Your competitors have already done a significant portion of your keyword research for you. The pages that rank well for accounting-related searches in your area represent real, validated evidence that those keywords have demand, that Google is willing to rank content on those topics, and that clients in your market are searching for those services. Analysing what competitors rank for gives you a proven roadmap rather than a blank sheet.

This guide covers both free and paid methods for uncovering competitor keyword data, explains what to do with what you find, and shows you how to turn that research into a concrete content calendar. For most UK accounting practices, competitor keyword research is one of the fastest ways to identify gaps that you can close with a small number of well-targeted pages.

Why competitor keyword research is one of the fastest wins in SEO

Building a keyword list from scratch takes time. You start with seed terms, expand them through tools, assess intent and difficulty, and gradually build a prioritised list. It is thorough, but it is slow.

Competitor keyword research shortcuts this process. If a firm similar to yours in a nearby city is ranking on page one for "contractor accountant [city]" and generating enquiries from it, you have immediate evidence that the keyword is worth targeting. You know the content format works (because it is already ranking), you can see the page structure (because it is publicly visible), and you can often identify where your competitor's content falls short (and where yours can improve).

The Ahrefs statistic that 90.63% of pages receive zero traffic from Google cuts both ways: it means most content fails, but it also means that the pages that do succeed have something identifiable in common. Competitor research reveals that identifiable quality.

Free method: Google Autocomplete and manual SERP scanning

You do not need a paid tool to start competitor keyword research. Google itself reveals a great deal about who is ranking and for what.

Step 1: identify your primary competitors
Search your main target keywords: "accountant [your city]", "self assessment accountant [your city]", "limited company accountant [your city]". Note which firms appear consistently on page one across multiple searches. These are your primary local competitors for organic search. Ignore national directories and comparison platforms for this exercise; focus on firms similar in size and type to yours.

Step 2: visit their websites and analyse the page structure
Look at the pages your competitors have built. What service pages exist? What is in the navigation? Do they have a blog or resources section? Are there location pages, calculator tools, or guides targeting specific client types?

A competitor with a detailed "contractor accountant" page, an IR35 guide, and a landing page for each city they serve has clearly invested in keyword-led content strategy. Their site map tells you which keyword categories they have prioritised.

Step 3: use autocomplete to find their keyword signals
Type your competitor's firm name plus a service term into Google: "[competitor name] accountant", "[competitor name] payroll", "[competitor name] VAT". Autocomplete suggestions and the "related searches" at the bottom of results pages reveal what queries Google associates with their brand and content.

Step 4: check who appears in featured snippets
For question-based queries ("do I need an accountant for a limited company", "how much does a self assessment tax return cost"), look at whether any local competitors appear in the featured snippet box. If they do, their page is currently the best answer in Google's assessment. Read it, identify where it is incomplete, and write a more thorough version.

Paid keyword tools allow you to enter a competitor's domain and see a full report of every keyword they rank for, their ranking position, their estimated traffic, and which pages drive that traffic. This is significantly faster and more comprehensive than manual analysis.

Using Ahrefs Site Explorer
Enter your competitor's domain into Ahrefs Site Explorer and navigate to "Organic keywords". This report shows all the keywords the site appears in Google's top 100 for. Filter by position (1 to 20 to focus on genuinely visible rankings), UK country data, and by minimum volume if you want to ignore very low-traffic terms.

The "Top pages" report within Ahrefs is particularly useful: it shows which pages on your competitor's site drive the most organic traffic. This tells you not just what keywords they rank for, but which of their pages are generating real visitor numbers.

Using Semrush Domain Overview
Enter the competitor's URL into Semrush and navigate to "Organic research". The interface differs slightly from Ahrefs, but the output is comparable: a list of organic keywords, their positions, estimated volumes, and traffic contribution. Semrush's "Pages" report shows their best-performing pages by organic traffic.

Both tools offer free trial periods that provide limited data access. If you are not ready to commit to a monthly subscription, a short trial focused specifically on your top three local competitors can yield enough data to plan your content strategy for the next six to twelve months.

What to look for in a competitor's keyword data

Raw keyword data from a tool needs interpretation. Here is what to prioritise.

Their top 10 organic keywords: these are the terms driving the most visibility for your competitor. If their top three keywords are "[city] accountant", "self assessment accountant [city]", and "payroll services [city]", those are clearly the primary commercial terms in your market and should be on your target list.

Featured snippet ownership: if a competitor holds featured snippets for multiple accounting queries, they have well-structured, authoritative content. Note the queries and the pages that earned the snippets; these are content gaps where a better-written, better-structured page can displace them.

Content gaps: keywords that your competitors rank for that you do not currently target. These are direct opportunities. If three local firms each have a dedicated "accountant for landlords" page and you do not, you are missing a category of enquiry that has proven demand.

Their best-performing blog or guide content: high-traffic informational pages reveal which questions your shared target audience is asking. If a competitor's "how to register as a sole trader UK" guide generates significant organic traffic, that query has demand and your site should have an answer to it.

How to identify quick wins: positions 4 to 15

One of the most reliable patterns in SEO is that pages ranking in positions 4 to 15 for a valuable keyword are easier to improve to positions 1 to 3 than pages ranking outside the top 20 are to get onto page one.

When reviewing competitor keyword data, filter for terms where a rival is ranking in positions 4 to 15 on Google. These are keywords where:

  • You know the keyword has commercial intent (because a direct competitor is targeting it)
  • You know it is possible to rank on page one (because it is already in the top two pages)
  • The competition for positions 1 to 3 may be beatable with better content

If you have a page on the same topic ranking in position 20 to 30, you can often move it to page one through a combination of content improvement, additional internal links, and a modest effort to build links to that page. If you have no page on the topic yet, creating one gives you a clear goal: to match or exceed the quality of the page currently ranking in positions 4 to 15.

UK-specific angle: local intent content and "near me" signals

For most UK accounting firms, the competitive battle is local rather than national. A firm in Sheffield is not competing with a firm in Bristol for the same clients.

This means competitor keyword research should focus primarily on firms operating in your geographic market. Use your keyword tool to compare your domain directly against the domains of firms in your area, not against national directories.

One useful technique for local competitor research: search "[competitor firm name] accountants [city]" to see what pages Google surfaces in connection with their brand. If they have built city-specific pages or published content targeting nearby towns and districts, those pages will appear. This reveals whether they are investing in a multi-location SEO strategy.

Also look at your competitors' Google Business Profiles. The categories they have selected, the services they have listed, and the reviews they have accumulated all signal what keyword territory they are defending. A competitor with 200 Google reviews mentioning "self assessment", "contractor", and "landlord" has a profile that sends strong local SEO signals around those service categories.

Turning competitor research into a content calendar

Competitor keyword research generates a list of opportunities. Converting that list into a content calendar requires prioritisation.

Step 1: sort by opportunity type

Divide your findings into three categories:

  • Keywords where a competitor ranks in positions 1 to 3 and you have no page: these require new page creation
  • Keywords where a competitor ranks in positions 4 to 15 and you have a page but it is underperforming: these require page improvement
  • Keywords where no competitor has a strong page and search demand exists: these are content gaps you can own first

Step 2: assign to content types

Commercial keywords (service + location) should inform new or improved service pages. Informational and question-based keywords should inform blog posts and guides. Niche client keywords should inform dedicated landing pages for specific client types.

Step 3: build a 90-day publishing schedule

A realistic content output for a firm with limited internal resources is two to four pieces of content per month. Prioritise content gap opportunities first (keywords with no strong competitor page), then page improvement work, then the harder long-term projects of displacing well-established first-page results.

Step 4: revisit the research quarterly

Competitor keyword positions change. New firms enter the market, existing firms publish new content, and Google updates its assessments of what ranks. A quarterly review of your top 10 competitor domains keeps your strategy current and surfaces new opportunities as they emerge.

Key takeaways

  • Competitors who already rank for local accounting keywords have validated both the search demand and the content format; their success gives you a roadmap
  • Free analysis using Google Autocomplete, SERP scanning, and competitor site review provides useful initial intelligence without any tool investment
  • Paid tools such as Ahrefs Site Explorer and Semrush Domain Overview reveal the full picture: every keyword a competitor ranks for, their traffic-driving pages, and featured snippet ownership
  • Positions 4 to 15 in a competitor's keyword data represent your most accessible quick wins, because demand is proven and the ranking ceiling is already on page one
  • Local competitor research should focus on firms in your geographic market, not national directories or comparison platforms
  • Competitor research converts into a content calendar by categorising opportunities into new pages, page improvements, and content gap captures

Frequently asked questions

Is it ethical to research competitor keywords?

Entirely. Keyword data reflects what is publicly visible in Google search results. Using a tool to aggregate that public data is standard practice in SEO. You are not accessing any private data; you are systematically examining what Google already shows to anyone who searches.

What if my competitors have not invested in SEO at all?

This is actually the best scenario for you. If local competitors have poorly optimised websites with thin content and few organic rankings, the market is wide open. Use a free tool like Google Keyword Planner to build your keyword list from scratch rather than reverse-engineering competitors, and invest in publishing well-structured content before your competitors realise the opportunity exists.

How do I know which competitor to analyse first?

Start with the firm that appears most frequently in Google's first-page results for your target keyword set. This is the competitor with the strongest organic presence in your market and therefore the most informative data to analyse. Once you have worked through their keyword profile, move to the next most visible competitor.

Can I use the same keywords as my competitors?

Yes. Keywords are not proprietary. If a competitor is ranking for "payroll accountant [city]" and you offer the same service, you should target that keyword too. The goal is to create content that is more useful, more specific, and better structured than what they have published.

What should I do if a competitor ranks for a keyword I cannot write about knowledgeably?

Either acquire the knowledge by bringing in a specialist or partner, or set that keyword aside for now. Publishing thin or inaccurate content on a topic to capture a keyword is worse than not having a page at all. Google's ability to assess content quality means thin pages often generate a negative signal, and misinformation on tax topics carries professional reputation risk.

Competitor keyword research is one component of a complete SEO strategy for UK accounting firms. For the full picture, from technical foundations and content strategy to link building and local search, visit the AccountingStack SEO for accountants guide. It covers how to integrate competitive intelligence into a long-term organic growth plan.