competitor-keyword-research

name	competitor-keyword-research
description	Use when learning from competitors. Their ranking keywords reveal opportunity gaps in your portfolio.

Competitor Keyword Research

Pull competitor's top-ranking keywords (Ahrefs, SEMrush). Identify: gaps (they rank, you don't), strengths (you rank, they don't), and opportunities (both could rank better).

Competitor identification

Direct competitors (same offering):

• PSA, BGS, CGC, SGC (graders)
• PWCC, Goldin (consigners)
• TCGPlayer, eBay (marketplaces)

Indirect competitors (overlap audience):

• Sports card publications (Beckett, Sports Collectors Daily)
• Hobby YouTubers
• Reddit r/baseballcards, r/Pokemon
• Discord communities

List 10-20 for analysis.

Gap analysis

1. Pull competitor's ranking keywords (Ahrefs > Organic Keywords)
2. Filter: keywords where you rank #20 or worse
3. Filter: KD within your reach
4. Filter: commercial intent

Result: list of opportunities where competitor outranks you on reachable terms.

Strength analysis

1. Pull your ranking keywords
2. Filter: keywords where you outrank competitor
3. These are your moat — content/SEO advantages to protect
4. Defend with: regular content refresh, internal linking, backlink monitoring

Where this fits in the X3 empire

Used in CardPrepAI competitive intelligence for content priorities.