How do you build a list of high-value competitor keywords and pages?

To build a list of high-value competitor keywords and pages, first identify your competitors, then find keywords they rank for that you do not yet cover. Map those keywords to specific pages, then use search intent, search volume, ranking difficulty, and traffic value to narrow the list. Keyword gaps are potential opportunities, not guarantees of high conversion rates; a list of URLs is not necessarily a list of high-value pages. The final list should include each page’s primary keywords, evaluation data, and reasons for inclusion—not just a string of URLs.

Identify competitors first, then define which pages to analyze

Tenten’s 2025 article recommends expanding your competitor list using industry and audience overlap data, then examining the reasons for that overlap and the main traffic channels. Competitors need not be limited to companies selling similar products: the article notes that an online course platform may also need to monitor educational YouTube channels to avoid overlooking others competing for the same audience.

Once you have identified your competitors, you can extract URLs from their sitemaps as a starting point for a page inventory. The article suggests two approaches: automated extraction or downloading the sitemap and parsing it with code. This step only defines the scope of analysis; keyword and ranking data are still needed to determine which pages deserve priority.

Find keywords through ranking gaps, then validate them against search results

Semrush’s 2024 article recommends selecting a target country, comparing your keywords with competitors’ keywords, and filtering for terms where competitors rank in the top ten but you do not yet rank. Then assess their value based on intent, search volume, and difficulty. This focuses attention on opportunities you have not yet covered rather than simply collecting every keyword your competitors rank for.

• Examine search intent: Do users want to find information, compare options, or make a transaction?
• Examine search volume and difficulty: Assess both the scale of demand and how difficult it would be to rank.
• Examine the top ten pages and search result features: Check how existing content addresses users’ needs and what unique information competitors have left out.

Adding information competitors have overlooked may help improve rankings, but success is not guaranteed. The purpose of reviewing search results is to understand users’ expectations, not to copy competitors’ content.

Use commercial value as a filtering signal, not proof of revenue

Tenten’s example describes Traffic Value as an estimated PPC-equivalent cost and uses it alongside a transactional intent score to filter the list. Traffic Value can help prioritize entries, but it should not be treated as competitors’ actual revenue or conversion rates.

The article demonstrates retaining keywords with a Traffic Value above $500, excluding branded terms, and assigning a transactional intent score from one to five. These are filtering criteria for a specific example, not universal thresholds. Terms listed in the article, such as price, buy, and review, can provide clues, but intent should still be interpreted alongside actual search results.

Keep the link between pages and keywords in your list

Start by compiling keywords, rankings, search volume, difficulty, Traffic Value, and corresponding URLs. Then organize the list by page, identifying the main traffic-driving keywords and intent scores. Tenten demonstrates exporting the top 100 URLs as a CSV file. What matters is retaining traceable data and filtering criteria, not reaching a fixed total of 100 pages.