Skip to main content
  • Login
  • Support
  • Partnerships
    • Partnerships Overview
    • Solution Provider Program
    • Technology Alliance Program
    • Distributor Program
N-able
  • Request a Quote
  • Try Now
    • N-able RMM
    • N-able N-central
    • N-able Backup
    • MSP Manager
    • N-able Mail Assure
    • N-able Passportal
    • N-able Risk Intelligence
    • N-able Take Control
Request quote
N-able
  • Products
    • Monitoring & Management
    • N-central Automate. Tackle complex networks. Get remote monitoring and management built for efficiency and scale.
    • RMM Start fast. Grow at your own pace. Try this powerful but easy remote monitoring and management solution.
    • Backup
    • Backup Get data protection for servers, workstations, applications, documents, and Microsoft 365 from one dashboard.
    • Security
    • EDR Defend against ransomware, zero-day attacks, and evolving threats with endpoint detection and response.
    • Mail Assure Leverage mail protection and archiving to keep your users safe from email threats and downtime.
    • Passportal Adopt and enforce best practices for password and documentation management with ease.
    • Tools & Services
    • MSP Manager Increase helpdesk efficiency with a robust PSA, ticketing, reporting, and billing management solution.
    • Take Control Help support customers and their devices with remote support tools designed to be fast and powerful.
    • View All
  • Solutions

    Solutions

    • Security Protect your customers and expand your business by offering layered security services without the complexity.
    • Monitoring Choose the right remote monitoring and management solution to meet you where you are and grow with you.
    • Operational Efficiency Boost profits by improving efficiency via automation, resources and training, and time-saving products.
    • IT Departments Keep your organization productive by easily managing IT from a single, easy-to-use, web-based dashboard.
    • Remote Monitoring Solutions Comparison Compare N-able RMM and N-central side by side. Sign up to talk to a specialist to find the right fit.
    • View All
  • Resources
    • Download
    • Resource Library
    • Product Information
    • Free Tools
    • Learn
    • MSP Institute Webinar Series
    • Daily Live Demos
    • MSP Advice Project
    • Ask the N-central Experts
    • Upcoming Webcasts
    • Connect
    • Blog
    • Security Resource Center
    • Events
    • RMM Foundations Training
  • About
    • Company
    • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Careers
    • News & Press
    • Awards & Recognition
    • Support & Policies
    • Customer Success
    • Customer Support
    • Legal
    • Security
    • Get in Touch
    • Contact
    • Get a Quote
    • Worldwide Sales & Support
  • IT Departments
  • Contact Sales
    • Contact Sales
    • General Inquiry
    • Get a Quote
    • Worldwide Sales & Support
    • Talk to Specialist
    • Security Solutions
    • Monitoring Solutions
    • Operational Efficiency
  • Try Now
    • Monitoring & Management
    • N-central
    • RMM
    • Backup
    • Security
    • EDR
    • Mail Assure
    • Passportal
    • Tools & Services
    • MSP Manager
    • Take Control
SolarWinds MSP is becoming Read More
Filter Blogs
  • Filter by:
  • MSP Business
    • Automation
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • Security-series
    • Best Practices
    • Business
    • Business Growth
    • Business Risk
    • Cloud Computing
    • Customer Service
    • Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity Awareness Month
    • Data
    • GDPR
    • Internet of Things
    • IT Support
    • ITSM
    • LOGICcards
    • Machine Learning
    • Mail
    • Managed Services
    • Marketing
    • Mobile
    • Networking
    • Operations
    • Podcast
    • Product
    • PSA
    • Remote Management
    • Research & Trends
    • Risk Intelligence
    • Security
    • Security Vlog
    • Service Desk
    • Services & Support
    • The Head Nerds
    • Tips & Advice
    • Training
Home Blog MSP Business Find Out Which SEO Keywords Your Competitors are Using
MSP Business

Find Out Which SEO Keywords Your Competitors are Using

By Joseph Arcos
11 December, 2019

As a Managed Services Provider (MSP) knowing what Search Engine Optimization (SEO) keywords your company should target for your website and how to outperform your competitors in this area can seem like a daunting task.

For most IT Solution Providers, getting to the first page on Google for terms such as “IT Support <City>” where <City> is your local area is the holy grail of SEO. But how do your competitors make it to that number one page in the search rankings? In this post we’ll explore how to find a website’s keywords that are producing organic traffic. 

Understanding the keywords that your competitors are using in their own SEO efforts is one way to gain insight into their success, and here are a few simple methods you can use (and your competitors are probably already using) to find out those keywords!

View Page Source to Find Competitors’ Keywords

The easiest way to find out the keywords your competitors are using is to visit their website and then view the Page Source—or the underlying HTML code—for their homepage.

In Google Chrome, you simply click the tools bar (the three lines in the top right-hand corner) then select Tools > Developer Tools. This will display the Source Code in a window underneath the website itself.
In Internet Explorer, click on View > Source to see the HTML source code of the website.

You can then search for these tags to understand the keywords your competitors are using on their website.

  • <title>: This tag is a headline description of the page and is the way Google displays your site in listings. The title tag typically contains the primary keyword that a page is trying to rank for.
  • <meta name=”description”>: This is the snippet that appears underneath the title tag on search engines’ results. While not a specific ranking factor, many websites incorporate the target keyword into their meta descriptions in the hope of reinforcing what the page is about—which could potentially help lead to a higher click through rate to the site from search results. 
  • <meta name=”keywords”>: As this is an antiquated aspect of SEO, many sites are no longer using this tag, but it’s worth checking to see if your competitors are using it. In some instances, websites may use the meta keywords tag to keep track of what keywords a page is specifically focusing on, which can provide excellent insights to their strategy.

From the above tags you can get a fairly good feel for the type of keywords your competitors are using to promote their website, and specifically what they’re trying to rank for.

Google AdWords Keyword Planner

CTA Image

N-able Remote Monitoring and Management

Get the tools you need to manage, secure, and improve all things IT—all within a single web-based dashboard.

Try It Free Learn More

The next—and often overlooked—way to find out what keywords your competitors are using on their website is to use the Google AdWords Keyword Planner.

If you haven’t already signed up for a Google AdWords accounts—it’s free to do so and gives you access to the Google AdWords tool suite.

Once you’ve signed up for a Google AdWords account then visit https://adwords.google.com/ and click the “Search for new keyword and ad group ideas” link.

This box is typically used to input a word or phrase, but you can enter the URL of a website (your own or a competitors!) and Google will then show you the keyword ideas for that site – based on the keywords it has found.

These keyword “ideas” should give you a very good indication of which keywords your competitors are targeting for their own SEO strategy.

Ahrefs Site Explorer

Ahrefs is a popular SEO tool suite that SEO companies use for keyword research, backlink analysis, and more. Ahrefs can provide a ton of information about your site, and your competitors’ websites. 

Start by creating a free account or logging in if you’re a subscribed user. There is a seven-day free trial, which should provide plenty of time to extract some deep insights about the keywords your competitors are targeting. 

Once logged in, navigate to the Site Explorer tool, then drop in the specific URL you want to investigate and hit enter. In the top bar, you’ll see general information about the site—the number of backlinks to the page, referring domains, and specifically Organic Keywords. Click the number below the title for Organic Keywords and you’ll be able to tell exactly what terms this page currently ranks for and the monthly search volume for each term.

This information can help you identify which keywords your site (and your competitor’s site) ranks for—allowing you to adjust your strategy accordingly.

SEMRush 

Similar to Ahrefs, SEMRush is an SEO tool suite that provides an exceptional amount of SEO-oriented information. To use this tool, create a login and navigate to the home dashboard. Enter your URL, let the tool work, then scroll down until you see “Top Organic Keywords.” This will show the top traffic producing keywords to the URL in question, as well as the difficulty score (how easy is it to rank for this term) and monthly search volume. 

If you click the button that says “View all Organic Keywords,” you can easily export all the keywords this webpage currently ranks for—and use this to create new strategies or to find new alternative keywords to target. 

Conclusion

Search engine optimization is still a huge factor in making sure Google finds your website and, in turn, clients can find you via Google.

If you’re unsure of which keywords you should be focusing on, then why not take a look at what your competitors websites are targeting by checking out the Source Code on their website, Google AdWords Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMRush for further ideas.

While blindly copying your competitors and competing directly with them for keywords is never a good idea, being aware of what they’re focusing on may help you clarify what your own business needs to focus on—and it’s worth knowing your competitors are almost certainly using the same techniques to check your own website out!

Looking to solve another problem for your MSP? Learn more about the SolarWinds MSP product suite

Joseph Arcos is SEO/SEM Marketing Manager at SolarWinds MSP

 

Try Remote Monitoring & Management Today

Get the tools you need to manage, secure, and improve all things IT—all within a single web-based dashboard.

Start your Free Trial

 

 

Additional reading

3 Must-Have MSP Templates
MSP Content Marketing Guide
Do You Have a Marketing Strategy?
You might also like...
MSP Business

A guide to cold calling for MSPs

MSP Business

Direct mail: still a powerful marketing tool for MSPs

MSP Business

Grow your MSP business with strategic alliances and partnerships

MSP Business

MSP Content Marketing Guide

MSP Business

5 free ways to market your MSP business

MSP Business

3 Must-Have MSP Templates

Want to stay up to date?

Get the latest MSP tips, tricks, and ideas sent to your inbox each week.

Loading form....

If the form does not load in a few seconds, it is probably because your browser is using Tracking Protection. This is either an Ad Blocker plug-in or your browser is in private mode. Please allow tracking on this page to request a subscription.

Note: Firefox users may see a shield icon to the left of the URL in the address bar. Click on this to disable tracking protection for this session/site

Recent Posts
  • PSA vs ITSM vs ESM: Part 2—Which is the right fit for your MSP?
  • 4 ways PSA software helps MSP businesses
  • PSA vs ITSM vs ESM: Part 1—What do they do? 
  • Endpoint security for Mac: What you need to know In 2021
  • A guide to patch management policies for MSPs
Categories:
  • Security (252)
  • Tips & Advice (130)
  • Backup & Disaster Recovery (97)
  • Best Practices (97)
  • Managed Services (89)
  • The Head Nerds (88)
  • Business Growth (79)
  • IT Support (43)
  • Business (42)
  • Automation (41)
  • Operations (38)
  • Cybersecurity (37)
  • Mail (37)
  • Remote Management (31)
  • ITSM (26)
  • Data (23)
  • Networking (22)
  • Cloud Computing (21)
  • PSA (16)
  • Marketing (15)
  • Product (11)
  • Service Desk (7)
  • Services & Support (5)
  • Mobile (4)
  • Risk Intelligence (4)
  • Customer Service (3)
  • GDPR (3)
  • Internet of Things (3)
  • Training (2)
  • Research & Trends (2)
  • LOGICcards (1)
  • Cybersecurity Awareness Month (1)
  • Business Risk (1)
Show moreless
N-able

Products
  • N-able RMM
  • N-able N-central
  • N-able Backup
  • N-able EDR
  • N-able MSP Manager
  • N-able Mail Assure
  • N-able Risk Intelligence
  • N-able Take Control
  • N-able Passportal
  • All Products Use Cases
Solutions
  • Security Solutions
  • Monitoring Solutions
  • Efficiency Solutions
  • Identify which RMM solution is right for me
  • Drive Efficiency with Automation
  • Manage my MSP Business More Efficiently
  • Manage my IT Department More Efficiently
  • Layered Security
  • Cross-Platform Support
  • Data-Driven Insights
About
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Leadership Team
  • Upcoming Events
  • Subscription Preferences
  • COVID-19 Response
Support
  • N-able RMM
  • N-able N-central
  • N-able Backup
  • N-able Mail Assure
  • N-able Take Control
  • N-able MSP Manager
  • N-able Risk Intelligence
  • N-able Threat Monitor
  • N-able Passportal
  • N-able Take Control Downloads
  • Backup & Recovery Downloads
  • Service Status

Footer 2

  • Legal Documents
  • Privacy
  • California Privacy Rights
  • Security Information
  • Sitemap

© N-able Solutions ULC and N-able Technologies Ltd.
All rights reserved.