HOW TO FIND OUT WHAT KEYWORDS YOUR PLUMBING COMPETITORS ARE RANKING FOR

Dear Plumber,

You know that plumber down the road who always seems busy? The one with the full schedule, the new van, and the big smile?

Ever wonder why Google loves them so much?

It's not because they're a better plumber than you. It's because their website is targeting the right keywords. The exact words and phrases people type when they need a plumber.

And guess what? You can find out exactly what those keywords are. Legally. For free. In about 15 minutes.

Then you can target those same keywords on YOUR website and start stealing their traffic.

Is it ethical? Absolutely. Is it effective? Damn right it is.

Why Competitor Keyword Research Matters

Most plumbers guess at their SEO. They think "well, people probably search for 'plumber near me' so that's what we should try to rank for."

And yeah, "plumber near me" is a keyword. But it's also the most competitive keyword in your market. Every plumber is going after it.

The real money is in the keywords you don't know about. The long-tail, specific search phrases that your competitor has figured out and you haven't.

Things like: - "Slab leak repair [your city]" - "Tankless water heater installation cost [your city]" - "Emergency plumber open now [your city]" - "Camera sewer inspection near me"

Your competitor might be ranking for 50+ of these specific keywords. Each one bringing in a trickle of traffic. Combined, they add up to a flood of calls.

Competitor keyword research shows you exactly which keywords to go after. No guessing. No hoping. Just data.

Free Tools to Spy on Your Competitors

### Tool #1: Google (The Manual Method)

The simplest approach. No tools needed.

1. Open an incognito/private browser window
2. Search for various plumbing keywords in your city
3. Write down which competitors appear for each keyword
4. Pay attention to their page titles and descriptions

Try searching for: - "Plumber [your city]" - "Drain cleaning [your city]" - "Water heater installation [your city]" - "Emergency plumber [your city]" - "Sewer line repair [your city]" - "[Your city] plumbing company"

Notice who shows up consistently? That's your main competitor. And the keywords they rank for are the keywords you should be targeting.

Also look at Google's "People Also Ask" box and "Related Searches" at the bottom of the page. These are additional keywords people search for. Gold.

### Tool #2: Ubersuggest (Free with Limits)

Go to neilpatel.com/ubersuggest. Type in your competitor's website URL.

It'll show you: - Organic keywords they rank for - Monthly traffic for each keyword - Their ranking position for each keyword - Their top pages (which pages get the most traffic)

The free version gives you limited results per day, but it's enough to get a solid picture.

Look for keywords where they rank in positions 1-10. These are the keywords actively sending them traffic.

### Tool #3: Google Search Console (Your Own Data)

Wait, this is for YOUR website, not theirs. But hear me out.

Google Search Console shows you keywords you're ALREADY appearing for. Some of these are keywords where you're on page 2 or 3. Close, but not close enough.

These are your low-hanging fruit. Keywords where a little optimization could push you to page 1. And if your competitor is ranking for these same keywords on page 1... you know exactly what to aim for.

### Tool #4: SEMrush or Ahrefs (Paid but Powerful)

If you want the full picture, SEMrush and Ahrefs are the industry standard tools.

They'll show you: - Every keyword your competitor ranks for - Their estimated traffic value - Their backlink profile - Their top-performing content - Keyword gaps (keywords they rank for that you DON'T)

These tools cost $99-$199/month. Too expensive for most individual plumbers. But if you hire an SEO professional (or work with us), they'll use these tools on your behalf.

What to Do With Competitor Keywords

Finding the keywords is step one. Here's what to do with them:

### 1. Identify Gaps

Make a list of keywords your competitor ranks for that you don't. These are your opportunities. These are the searches sending customers to them instead of you.

Common gaps we see in plumbing websites: (Need help building pages that fill these gaps? Our service pages guide shows you exactly how.)

1. Missing service pages (they have a dedicated drain cleaning page, you don't)
2. Missing location pages (they have pages for neighboring cities, you don't)
3. Missing long-tail content (they've written about "how much does a water heater cost in [city]," you haven't)

### 2. Create Pages to Fill Those Gaps

For every keyword gap, create a page targeting that keyword.

If they rank for "tankless water heater installation [city]" and you don't even have a tankless water heater page... build one.

If they rank for "plumber [neighboring city]" and you don't have a location page for that city... build one.

If they rank for "how to fix a running toilet" with a blog post and you don't have any blog content... write one.

### 3. Make Your Pages Better Than Theirs

Don't just copy what they're doing. Do it better.

Look at their page. How long is it? 300 words? Write 800. How many FAQs do they have? 3? Add 5. Do they have reviews on the page? No? Add yours.

Google rewards the most helpful, comprehensive, relevant page for any given keyword. If you create a better page than your competitor, you'll eventually outrank them.

### 4. Monitor Over Time

Check your rankings monthly. Are you gaining ground? Are new pages getting indexed and ranking?

Keep checking your competitor's keywords every quarter. They might add new pages or target new keywords. Stay aware and stay competitive.

The Competitor Nobody Thinks About

Here's something most plumbers miss. Your biggest keyword competitor might not be another plumber.

It might be: - HomeAdvisor/Angi (they rank for tons of local plumbing keywords) - Yelp (often ranks for "[service] near me" keywords) - Local directories (city-specific business directories) - National plumbing franchises (Roto-Rooter, Mr. Rooter, etc.)

When you do your keyword research, pay attention to ALL the websites ranking in the top 10. Not just other local plumbers.

Understanding the full competitive landscape helps you find opportunities that other plumbers aren't seeing. For a complete step-by-step approach, pair this with our competitor gap analysis guide. And if you want to also track what ads your competitors run, check out our competitor ads spy guide.

Quick Action Plan

Here's what to do this week:

1. Pick your top 3 local competitors (the plumbers you see ranking in Google most often)
2. Search 10-15 different plumbing keywords in incognito mode
3. Write down who ranks for what and which pages they're using
4. Identify 5-10 keywords they rank for that you don't
5. Create a plan to build pages targeting those keywords

This exercise takes about an hour. And it'll give you more actionable SEO intelligence than most plumbers ever get.

We Do This for Every Client

Competitor keyword analysis is part of our process at FastLaunchWeb. Before we build your site, we research your local market and identify exactly which keywords your competitors are winning on.

Then we build your website to target those keywords (and more). Dedicated pages. Optimized content. Local SEO done right.

See what's included in our packages.

Or get a free website audit and we'll run a basic competitor analysis for you. We'll show you the keywords your competition ranks for and where the biggest opportunities are in your market.

P.S. Knowledge is power. And right now, your competitor knows something you don't. They know which keywords bring in customers, and they've built their website around those keywords. It's time for you to know the same thing. The playbook is right there for the taking. You just have to look. Let us look for you.