Find Out Which Keywords Drive Your Competitors' Traffic — For Free
You don't need expensive tools to find out which search terms your competitors rank for. Five hands-on methods and free tools you can start using today in 2026.
Your competitor's site ranks above yours on Google. Why? Most likely because they're targeting the right keywords. You don't need to pay hundreds of lira a month to find those keywords. Google's own tools and a handful of free platforms are enough to expose your competitors' playbook.
1. Use Google Itself — Free and Real-Time
- Autocomplete sweep: Type an industry-related keyword into the search bar and add the letters a, b, c one by one at the end. Each letter surfaces different suggestions. Every suggestion is fed by real user searches. In 2026, Google's autocomplete no longer just completes words — it predicts intent. That makes every suggestion a genuine traffic signal.
- 'Related Searches' block at the bottom of the page: Scroll to the very bottom of Google results. The phrases shown there reveal what users are actually searching around this topic. If your competitor has a page targeting those phrases, they'll show up there.
- 'People Also Ask' box: This box in the middle of the results page lists the side questions people ask on the same topic. If your competitor has published content that answers these questions, they've already moved ahead of you. You can target the same questions.
- site: operator: Type 'site:competitor.com.tr air conditioning service' into the Google search bar. Every page that site has on that topic gets listed. Click through each one and read the title and opening paragraph — the keywords they're targeting are right there.
- Page source code: Open a competitor's page, right-click and choose 'View Page Source'. The meta description field and H1/H2 headings clearly show which keyword that page is built around.
2. Free Tools — What They Can and Can't Do
- Semrush free account (10 queries per day): Sign up for free at app.semrush.com. Enter a competitor's domain in the Domain Overview section. The 'Organic Keywords' tab shows the most valuable keywords that competitor ranks for. With 10 queries a day, you can check a different competitor each day.
- Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator (ahrefs.com/keyword-generator): Enter an industry keyword and get up to 100 suggestions with difficulty scores. Use Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (free, requires site verification) for your own site to see which keywords you're appearing for, then compare with the keywords your competitor ranks for.
- Google Keyword Planner (a free Google Ads account is enough): In the 'Discover new keywords' screen, paste a competitor's URL under 'Start with a website'. Google generates keyword ideas and local search volumes based on that page's content.
- Google Trends (trends.google.com.tr): Compare your competitor's brand name with your own. Which gets more searches, and which region is strongest — all free. If you notice a traffic spike for a competitor during a particular period, look at what they published then.
- AlsoAsked.com: Type in a keyword your competitor is targeting. You'll see the related questions people ask on that topic laid out in a tree. The questions your competitor hasn't answered yet are your content opportunities.
3. The Keyword Gap Method: Find the Gap for Free
Apply these four steps in order. First: use your free Semrush account to list your competitor's top organic keywords. Second: run those keywords through the Ahrefs Keyword Generator to pull out variations. Third: check in your own Google Search Console account whether you're getting any impressions for those keywords. Zero impressions means a real gap exists for you. Fourth: search for that keyword on Google and see which page your competitor ranks with — find what that page leaves unanswered, and write the content that gets you one step ahead.
4. The New Competitive Frontier in 2026: AI Search Visibility
Google rankings alone are no longer enough. Thirty-seven percent of product and service searches now begin on AI interfaces like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and similar platforms. To find out whether your competitors are being recommended there, all you need to do is this: ask ChatGPT or Perplexity, 'Can you recommend a reliable company for [your sector] in Bursa?' Note which competitors get mentioned and which don't. When you examine the recommended sites, you'll usually find the same common features: author credentials, cited statistics, and verified references. Adding these elements to your own site boosts your AI visibility — and this analysis costs nothing.