How to Use Google Search Console for Competitor Research

By Emily Redmond, Data Analyst at Emilytics · April 2026

TL;DR: You can't see competitors' GSC accounts, but you can infer their keywords using search operators, then check rankings. Find what keywords competitors rank for, analyze their content, and target keywords they're missing. Use GSC to track your progress against them.

You can't access your competitors' GSC accounts (obviously). But you can use public search data and your own GSC to find competitive opportunities.

Here's how to do competitive research using GSC as your tool.

What You Can Learn From GSC

From your own GSC, you can:

See which keywords you rank for
Find keywords competitors rank for but you don't
Identify content gaps (topics you could own)
Track your ranking position vs. competitors
Find keywords with low CTR (your title/description is weak)

You can't see competitors' search performance directly, but you can infer it.

Step 1: Identify Your Competitors' Keywords

Method A: Search For Your Target Keyword

Search for your main keyword in Google. Look at positions 1–10. Those are your competitors for that keyword.

Example: Search "best dog food"
Results show:

Dogtime.com (#1)
Rover.com (#2)
WeLoveDoodles.com (#3)
Your site (#8)

The top sites are your direct competitors.

Method B: Use Search Operators

Search Google for keywords related to your business. Examples:

"best dog food" site:dogtime.com
"dog nutrition" site:rover.com

This shows you just the pages from that competitor that rank for that keyword. If they rank for it, it's a keyword you should too.

Method C: Check Your GSC Performance Report

Look at keywords where competitors beat you:

Open your GSC Performance report
Sort by position
Find keywords where you rank #4–10
Search that keyword on Google
See which sites rank above you

You now know which keywords those competitors own.

Step 2: Analyze Their Content

Once you know what keywords competitors rank for, analyze their content:

Visit their page for that keyword
How long is their article? (word count)
What angle do they take? (e.g., "best" vs. "budget-friendly" vs. "scientific")
What subtopics do they cover?
Do they have data, tables, video, images?
How's the user experience? Mobile-friendly? Fast?

Example: Competitors rank for "best dog food" with 3,000-word articles covering:

Ingredient analysis
Cost comparison table
User reviews
Feeding guide
Troubleshooting section

If your article is 1,500 words with no table, that's your gap.

💡 Emily's take: Don't copy competitors. But understand why they rank. Usually it's because they've written more thoroughly, added useful tables/data, updated recently, or have more backlinks. Once you know why they win, you can do better. Beat them by adding something they don't have—original research, better comparisons, recent data, user reviews.

Step 3: Find Gaps

A content gap is a keyword competitors rank for that you don't.

Steps:

List 10 main keywords in your industry (e.g., "dog food," "dog treats," "dog training," "dog grooming," etc.)
For each keyword, search Google
Note which sites rank in top 10
Check your GSC: do you rank for that keyword?
If competitors rank and you don't, that's a gap

You now have a list of topics to create content for.

Finding Long-Tail Gaps

Competitors might rank for longer, more specific keywords:

"Best dog food for sensitive stomachs"
"Best dog food for weight loss"
"Best dog food for skin allergies"

If they rank for these and you don't, create content for them. Long-tail keywords often have less competition.

Step 4: Track Your Progress

Use your own GSC to monitor how you're doing against competitors:

Target a keyword from your gap list
Write content optimized for it
Submit to GSC
Track the position monthly
See if you move from not-ranking → #10 → #5 → #1

GSC shows you your own progress. Over time, you'll rank for keywords competitors own.

Comparing Your Content vs. Theirs

Your GSC metric: Average position for that keyword

Their likely metric: Position in Google search (you can see it)

If you rank #5 for "dog food" and a competitor ranks #1, they're beating you. How?

Older domain (more authority)
More backlinks
Better content
Higher Core Web Vitals
More reviews/ratings

This tells you what to improve: get backlinks, improve page speed, add more detailed content, get customer reviews.

Using GSC Data to Brief a Content Team

You now have competitive insight. Brief your team:

"We rank #8 for 'dog food' but the #1 site has a 3,000-word article with 5 data tables, user reviews, and a video. Their page loads in <2 seconds on mobile. Our page is 1,500 words, no tables. Let's expand our content, add a comparison table, and improve mobile speed."

This is way more useful than "write better content."

Setting Up Competitive Tracking

You can't automate this in GSC directly, but you can manually track:

Create a spreadsheet:

Keyword	Your Position	Competitor A	Competitor B	Your CTR	Your Title Quality
"dog food"	5	1	2	8%	Needs work
"puppy food"	3	1	4	12%	Good

Update monthly. Over time, you'll see your position improving—or you'll notice you're slipping on a keyword (competitor is outranking you, time to compete).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I see my competitors' GSC data? A: No. They'd have to share it with you explicitly.

Q: Is it unethical to research competitors? A: No. It's normal competitive intelligence. You're using public search data.

Q: Should I target every keyword competitors rank for? A: No. Target keywords that:

Fit your business
Have volume (people search for them)
Are rankable (you have a shot at top 5)

Ignore keywords that don't apply to you.

Q: How long until I rank for a keyword? A: Depends. Months to a year for competitive keywords. Weeks to months for long-tail keywords with less competition.

Q: Can I just copy a competitor's content? A: Legally, no (copyright). Practically, Google will see duplicate content and rank the original higher. Write better content instead.

Next Steps

Spend an hour this week analyzing your top 5 ranking keywords. Search each one, see who ranks #1–3, and analyze their content. Find gaps—topics they cover that you don't.

Use your GSC to track your progress over the next quarter as you tackle those gaps.

Learn more about finding quick-win keywords that are easier to rank for.

Emily Redmond is a data analyst at Emilytics — the AI analytics agent that watches your GA4, Search Console, and Bing data around the clock. 8 years of experience. Say hi →