How To Spy On Your Competitors SEO

Want to know why your competitors are appearing above you on Google? You do not need expensive software or advanced technical knowledge to uncover some of their SEO strategies.

A free Chrome extension such as Detailed SEO Extension can show you how a competitor has optimised their website, including the keywords they are targeting, the metadata they use and how their page content is structured.

This isn’t about copying another business word for word. Instead, it helps you understand what Google is already rewarding and identify ways to improve your own website.

What Is the Detailed SEO Extension?

Detailed SEO Extension is a free Chrome extension that provides a quick overview of the SEO elements on almost any webpage.

Once installed, you can visit a competitor’s website, click the extension icon and view information that would otherwise be hidden within the page’s code. This includes:

• Page title
• Meta description
• Page URL
• H1 heading
• H2 and H3 headings
• Image alt text
• Canonical URL
• Word count
• Internal and external links
• Schema markup

You do not need to understand every section. For basic competitor research, the metadata and headings will usually give you plenty of useful information.

Check Which Keywords Your Competitors Are Targeting

Start by searching Google for one of the main services you offer. For example, a Perth carpenter might search for “carpenter Perth”, while a Gold Coast pool builder might search for “concrete pools Gold Coast”.

Open the websites ranking near the top of the search results and activate the Detailed SEO Extension.

Look closely at the page title, meta description, H1 heading and other headings. You will often see the competitor’s main keywords repeated naturally throughout these areas.

If a page uses phrases such as “Perth carpenter”, “home renovations Perth” and “second-fix carpentry”, those are likely important keywords within its SEO strategy.

Record the relevant keywords you find across several competitors. If the same phrase continues to appear, that is a strong indication that it may be worth targeting on your own website.

Review Their Page Titles and Meta Descriptions

The SEO title is the clickable heading that generally appears in Google’s search results. The meta description is the short summary displayed underneath it.

These elements tell Google and potential customers what a webpage is about.

By reviewing your competitors’ metadata, you can see how they combine services, locations and selling points. A competitor might use a title such as:

Pool Builder Gold Coast | Custom Concrete Pools

Their meta description might mention experience, free quotes, service areas or the types of pools they build.

Do not copy their wording. Use it as inspiration to create something clearer, more relevant and more appealing. You may be able to include a stronger benefit, a specific service area or a call to action your competitor has missed.

Examine Their Heading Structure

Headings help organise a webpage and make its content easier for visitors and Google to understand.

The Detailed SEO Extension displays all the headings used on a page, including the H1, H2s and H3s. This gives you a quick outline of the subjects your competitor covers without needing to read every word.

For example, a roofing company’s service page might include headings about:

• Roof restoration services
• Signs a roof needs restoration
• The restoration process
• Roof coating options
• Service areas
• Frequently asked questions

If your equivalent page contains only a short paragraph, this may explain why the competitor has a stronger chance of ranking. Their page answers more questions and provides Google with greater context.

Use these insights to identify gaps in your own content. You might need to explain your process, answer common questions, add location-specific information or provide more detail about your services.

Look Beyond Just One Competitor

Avoid basing your entire SEO strategy on a single website. That business may rank well because of factors you cannot see through a Chrome extension, such as backlinks, domain history, Google reviews or strong brand awareness.

Instead, review at least three to five competitors appearing on the first page of Google. Look for common patterns across their titles, descriptions, headings and content.

This gives you a more reliable picture of what is working within your industry and location.

Don’t Copy Your Competitors

Competitor research should provide direction, not content to copy and paste.

Duplicate or poorly rewritten content will not help your website stand out. It can also make your business sound exactly like everyone else.

Take what you learn and improve on it. Add examples from your own projects, explain how your business works, answer questions customers regularly ask and highlight what makes your service different.

Google does not simply reward the website that uses a keyword the most. It aims to provide searchers with the most useful and relevant result.

Start Spying on Your Competitors’ SEO

Free Chrome tools such as Detailed SEO Extension make competitor research quick and accessible. In only a few minutes, you can uncover the keywords, metadata and page structure used by businesses already ranking on Google.



Use that information to find gaps, improve your pages and create more useful content. A little ethical spying can provide the direction you need to build a much stronger SEO strategy.