How to Use Competitor Keywords Without Copying Your Competitors

Published 2026-09-28 by Barrie Evans

Competitor keyword research can sound a little aggressive, especially when people talk about “stealing” keywords. In practice, for a local business, it should be much more sensible than that.

You are not trying to copy another company’s website, wording or offer. You are trying to understand how real customers search, what Google is already rewarding, and where your own online presence may be too thin, unclear or hidden.

For a business in the Midlands, this might mean looking at other local firms that appear in Google Search, Google Maps, or AI search results when people look for your services. The aim is to spot useful patterns, then build better, more helpful content around your own business, your own expertise and your own service area.

Competitor keywords are clues, not shortcuts

A keyword is simply a phrase someone types or speaks when they need something. It might be direct, such as emergency plumber in Wolverhampton, or more research-led, such as how often should a commercial boiler be serviced.

When a competitor appears for those searches, it tells you something useful. It may show that the phrase has local intent. It may show that Google understands their page clearly. It may also show that they have answered a question better than others.

That does not mean you should rewrite their page in your own words and publish a similar version. That usually leads to weak content and little real advantage. Instead, treat competitor keywords as clues about customer language, service demand and missing topics on your own website.

Good competitor research helps you answer three practical questions:

What are potential customers actually searching for?
Which services or problems are competitors explaining more clearly than we are?
Where can we create something more useful, more local and more trustworthy?

Start with the right competitors

Many business owners look at the wrong competitors. The biggest national brand is not always the most useful comparison. For local visibility, pay attention to businesses that show up where you want to show up.

Search for your main services in Google using natural phrases. Try a mix of service, location and problem-based searches. For example, a local accountant might search for terms around tax returns, limited company accounts, payroll support and Making Tax Digital. A trades business might search for installation, repairs, servicing and emergency work.

Look at:

The websites appearing in the standard Google results.
The businesses appearing in the Google Maps pack.
The questions shown in “People also ask”.
The page titles and descriptions competitors use.
The services and wording used on Google Business Profiles.

You are looking for patterns. If several visible competitors all have dedicated pages for a service you only mention briefly, that may be a sign that your website needs a clearer page. If competitors answer common questions that you do not cover, that may point towards useful blog or FAQ content.

If you need a broader structure before doing this work, the guide on Local Seo Foundations is a useful place to start.

Look for intent behind the phrase

Not every keyword is worth chasing. Some phrases attract people who are not ready to buy. Others may bring visitors from outside your service area. The useful skill is understanding the intent behind the search.

For a local business, keywords often fall into a few groups:

Service keywords, such as boiler servicing, bookkeeping, pest control or website design.
Location keywords, where people include a town, city or county.
Problem keywords, such as damp patches on walls, leaking roof, late VAT return or slow website.
Comparison keywords, where people are weighing up options, prices or methods.
Trust keywords, such as accredited, insured, reviews, specialist or experienced.

A competitor might rank for a broad phrase, but the better opportunity for you may be a more specific version. A Midlands business often benefits from being clear about who it helps, where it works and which services it handles especially well.

For example, a generic page about “electrical services” is usually less helpful than a clear page about commercial electrical testing for landlords, offices or industrial units, supported by accurate local context where relevant.

Use competitor research to improve your own pages

Once you have identified useful keyword themes, review your own website honestly. Do not start by writing new pages straight away. First, check whether an existing page could be improved.

Ask yourself:

Does the page clearly name the service?
Does it explain who the service is for?
Does it mention the areas you genuinely cover?
Does it answer the questions customers ask before contacting you?
Does it include evidence of trust, such as experience, process, qualifications or reviews?
Is the next step clear?

Many local websites underperform because the content is too vague. A page might say “we offer a wide range of services” without explaining what those services are, which problems they solve, or why someone should choose that business.

Competitor keyword research can reveal those gaps. If visible competitors are using clearer service pages, better headings, stronger explanations or more specific local wording, you can improve your own content without copying a single sentence.

For practical improvements across your local web presence, you may also find Proven Local Seo Best Practices useful.

Do not ignore Google Business Profile and Maps

Competitor keywords are not only found on websites. For local businesses, Google Business Profile is a major part of visibility. The wording used in business categories, services, descriptions, reviews, questions and updates can all help Google understand relevance.

Look at competitors who appear in Maps for your important searches. What categories do they seem to use? What services are listed? What words do customers naturally use in reviews? Are there repeated phrases that describe problems, locations, response times or specialist work?

This is not about stuffing keywords into your profile. It is about making sure your profile is complete, accurate and written in the language customers recognise. If you provide a service, list it properly. If customers often describe a particular problem, consider whether your website and profile explain that problem clearly.

Reviews are especially useful because they show customer language in the real world. A business owner may call something “planned preventative maintenance”, while a customer may search for “regular servicing contract”. Both can matter, but the customer wording often gives you stronger content ideas.

This article is based on the ideas discussed in the embedded video, with added UK local business context and practical guidance for business owners.

Build better content than the search result already has

If you find a keyword opportunity, do not ask, “How can I rank for this?” first. Ask, “What would make this page genuinely useful for the person searching?”

That shift matters. Google, Google Maps and AI-led search experiences are all trying to understand helpfulness, clarity and trust. A thin page created only to target a phrase is unlikely to support long-term visibility.

A stronger page might include:

A plain English explanation of the service or problem.
Who the service is suitable for.
What is included and what is not.
Common questions customers ask before booking.
Relevant local service area information, where genuine.
Your process, standards or approach.
Clear contact details or next steps.

This is where smaller local businesses can compete well. You may not have the budget of a large national company, but you can often be more specific, more personal and more relevant to local customers.

Keep the research ethical and useful

There is a clear line between learning from the market and copying another business. Stay on the right side of that line.

Do not copy text, images, page layouts, testimonials or brand messages. Do not claim to offer services you do not provide. Do not create location pages for areas you do not realistically serve. These shortcuts can damage trust and often create poor user experiences.

Instead, use competitor research to sharpen your own message. If you discover that other businesses explain a service better, create your own clearer explanation. If they cover a question you have ignored, answer it from your own experience. If they have a useful page structure, think about the customer journey behind it rather than duplicating it.

The best local visibility work is grounded in truth. Your website should reflect what your business actually does, where it works and why customers should trust you.

Turn keyword findings into a simple action plan

Competitor keyword research can become messy if you collect too much information. Keep it practical.

Create a short list of opportunities and group them into actions:

Improve existing pages where the topic is already covered but lacks depth or clarity.
Create new service pages where an important service is currently hidden or only briefly mentioned.
Add helpful articles for common questions, problems or comparisons.
Update Google Business Profile so services, categories and descriptions are accurate.
Collect better review prompts that encourage customers to describe the work carried out naturally.

You do not need to fix everything in one week. For many local businesses, steady improvement is more realistic. One well-built service page or one genuinely helpful guide each month can be more valuable than publishing lots of thin content quickly.

Measure what changes after the work

After making improvements, watch the right signals. Rankings can move up and down, so avoid judging the work too quickly. Look at broader indicators over time.

Useful measures include:

Search queries appearing in Google Search Console.
Website enquiries from relevant services.
Calls, direction requests and profile views from Google Business Profile.
Pages gaining impressions for more specific search terms.
Whether enquiries are better matched to the work you want.

The aim is not just more traffic. It is better visibility for the searches that can bring suitable customers. A local business does not need every visitor; it needs the right people to find it at the right moment.

A practical next step

If you want to use competitor keyword research properly, start with three competitors who appear for searches you care about. Review their service pages, Google Business Profiles and the questions Google shows around those searches. Then compare that with your own website and profile.

You will usually spot a few clear gaps: a service that needs its own page, a question that deserves a helpful answer, or a profile section that needs completing.

If you would like help turning those findings into clearer local visibility work for your business, you can contact or chat with BE Marketing and SEO Midlands for practical support with your website, Google presence and authority building.