How to check SERP competition
To check SERP competition, search the keyword in the country you target and study the top 10: how strong each site is (DR, DA, referring domains), whether any weak or off-topic pages rank, how strong the ranking pages themselves are, what type of content wins, and how much of the page ads and answer boxes take. If weaker sites rank with thin pages, you can compete.
Step by step
- 1Search like your customer. Use the exact phrase, and view the results from the country you target, not only your own.
- 2Note the SERP features. Ads, a map pack, videos, answer boxes and People Also Ask push normal results down and take clicks.
- 3Check site strength. Look at the DR and DA of every result and the average for the page.
- 4Find the weak spots. Any result with a low DR, few referring domains or a young domain shows the page is open to smaller sites.
- 5Check page strength. A strong site can rank with a weak page. Low page authority and few links to the page are a good sign.
- 6Read the intent. Are the winners guides, lists, product pages, tools or videos? Plan the same type of content, done better.
- 7Decide. Combine what you saw with keyword difficulty and search volume. Go, go with a longer version of the keyword, or skip.
Signs a keyword is winnable
- Two or more results with DR under about 30.
- Forum threads, social posts or Q&A pages in the top 10.
- Ranking pages that are short, outdated or only partly about the search.
- Titles that do not contain the exact search phrase.
- Few ads and no large answer box above the results.
Signs to look elsewhere
- Every result is a well known brand with DR 70 or more.
- The search is a brand name, for example the first result has a block of sitelinks.
- The page is dominated by a map pack, shopping results or videos while you plan a text article.
- The keyword has almost no searches and no commercial value.
See the whole first page at a glance
SBMM SERP Signals puts the numbers on the page while you search. Each result gets its DR, DA, PA, referring domains, traffic and age. The sidebar shows a verdict from Very easy win to Very hard, the average DR gauge, a DR and DA spectrum, a top 10 table and filters such as Only weak. The Local tab shows Google as a searcher in another country would see it.
- Verdict, lowest DR and number of weak sites
- Top 10 table and DR spectrum
- Export the top 10 as CSV, JSON or Markdown
Frequently asked questions
SERP competition is how hard it is to get a page onto the first page of search results for a keyword. It depends on the strength of the sites and pages already ranking, the search intent and how much of the page is taken by ads and other features.
The top 10 organic results are enough for most decisions. Pay most attention to positions 1 to 5, where most clicks go, and to any weak site that ranks among them.
No. The free SBMM SERP Signals Chrome extension shows site strength, page strength, keyword difficulty and a first page summary right on Google results.