I’ll be honest-when I first started SEO, I thought Ahrefs was mandatory. Like, if you didn’t have it, you were not a “real” SEO person. But then reality hit… monthly subscription, dollar rates, card issues, boss saying “free tools se kaam chalao pehle.” That’s when I actually learned how much you can do without Ahrefs.
Turns out, you can spy on competitors pretty well without paying a single rupee. You just need patience, observation, and a few underrated tools.
Let’s break it down properly.
What Are Competitor Keywords (In Simple Words)
Competitor keywords are the search terms your rivals are already ranking for on Google.Basically:
- You type “best gym near me”
- Your competitor shows up
- The keyword bringing them traffic = competitor keyword
Finding these tells you:
- What content to create
- What pages to optimise
- Where your market already has demand
It’s like looking at your neighbour’s exam paper before your own test. Same syllabus, better preparation.
Method 1: Google Itself Is a Free Keyword Research Tool (Most Underrated Trick)
This is the most powerful free method-and people still ignore it.
Step 1:
Search your main keyword on GoogleExample:best seo company in jaipur
Step 2:
Open the top 5 ranking websites
Now carefully observe:
- Their page titles
- Headings (H1, H2)
- URL structure
- Repeated phrases
You’ll quickly notice:
- “SEO Services Jaipur”
- “Digital Marketing Company in Jaipur”
- “Affordable SEO Packages Jaipur”
Boom 💥Those are competitor keywords right in front of your eyes.
Step 3: Check Google “People Also Ask”
This section is gold.
If your competitor ranks for:
- “How long does SEO take?”
- “Is SEO worth it in 2025?”
- “What is local SEO?”
These are also keyword opportunities for you.
Method 2: Google Auto-Suggest & Related Searches = Free Keyword Goldmine
This one feels basic, but trust me, it works scary well.
Auto-Suggest:
Just start typing:
- seo co…
- seo services fo…
- best seo…
Google itself shows what people are searching.
Related Searches:
Scroll to the bottom of Google search results and you’ll see 8-10 related queries. These are real user searches, not tool estimates.
This method alone can give you:
- 30-50 competitor keyword ideas per day if done properly.
No fancy dashboard, but real demand.
Method 3: Steal Keywords Using Chrome Extensions (Free & Legal 😎)
You don’t need Ahrefs for everything. These free extensions do 40-50% of the same job.
Best Free Chrome Extensions for This:
- SEO Meta in 1 Click
- Detailed SEO Extension
- SEOquake
- Keywords Everywhere (limited free version)
How to Use:
- Open your competitor’s ranking page
- Click the extension
- You’ll see:
- Title
- Meta description
- H1, H2, H3
- Keyword density
- Internal links
From just ONE page, you can extract:
- 10-20 keyword ideas easily
I still use this method almost daily for quick audits.
Method 4: Use Google Search Console (If You Have Similar Content)
This is a sneaky but powerful trick.
If:
- You and your competitor have similar services
- But they rank higher
Then your Google Search Console already shows partial competitor keywords.
Just go to: Search Results → Queries → Sort by impressions
You’ll see keywords where:
- You appear on page 2 or 3
- Competitor is on page 1
Those are high-intent competitor keywords.
Fixing just 10 of these can boost your traffic fast.
Method 5: Use Free SEO Tools That No One Respects (But They Work)
Let’s be honest-people love to troll free tools. But some actually work decently.
Good Free Tools:
- Ubersuggest (free daily searches)
- Keyword Surfer
- Moz Keyword Explorer (limited)
- SERanking Free Checker
- SmallSEOTools Keyword Tool
What I usually do:
- Enter competitor homepage URL
- Enter their blog page URL
- Combine results from 2-3 tools
Yes, data may not be 100% accurate-but direction is enough to rank.
SEO is not a maths exam. It’s pattern recognition.
Method 6: Reverse Engineering via Blog Categories
This trick works best for:
- Affiliate sites
- News blogs
- Casino & betting websites
- E-commerce blogs
Open competitor site → Check:
- Categories
- Tags
- Sidebar widgets
- Footer links
You’ll find:
- “Best bonus offers”
- “Latest casino news”
- “Cricket betting tips”
Each category = one keyword cluster.
They’ve already done the research for you.
Method 7: Use Reddit, Quora & X (Twitter)
This is underrated but deadly accurate.
Search on Google:
- site:reddit.com your keyword
- site:quora.com your keyword
Example:
- “Why is my website not ranking even after SEO?”
These are real problems people ask = perfect blog keywords.
Also check X:
- What SEOs are ranting about
- Which updates they are scared of
- What tools they complain about
Sometimes one viral SEO tweet gives you 5 article ideas.
Method 8: Competitor Sitemaps & RSS Feeds
Most websites don’t hide their sitemap.
Just try:
- yourcompetitor.com/sitemap.xml
You’ll find:
- All blog URLs
- Service pages
- Location pages
Each URL = one keyword opportunity.
If they made 100 blogs on different topics, they didn’t do that for fun. All are traffic driven.
How I Personally Find Competitor Keywords (My Honest Workflow)
No theory. Just real workflow:
- Search main keyword on Google
- Open top 3 competitors
- Extract headings using SEO Meta in 1 Click
- Note repeated words
- Check “People Also Ask”
- Validate demand using Ubersuggest or GSC
- Write content better than them
This alone has ranked:
- Local SEO pages
- Service pages
- Informational blogs Without Ahrefs, without SEMrush.
Common Mistakes People Make Without Paid Tools
Let me also be honest about the dangers:
- Blindly copying competitor keywords
- Targeting only high competition words
- Ignoring search intent
- Creating thin content
- Not checking what type of page is ranking (blog vs service)
Free tools give direction, but thinking still matters.
Is Ahrefs Still Better?
Yes. No doubt.
Ahrefs gives:
- Accurate backlinks
- Keyword difficulty
- Traffic estimation
- SERP history
But you don’t need it to:
- Start SEO
- Rank local businesses
- Rank informational blogs
- Run small affiliate websites
Free tools + smart observation = enough for 70% of SEO work.
If You Still Want Professional Competitor Keyword Research
If you:
- Don’t have time
- Handle client SEO
- Or manage big websites
Then professional competitor analysis saves effort and mistakes.
Some agencies (like SEOCompanyJaipur.in) even provide:
- Full competitor keyword mapping
- Content gap analysis
- Ranking probability reportsAt very practical pricing compared to big foreign tools.
Not endorsing blindly-just saying, outsourcing sometimes makes more financial sense than burning your own time.
Final Thoughts (Real Talk)
Ahrefs is powerful, no doubt. But it’s not magic.Google itself already shows you:
- What is ranking
- What people are searching
- What type of content works
Most beginners fail not because they don’t have tools-but because they don’t observe enough.
SEO is less about dashboards and more about seeing patterns.
✅ FAQs – How to Find Competitor Keywords Without Ahrefs
Q1. Can I really rank without using Ahrefs?
Yes. Many local and niche sites rank only using Google, Search Console, and free tools.
Q2. Which free tool is closest to Ahrefs?
Ubersuggest and Keyword Surfer come closest for free users.
Q3. Is copying competitor keywords safe?
Copying blindly is risky. Use them as ideas, not exact duplicates.
Q4. How many competitor keywords should I target?
Start with 10-20 per month and scale slowly.
Q5. Are Chrome extensions accurate for keyword research?
They’re accurate for on-page data and direction, not exact traffic numbers.
