The Beginner’s Guide to Analysis of Competitors (With Expert Shortcuts)
90% of web pages get zero search traffic from Google. Most content disappears into the digital void, while two-thirds of all clicks go to just the first five organic search results.
Your competitors are fighting for that same visibility.
Competitor analysis becomes your secret weapon when you’re battling for those top rankings. Understanding what your competitors do online isn’t optional—it’s essential for business growth.
A KPMG survey reveals 71% of companies use competitive insights to make critical business decisions. 52% reported that competitor analysis directly shapes their market positioning, while 47% discovered new revenue opportunities through competitive intelligence.
You can’t build a winning digital strategy without understanding what your competitors are doing online. Quality competitive analysis examines multiple factors and provides actionable insights that help your business outperform the competition. We created this step-by-step guide, complete with expert shortcuts that save you time and resources.
Effective competitor analysis reveals where competitors spend their marketing budgets and how they respond to industry changes. This intelligence gives you the edge needed to capture market share and grab the traffic your competitors are missing.
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What Is Competitor Analysis and Why It Matters ?
Competitive intelligence drives strategic marketing and business growth in today’s marketplace. Competitor analysis isn’t just another business task—it’s a critical process that reveals your market position and future opportunities.
Definition and Purpose in Marketing and SEO
A systematic analysis of competitors evaluates the business strategies, strengths, weaknesses, and market positioning of their companies to identify opportunities and inform decision-making. Competitor analysis is the art of dissecting your competitors’ business strategies, gathering data on their products, services, marketing tactics, and financial performance.
Competitor analysis serves as your strategic foundation in marketing and SEO contexts. It helps brands understand their unique marketplace position by comparing competitors against their brand to identify core differentiators and tactical approaches.
Proper competition analysis in SEO reveals gaps in keyword strategies, content opportunities, and technical advantages that competitors leverage. When combined with white hat SEO techniques, these insights transform into actionable strategies that improve rankings while maintaining long-term search engine compliance.
The primary purpose isn’t observational—it’s actionable. This process helps you:
• Find competitors’ strengths and weaknesses
• Identify new market opportunities
• Discover your unique differentiators
• Connect more deeply with your target audience
• Uncover new or emerging competitors
• Set realistic benchmarks for success
How Does It Support Business Planning and Positioning?
Thorough competitor analysis eliminates guesswork from business plan development and provides concrete information to build your strategy. Competitive analysis plays a pivotal role in developing effective marketing efforts and sales strategies by analyzing competitors’ tactics and gaining insights into successful approaches.
Competitor analysis offers a clearer picture of the market landscape, allowing for more informed decisions. Understanding competitors’ strengths enables you to draw inspiration from their successes and incorporate their best practices into your business model. Uncovering their weaknesses presents golden opportunities to exploit vulnerabilities and establish a unique selling proposition.
Analyzing competitors helps you identify marketplace gaps where competitors overlook specific customer segments or miss key features. Competitor analysis in SEO provides valuable insights into customer preferences and behavior, allowing you to tailor your products and services to meet market demands more effectively.
Common mistakes to avoid
Many businesses make critical errors when conducting competitor analysis. One major mistake focuses only on known direct competitors while ignoring indirect and potential competitors who directly impact your business. Another common error treats competitive analysis as a one-time project rather than an ongoing discovery process.
Many competitive reports—despite being detailed—give absolutely no direction on what should be implemented. Competitive analysis should inspire action, not just observation. Businesses often mix up their strengths with their competitive advantages, making it difficult to identify true differentiators without considering the customer’s perspective.
Other pitfalls include over-focusing on surface metrics instead of meaningful insights, missing early market change signals, assuming competitors will behave rationally, and failing to map out second-order effects of competitive moves. Establish a formal, documented, and systemized approach to competitive intelligence with regular updates and revisions.
Properly managed competitor analysis helps you avoid market risks, find new growth opportunities, build market-aligned strategies, and increase revenue for your company. The key is approaching it as an ongoing learning process rather than a competitive race.
5 Essential Steps For Effective Analysis of Competitors
Follow these essential steps to analyze competitors, uncover market opportunities, and gain a strategic edge over your competitors.
Step 1: Set Clear Goals for Your Analysis
Successful competitor analysis starts with focused objectives. Starting without clear goals wastes time and resources—you end up with data but no direction. 78% of business analysts reported that understanding organizational objectives helps them create actionable insights. Here’s how to establish effective goals for your competitor analysis.
Define what success looks like
You must clearly define what you want to achieve before diving into competitor research. Without specific objectives, your competitive analysis becomes a pile of useless data. Begin with broad goals, such as improving market position, refining marketing strategies, and identifying ways to generate more leads from your target audience.
Then narrow these down to specific, measurable goals:
1. Understand your current market position compared to competitors
2. Identify gaps or opportunities in your industry
3. Improve customer experience based on competitor strengths
4. Refine your marketing strategy and messaging
5. Discover innovation opportunities and emerging trends
The more specific your goals, the more valuable your competitor analysis becomes. Start with your broader business objectives. Want to expand into a new market? Focus your SEO competitive analysis on local competitors and customer behavior.
Next, identify your target audience and frame key questions your analysis should answer. Questions like “What do customers love about my competitors?” or “How do competitors use pricing strategies to win deals?”. Remember, 80% of customers prefer brands offering personalized experiences.
Align analysis with business and marketing goals
Your analysis of competitors strategies must align with company objectives. Without alignment, you’ll gather irrelevant information that doesn’t drive decisions. Understand your organization’s core goals first—revenue growth, customer satisfaction improvement, or market expansion.
Start with a “listening tour” across teams to discover where competitor analysis can impact decision-making. This approach translates findings into clear implications for product roadmaps and competitive positioning.
Expanding into a new market segment? Your competitive analysis should focus on:
• Key players in that segment
• Their strengths and customer appeal
• Gaps in their offerings your business could address
Use the SMART framework for goal-setting (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Example: “Increase market share by 10% within six months by targeting Gen Z customers through Instagram ads”.
Involve stakeholders from marketing, product, and strategy teams. Different departments provide unique insights that make your analysis more thorough and actionable. Maintain transparent communication about priorities and expectations to keep competitive intelligence aligned with business goals.
Step 2: Find and Prioritize Competitors
Finding the right competitors separates winning strategies from wasted effort. Most businesses focus solely on obvious competitors, while overlooking indirect competitors that steal market share. Smart competitor analysis requires a systematic approach to identify and prioritize the businesses that truly impact your success.
Use tools like SimilarWeb and Google Trends
Don’t limit your search to competitors you already know exist.
SimilarWeb delivers AI-powered digital intelligence with comprehensive website traffic data and performance metrics across marketing channels. This tool helps you benchmark web performance, uncover audience insights, and spot emerging trends that signal new competitors entering your space.
Google Trends operates differently than SimilarWeb. While SimilarWeb uses actual user search behavior data, Google Trends provides relative popularity metrics. Use both tools together for complete competitor visibility during your analysis.
Several proven methods help discover hidden competitors:
• Search for industry rankings using phrases like “Top 5 antivirus solutions” or “most popular email security services”
• Explore software marketplaces such as Crunchbase, Capterra, and G2Crowd
• Read online reviews on Google, Gartner Peer Insights, and TrustRadius
• Ask your sales team or directly question customers about alternatives they considered
The Competitive Analysis Report from 2023 shows most product marketers track 1-10 direct competitors (59.5%) and 1-10 indirect competitors (43.8%). Focus on manageable numbers rather than tracking every potential competitor.
Segment by market, geography, and product type
Effective competitor analysis demands proper segmentation to organize your research. Categorize competitors as direct or indirect. Direct competitors offer similar products to identical target audiences—they compete head-to-head for market share. Indirect competitors solve the same customer problems through different approaches.
The Jobs-to-Be-Done theory helps identify indirect competitors by focusing on customer tasks rather than specific products. Consider businesses that solve identical customer problems, even when their methods differ from yours.
Assess these competitive landscape characteristics during your analysis:
• Market share and position of each competitor
• Their strengths and weaknesses
• Your opportunities to enter specific markets
• How important your target market is to competitors
• Potential barriers that may block your entry
Geographic segmentation matters for SEO competition analysis. Businesses in different regions face unique challenges based on local market conditions, cultural preferences, and regulatory environments.
Balance comprehensive coverage with focused attention. The State of Competitive Enablement Report warns that tracking too few competitors risks missing emerging threats, while tracking too many creates information overload. Focus on competitors with significant market influence, those targeting your customer segments, and those with unique competitive advantages.
Visit competitors’ official websites to confirm they truly compete with you and gather additional information about their offerings.
Step 3: Perform a Website and UX Audit
Website analysis reveals your competitors’ digital strategy and user experience approach. 61% of users won’t return to a mobile site they struggle to access, and 40% visit a competitor’s site instead. This competitor analysis stage uncovers tactical advantages you can exploit.
Evaluate design, layout, and navigation
Visit competitor websites to understand their design philosophy and brand positioning immediately. Document homepage layouts, product offerings, and distinctive features that differentiate their user experience. Study how competitors organize information—menu structures, categorization systems, and navigation consistency.
Your competitive website audit should examine:
• Navigation structure and menu design
• Information architecture and content organization
• Visual aesthetics including color schemes and typography
• Overall branding consistency throughout the site
Competitive evaluations mirror what customers do naturally—they compare sites’ content, functionality, and experience before making decisions. Focus on 2-4 competitor sites rather than analyzing too many simultaneously during your competition analysis in SEO.
Check for mobile responsiveness and speed
Mobile optimization separates winners from losers in today’s market. 60%+ of digital media time happens on mobile devices, with Google reporting over half of web traffic comes from mobile users.
Use these essential tools for mobile evaluation:
1. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test – Analyzes mobile-friendliness and highlights issues
2. Google Search Console – Provides detailed mobile usability reports
3. Chrome DevTools – Simulates different devices and screen sizes
Page speed drives competitor analysis in SEO success. Google PageSpeed Insights, WebPageTest, and GTmetrix deliver comprehensive performance reports. Mobile-friendly sites generate 67% higher purchase likelihood. Check that competitor mobile sites have properly sized buttons (minimum 48 pixels), readable text without zooming, and correctly scaled images.
Identify unique features or selling points
Document distinctive elements that set competitors apart from your business. List key features and functionalities relevant to your industry. Build a competitor comparison table with screenshots highlighting their unique advantages.
Target these specific areas:
• User onboarding approaches and tutorials
• Special functionality or tools offered
• Content organization and presentation
• Unique selling propositions highlighted on the site
This analysis helps you eliminate weak competitors and focus on the strongest threats. Your findings should determine what functionality to add to your own site—validated with your audience—and prioritize development tasks correctly.
Competitive website evaluations inform design direction and uncover feature development opportunities. Study successful competitor elements to gain insights without reinventing solutions that already work.
Step 4: Run a Competitive SEO Audit
Search rankings don’t lie about competitor success. A competitive SEO audit reveals the exact strategies driving your competitors to the top of search results. This intelligence helps you identify missed opportunities and steal market share from competitors who aren’t optimizing effectively.
Compare keyword strategies and content gaps.
Content gaps show you exactly where competitors rank for keywords your website ignores. Finding these gaps creates immediate opportunities to drive organic traffic that your competitors think they own. Content gap analysis helps your content perform better for both SEO and social shares.
Your competitive SEO analysis should focus on three key areas:
1. Keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t target
2. Existing content that needs optimization to outrank competitors
3. Content structure and format competitors use successfully
Keyword gaps occur when customers search for terms that are not covered on your site. Content voids happen when your content lacks the depth needed to satisfy search intent compared to what’s already ranking.
Smart competitor analysis prioritizes pages already ranking on page one that need minor improvements to reach top positions. Google regularly shifts competitor rankings, creating windows of opportunity for optimized content to climb above them.
Analyze meta tags, backlinks, and SERP features.
Meta titles and descriptions significantly impact click-through rates, even though they don’t directly affect rankings. Study how top-ranking competitors structure their meta tags, especially those consistently appearing in position 1-3. A well-optimized on-page SEO often includes refining these elements to improve visibility and attract more qualified traffic.
Focus your meta tag analysis on:
• Keyword placement strategies (front-loading performs better)
• Compelling descriptions that drive clicks
• How competitors differentiate themselves in search results
Backlinks remain Google’s strongest ranking signal. Your competitive backlink analysis should identify authority sources driving competitor success. Target these specific link opportunities:
• High-authority domains with Domain Rating above 70+
• Dofollow links that transfer ranking power
• Pages with multiple quality backlinks you can replicate
Track where competitors appear in SERP features—featured snippets, FAQ schema, image carousels, and local packs reveal their optimization priorities.
Use SEO tools to track performance
Professional SEO tools eliminate guesswork from competitive analysis. SpyFu reveals every keyword your competitors have targeted on Google Ads and organic search over the past 19 years.
Semrush’s Keyword Gap tool streamlines content gap analysis:
1. Enter your domain plus competitor domains
2. Select “Organic keywords”
3. Click “Compare”
4. Review “Missing” keywords your competitors rank for
Ahrefs Site Explorer shows top-performing competitor content sorted by format—blog posts, guides, landing pages—helping you identify which content types drive the most traffic and backlinks.
Essential tools for technical SEO benchmarking:
• Google PageSpeed Insights for Core Web Vitals comparison
• Screaming Frog for technical SEO issues competitors miss
Set measurable goals across three areas: keyword rankings for gap opportunities, content depth improvements, and backlink acquisition targets. Track progress monthly using Google Search Console and specialized SEO tools to measure your gains against competitor performance.
Step 5: Use Expert Shortcuts and Tools
Smart competitor analysis depends on the right tools to gather intelligence fast. Professional shortcuts cut research time while delivering deeper insights into competitor strategies.
BuiltWith for tech stack analysis
BuiltWith reveals the exact technologies powering competitor websites. This tool tracks over 109,061 web technologies across more than 673 million websites, showing competitors’ analytics tools, CMS platforms, and ecommerce solutions. Understanding competitors’ tech infrastructure helps you identify potential advantages or spot opportunities they’ve missed.
VisualPing and ChangeTower for monitoring changes
Stop manually checking competitor websites. VisualPing captures screenshots of web pages and sends alerts when changes occur, tracking pricing updates, new products, and strategic shifts automatically. ChangeTower notifies you about competitor website changes through a central dashboard, letting you monitor multiple competitors simultaneously.
Ghostery for tracking analytics and A/B testing tools
Ghostery reveals the tracking tools competitors employ, providing insights into their optimization approach. This browser extension shows trackers present on 74% of all web traffic, helping you understand competitors’ analytics packages and advertising technologies.
Ready to outrank your competition without the manual work? Our SEO experts utilize advanced competitor monitoring technology and implement SEO best practices to provide you with a strategic edge. Get started with a consultation to see how our services can boost your competitive positioning.
Start Dominating Your Competition Today
We’ve outlined the critical steps for effective competitor analysis that drives real business results. This systematic approach provides the foundation for strategic positioning and market dominance. The five-step process gives you a clear roadmap to understand competition and identify profitable opportunities they’ve missed.
Competitor analysis isn’t a one-time project—it’s an ongoing competitive advantage. Market conditions change constantly, competitors evolve their strategies, and new players enter your space.
Making competitor analysis a regular business operation ensures you stay ahead of market trends and maintain your competitive edge. Incorporating insights from the search generative experience can further enhance your understanding of how competitors are leveraging AI-driven search tools to reach and engage audiences.
The expert shortcuts and tools we’ve discussed streamline your research process while delivering deeper strategic insights. BuiltWith, VisualPing, and Ghostery save valuable time while providing actionable intelligence that drives business growth.
Competitive intelligence should inspire action, not just observation. After gathering data about competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, develop concrete plans to capitalize on opportunities and address market threats.
Your competitor analysis works best when aligned with business goals. Feed these insights directly into your marketing strategy, product development, and customer experience improvements. The time and resources invested in competitive intelligence ultimately lead to stronger market positioning and increased revenue growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
A competitor analysis typically involves examining a competitor’s products, pricing, marketing strategies, and market positioning. It also includes evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, identifying their target audience, and analyzing their online presence and SEO tactics.
Competitor analysis should be an ongoing process rather than a one-time task. It’s recommended to conduct a thorough analysis at least quarterly, with more frequent monitoring of key competitors’ activities and market changes. This ensures you stay updated on industry trends and competitive shifts.
Several tools can streamline your competitor analysis process. Some popular options include SimilarWeb for website traffic insights, SEMrush for SEO and content gap analysis, BuiltWith for tech stack information, and VisualPing for monitoring website changes. Google Trends and social media monitoring tools are also valuable for tracking competitor activities.
Identifying indirect competitors involves looking beyond businesses offering similar products or services. Consider companies that solve the same customer problems or fulfill similar needs in different ways. Analyze customer reviews, industry reports, and use the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework to understand alternative solutions your target audience might consider.
Common mistakes in competitor analysis include focusing only on direct competitors, overlooking emerging market players, relying solely on publicly available information, and failing to translate insights into actionable strategies. It’s also crucial to avoid copying competitors blindly without considering your unique value proposition and target audience needs.