes

**Backlink analysis**: Common link sources

Analyzing Competitor Rankings

View Competitor Keywords

In the Competitors table, click a competitor to see:

Keywords they rank for

Their position for each keyword

Your position for the same keyword (if ranking)

Position changes over time

Identify Gaps

Look for keywords where:

**They rank in top 10**, you don't rank at all

**They rank in top 3**, you're on page 2

**High search volume** and relevant to your business

**Match your content** and audience

Monitor Movement

Track when competitors:

Enter top 10 for keywords you target

Drop out of rankings (opportunities to gain)

Launch new content (topics to cover)

Get featured snippets (formats to emulate)

Using Competitor Data

Finding Keyword Opportunities

**Identify their top keywords**: What drives their traffic?

**Assess difficulty**: Can you compete?

**Check relevance**: Does it fit your business?

**Create better content**: Outdo what they've done

Content Strategy

**See what's working:**

Topics that rank well

Content formats (guides, lists, how-tos)

Content depth and length

Keyword usage patterns

**Find content gaps:**

Topics they haven't covered

Outdated content you can improve

Questions they didn't answer

Better angles or perspectives

Competitive Benchmarking

Compare metrics:

**Total rankings**: How many keywords each ranks for

**Top 3 positions**: Premium visibility comparison

**Page 1 share**: Overall search presence

**Ranking velocity**: Who's growing faster?

Competitor Tracking Strategies

For New Competitors

When adding a competitor:

Start with direct competitors

Analyze their top 50 keywords

Identify 5-10 quick win opportunities

Create content targeting those gaps

Ongoing Monitoring

Check competitors:

**Weekly**: After your analysis runs

**Monthly**: Deep dive into trends

**Quarterly**: Strategy adjustment

Maximum Competitors

Plan limits:

**Pro**: Track up to 5 competitors per website

**Business**: Track up to 15 competitors per website

Alerts and Notifications

Get notified when competitors:

Rank for new high-volume keywords

Enter top 10 for keywords you target

Drop significantly (your opportunity)

Publish new content in your niche

Best Practices

✅ **Choose relevant competitors**: Direct business competitors, not just any ranking site

✅ **Monitor regularly**: Check weekly for changes

✅ **Learn from success**: Emulate what works for them

✅ **Differentiate**: Find unique angles they haven't covered

✅ **Focus on gaps**: Target keywords they rank poorly for

❌ **Don't copy**: Create better, unique content

❌ **Don't track too many**: Focus on 3-5 key competitors

❌ **Don't obsess**: Focus on your own growth primarily

❌ **Don't ignore**: Competitors can teach you a lot

Common Use Cases

Scenario 1: New to Market

**Goal**: Learn what works in your industry

**Strategy**:

Add 3-5 established competitors

Analyze their top 20 keywords

Create content for low-difficulty keywords they rank for

Build your initial ranking foundation

Scenario 2: Losing Rankings

**Goal**: Understand why rankings are dropping

**Strategy**:

Check if competitors are ranking better for your keywords

Analyze what they're doing differently

Update and improve your content

Build more links and signals

Scenario 3: Expansion

**Goal**: Find new keyword opportunities

**Strategy**:

Look at keywords competitors rank for that you don't

Filter by high volume and medium difficulty

Prioritize relevant terms

Create content strategy around gaps

Measuring Success

Track these metrics:

Keywords where you outrank competitors (growing)

Gap keywords you've successfully ranked for

Competitive landscape changes

Your market share of rankings

Next Steps

[Keyword Research Guide](/help/articles/keyword-research-guide) - Discover more opportunities

[Striking Distance Keywords](/help/articles/striking-distance-keywords) - Quick wins

[Keyword Opportunity Scores](/help/articles/keyword-opportunity-scores) - Understand scoring