Tired of watching competitors bid $50+ per click while your startup budget barely covers coffee? ☕️
What if I told you there’s a goldmine of high-intent keywords up to 70% cheaper that bigger players overlook – where buyers are actively making their final purchase decisions?
Ready to capture your competitors’ most valuable traffic at a fraction of the cost? 👇
🧠 What is the Competitor Keywords Strategy?
The Competitor Keywords Strategy is a hybrid of SEO and PPC that targets comparison searches instead of expensive primary keywords.
Instead of fighting for terms like “CRM software” or “best project management tool,” you focus on “alternatives,” “vs,” and specific competitor comparisons like:
- “[Competitor A] vs [Competitor B]”
- “Best alternatives to [Competitor A]”
- “[Competitor A] alternatives”
Think of it like stealing customers right when they’re ready to switch – targeting the exact moment they’re evaluating options, but at a fraction of the cost of broad keywords.
The key?
Meeting potential customers at their decision point, not their discovery phase.
💼 Why Does the Competitor Keywords Strategy Work?
The competitor keywords strategy works because it targets users at the perfect stage of their buying journey.
When someone searches for comparison terms, they’re telling you they’re ready to make a switch – making them your ideal potential customer.
First, these searchers already understand the product category.
They know what problem needs solving and have likely used similar solutions before.
No need to educate them on basics or convince them they need your type of product.
Second, they’re actively showing purchase intent.
By searching for alternatives or comparisons, they’re signaling dissatisfaction with current solutions and readiness to change.
This is pure high-intent traffic, pre-qualified and ready to convert.
But here’s what makes it truly powerful:
These high-intent keywords come at a fraction of the cost of primary terms.
While established players fight over broad category keywords, comparison searches remain undervalued despite their superior conversion rates.
It’s pure marketing efficiency at work – lower costs meeting higher intent at the perfect moment.
🦄 How Asana & Monday.com Mastered Competitor Keywords
Companies rarely share their keyword performance data publicly, making it difficult to get exact metrics on competitor keyword strategies.
However, from documented case studies and public data, we can see how leading companies execute this approach:
🚀 Asana
Asana mastered the competitor keyword approach by focusing on high-value acquisition through performance marketing:
By targeting competitor comparison terms while optimizing for lifetime value and quality signups, they achieved an impressive 86% revenue growth in 2019-2020.
Their strategy expanded reach to teams across 190 countries, proving that smart keyword targeting drives global growth.
🌱 Monday.com
Monday.com took a content-driven approach to competitor keywords:
Rather than competing purely on paid terms, they created comprehensive comparison content targeting teams evaluating alternatives.
Their project management guide alone generates 12,000 monthly visits – demonstrating how quality content can capture high-intent traffic at scale.
Their success shows that combining smart PPC targeting with strategic SEO content creates a powerful engine for capturing competitor traffic.
💡 How to Use the Competitor Keywords Strategy for Your Biz
Step 1: Smart Keyword Research
Use SEMrush or Ahrefs to find high-intent comparison keywords with real search volume.
Look for “[competitor A] vs [competitor b] ,” “alternatives to [competitor],” and “[competitor] alternative” terms.
Focus on keywords showing clear purchase intent but with competition levels you can realistically target.
Step 2: Create Strategic Content
Research competitor reviews on G2, Capterra, and Reddit to understand what drives users to seek alternatives.
Identify common complaints and pain points.
Create comparison pages highlighting how your solution addresses these specific issues.
Remember – real user complaints make the most compelling copy.
Step 3: Launch SEO + PPC Together
Now that you have conversion-optimized landing pages ready, why limit them to just SEO?
While building organic rankings takes time, use these same pages for PPC campaigns.
Your research on complaints and pain points has already shaped perfect landing pages – put them to work immediately.
Test ads on these comparison terms to collect conversion data while your SEO builds, focusing spend on the best performers.
Step 4: Scale Across Competitors
Once you’ve validated your approach with one competitor, expand to others in your space.
Use insights from successful comparisons to guide new content.
Build a comprehensive alternative/comparison section covering all major competitors.
Monitor which pain points resonate most and adapt your strategy accordingly.
Remember: Success comes from understanding what drives users to search for alternatives, then being there with the right solution when they do.
♻️ The Competitor Keywords Growth Loop
Here’s how targeting competitor keywords creates sustainable growth:
Input: Target users searching for alternatives to competitors
Activation: Show them landing pages addressing specific pain points they’re experiencing
Action: Convert dissatisfied users through clear differentiation and social proof
Output: Scale across more competitor keywords and audiences
And the cycle accelerates: More competitor keywords = more conversion data = better targeting = higher ROI = expanded keyword coverage
Each successful comparison campaign provides data to optimize and expand to new competitor terms, growing your reach while maintaining efficiency.
Found value in this growth strategy?
Share it with other founders tired of burning cash on expensive primary keywords.
Sometimes the smartest growth doesn’t come from outspending competitors – it comes from being there when their customers are ready to switch.
Let them build category awareness while you capture decision moments!
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