Planning a Blog Post Template for Explaining Competitor Keyword Research
Most local firms treat keyword research like a treasure hunt with no map. They guess at phrases, write a page, and wait. Meanwhile, competitors are already ranking for the exact searches that bring in nearby customers. This walkthrough gives you a repeatable blog post template for competitor keyword research, so you can spot the phrases rivals own and build content that takes a share of that traffic. The goal is not to copy rivals but to out-plan them with clearer, more local pages.
Start With a Shortlist of Real Rivals
Begin by listing five to eight local competitors that appear in search results for your core service. Do not pick national brands unless they outrank you in your own town. Look at the map pack, the organic results, and the "people also search for" boxes. Save each domain in a simple sheet with a column for location and main service.
Once the list is set, open each site and note the pages that seem built for search, such as service pages, location pages, and blog posts. These pages are the ones most likely to hold ranking keywords. The shortlist keeps your research focused on firms that actually compete for the same customers.
Pull the Keywords Rivals Already Rank For
Use a free or low-cost tool to run each competitor domain through a keyword gap or organic research report. Export the phrases where they sit in the top twenty results. Filter out branded terms, job ads, and anything unrelated to your services. What remains is a working list of phrases your rivals already earn visibility for.
Group the list by intent: emergency queries, price queries, comparison queries, and local "near me" queries. This grouping matters because a page that targets "emergency plumber Leeds" needs a different structure from one targeting "how often should a boiler be serviced". The table below shows a simple way to organise the export.
| Keyword | Competitor | Intent | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| emergency electrician Manchester | Rival A | Urgent | High |
| cost to rewire a house | Rival B | Price | Medium |
| best boiler service near me | Rival C | Local | High |
Turn the Data Into a Blog Post Plan
Now map each keyword group to a blog post angle. A price query becomes a transparent cost guide. A comparison query becomes a "which option is right for you" article. A local query becomes a location-focused post that names nearby areas and landmarks. Aim for one post per intent cluster, not one post per keyword.
For each planned post, write a working title, a target phrase, and a short outline of the sections you will include. Then note the competitor page that currently ranks and what it lacks. Your outline should fill those gaps with local detail, original photos, and plain answers.
Competitor research is not about copying what rivals say, but about saying it better for the customers they are missing.
Prioritise and Schedule the Work
Not every keyword deserves a new post. Score each idea on business value and difficulty. Business value is high when the phrase leads to a booking or a call. Difficulty is high when big directories and national sites dominate the results. Start with phrases where you can win quickly.
Use this order to plan your first month:
- Publish two high-value local posts that rivals rank for weakly.
- Refresh one existing page with missing keywords and clearer headings.
- Add internal links from older posts to the new pages.
- Track rankings and enquiries for four weeks before adding more.
Measure, Learn, and Repeat
After publishing, check where each page ranks and whether it earns clicks and enquiries. If a post stalls, look at the rival still outranking you and compare page depth, headings, and local signals. Small edits often move a page more than a brand new article.
Repeat the cycle every quarter. Competitor keyword research is not a one-off task; rivals change their pages, and new phrases appear. A simple template, a clear priority list, and consistent publishing will keep your local firm visible for the searches that matter most.
